Horse & Hound’s eventing editor Pippa Roome takes her “sports pony” to try out Slades Farm, a new cross-country schooling course in Surrey — and gets Lucinda Green’s verdict on the facilities

There are plenty of perks to working at Horse & Hound, but when our features editor suggested I go and review a new cross-country schooling course, I knew I’d hit the jackpot. Take my horse and ride him over some nice new cross-country fences, in the sun, rather than sitting at a desk and answering emails? Oh, I expect I could just about manage that.

When I say “my horse”, I really mean “Mum’s horse”. Alfie arrived last October, after a long search. He is her pride and joy. He’s barely allowed out of her sight. “Will it just be you or is your Mum coming?” asked Rachel Lewis, who was setting up my visit to Slades Farm. Oh Mum will be coming. There is no way Alfie would be allowed to jump solid fences without her in attendance. And frankly, if he was, who would take the videos? Reader, you know you want to see videos.

I call Alfie the sports pony or the sports cob because he’s a Connemara, 15.1hh and up for a bit of anything. Mum thinks this is vaguely insulting, but I mean it as a compliment. Who doesn’t want a sports pony?

The sports pony had had a few quiet weeks before this outing. Mum had been away and I had been a touch busy with that little event called Badminton. But because he’s an obliging sports pony, Alfie accepted his role as a prop in an H&H feature with aplomb, tucked up his little tummy (yes, he has been put on a mini diet after we viewed the photos and videos from this day) and hopped into the trailer.

Getting to Slades Farm

First point to note if you are heading to Slades Farm, which is five miles south of Guildford, in Surrey. Do follow the instructions on the website about which way to approach (off the A281 at Palmers Cross or via Lodkin Hill just north of Hascombe on the B2130). Some of the routes in are very narrow and we found ourselves squeezing between parked cars and an unforgiving wall at one point, having disregarded the instructions. Luckily Mum is made of stern stuff as a driver and we made it unscathed.

The parking

The parking area is a good size, on gravelly hard-standing. Riders are asked to book online and then sign the visitor’s book and a disclaimer on arrival, standard stuff. The course is through a gate — sensible, so that horses are not loose onto the road in the event of falls and I’d suggest one on the entrance to the car park might not go amiss either. The sports pony has been known to untie himself and wander off if not watched at all times.

The parking area for cross-country schooling at Slades Farm

The owners

Owners Ed and Lulu Hartley appeared for a chat before I headed out on the course. They are both joint masters of the Surrey Union and the inspiration for this cross-country schooling course grew out of the hunt putting up jumps across their land. Having decided to go for it, they chose top names to realise the course, with Badminton course-designer Eric Winter as the designer and Dominic Moore of Jump 1 as the builder. Dominic counts Tweseldown’s course among his credits.

The course

The course was started last autumn, with the aim of being finished by March, but as with so much this spring, wet weather de-railed things somewhat and it actually opened in mid-April. One of the first clients won a one-day event soon after her schooling session and things were off to a flying start.

It’s worth pointing out at that Slades Farm has considerably more than just a cross-country schooling course — New Zealand event rider Hollie Swain will be based here and is running clinics, plus there is a trekking business and accommodation for both horses and humans for holidays, with horses also available to hire. Cross-country schoolers can pop into the club house overlooking the lake for coffee and biscuits afterwards and of course there’s a loo — because who doesn’t need a wee before cross-country schooling?

Ok, enough about the biscuits and the loo. Let’s get to the action.

Lucinda Green’s verdict

Lucinda Green recently visited Slades Farm and said she was delighted to discover the course is on grass and undulating.

“I often get asked to teach on flat, all-weather courses, but this isn’t realistic,” she says. “Cross-country is not naturally flat; your horse needs to build the skills required for natural terrain, and all-weather surfaces take away the skill of riding. Slades Farm gives riders a chance to have a realistic experience.”

The course is in a natural bowl, with great grass cover. The going is sandy and free-draining and the Hartleys are aware they will need to work on maintaining the going — a few places were starting to become set in firm ruts when I visited and they plan to put down wood chip on the take-offs and landings where it’s needed.

This is designed as a schooling course, so everything is convenient and an instructor could easily see their pupils. The fences are from 50-100cm level and there is great variety, including several open ditches, an extensive set of steps up and down, a big water pond and a couple of corners.

Don’t just take my word for it — Lucinda says: “The three fundamentals of training your horse in cross country are ditches, banks and water, and Slades Farm has them in spades. The large water jump offers huge possibilities for competitors.”

Some of the fences are flagged to be jumped both ways, some one way, some are not flagged at all. I would have liked to see the second little corner flagged as although the sports pony has never shown a desire to run out, I do prefer jumping narrow fences with flags.

As you can see, Alfie and I had a fabulous time cruising around and trying out all the fences. And before anyone asks, yes, I know he needs to go forward a little more (forgive me, I’m really a writer, not a rider) and no he’s definitely not for sale!

The cost

The Hartleys are restricting the course to four horses per hour session (£35 per horse per hour, with at £25 offer until the end of June) which should allow good access. Those organising clinics and bigger groups can contact them directly via the website.

Also on offer is a 900m grass gallop, situated on top of a hill high above the cross-country course. We strode up to take a look and admire the view, both out over the surrounding countryside and back over the cross-country course, although I admit I felt the sports pony had done enough so I didn’t carry out an action test.

Overall this is a great new facility for grassroots horses and riders — find yourself a sports pony (or horse) and give it a go.

The sports pony demonstrates the gallop. Without galloping.

Find out more at sladesfarm.co.uk

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

IF you’ve always dreamt of competing at a dressage championship, look no further than the Horse & Hound Festival of Dressage, the new three-day unaffiliated championship with classes from intro level up to medium.

This exciting inaugural event, to be held on 20-22 July at popular Lincolnshire venue Sheepgate Equestrian, could be the ideal championship for you and your horse to target this summer, whether you’re keen to experience the buzz of a championship, or looking for the perfect opportunity to step up a level with your horse.

With a prize fund of approximately £1,000 per championship, including winners’ rugs and top-quality prizes — plus prize money — and all classes taking place on an array of superb all-weather arenas with indoor warm-up facilities, you can be sure that this is a championship worth aiming for.

What’s more, this could be your chance to appear in the pages of Horse & Hound — the show will receive detailed coverage both in the magazine and online, with all champions interviewed by Horse & Hound reporters.

“A large percentage of Horse & Hound’s readers are successful, keen amateur riders. We know from experience how much anyone who fits that description needs clear goals to maintain focus and motivation. After all, it’s not easy getting up at 5:30am every day before work to keep your horse fit and progressing,” says Sarah Jenkins, Horse & Hound content director.

“Readers and their trainers told us how much they and their clients would value a Horse & Hound championship — somewhere they could aim for to offer a great stay-away show experience with the prestige of becoming a Horse & Hound champion, plus great prizes.”

Championship dressage — and so much more

Combinations at each of the five levels on offer will perform two championship tests across the Saturday and Sunday, with the combined scores from both days determining the champion at each level. Additional warm-up classes will run across all three days, and competitors are also invited to enter freestyle classes on the Saturday evening at prelim, novice, elementary and medium.

But it’s not just about the dressage — with a drinks reception on the Friday, a complimentary hog roast on the Saturday night, and further evening entertainment, you can enjoy the excitement and buzzing social atmosphere that only comes with a stay-away championship.

Permanent and temporary stabling will be available to keep your horse comfortable, and the Sheepgate Tack & Togs shop, featuring top brands including Ariat, Pikeur, Cavallo and Dubarry, will provide ample opportunity for retail therapy — or just the chance to pick up any extra essentials.

Every horse and rider needs a target to aim for — why not make yours the 2018 Horse & Hound Festival of Dressage?

Horse & Hound Festival of Dressage: all you need to know

WHERE: Sheepgate Equestrian, Sheepgate Nursery, Leverton, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE22 0AS. Sheepgate.co.uk
WHEN: 20-22 July 2018
LEVELS: championships at intro, prelim, novice, elementary and medium. Additional freestyle classes at prelim to medium levels
ENTRIES: enter online at Equoevents.co.uk/HHDressagefestival. Entries close on 13 July, or when classes are full. No refunds after close of entries.
FEES: £70 per championship to include tests on both days. £20 per freestyle entry, £15 per warm-up class
STABLING: Limited permanent stables available at £40 per night. Temporary stables available at £35 for one night or £70 for the duration of the show.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

In this week’s edition, out on 24 May, don’t miss our “cob special”, including how to find the perfect cob, meet champion cob Our Cashel Blue and more.

What is it?

Dope testing takes place in all competitive horse sport, and can happen at any time, at any event in any discipline.

It’s a serious matter, and FEI protocol must be followed. “Doping is fundamentally contrary to the spirit of sport,” says the FEI, which creates the rules for Clean Sport in equestrianism.

The Commission on Anti-Doping & Medication was founded in November 2008, after the high-profile doping cases from the 2008 Olympic Games. A number of riders appealed to the FEI for clearer guidance on doping and medication.

Any riders competing under FEI rules must stick to the global authority’s clean sport regulations, at all levels of the sport. Riders competing in British Eventing, British Showjumping, British Dressage and British Riding Clubs also must adhere to FEI protocol when it comes to random testing.

“The FEI’s testing process is clear and thorough,” an FEI spokesman tells H&H. “Protecting the integrity of our sport, ensuring it is clean and fair, is vital and even more important when there is an animal involved.

“With over 4,600 international events on the FEI calendar, it is our responsibility as the international governing body to protect our athletes and our sport.”

How does it work?

Equine anti-doping and controlled medication can take place randomly, not just if you’ve won.

Testing is always carried out in the same way, and horses may be tested multiple times at the same event.

When dope testing, horses are taken to a sampling box, where a sample of blood and urine is taken. A steward or testing official will be present to watch. Riders are advised to go themselves to the sampling box, although they can nominate a representative, however only the person that witnesses the sampling can testify about the procedure and whether it was conducted according to the rules.

The testing vet fills in a form and keeps one part. A second part is given to the person responsible and the third is sent with the sample to the FEI-approved lab.

There are five official laboratories, with the central lab in Cambridgeshire. Others are in Australia, America, Hong Kong and France.

Samples are marked with a unique number, and not the name or horse or rider. The sample is then couriered to the lab. Labs can pick up even the smallest trace.

The B samples are stored for any future testing, and A samples are analysed, which can take up to two or three weeks. If a prohibited substance is found, it is reported to the FEI.

If it tests negative, the sample is destroyed [unless from a world championships or Olympic event]. If it’s positive the rider is informed, who then can ask for a B sample. There will be a provisional suspension, a hearing and verdict, which can result in a lengthy ban.

If it’s positive and the person responsible is found guilty, they can appeal to the Council for Arbitration in Sport.

What are they looking for?

The FEI publishes an equine prohibited substances list, which is updated regularly. Riders are encouraged to check this frequently to ensure they’re not treating or feeding their horses any substances that are on this list.

Banned substances are those that are deemed by the FEI to have “no legitimate use in the competition horse and/or have a high potential for abuse”. They are not permitted for use at any time.

Controlled medication are substances that are deemed by the FEI to have “therapeutic value and/or be commonly used in equine medicine”, however they have the potential to affect performance and/or be a welfare risk.

Any substance that affects the performance of the horse in a calming or energising manner that contains prohibited substances are banned.

“We have a rigorous testing policy in place, with over 1,000 substances on the FEI prohibited substances list,” says an FEI spokesman.

“Boosting awareness and education is key for us as our sport grows around the world, and the FEI is investing in all forms of FEI clean sport communication to ensure athletes and veterinarians are aware.”

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How can you avoid an accidental positive test?

• Although there’s high security at events, the competitor is still the person responsible.
• Athletes should read up on FEI rules, to ensure there are no grey areas when it comes to substances. The FEI has a clear Clean Sport online hub with all relevant information. You can also download the Clean Sport app and there are versions for both Apple and android.
• Always speak to your vet if your horse needs treatment. They can advise you on detection times (ie how long it takes for a medicine to clear from a horse’s system). These can also be found on the FEI Clean Sport website.
• Tell your vet if you intend to compete, when and where.
• Keep in mind possible contamination of feed by Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances (NOPS). Buy your feed from reputable companies and preferably those that have signed up to the BETA UFAS NOPS Code.
• Note down the batch number. In some cases you may need to call the manufacturer for a full break down of ingredients. If in doubt, check.
• General day-to-day items, such as caffeine – which is found in chocolate, tea and coffee – can be detected. It’s therefore important that nothing is left lying around, you wash your hands before preparing feed and there’s no way your horse can ingest anything that’s meant for you.
• There have been cases where horses have failed dope tests due to human urine and even hairspray.
• Contaminated hay can also be an issue.
• Beware of cross-contamination between horses. If one horse in the yard is on medication, ensure that does not pass to another. Stick to the same buckets each time for each horse. The same goes for water buckets.
• Wash your hands thoroughly and use disposable gloves if preparing feed with medication. Good hygiene is essential.
• Don’t use home-made remedies and be cautious with supplements.
• A “medication logbook” must be kept for each horse recording the date, substance and dosage of all treatments administered to the horse which involve a prohibited substance and details of the person who administered them. This logbook can be inspected by the FEI Tribunal, so make sure it’s kept up to date.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

A mini marvel who stepped up to one-star eventing last year is set to make history next month.

Lakevale Toyman (Tommy), a 13.2hh gelding, is the smallest pony ever to be entered in the CCI* at Melbourne International 3 Day Event (7-11 June).

Ridden and owned by Australian Jackie Wright, the 14-year-old was originally bought as a companion, but he soon showed his aptitude for jumping and progressed up the levels.

He is now being prepared for the three-day event and Jackie has high hopes for his performance.

“Melbourne is in two weeks’ time and I’m so excited about it,” she told H&H.

“Tommy is really well. We’ve had some improvements in our dressage lately which led to us qualifying for Melbourne, as well as a couple of placings. He’s a star!”

Tommy has completed two international and seven national one-star events since his debut at the level last April.

In March this year he was placed sixth in the CIC1* at Wandin Park in Victoria, Australia.

The diminutive gelding even has his own Facebook page with thousands of fans.

“I think he’ll get heaps of attention at Melbourne,” said Jackie.

“Since my post that we got in we’ve had so many people following us.”

Jackie, who is 5’3”, started competing Tommy at 65cm, as he was “quite spooky”, then stepped up to 95cm events.

“I thought I may have reached his limit — I was quite happy with that — but then he seemed to get even bolder so I started doing some 105s on him,” said Jackie.

Tommy went from strength to strength. Jackie took him cross-country schooling with her other established one-star horse and found he tackled the bigger fences with ease.

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“He’s an absolute machine cross-country,” she said.

“He’s so smart and loves his job and always seems to know where to go for a long spot and when he needs to chip in to make the distances.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

In this week’s edition, out on 24 May, don’t miss our “cob special”, including how to find the perfect cob, meet champion cob Our Cashel Blue and more.

The head of the Italian equestrian federation’s (FISE) dressage department has been temporarily suspended after he was arrested as part of a financial crime investigation.

Cesare Croce served as the president of FISE from 1996 to 2008, taking over as dressage head in 2017.

A statement from FISE said he had been suspended while the police investigation is carried out “in which it is hoped that Cesare will prove his own extraneousness”.

Italy’s financial police department in Monza arrested 30 people on 21 May on suspicion of offences including tax and bankruptcy crimes, fraud, money laundering and corruption.

The investigation was sparked by a complaint in October 2014, dating back to an incident in 2010 in the town of Brianza.

On behalf of the local judicial authorities, the police have started investigations into the management of about 40 companies belonging to a corporate group belonging to well-known building contractor Giuseppe Malaspina operating in the province of Monza and Brianza.

Officers are looking into the issue and use of invoices for non-existent transactions by the companies totaling around €95 million, with assets of approximately €234 million.

Police have seized 28 real estate units, company shares and financial assets, worth a total of €9.3 million, and are aiming to confiscate up to €10million to make up for the amount of tax that has allegedly been evaded.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

In this week’s edition, out on 24 May, don’t miss our “cob special”, including how to find the perfect cob, meet champion cob Our Cashel Blue and more.

Eventer Emily King has launched a crowdfunding campaign to buy a horse she believes could take her to “Badminton, the Olympics and beyond”.

The rider hopes to raise £40,000 before the end of this month to buy six-year-old Langford Take the Biscuit. By this afternoon (24 May) she had already secured more than £13,000 on her JustGiving page.

Emily has only had the ride on “Hobby” for a short time, during which the combination have finished fourth in a BE100 at Mount Ballan and eighth in a novice at Tweseldown, but said his owners need to sell as she is relocating.

“I’m desperate to keep the ride as he’s a top-class young horse,” she said.

“He has a very good movement, fantastic jump and I haven’t ridden a horse quite so talented cross-country. All the ability and class to make a top four-star horse.

“I am desperately looking to find owners/ syndicate members to enable me to keep the ride on Hobby as he really is a horse of a lifetime.”

Emily has asked her followers on social media to contribute “anything” to allow her to keep the ride, in return for which contributors will be “part of his amazing journey”.

“If I can attract just 2,000 of you to put in £20 each we’ve got him!” she said, adding that she has a company “interested in sponsoring his running costs”, so the initial payment would be the only one.

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“Whoever is so kind as to donate will be able to see him at the lorry/ stables at all his competitions and see how everything works behind the scenes, walk his cross-country courses with me at all the big events he competes at, come to watch him train at home, near Chester and be an official part of Team King.

“[You will also] become a true part of Hobby’s journey to the top of the sport and follow him with a true connection to Badminton, the Olympics and beyond.

“It really is a rare and awesome opportunity not to be missed.”

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

In this week’s edition, out on 24 May, don’t miss our “cob special”, including how to find the perfect cob, meet champion cob Our Cashel Blue and more.

A leading welfare charity is urging owners to take action on ragwort after a mare was brought into its care with severe liver damage.

Dolly was found by a World Horse Welfare field officer in Dorset in March 2017 with a foal at foot.

The mare was weak and struggling to survive while caring for her foal, named Rocket by staff at the charity.

“When Dolly first arrived she was very thin, with all her ribs and vertebrae clearly visible,” said Glenda Spooner Farm supervisor Grace Vooght.

“When new horses come into our care they are always examined by our vet and routine blood tests are undertaken to ensure they are not suffering any underlying problems.

“When Dolly’s results came back it became apparent she was suffering from severe liver damage which could have been caused by a number of poisons.

“One of the most common causes of liver damage that we see is ragwort poisoning, but without knowing her background, it was difficult to determine what had caused Dolly to be in such a terrible condition.

“The first step was to wean Rocket on to eating more independently so he was less reliant on Dolly’s milk, which worked well as he was quite a greedy foal.

“This allowed Dolly to put what little energy she had into repairing her damaged liver.”

Ms Vooght added that Dolly’s condition did not seem to be improving, with blood tests showing little progress in her liver’s healing.

Rocket now

“We continued to monitor Dolly and provide her with all the nutrition she needed so she could bring up her young foal and it was very much touch and go as to whether she would survive,” she said.

“After a few months of dedicated care and attention, Dolly miraculously began to recover and her liver finally started to function properly, which amazed us all.

“Both ponies are now living out in their herds and have undertaken their handling training as well as learning to go into a trailer – all in preparation for them to find loving new homes on our rehoming scheme.”

Article continues below…

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World Horse Welfare’s chief field officer Claire Gordon is urging owners to remove the toxic plant from horses’ fields.

“It’s vital that your horse doesn’t eat ragwort, and you can’t assume they will choose not to eat it,” said Ms Gordon.

Dolly now

“Spraying in April and early May while the plant is growing is the most effective way to eradicate it from your pasture, but you must be able to rest the field after spraying.

“For those without access to additional grazing, pulling the whole plant up — including the roots — is the next best option.

“It’s best to do this at the seedling or rosette stage, before the plant flowers and while the ground is still soft — so the sooner you act, the better.

“Seeds can remain in the ground for 15 years before germination, so even if you’ve removed ragwort in previous years, it’s important to do it again every year.”

Click here for more information on how to control ragwort

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

This week’s edition (17 May) features a full report from Royal Windsor Horse Show, including all the showing, showjumping and dressage action. We go behind the scenes with the Household Cavalry as they prepare for the royal wedding, plus check out our interview with Irish eventer Padraig McCarthy.

I am a huge fan of HORSEFLY FILMS.  I’ve written about their beautiful, moving and inspiring films.  They do an excellent job both in production and research.  They are the real deal.

SOME OF THEIR INCREDIBLE WORK…

Sophie and Jen have a new film about the California Camarillo White horse.

They need just a small amount to finish it.  Are you interested?!  Read on!

CLICK HERE to go to the original story.

FROM HORSEFLY FILMS

Click to go to campaign

STALLION OF A DREAM spotlights a rare horse breed forged in the history & mythology of the Golden State. Now extremely endangered, the Camarillo White Horse embodies the collective dream of California and a cultural beacon of hope for a new generation of Californians trying to save them.
28 Days, 16 Hours Left
Inclusion Statement
As women filmmakers, we represent gender equality in film. In a current climate in which Hispanic-Americans are under cultural attack, our film celebrates California’s Hispanic roots, creating positive role models for identity and sparking cross-cultural recognition of our origins as Californians.
About The Project

STALLION OF A DREAM: California and the Camarillo White Horse is a feature documentary film (56 minutes) that tells the story of the rare Camarillo White Horse. It is the quintessential California story of immigration and empire-building, and of the roots of cultural and social change, told through the Camarillo family who came from Mexico in the 1830s in a quest to realize their dream.

Into the cauldron of desire, possibility and the alchemy of transformation that was early California, came the aristocratic Spanish colonists known as the Californios, among them the Camarillos. The pastoral era of Rancho life was steeped in romantic Spanish traditions and all things equine.  In this early California landscape horses were more than a conveyance or a tool for work— the horse was, like the car a century later, a deep reflection and expression of personal identity.  Nowhere was the connection with one’s horse and incredible and daring riding skills more appreciated than by the gallant and bold Californios.

In California the horse has been singularly central to our early history, tradition and cultural identity. In STALLION OF A DREAM we spotlight a genetically and historically unique rare breed forged deep in the history and shifting mythology of the Golden State. Beginning with the Camarillo’s arrival in California with the Hijar expedition in 1834 aboard a ship that may or may not have contained Napoleon’s doom within its planks, our film tells the story of one family’s rise to prominence. The Camarillo family eventually settled in Ventura County, purchasing the original Ruiz Spanish land grant and transforming the wild landscape of the California pastoral era of the Rancheros. Despite his critics, Camarillo was a visionary and drove the shift from the booming cattle trade toward a managed, agricultural paradise, which is reflected  in the transformation of Rancho Camarillo. Adolfo Camarillo’s progress and embrace of the vanguard mirrored California’s own spirited ethos and march toward modernization. California’s very name is a fiction of an exotic and fantastical Utopia. California embodies the bold tension held at the western edge of a vast continent,  the lure of whatever comes next. We boldly exclaim ourselves in our state of mind and in our state motto “Eureka!”, meaning “I have found it!” , but what is it Californians have found? Gold? The next freeway exit? A dreamer’s Paradise? For the Camarillo family, the dream began with a horse.

Adolfo Camarillo was a California visionary and his greatest vision would arrive, most appropriately, on the back of a horse. In the 1920’s he created a new breed of horse to bear his name: The Camarillo White Horse. Adolfo, with his stallion Sultan, embarked on an equine journey that would become more than a personal identity or brand. The White Horse would become his family legacy; their gift to California and the world. An icon of Adolfo’s forward, revolutionary thinking, Sultan not only gave Adolfo considerable physical stature, together they became ambassadors for the Camarillo family and for California at large. One is hard-pressed to find an animal so synonymous with one place. Everyone who encountered the rare white horse and the Spanish horseman astride him had the same passionate reaction— with a presence evocative of both California’s storied past and bright white future,  Adolfo and Sultan ignited a spark in spectators everywhere, embodying all that was good in the collective dream of California.

Adolfo Camarillo was an astute businessman with a great grasp of the value of PR and over the next fifty years the Camarillo White Horses were paraded hundreds if not thousands of times locally, nationally and even internationally with many broadcasts of their rides in the Rose Parade, the Opening of the Oakland Bay Bridge and an appearance in the Opening Ceremonies of the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The Camarillo White Horses because synonymous with old California values, a fact not lost on politicians who borrowed their magnificence to their own ends in political campaigns of every ilk. In a pre-televisionworld, dignitaries and mayors clamored to beseen riding the Camarillo Whites where they could make a splash in the press. Political hopefuls of every stripe, from President Harding to Governor Ronald Reagan rode the horses in parade, keenly aware that Adolfo Camarillo’s stellar reputation across the Golden State was tantamount to an endorsement  of political virtue. They were quite literally playing the part of the hero on the white horse.

It was not just the advent of the automobile which would push these horses to the brink of extinction.  Just when history was cementing these icons into California history, controversial family decisions and bitter strife pushed the horses towards an almost inevitable and unceremonious end.  Long held by Camarillo family members only, some felt this horse was theirs and only theirs— not just by birthright, but by their identities as Californians.  The future of the horse was on a precipice.

With breed numbers floundering at a mere eleven horses left on earth, it was at a final contentious auction that outsiders swooped in 28 years ago to save the horse for future generations.   In recognizing their own personal identity as Californians and what they felt was their connection to these endangered horses, the Camarillo White Horse had transcended the domain of a single family and become the property of Californians everywhere who rejoiced in their salvation.

Today, spectators of these horses still rejoice as Camarillo family members work diligently alongside non-family to create a viable future for these beloved horses that are living vessels of history. Away from public parade however, a different view emerges.  The work of breed conservation is a constant struggle and the future of these horses is anything but secure. The next challenging reality that White Horses of Camarillo faces is how viable is their future for with little to no connection to California’s youth? The people involved in saving and perpetuating the breed are up against time itself and the burning question is how can these horses survive the next decade, let alone the next century? How can tangible intergenerational learning occur? How can California’s youth not only be made aware of their heritage but become excited enough in recognizing themselves in our collective history that it ignites their passion to continue what Adolfo Camarillo started a hundred years ago? Will they adopt his dream as their own?

CONCEPT AND THEMES
Despite modern technology making horses obsolete for many, the debt to history remains. From the sword to the plowshare, horses are an integral part of who we are, of who we became, and though the culture of the horse is intangible and cannot be preserved in a museum, it is something we can reflect upon and explore with film narrative. Using the equine as a central focus and unusual lens on humankind’s saga brings into sharp focus our agrarian and warlike histories, our spiritual connections and the ongoing battle to preserve our unique heritage in the face of rapid globalization.

As mankind built civilizations on the backs of horses, we owe our victories, our survival, our enriched culture to the noble horse.  There are many equine breeds and cultures close to extinction, and without the help of a dedicated few, this valued bond between humankind and horse is sure to be lost.  The Camarillo White Horse is one such rare breed and this film will help highlight the precarious position and ongoing revival of these horses and the people who are trying to save them by bringing their uniquely fascinating history to the screen.

Throughout the film’s rich narrative, we focus on broad themes of California’s transitioning personal identity as a direct correlation of the evolution from horse to automobile, shifting attitudes on race and social status in California, the disconnect of today’s youth with our collective history and the ongoing fight to halt this rampant cultural memory loss in future generations. The thread of diversity in all its forms in California— old, young, Hispanic, non-Hispanic— is prevalent throughout the film’s focus. The preservation of memory and California’s heritage and the celebration or mourning of any part of that cultural spirit is inclusive of us all, requiring us to view ourselves first as Californians. This is not just the story of the Camarillo family as the “other” but rather a film exposing one of the roots and key components of California identity, as played out in the ever-unfolding story of the Camarillo White Horse.

Unlike any other domesticated animal on earth, the horse, and mankind’s relationship with it, has changed drastically and permanently in just the last hundred years. With the advent of the automobile, it is a loss we barely even register, all but slipping into the past unnoticed.  This massive shifting of our connection with the equine and of their practical usefulness to us has profound effects on our culture and our idea of ourselves. In California, the automobile has been embraced so passionately and engrained so deeply, it is part of our cultural DNA. Nowhere else has our relationship with Horsepower undergone such a drastic sea change as in this home of car culture and the call of the open road.  From the days of the Rancheros, Californians have sought a faster, better, slicker means of locomotion, but before lowriders and hotrods, surf woodies and the LA freeway, California was the birthplace of a singularly unique breed of horse that set it apart.

CREATIVE APPROACH, STYLE AND COLLABORATORS
In making this film we are working with all of the people involved in the breed, the Camarillo White Horse Association, the Camarillo family and board of the Camarillo Ranch House.  Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning historian of the American West, Dr. Alan Taylor of UC Davis /University of Virginia and California historian and horseman, Dr. Al Hurtado of the University of Oklahoma are joining the team as Humanities advisors.

Synthesizing visual beauty and academic scope, the film will feature our signature acclaimed cinematic visual style, blending breathtaking footage of larger- than-life horses that leap from the screen, adept re-creations of key historical moments, in-depth interviews, authoritative and compelling script, lush score and a treasury of archival materials including vintage never-before-seen film, photographs, newspapers, paintings and the private family diaries. As well as the current oral histories uncovered in interviews, we are amassing a body of rich, diverse archival materials from repositories as disparate as the International Olympic Committee, the Smithsonian’s Autry National Center, the Camarillo family, wax cylinder music recordings by Charles Lummis and the Tournament of Roses Rose Parade, in order to creatively tell the compelling story of these horses and their enormous  ongoing cultural impact and relevance in California.

WHY US?
This film will be the sixth film in our series of documentaries of the Horsefly Films’ Rare Equine Trust, an ongoing cinematic library dedicated to exploring diverse cultures, rare equine breeds and unique stories and cultural histories centered around the horse.  We are experts in telling these kinds of stories and our films are not only screening worldwide, but are fulfilling our mission to effect change and raise awareness.

WHY YOU?
We’ve already done a LOT on this film. In fact, we’re about halfway. We write, shoot edit and wear as many hats as possible for 2 people to wear. But to get this film completed, there are some things we can’t do– and that’s why we need your help! We  still need to pay for things like:

Our Composer
Our Narrator
Archival photos & footage
Sound mix
Historical Picture Car
Location fees

The post FANS OF THE CALIFORNIA CAMARILLO WHITE HORSE: COME LISTEN AND WATCH! We have a chance to help the breed survive! appeared first on Horse and Man.

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Michael Johnson, author of “HEALING SHINE and many other wonderful missives (click here to go to his website) sent this great story… I love his stories.  They always ring true for me.

THROWING MY LOOP…
Michael Johnson

COMING OUT OF THE DARK

“If you would understand your horse, you will find you have to work on yourself.”
– Ray Hunt

I read those words long ago. Now so many years later, I am so ashamed to tell you something. I sat there after re-reading that sentence a number of times, and I thought to myself, “What? What on earth does that mean?” Because try as I might, there was just no way I could see me being the problem…because I knew all about “it.” Couldn’t be me.
So it had to be the horse.
The article by Ray Hunt came in a Zen magazine. (Yeah, like I read those all the time.) Of course, I didn’t order the thing, but it still somehow managed to slip through all the security I had around my farm to prevent new ideas from making their way inside. This thing fell out of the sky on its own. Didn’t matter anyway. No time for such nonsense. I had a serious problem to deal with. My horse wouldn’t rein.
The blue colt had come into my life almost two years before and I had rarely known such happiness. The color of a pencil lead he was and my heart was so full of joy. My goodness, he was a splendid child. I took great pains with him during those first two years. Careful never to frighten him, always patient, and only employed the very best of practices in his elementary school years. While I did enjoy that preparatory time, I could not wait for the day when I could actually mount him and begin our journey to him becoming the best roping horse in the world. Then the goofy thing couldn’t rein. Good grief. I called my friend, Bronc. (Great name for a cowboy or what?)
“He’s just dull in the face,” I said into the phone. “I have to plow him around like an old mule.”
“How long have you been working with him?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe three weeks,” I said. “And that has amounted to three weeks of nothing.”
“My goodness,” he said. “Three weeks and he’s not ready for a world show?”
I knew he was scolding me for being impatient – something Bronc cannot abide in people when they are impatient with the horse. “Okay, okay,” I said. “You still have to come down here and do something to fix him.”

He came and he stayed two days. I think about those two days all the time now. I sit on the porch in the evening watching Blue graze in the pasture – no longer two, but twenty now, and still such a splendid child – and I think of those two days.
I remember that morning with such freshness now after all these years, and how he watched me ride the colt in the round pen for a short time, and then he said, “Okay, let’s get some lawn chairs.”
“Great,” I said. “Are we going to use the chairs for some sort of drill to help him?”
“No,” he said. “We are going to sit in the chairs and talk until you see that when you get better, Blue will get better.” We sat in the chairs, and he talked and at first, I was irritated and impatient. I wanted to help my colt. And the more he talked, the quieter the world became on that day, until there was just Bronc and me in the world. After a time, it was as if he grasped my lower eyelid with one hand and upper with the other and jerked them open, and the light came in… and I could see.
It wasn’t the colt. It was me. It’s not them. It’s us.
Jeez. Still hurts to write that.
While that little lesson may have been painful, it was certainly worth it. Bronc didn’t fix my horse, but he certainly helped me. And guess what? Blue still doesn’t know much about reining, but he handles like a dove. Bronc taught me how to ride him with my feet, and my legs, and my voice.
I’m not telling you I have arrived. No boasting here. There is a catch to all of this. It is joy that I feel having walked out of the darkness about the old ways. The old ways of yelling and hitting the horse. The old ways of “breaking” the horse, and the old ways of “never letting the horse win.” There is joy in learning the horse will do anything we ask if he understands what we want. But once we walk into that light, we just assume the new and better answers will be lying in the sun there waiting for us. They are not. Just because we learn our old ways are ineffective does not mean that now we know the right way. The right way remains to be learned.
But at least after all these years, I’m coming out of the dark.

“Coming out of the dark, I finally
see the light now
And it’s shining on me.
I see the light. I see the light.”
— Gloria Estefan

Michael Johnson
Johnson Farms –
Home of Little Blue,
good reining horse

The post MICHAEL JOHNSON MONDAY…”Coming out of the Dark” – wonderful prose, lesson learned. appeared first on Horse and Man.

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A former racehorse has made a remarkable recovery following a terrifying accident last year (17 October).

David Lloyd George (“George”) was turned out in his field in Northampton when something spooked him and he attempted to jump out over a five-bar gate.

The gelding fell and skidded several metres across the ground, after which he got back on his feet and galloped to the gate of the yard.

He smashed through heavy iron gates and galloped for two miles into Kingsthorpe in heavy rush hour traffic.

His owner, Clare Lewis was lunging a pony when she heard George bolting out of the yard.

Credit: Adrian Howes Photography

“Something had petrified him — I think he may have been stung under his rug,” she told H&H.

“I was driving round for 20 minutes and there was no sign of him. I don’t know what I was thinking, it was just mad and so scary not knowing where he was.”

Claire contacted police who informed her George had been caught.

A member of the public had caught him with a piece of string and put him in their garden.

“When I arrived he screamed at me and came running over — he’s never been so pleased to see me,” said Clare.

“I couldn’t believe he was upright. How he dodged all the traffic, I don’t know. He’d gone through a really horrendous junction.”

George was left with scrapes to his legs and shoulder, a deeper cut to a foreleg, and a cut through his frog.

George’s crashing fall from the field was captured by the yard’s CCTV cameras.

“I couldn’t believe it and the vets were gobsmacked,” said Clare. “They couldn’t believe he got up from that fall.”

George was put on seven weeks of box rest with pony Cheeko to keep him company.

He made good progress and returned to the field for a month, and was ridden for the first time since the accident on 9 January, having been given the all-clear by the vet and osteopath.

George has since gone from strength to strength and is going to his first dressage competition since his accident this weekend.

“He feels amazing,” said Clare of the 13-year-old, who she has owned since he was retired from the racetrack at four. “He’s really fit and strong.”

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Clare said George’s behaviour on the day of the accident was completely out of character.

“He’s so laid back it’s painful,” she laughed.

Clare praised her vets, Swanspool Veterinary Clinic in Wellingborough, and equine osteopath, David Powers of In Motion Equine, for all their help with George’s rehabilitation.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

The latest edition (17 May) features a full report from Royal Windsor Horse Show, including all the showing, showjumping and dressage action. We go behind the scenes with the Household Cavalry as they prepare for the royal wedding, plus check out our interview with Irish eventer Padraig McCarthy.