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Autumn 2013 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP 1

Fun training exercisesfor improved

communication

PAIN-PROOF YOUR HORSE

Aut

umn

2013

SIMON CHARLESWORTH

The Big Interview

WHY LOADING GOES WRONG

and how to deal with it

Pastures new:Harry finds a new home

IH magazine Autumn 2013.indd 1 20/08/2013 08:45

2 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP Autumn 2013

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Do you have a contribution for Intelligent Horsemanship Magazine?

Please phone, email or send your carrier pigeon to the IH office!BY POST: Intelligent Horsemanship, Lethornes, Upper Lambourn, Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 8QPPHONE: 01488 71300 FAX: 01488 73783 EMAIL: [email protected]: www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.ukON THE COVER: Harry enjoying a snooze out at grass. Photo courtesy of Izadora Honey.

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Whilst we endeavour to ensure that all articles in the Intelligent Horsemanship Magazine are compatible with broad IH principles, it should be noted that the views expressed by contributors to the Intelligent Horsemanship Magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or Kelly Marks.

Dear ReadersWelcome to the autumn issue of the IH Magazine.

I always find this

time of year rather

bittersweet, as I love

September with its

golden colours and

mellow weather but begin to dread the cold,

wet winter ahead!

Before all that, however, there’s plenty to enjoy

– I’m sure many of you will be out and about

enjoying cross country competitions, one-day

events, fun rides or some autumn hunting.

Don’t miss Kelly’s update on pages 4 and 5

about Corky’s training for his first ODE.

In this issue there’s more of what you have

been up to and what you’re saying, including

some great tips on being ‘equi-green’ and

how to keep your yard valuables secure.

Feedback as always is important, so please

feel free to contact me on [email protected]

about anything you read in the magazine.

If you’re thinking of heading to Birmingham

next month for Horse of the Year Show,

don’t miss our big interview with showing

producer Simon Charlesworth. Monty and

Kelly were called in to help his top ride

Pearly King after the horse struggled to cope

with the pressure of big championships;

read how Monty helped ‘Elvis’ reach new

heights of success.

Our 11-page training section is once again

packed with help and advice, including some

useful schooling exercises, how to get your

horse to stand while being mounted and how

not to train your horse to be mean! We also

take a look at what goes into selecting and

training an RDA horse on page 34.

And finally, don’t forget to keep a camera

handy when you’re out having fun with your

horse, as we choose the best submitted

pictures each issue for publication. There’s

even a special IH rosette, kindly provided

by Bows4Shows, for our favourite!

Contents ON THE COVER

04 Kelly Marks – My World – Pastures new: Saying goodbye to Harry

06 Letters and feedback

07 IH Out & About

08 Members pictures

09 Meet a member

10 Travelling & loading... why problems arise

12 Simon Charlesworth – The Big Interview

15 Pain-proof your horse

16 Lean and green – saving money & the environment

18 Your top tips on beating thieves and boosting security

19 Teaching a horse to stand still to mount perfectly

21 How to make schooling fun and effective

25 Creating a mean and miserable horse

31 Learn & win with IH

32 IH Success Story

33 The horse I would clone...

34 Preparing horses for RDA work

36 IH Kids – how IH helped Ellen

37 Shy Lowen family fun day photos

38 From the case files

40 Where are they now

41 IHRA client feedback

42 Spotlight on RA Garry Bosworth

43 Intelligent Horsemanship Courses

04

12

37

07

09

15 24

Welcome toContents

Kelly Marks – My World– Pastures new: Saying

Liz Falkingham, Editor



By KELLY MARKSByBy KELLY MARKS

MyWorldMy Dad always said ‘the most important My Dad always said ‘the most important My Dad always said ‘the most important

MyWorldMy Dad always said ‘the most important

MyWorldMyWorldMy Dad always said ‘the most important

MyWorldthing with life is that it should be interesting’thing with life is that it should be interesting’thing with life is that it should be interesting’and I can certainly say the past few months have been that!and I can certainly say the past few months have been that!and I can certainly say the past few months have been that!and I can certainly say the past few months have been that!

Pie supplied the lucky horseshoes on Daisy’s wedding day

...haven’t most of us dreamed of marrying our horse at some point? No? Oh, just me then!...

Holly C

arter Wedding P

hotography



y Dad always said ‘the most important thing

with life is that it should be interesting’ and I can

certainly say the past few months have been that!

One has to face facts: if you are riding big, young sport

horses cross country and working with remedial horses

you are putting yourself at a certain amount of risk.

However, I was less aware of the dangers of stepping outside

my kitchen door (!) – ironically, when slipping on a wet step

in June, I sustained a worse injury than (nearly) anything

I’ve ever done horse related.

I was due to drive the horsebox to take Rosie and Corky to

a show and I knew I’d twisted my ankle pretty badly but was

convinced I was just ‘winded’. An hour later, however, in spite

of Rosie’s excellent RICE treatment (Rest, Ice, Compression

and Elevation) I knew I

wasn’t going to be driving

anywhere for some time.

It was quite an adventure

– I’ve heard so many bad

things about the National

Health Service I had

extremely low expectations

but actually finished up

quite pleasantly surprised.

On my notes it said ‘she is an

ex-jockey and still a keen

horse rider so it is best that

we investigate this as

thoroughly as possible’.

I’m telling you this so

if you go into hospital you

make sure you chat up everyone you can and let it be known

that being active is very important to you. I may have been

treated differently if I’d given the impression that mobility

wasn’t all that important to me.

I also made every effort through Google, friends and

medical advice to a) discover what a ‘intra-articular fracture

through the dorsal aspect of the anterior process of the

calcaneum’ actually meant and b) was there any way I could

speed up healing. A surprising fact I learned was just about

the most harmful thing you can do to your feet is smoke

cigarettes (which thankfully I don’t).

I must have done something right, however, as I was

originally advised I wouldn’t be ‘back to normal’ for three

months and, remarkably, in about three weeks I was getting

along pretty well. I remain grateful for that.

Having a plaster and crutches did encourage me to ‘take

stock’ and, with the original prognosis of three months not

riding, followed by the autumn tour and then winter

weather in mind, I thought this was the proper time to find

a great future owner for Harry. The initial aim with the

youngsters always was to show what we could produce with

IH principles and then move them on to homes best suited,

though it’s obviously quite a wrench.

One of the first things I did was ring Nicola Freeman who

now owns the lovely Banksy and ask how they were getting

on. I was greatly reassured by her reply (see p40 for what

they have been up to).

I’m pleased to say I think I found the perfect home for

Harry – and it’s great that he’s less than an hour away. I’ll be

going to visit and take photos of him in the autumn, so look

out for him in the Christmas IH Magazine – he has always

been extremely

photogenic!

I’ll always remember

him for making me feel

completely safe despite

being so high in the air.

Other special memories

include how, once we’d

learned our show gallop,

he could really flatten

down and move, how

gentle he was on the

ground and how incredibly

clever with his lips

(opening gates, knots –

and even a padlock once

– admittedly it wasn’t

actually locked!) And then of course, there’s that gorgeous,

gorgeous face.

IH Corky will be the next one looking for a home, and IHRA

Rosie Jones and I have had great fun since July training him

for his (and, as it happens, Rosie’s) first One Day Event. As

you’d expect, we followed the IH Magazine jumping ditches

article in the summer issue to the letter with great success

but, in a nutshell, with any scary obstacle/water and so on,

the key is to start off slowly.

Remember to let the horse gain some confidence in

what he’s doing rather than using force. With this in mind,

we took IH George to Boomerang Cross Country training

ground one afternoon purely to give him a quiet outing

and let him sniff and touch each cross country jump; our

aim is the next time we take him to a cross country event

he’ll remember it as an easy, happy experience and be

good to go!

READERS, SHE MARRIED HIM

M

Well, not quite (although haven’t most of us dreamed of marrying our horses at some point? No? Oh, just

me then!) but when my niece Daisy got married recently, Pie made a special surprise appearance.

For those of you who don’t know, Pie was originally bought for Daisy but proved rather a tricky character at first, so came home to me again for some training. He and Daisy went on to form a great partnership and were very successful in working hunter pony classes, before Pie once again came home to me.

A special day was made even more wonderful seeing the two of them reunited again.

Photo courtesy of Ele M

ilwright

A surprising fact I learned was just about the most harmful thing you can do to your feet is smoke cigarettes...

Gallop Harry!



Straight from the horse’s mouth...

Dear Kelly and team, Just to say how much I enjoyed the driving articles in the summer IH magazine.

I was very interested in the Willing

Partner article [on how] Monty trains

the driving horse. Bronwen Packham’s

article was very good, especially as

Bronwen has helped me so much with

my filly, Sheraqui, in preparation for

her future role as a driving cob.

Bronwen has a wonderful way with

horses and people. As I have mobility

problems, Bronwen’s input has given

me so much more confidence when

handling my filly and I have learnt a

lot from her. It was very sad that she

lost her lovely cob Ivor though.

Horses have been in my life since

childhood (I’m 62 now); I have learnt

so much from Bronwen, Monty and

IH and different, better ways to help

my partnership with my horses.

Keep up the good work.

Maggie BrombleyVia email

A copy of Perfect

Confidence

by Kelly Marks

worth £16.99

goes to the

writer of our

Star LetterLETTERS & FEEDBACK from our members

Dear Kelly and team, During the 5-day foundation course in July, my horse Finn found it difficult to trust me. However we progressed in leaps and bounds with confidence and trust during the week and every day since.

Finn has had a phobia about poles and jumping since I bought him last year however, by the end of the five days, we were happily ambling over poles with no ghosts or ‘spookies’ trying to get to us! On July 20 (only 15 days later) myself, Finn and my sharer, Laurer Feather went to Boomerang Stables with Hurst Riding Club for an ‘Adult Pony Camp Weekend’.

The picture is Laura and Finn jumping one of the many wonderful jumps at Boomerang. It brought tears to my eyes seeing Finn actually enjoying and wanting to do the XC course out of

choice; he has grown in confidence so much in the last month. I am so proud of my Finn’tastic’ boy – no stopping us now!

Thank you especially to IHRA Linda Ruffle who is an amazing tutor, who gave us no end of confidence to tackle all that lies ahead, and of course Kelly who is also amazing and was hobbling around with her foot in a special brace. Can’t wait for the horse psychology course in November.

Wendy Forster Via email

Star LETTER

ARCHIE’S TALES by Sharon Stephens Archie goes cross country

Perfect

by Kelly Marks

Dear Kelly and team, Re your article on dumping horses (IH summer issue) we had horses appear on the farm next door as they do not have proper fencing from the moors. I reported them to the police station but they did not want to know.

I went the next day to check on the horses as they had come further down next door’s property and took a micro-chip gun to see if it was possible they were chipped. After a while of patience, as touching was not easy, I managed to find a chip in the neck of one.

I assumed I had found an owner and called the chipping company: they had no owners’ details but gave me the details of the vet who had chipped the horse. The vet, however, did not know who they had chipped the horse for.

I decided to bring them into our barn as they were underweight and shivering. As we were getting them, a car turned up and the driver said he had come to look at the horses as they belonged to his friend and he was coming up with a trailer. This ‘friend’ has mainly coloured breeding mares and has been in trouble with the RSPCA a lot of times but gets away with it over and over again.

The owner was aggressive and took the horses despite our concerns. I contacted the RSPCA as there was no proof of ownership of these dumped horses, but was never called back.

Mel Dunn, Animals in Distress Field of Dreams, Littleborough

Months of training, blood,

sweat, and tears. And we’re off!

Concentrate... ...we’re nearly

home.

I don’t believe it! I did all the work. All you

had to do was stay on!



All the fun of the fairFor nine months of the year, IHRA Demelza Franssen is on the road with Ireland’s largest funfair. Known as Bird’s Euroshow and Funderland, it travels to most major Irish towns and cities and also lands in Belfast, Northern Ireland, every October.

“It’s a different kind of a life, but it means I get to work with owners and horses all over the country, both north and south. I run one-day clinics in local yards and attend call outs in the area I happen to be in at the time,” says Demelza, whose two horses travel with her to many of the venues, living in local livery yards.

“The fair is great for spook-proofing purposes; both horses have the odd wander around the funfair rides during outside hours, it’s a perfect way to get them comfortable around engine noises, bright lights and music!”

Ever wondered what keeps Kelly and her IHRAs busy when they’re not at home working with owners and their horses? Here’s an insight...

IH Out & About HORSES IN THE NEWS

First ladies of the turf at Royal AscotNo-one who watched HM The Queen’s unbridled delight as her filly Estimate won the Ascot Gold Cup could doubt just how much the win meant to her. The Queen became the first reigning monarch to win the race in its 206-year history.

Another woman enjoyed a piece of the fairytale when trainer Sir Henry Cecil’s widow, Jane, saw the filly Riposte come home in style. Lady Cecil had taken over the training licence following the death of her husband just days before the meeting.

Warning over grass sicknessThe Equine Grass Sickness Fund (EGSF) says grass sickness, which usually sees peak cases during May, has seen a rise in the number of reports in later June and July. The cause of equine grass sickness is still not known; it causes paralysis of the digestive system and over 95 per cent of horses affected die.

Symptoms to look out for include colic-type signs such as sweating, a distended stomach and constipation. The EGSF advises ensuring horses have access to hay as well as grass and avoiding disturbing the soil in paddocks.

Tragedy at seaWith the hot summer weather comes the temptation to enjoy beach rides and sea swims with our horses. For one young rider, however, swimming with her pony at Marazion off the Cornish coast ended in tragedy when she fell off and the pony waded out to sea and drowned.

Experts say horses are not natural swimmers and can become easily disorientated in the water. This can result in horses heading directly out into open water instead of turning back towards the shore.

Strider’s epic journeyIHRA Sheila Reed will be supporting and following William Reddaway and his 16.2hh Shire cross Strider in his Ride Around England trip to raise money for the Family Holidays Association and Wormwood Scrubs pony centre. The journey will take in 30 cathedrals and 2,500 miles.

Sheila first worked with William and Strider when they came to a spook-busting clinic to prepare them for the ride. Follow their progress at www.rideroundengland.org.

Corky’s one-day event challengeNow settled back into life in the UK after her adventures looking at horsemanship around the world, IHRA Rosie Jones has been getting Kelly’s coloured sport horse, Corky, ready for his first one-day event. Here they are making light of a timbered ditch at a local cross country training venue.

IHRA Sheila Reed will be supporting William (pictured) and Strider to raise money for the Family Holidays Association and Wormwood Scrubs pony centre

Pic courtesy of D

emelza Franssen

Pic courtesy of Sheila R

eed

IHRA Demelza Franssen is on the road with Ireland’s largest funfair

IHRA Rosie Jones has been getting Corky ready for eventing



Members PICTURES

Throughout the year, we will be publishing a selection of our members’ pictures.

>> Charlotte & Magic: Lots of desensitization and bonding using groundwork meant Charlotte Wood’s pony, Magic, wasn’t fazed by the patriotic ‘spooky corner’ at Curdridge’s Hampshire Horse Agility competition.

>> Sarah & Ibn: Sarah Little and her Arab, Ibn Carmargue, celebrate with a smile after winning a showjumping class and coming second in the ridden hunter at their local show.

>> Jack & Jess: Jack Bingham and his mum Sarah’s Connemara mare, Standen Snow Finch (Jess) after winning prettiest in-hand mare and going in-hand champion at Deben RC Annual Show.

“Jess and Jack have a special bond. Jack is autistic and likes to be with the horses, but up until this day had never been in a competition. He was completely unfazed, just said ‘I was a bit concerned when the judge called me in, Mum, I thought I had done something wrong!’ said Sarah. “I was so proud of them both.”

>> Carter & Nutkin: At only 18 months old, Carter Hurley is already ‘completely besotted with our horses’ according to parents Eve and Lee, particularly his own 30yo-plus pony, Nutkin.

“Carter likes to ‘read’ the latest IH magazine before Mummy gets a chance and he takes on board (with the help of Nutkin) everything we teach him and is very gentle with the horses. These little ‘uns are never too young to start forming bonds with horses and learning how to give and get respect – he’s definitely Monty and Kelly’s littlest protégé,” said Eve.

IHRosettewinner

In each issue we’ll be awarding rosettes for the best member stories, feedback and pictures – snap and send to [email protected].

This issue, Carter and his exceptionally kind and sweet pony Nutkin win one of a fabulous IH rosettes.

>> Judy & Murphy: Despite Murphy’s rather suspicious view of the judge, him and owner Judy Hyland won their carriage driving class at Chenies Manor show, Buckinghamshire.

“We had less space in the field than usual as it was booked for a movie the week before and it had over run. Apparently Kate Winslet was there filming on the day – we didn’t see her but we did see the film set and had a lovely day,” said Judy.

>> Jemma & Shylo: Jemma Lee enjoys her first show on her cob cross Shylo, her new horse share.

“I’ve been back in the saddle just six weeks after overcoming major con-fidence issues. I’m looking forward to building on our bond and having many more happy times together!”

>> Ross & Pride: MRPCH holder Ross Copland and Pride, of Truemans Heath Riding School, cooling down in synchronised style after a hot summer’s ride.



How horses help me

How long have you been a member? Is anyone else in your family a member?I’m the only one in my family who is

a member but my mum got me my

membership about six years ago as

she likes horses too.

How did you first hear about Intelligent Horsemanship?I first heard about Monty Roberts and

Kelly Marks after meeting my friend

Mo’s very special eventing horse, Oscar

(Cleverly Bay) who, like me, had not had a

good start in life. I was feeling very upset

and fed up with life in general because

people were very negative and hostile

towards my autism.

Oscar and I clicked right away and it felt

like he was asking me to help horses get

a better deal in this world so I hugged him

and swore I would learn to be just like

Monty Roberts. Recently I learned that

Oscar suffered an injury and had to be

put down but I see him as my saviour

and the start of my involvement with IH.

Do you have horses?Since meeting Oscar I have been on two

courses with Intelligent Horsemanship

and bought my own young sport horse

mare called Spirit Of Summer’s Rain,

who I started with my friend Dawn using

Join-Up. We have joined the Horse Agility

club and ride out around the Cotswolds.

What involvement have you had with Intelligent Horsemanship?I met Monty and Kelly at a demo in

Gloucestershire ages ago but more

recently was asked to do a demo with

Monty at Hartpury College where I had

to do Join-Up with Harry the hunter

as well as speaking about how horses

helped me with my autism.

How have Intelligent Horsemanship techniques helped you with your horse?Before I got into Intelligent Horsemanship

I would get panic and anxiety attacks seeing

scared horses on traditional yards being

told do it or expect pain, so I almost gave

up riding. Spirit and I have a friendship

to match or beat most human friendships!

What’s the best thing about being a member of The Intelligent Horsemanship Association?Everyone is under one banner

and has a kind heart as well as

an open mind. I love the courses

and the demos and feel part of

something fantastic.

Charlie Avent, 25 Gloucestershire, England

Charlie uses IH methods with his horse Spirit of Summer’s Rain

...I bought my own young sport horse mare called Spirit Of Summer’s Rain, who I started using Join-Up.

Meet a MEMBER

IHRosettewinner



Charity World Horse Welfare’s on-going campaign on the live transportation of horses around Europe aims to stamp out abuse and introduce a maximum journey time. While the

majority of horses transported

in the UK are done so for pleasure

or competition – and with welfare

in mind – loading is still one

of the most common issues

IH Recommended Associates

deal with. LIZ FALKINGHAM

looks at why problems arise.

Kelly will often tell participants on the loading course the anecdote about Pie suddenly becoming reluctant to load. It’s a useful anecdote, as Pie – putative equine figurehead of IH – was unlikely to suddenly have become ‘naughty’ and, as it turned out, he was objecting to a leaking exhaust pipe directing fumes into the wagon.

Yet many times, you will read posts on horse forums where owners are asking for help with a tricky loader, with the exasperated comment that ‘he’s taking the mickey’ or ‘doing it to annoy me’. Depending on the forum, answers from users range from ‘call out an IHRA’ or ‘use a dually’ through to the more depressing ‘try a chifney’ or ‘a lunge line/yard broom/lunge whip will sort him out’.

In the summer months, horses travel long distances to shows and events, often in hot conditions. The busy timetable can also occasionally mean horses travelling from one show to another without a break at home in between.

Of course, showing is not alone in its travelling demands – many top level competition horses travel to the Continent to compete, or fly worldwide. No matter how comfortable the horsebox, or how frequent the feed and water stops, this puts an inevitable stress on horses – anyone who has ever stood in the back of a trailer or horsebox on the move knows how tiring the constant challenge of balancing is.

Travelling & loading ...why problems ariseWhy horses stop loadingContrary to popular belief, horses don’t lie in the stables at night thinking up amusing ways to annoy their owners. When a previously reliable loader suddenly starts to object, it’s time to ask why.

The problem is … the boxWhen IHRA Sue Palmer was called out to a pony refusing to load, it only took a quick check of the trailer to diagnose why.

“The wooden floor of the trailer was worn – it squeaked and moved as I walked on it. No wonder the pony didn’t want to load,” says Sue, who loaded the pony but advised the owners that the floor needed replacing.

Three weeks later the owners called to say the pony was refusing to load again. Sure enough, the floor had not been repaired, says Sue. “I simply gave them the same advice – repair the trailer floor and the problem would be solved.”

This time they did and, when Sue saw them at a show 12 months later, the owners reported that the pony had happily loaded ever since.

CASE STUDY: SHORT OF HEADROOMWhen Emma upgraded from her 14hh cob to

Eric, 16.1hh sport horse, she assumed her trailer

would continue to do the job. For the first few

trips, it did. “Then Eric started being tricky to

load. He’d stand on the ramp and put his head

right up in the air, or swing his quarters round

and refuse to go any further,” says Emma, who

resorted to lunge lines crossed behind him to

encourage him on. Even with this, things were

hairy getting him on. A friend suggested using a

dually and she did get him loading, but she felt he

was objecting to the lack of height in the trailer.

“She offered to try loading him into her

horsebox and he was immediately happier.

There was nothing for it but to get my cheque

book out and got a 3.5t wagon – we joke that

he’s high maintenance and wanted to arrive at

shows in style!” says Emma who has had no

problems since.

Tricky loaders are one of the most frequent issues IHRAs deal with, and a regular feature at Monty and Kelly’s demos

The problem is… physical discomfortHattie was a four-legged client that IHRA Julia Fisher describes as ‘the hardest loader I ever had’.

“She had multiple problems: apart from loading, no one could stay on her for very long, and she had quite a reputation at the yard! The main issue was her kidneys causing her pain when travelling and being

This time they did and, when Sue saw them at a show 12 months later, the owners reported that the pony had happily loaded ever since.

In the NEWS

test.indd 10 20/08/2013 12:41


Photo courtesy of Liz Falkingham

Travelling & loading ...why problems ariseNew regulations on the protection of animals during transport and related operations came into effect in January 2007. The Welfare of Animals During Transport aimed to improve animal welfare through raising transportation standards and apply to those involved in transporting horses in connection with an economic activity – for example, professional transporters, trainers and breeders.

These regulations require drivers to have certificates of responsibility, transport authorisation and, for journeys over eight hours, vehicle approval. They also cover journey times and requirements for care of the horses during transport.

Transporting horses and ponies to ride, show or compete for pleasure, however, is not covered by the welfare in transport legislation. However, anyone travelling horses has a general obligation under an EC regulation to transport them in ways which do not cause injury or unnecessary suffering.

This includes putting arrangements in place to minimise the journey time, ensuring the animal is fit to travel and that the vehicle is ‘designed, constructed, maintained and operated so as to avoid suffering and injury’. It also requires that those handling the animal are competent to do so, and ‘carry out their tasks without using violence or any method likely to cause unnecessary fear, injury or suffering.

It could be argued, then, that using a lunge whip to beat a horse onto a lorry is not only unnecessary but against the law.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

ridden, but she had also gone down in a trailer when she was a baby,” says Julia.

“It took a lot of time and patience with her, as well as detective work to discover and then treat the kidney inflammation, which caused pain as she went up the ramp. Hattie didn’t like pressure on her head, so I trained her owner to use pressure/release from behind,” says Julia.

“Hattie was also profoundly claustrophobic as a result of getting caught under a partition as a youngster, so we travelled in the back with her initially to help her relax and realise she could move her feet around. Eventually she leant to cope with just the radio for company.”

The problem… a negative experienceFor Christy Christoffersen and her ‘horsey soulmate’ Nikki, relocating from Oklahoma, US, to the UK meant Christy could pursue her dressage dreams (and be with her human soulmate and now husband!). Unsurprisingly, the move meant a very long trip for Nikki.

“She had to go into quarantine and had a very long journey by trailer, airplane, ferry and enormous hydraulic horsebox to arrive at her destination. Then, once we arrived, we moved stables a couple of times over the next few years; I think all this is what contributed to her problem loading,” says Christy, who also suspected the big step at the top of the ramp into the small space of the wagon contributed to Nikki’s fears.

A call out to IHRA Suzanne Marshall was a natural step – Christy had done Join Up with Nikki at home in the US. Like Christy, Suzanne found Nikki would ‘plant’ just before the final step up into the wagon.

“Suzanne kept working with her and praised any small changes, like when Nikki would test the floor of the box with her hoof. Then, after a long stretch of time - after I would have given up long ago - a miracle occurred: Nikki just walked up into the box,” says Christy, who also suspected her own conflicting emotions about loading her horse contributed to the problem – which has since disappeared.

“Suzanne had somehow helped Nikki to believe everything was fine and that she could walk up into that box without harm.”

Tricky loaders are one of the most frequent issues IHRAs deal with, and a regular feature at Monty and Kelly’s demos The law requires that horseboxes and trailers are ‘designed, constructed, maintained and operated so as to avoid suffering and injury’

Photo courtesy of Ele M

ilwright

The long journey from the US may have contributed to

Nikki’s reluctance to load

test.indd 11 20/08/2013 12:41


Simon CharlesworthYou might not think of showing producers having a strong emotional bond with their horses, but that’s certainly the case with Simon Charlesworth and top show horse Pearly King.

Their rollercoaster relationship from the time

Simon found him as a skinny foal has taken

them from the depths of despair to the heights

of success, with

an IH detour

along the way.

LIZ FALKINGHAM

reports...

By LIZ FALKINGHAM

Going in and immediately standing was what caused the problem two years’ ago. The pressure on us felt immense.

THE BIG INTERVIEW

Pho

to c

ourt

esy

of S

imon

Tra

fford

Taking the supreme horse title at HOYS in 2012 was a dream come true

for owner Sarah Carey. Can Simon and Elvis do the double this year?



Simon Charlesworthgrenade with the pin dropped out’ is how showing

producer Simon Charlesworth describes what

happened to Pearly King’s behaviour in the

Hickstead main ring two years ago. While contesting the

supreme championship at the Royal International, Sarah

Carey’s beautiful hack – then just five – became so

unsettled he had to leave the ring.

“He just couldn’t stand still and became more and more

upset; there was no option but to bring him out. We had also

qualified him for HOYS [the Horse of the Year Show] but we

knew we couldn’t take him, a decision that we got some stick for

at the time,” says Simon, of the horse known at home as Elvis.

Willing to think outside the box, they tried radionics, a

method of sending precisely-defined healing energy to people

and animals, on the recommendation of a friend. Owner Sarah

Carey also put a call in to Monty Roberts and Kelly Marks.

“I don’t mind admitting I was a bit of a

sceptic, especially about the radionics, but

Lara Parsons told me things about Elvis

that literally only I knew and it made me

think. When Monty and Kelly came down

to the yard, though, I had no idea what to

expect,” admits Simon.

“Monty put a dually headcollar on Elvis

and got him moving his feet, backing up

and then standing still – all the things you

see him do with horses on TV or at demos.

Then he put a plastic bag on the end of a

stick and started touching the horse with it.

“I saw a side of Elvis, then, that I’d never

seen before – normally, he’s the kindest

sort, but when he saw that bag, he wanted

to kill it! I saw that he had a temper as he

stood striking at the bag.

“Each time he moved, Monty used the

dually to check him and ask him to stand.

When he did so, then the pressure would

be released – Monty repeated this over

and over,” says Simon.

The exercise was repeated in the confines of the stable,

where Elvis promptly tried to double barrel the bag, but

Monty quietly kept repeating the same lesson of pressure and

release as the horse learnt to stand. After a break for lunch,

the lesson continued under saddle, says Simon.

“Monty asked me if he reins back, which he does – he then

told me to stand Elvis and, when he went to move, to allow him a

couple of steps then check him, rather than immediately trying

to block the movement. I then had to ask him to step back into

position – and, again, we repeated this exercise over and over.

“We then did some canter work in the arena, asking Elvis

to canter on then come back to a halt and stand still – again,

correcting him if he moved off by checking and then reining

him back. It was almost like using reining moves.”

In the weeks that followed, Simon repeated the exercises

Monty had used, teaching Elvis to stand while the plastic

bag was run over him and to stand still while mounted.

He also added a new stimulus in the form of speakers in

his stable, playing CDs of fireworks going off normally

used to desensitise dogs to Bonfire Night celebrations.

“He did not like that and it was a challenge to get him to stand

while it was playing, but we persisted for two weeks. When I

spoke to Monty about it, saying we still hadn’t cracked it, he just

said ‘so do it for three weeks, or four, or five, if that’s what it

takes’ – and I thought ‘oh yeah, why didn’t I think of that?!”

Eventually, however, the exercises paid dividends – though

Simon admits it wasn’t until Hickstead this year that he truly

believed the problem had been solved.

“Of course he’s had wins in the meantime – and was

supreme horse at HOYS – but I realised I hadn’t really believed

we had beaten it until he behaved in the main ring at the

Royal International when challenging for the supreme.

I’d also underestimated just how nervous I would be about

going back into that ring,” admits Simon, who says he

doesn’t normally suffer with nerves.

“Oddly, it never occurred to me that it

would affect me like that, especially as we’d

already been in the ring prior to the

supreme. We’d had lots of texts beforehand

wishing us well, which inevitably added

pressure, and I also wanted so badly for him

to prove he could do it –

for him, and for his owners and for me.”

There was also the additional challenge

of having to come into the ring and stand

immediately, rather than the horses being

allowed a ‘go-round’ the outside of the ring

to show off their paces, which also helps

settle them, says Simon.

“Going in and immediately standing

was what caused the problem two years’

ago. The pressure on us felt immense.”

But everything Elvis had been taught

held up under that pressure: not only did

he stand perfectly, he also worked with

Simon to perform a breath-taking show

which included serpentines, a double

dismount/remount and even a gallop –

not normally included in a hack show.

“The gallop was a spur-of-the-moment thing – Hickstead

is a ring designed for galloping; if you don’t gallop there,

you might as well go home! He went down that ring like a

racehorse, and he was enjoying it, believe me, but he came

back and stood perfectly,” says Simon proudly.

“Being supreme at HOYS was a dream realised for [owner]

Sarah, but I think going supreme at the Royal International

just edged it, because of what happened two years ago.

Looking back, I can see the benefit of having the problem

highlighted and then having to deal with it, but it was very

hard at the time.”

The lessons learnt during the past two years have been

transferred to Simon’s everyday life as a producer of both

in-hand and ridden show horses. Now based at Steve Pitt and

Vicki Smith’s yard near Newmarket, having spent many years

before that based at producer Jerome Harforth’s Stanley

Grange Stud in North Yorkshire, Simon routinely uses the

dually for groundwork and initial long reining. >>

‘A

The exercise was repeated in the confines of the stable...

Elvis relaxing at the yard



I believe in Elvis 110% now. I’d take him to Old Trafford on match day and have no hesitation that he would stand.

“We’ve just backed the sharpest horse I’ve ever known

– he was very aggressive and difficult, it would be no

exaggeration to say he was headed for a bullet. The dually

and Monty’s methods have allowed us to get the point

where we can tack him up and stirrup mount him without

the eyes rolling into the back of his head and him going

wild,” says Simon, who has always taken a broad-minded

approach to blending training methods from across the

various disciplines.

“Years ago I worked with a Tasmanian guy who used

rope halters during breaking and we found you could get

on even some of the sharpest ones in 30 minutes. I love

watching showjumpers warming up at big shows – you

really learn then from watching people like Ben Maher –

and I think there are even elements of things like reining

you can incorporate.

“I remember watching a video of John Whitaker

schooling Milton when I was a kid; he was lengthening

and shortening him, getting his hocks under him. I still

use that now – it’s funny what sticks in your head!”

Simon also did a stint in dressage and was offered the

opportunity to train in Germany but turned it down (“I was

young and daft and didn’t want to go and live with loads of

Germans, plus I didn’t like the food!”). However, he uses

dressage as the basis for training the ridden horses.

“Show horses need to give judges a soft, responsive ride;

teaching them lateral work, doing loads of transitions,

getting them to step under – it is the basis of what we do.

We don’t drill them, though; once the horses have been

brought back after their winter break and are fit, they get

plenty of time in the field and plenty of hacking.

“Elvis only gets work a week before a show – he’d get

annoyed if I was drilling him in the school day in, day out.

Show horses don’t need to be over-fit; all that does is

increase the need for hours of working in, calmers,

ear plugs etc,” says Simon.

Life looks good for Team Charlesworth – now increased

by one with the arrival of Simon and his partner,

Angharad’s first son, Jack. Elvis’s success has encouraged

owners of in-hand horses to keep them on with Simon as

ridden horses for the future and the pair will go to HOYS

as hot favourites to retain their hack and supreme crowns.

“Elvis means everything to us and if he never wins again

it wouldn’t matter; he was the ugly duckling who became

a swan, the ultimate rollercoaster ride. He’s taught me

so much, and he’s the reason I’m still riding today.

“In fact, if it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have Jack!

He’s our HOYS celebration baby,” laughs Simon, who

confides that they referred to the unborn Jack as ‘baby

Elvis’ for several months.

“I believe in Elvis 110% now; you’ll hear people say

that show horses aren’t police horses, that they don’t

need perfect manners. Well, I disagree – and I’d take

Elvis to Old Trafford on match day and have no

hesitation that he would stand.”

Simon CharlesworthTHE BIG INTERVIEW

Facing their demons in Hickstead’s main arena: Simon Charlesworth and show hack Pearly King

Photo courtesy of Julian P

ortch

Enjoying some time away from the pressure of the show ring and saying hello to mare Friars Lleucu Llwyd, one of the all-time great in-hand Welsh section As, now retired aged 23 and living in Aberystwyth



PAIN-PROOF YOUR HORSEYour horse can only communicate with you through his behaviour; if he is in pain, this is the only way he can tell you.IHRA Sue Palmer looks at interpreting what our horse is trying to tell us and how to keep him tiptop physically.

Here are five signs to look out for, which might indicate your horse is in pain:

1 He’s sensitive to groom: Many of my clients first notice there’s something wrong with their horse when he gets sensitive to being groomed, usually along his back. They tell me that he ‘flinches’ when he’s brushed in a certain area - your horse should not be sensitive to grooming.

2 His behaviour takes a turn for the worse: If your horse has been well behaved for all the time you’ve known him and suddenly he becomes difficult, it’s likely that the reason for the change is pain. I regularly answer calls along the lines of ‘my horse bucked me off yesterday, he’s never done it before’ - invariably the horse has a reason for the behaviour.

3 He doesn’t stand still to be tacked up/mounted: This is part of the classic ‘cold backed’ and it can be pain related (ed. - when you’ve ruled out physical issues, see p19&20 on how to teach a horse to stand to be mounted). It covers being grumpy or not standing still to be tacked up (particularly saddled), girthiness, not standing still to be mounted, ‘putting his back up’ when you get on, or rushing off as soon as you’re on board.

4 He works better on one rein than the other: If your horse picks up canter lead on the left rein but not on the right, or bends beautifully on the right rein but not the left, there’s probably a reason for it. It could be that you yourself are asymmetrical, which can give confusing signals to your horse but, in my experience, it’s more likely that your horse is asymmetrical (uneven) somewhere in his body.

5 He’s not performing as well as he can do: The reason top competition horses (and people) have regular physio is to help maintain top performance. If your horse’s performance drops off, and you can’t think of any obvious reason, it may well be that he is sore.

Now you’ve identified you have problem, here’s what you can do about it:

1 Call your vet: If you have any concerns about your horse’s health or wellbeing, your vet should be your first port of call. Legally only a vet can diagnose the problem, and obviously he can provide appropriate medical intervention.

2 Call a Chartered physiotherapist: Chartered animal physiotherapists will fully assess your horse, which usually includes taking a full history from you, looking at how he moves, assessing the movement in his joints, and feeling through his muscles for pain and tightness. They will explain their findings, then treat him appropriately and discuss a plan of action with you.

3 Have your saddle checked: Saddles should be checked at least once a year, and often more regularly, depending on the shape of your horse and the level of work that you do with him. A badly-fitting saddle can cause severe pain and muscle damage.

4 Have your horses teeth checked: If your horse has sharp teeth, or other dentistry issues such as a damaged wolf tooth, this is very likely to cause him pain and affect his behaviour. Most dentists recommend at least annual check ups, sometimes more often.

5 Learn to massage your horse: You can monitor your horse’s physical health more closely if you massage him on a regular basis. You can learn this through courses, books, or DVDs, such as my own Horse Massage for Horse Owners. The better you know your horse’s body, the quicker you will notice when something isn’t right.

6 Trust your instinct: If you feel that your horse is in pain, you are probably right. The points given here are just a beginning; it can sometimes be difficult for the professionals to find an underlying cause, but that doesn’t meant you should give up trying. Remember that your horse cannot speak for himself, he relies on you to speak for him.

Useful links: www.acpat.co.uk www.mastersaddlers.co.uk www.baedt.com

Sue Palmer is an IHRA and Chartered

veterinary physiotherapist based in

Stafford. More information at

www.holistichorsehelp.com

Photo courtesy of P

andora Images P

hotography

Sudden explosive behaviour such as bucking could be indicative of back pain or an ill-fitting saddle

A physiotherapist can assess and treat your horse for tightness and pain

Photo courtesy of D

ani Paizis

Many of my clients first notice there’s something wrong with their horse when he gets

sensitive to being groomed, usually along his back.



Lean and GREEN

saving money & the environment on your yard

‘Going green’ is not a new concept but, when it comes to applying the principles to our horsey lives, it seems it’s not always quite as simple. REBEKAH WHITAKER looks at how and why we can cut costs and our environmental impact.

lean and greenP

hotos courtesy of Liz Falkingham

Top left: This bullfinch frame was made from a cut-down pallet used to delivery farm machinery: Top right: Sheep feeders make great troughs to use as fillers. Middle left: Set aside a collection point for plastic waste, which can then be recycled; Middle right: Are you employing the three Rs – reduce, recycle, reuse – on your yard? Bottom left: Using rubber mats can reduce bedding use as well as improve horse comfort: Bottom right: Switching off lights when not in use is a simple but effective way to reduce cost and environmental impact



Using horse dung for heatingAs IHer Hazel Greenwood mentioned, you can use a briquette press to create burnable ‘poo bricks’ for use in domestic heating. She uses a Multimate monopress (available via eBay) priced at around £110.

This YouTube video shows the press in action http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtOTq86F2Zc – the comments underneath recommend wall mounting the press inside a shed, with a drain beneath, and using just droppings rather than a lot of bedding mixed in. The briquettes then need 4-6 weeks to dry before being ready to burn. The YouTube user says her coal bill has halved.

Be creative about jumpsA quick look at price lists for custom made wings and fillers will tell you they’re not cheap. If you’re imaginative and handy, however, and have access to the right things, you can make your own…

Ali Rodwell made poles for groundwork from large drainpipe lengths: “I know they are not as robust as wood but ours are three years old and going strong! I decorated them with some old

electrical tape I was given.”

The bullfinch frame (pictured) was cut down from a large pallet used to deliver

a machine to our farm, and the wooden sheep feeder filler (pictured) was a £10 farm sale find.

Rob Shaw made his own water tray from a piece of marine plywood

left over from boarding out a ramp. “I got tired of my horse spooking at the

bright blue water trays when we went showjumping. The piece of ply I had left

was a long narrow strip useless for anything else but perfect as a ‘tray’ – I just painted it

bright blue with a cheap pot of paint. Perfect.”

ots of us recycle all our glass, tins and cardboard waste that we produce in our homes; we understand there’s a need to recycle, reduce our usage and reuse where possible. But do

we apply these ‘3 Rs’ to our equestrian life?

Research from Myerscough College, Lancashire, found that while people did understand the concept of decreasing their individual carbon footprint, they didn’t always these methods around their yard. Often, they didn’t know methods in which they could do so – how many of us have thrown away plastic feed sacks because it’s easier and we weren’t sure what else to do with them?

While going green is good for the environment, decreasing our carbon hoofprint can also mean saving money – and who would say neigh to that?! Unsurprisingly, methods which are easily implemented and maintained are the best way to encourage people to be ‘greener’.

TOP TIPS TO GO GREENGet bedding savvy: Big muckheaps can be an eyesore and expensive to dispose of, so one option is to reduce bedding use by putting rubber mats down. Matting a 12x12ft box costs around £200, but you should be able to cut bedding use by 25-50 per cent, so you’ll soon recoup the outlay.

It’s also worth considering opting for more ecologically friendly bedding. Paper or cardboard is easy to come by – why not ask you local shops, restaurants or colleges to remove their paper waste? After shredding (some may already be shredded as part of data protection) you then have bedding that is biodegradable and low cost.

Install a water butt: One thing we are not short of in this country is rain water; capitalise on this by installing a water butt to capture run off and rainfall for as little as £25. It could provide drinking water for your animals, water for bath time or for general yard duties.

Do you need to feed? Bagged hard feed is expensive and, in some cases, has high food miles associated with it. Ask yourself whether your horse really needs competition mix or whether switching to locally-produced quality haylage and a feed balancer would do the job. If you do need bagged feed, consider locally-produced feed (many areas still have animal feed mills) which means less food miles and helps support local farmers which supply the raw ingredients.

Bulk it up: It’s nearly always more cost effective and environmentally

friendly to buy in bulk, especially if you are on a livery yard. This

particularly applies to feed and bedding, where suppliers can do one

delivery rather than you and your fellow horse owners making multiple car

trips. For example, Equisorb bedding is £1/bale cheaper if you take a larger

load from the manufacturer.

Switch it off: Sounds like common sense, but all too often lights get left on

– especially if you’ve got up before dawn to plait and then forgotten to

switch the stable lights off once the sun comes up. The same applies to

electric fencer units once all the horses come in off the pasture. It’s also

important to switch off electrical sockets not in use – both to save money

and reduce the risk of electrical fires. Dripping taps and leaking pipes are

also a waste of resources and drain on your budget.

Make the change: If you’re on a big livery yard, it can be worth sitting down as a group and going through a check list of green ideas together. This gets people ‘thinking green’ and generates novel ideas. Your checklist might include switching all the bulbs to energy saving ones, setting up separate containers for plastic and paper waste, saving feed tubs to reuse as containers, arranging a rota for waste disposal or shredding paper for bedding, or even sharing lifts to the yard and to shows and events to reduce fuel use.

Care with chemicals: Many products such as fly sprays, wormers and equipment/building cleaners contain harsh chemicals. If you are close to sensitive habitats or water courses, care should be taken to avoid contaminated water run-off. Many horse owners now monitor internal parasite burdens using worm egg counts, rather than routinely using expensive chemical wormers.

IH Magazine editor LIZ FALKINGHAM looks at what you came up with when it came to sustainable and money-saving equine practices...

“Cycle to your yard. Keep healthy and save the planet!” Julie Sarah Crook

“I have a ‘Free Horse Manure’ sign out front and take donations in lieu for a local horse charity.” Sue McKee Reece

“We use horse manure on our veg garden each year and advertise the rest on Freecycle. There’s never any shortage of takers! We also use shavings (free) from local woodyard under straw bedding as it soaks up most of the wet and saves the straw.” Julie Gospel

“If you are a happy hacker or riding club level rider (like me), have a low-maintenance horse that can live out, doesn’t eat a bag of feed a week, and doesn’t get tangled up in its own legs causing vet’s bills. I downsized to a pony two years ago from warmbloods, when I realised I was never going to win Hickstead, and honestly believe my costs have halved.” Michele Furneaux

“Buy stuff like sponges, cloths, buckets, forks, wheelbarrows, certain first aid kit items etc from places like supermarkets or garden centres rather than equestrian shops.” Hazel Bird

“Dont buy ‘equine’ products when a normal one will do. Example: B&Q wheelbarrow £39; from the tack shop/country store £90. Seems everyone thinks horse owners are ‘minted’! Also, recycle plastic feed sacks - recycling centres take them.” Ali Rodwell

“I re-use my supplement tubs for storage and feeding. I also have drums from the farm with tops cut off to use as water butts. They don’t react to frost and I feel better about recycling.” Andrea Marie Hodgkinson

“We compress horse manure into bricks and burn them in an open fire in the house, no smell and cuts heating bills.” Hazel Greenwood

electrical tape I was given.”

The bullfinch frame (pictured) was cut down from a large pallet used to deliver

a machine to our farm, and the wooden sheep feeder filler (pictured) was a£10 farm sale find.

Rob Shaw made his own watertray from a piece of marine plywood

left over from boarding out a ramp.“I got tired of my horse spooking at the

bright blue water trays when we went showjumping. The piece of ply I had left

was a long narrow strip useless for anything else but perfect as a ‘tray’ – I just painted it

bright blue with a cheap pot of paint. Perfect.”

If you’re on a big livery yard, it can be worth sitting down as a group and going through a check list of green ideas together.This gets people ‘thinking green’ and generates novel ideas. Your checklist might include switching all the bulbs to energy saving ones, setting up separate containers for plastic and paper waste,

waste disposal or shredding paper for bedding, or even sharing

chemicals. If you are close to sensitive habitats or water courses, care should be taken to avoid contaminated water run-off. Many horse owners now monitor internal parasite burdens using worm egg counts, rather than routinely using expensive chemical wormers.

L

Water buckets which spring a leak

can be reused as storage containers

for grooming kit.



YOUR TOP TIPS ON beating thieves and boosting security

IHRosettewinner

Sharon Jowers admits to being rather a wary sort: “We tend to treat

every slow moving or stopped car as suspicious and make sure they

are aware we have spotted them and got a good look at them. It’s

probably lots of poor souls stopping to answer their phone on our

road who must think we are really nosey/unfriendly!”

Whereas Sarah Pierson goes for the monitoring approach: “We have

CCTV at my work, on our lorry, round pen, tack room and hay store,

as well as where we park out cars and in the stables. It’s a good idea

for security, but a bad idea because we spend all night watching the

horses then wonder why we are tired!”

Lots of you favoured two and four-legged deterrents, the favourite

being a big dog, closely followed by geese and even alpacas with

their babies at foot. This, though, was another source of concern:

“I’d be worried about my big dog getting stolen!” said Kelly.

Find more advice on keeping your property safe at

ww.crimestoppers.co.uk

An IH Rosette is winging it’s way to Nikki for this great advice.

ack, horses, rugs, horseboxes and even round pens and jumps... it seems

there’s nothing thieves won’t target. When Kelly mentioned on Facebook recently that £16,000 of hurdles had been stolen from The Jockey Club gallops, it generated some interesting tips on how to keep your property as safe as possible from thieves.

Nikki Watson worked in her local police call centre; here’s her advice on deterring stealing:

• Don’t keep strictly regular times that you are at the yard, field or

arena because thieves monitor and will go when they are sure

you are not there

• Be careful what you tell a stranger about your property, horses,

yard and vehicles.

• Lock gates and keep fences well maintained

• It won’t always stop them being stolen but makes them easier to

find: paint your postcode on the roof of your horsebox in very large

writing so it can be seen from above, then if the police helicopter

sees it after it has been reported stolen, they can act on it

• Geese are a great, noisy deterrent to everyone (especially me!)

• Get to know people in your local area; if people know you

they are more likely to notice what goes on around you

• Cultivate ‘nosey neighbours’. Again, they will see all sorts of

comings and goings

Lots of you recommended Smartwater, an invisible liquid which shows

up under UV light and contains unique ‘DNA’ to help police link stolen

property back to its rightful owner. IH marketing guru Ele Milwright

also suggested immobilise.com to register all serial numbers of

everything from phones, TVs, computers to chain saws and saddles.

“If police stop someone with lots of gear in their van, it’s the first place

they look to prove ownership through the serial numbers,” said Ele.

T

Lots of you favoured two and four-legged deterrents,

the favourite being a big dog, closely followed by geese...

Geese can be an effective deterrent

to casual thieves


If a big scary dog isn’t practical, a small noisy one ready to bark enthusiastically at intruders could be answer!

Tack rooms are always a target for thieves; make sure your tack is security marked and registered

YOUR TOP TIPS ON

and



Ask yourself... then tick which apply

The horse doesn’t / is unable to stand still at all.

The horse is afraid of the mounting block.

The horse has never been taught that he is supposed to stand still as the rider is getting on.

The rider always rushes off immediately her bum hits the saddle, causing the horse to anticipate.

The horse has experienced a traumatic experience at some stage of his life and so panics when the rider goes to get on.

The rider digs her toe uncomfortably into his side as she goes to get on.

The rider combines this with taking hold of the inside rein first which moves the horse’s head towards the rider and his quarters away.

The rider approaches the horse as if she is a predator about to eat him, giving him strong eye contact, square body positioning, arms out stretched and jerky movements.

The rider has made it very uncomfortable for the horse as she ‘hoicks’ herself up and ‘thumps’ down in the saddle.

The horse has soreness and discomfort somewhere.

The saddle or other equipment used is uncomfortable. The horse becomes sore and uncomfortable so tried to prevent the rider getting on.

The horse is not standing four-square as the rider goes to get on so loses balance and starts to move.

Failure to stand while being mounted is one of the foremost causes of both minor and serious accidents in the horse world and is upsetting to horse and rider alike. For this reason, you must teach your horse to do so and make sure your horse knows it is important.

As always you can’t work to make things better unless you are starting from firm foundations. Below is a quick questionnaire which will help you gain a clear picture of the situation and some of the issues at play.

First things firstTo be sure you answer these accurately, you may need the help of someone to film you as you attempt to get on so you can both study the footage.

A vet or physiotherapist and, perhaps, a trusted saddle fitting expert will be part of the necessary team as well. Resolve these first issues before you go on to the second stage:

Horses that either won’t stand to mount or whizz off the minute you swing your leg over their back are a common problem. But standing to mount is both a reasonable and

essential expectation to make of your horse if you

want to avoid accidents, says KELLY MARKS

STAND STILLTEACHING A HORSE TO

WELCOME TO OUR NEW REGULAR TRAINING SECTION.In this issue you’ll find 11

pages of practical advice on

everything from teaching

a horse to stand still to

avoiding creating bad habits

or aggression in your horse.

The section includes a four-

page ‘pull-out and keep’ step-

by-step guide featuring fun,

effective training exercises

for the manege, all aimed

at improving horse/rider

communication, softness

and way of going.

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Continued overleaf >>

If your horse moves his feet when you step onto the mounting block or put your foot into the stirrup, put his feet to work and move him back into the correct position

Photos courtesy of Sarah W

eston



Second stage: action steps for perfect mountingWhen dealing with a mounting problem nowadays, I tackle it using the following steps:

1. If you can do Join Up with the horse first it enables you to take a good look at the horse and learn more about him. At the same time you can use Join Up to develop that initial bond with the horse and get him to look at you in a new more trusting light.

2. I will also work with the horse to be sure he is perfectly happy with me touching and stroking him all over, massaging out any areas of tension. If you haven’t reached this stage you’re likely to be in for a pretty ‘hairy’ time once you do get on!

3. I also make sure he understands about yielding to pressure and how to place his feet as requested. (Read Perfect Manners – How to Behave So Your Horse Does Too)

For a horse that is border line dangerous, i.e. really pushy and anxious the horse needs to be wearing a Dually halter and there needs to be a helper on the ground to position and school the horse as necessary.

For this very anxious horse; as the horse gets better, you can progress from just standing beside him on the mounting block to stroking him on the opposite side, putting a foot in the stirrup and standing up in the stirrup. The person who does this part of the work needs to be experienced, calm and athletic. If that’s not you, then find the right person to help you. From time to time, get right down again and go to the front to tell him how good he is. By the time you actually do get on, he will be wondering what the fuss was about.

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Further stepsOnce you have gained the horse’s confidence and you are sure the exercise isn’t making him uncomfortable, or if you are just starting with a horse that doesn’t know any better, an important step is to test if you are able to control his feet (again as described in the Foundation Exercises in Perfect Manners).

1. A good way to check that he is standing firm is to give a slow pull on the stirrup leather nearest you, which will cause him to balance himself. You don’t need to get on him just yet, but you should be able to manoeuvre your horse backwards and forwards or around, just as in the exercises you’ve been practising, and place him in just the position that you would like him.

2. You can climb up on your mounting block, and if he doesn’t stand still, put those feet of his back to work – not aggressively, but moving backwards, forwards, bending backwards each way, backwards, forwards again – and then offer him the opportunity to just stand by the mounting block.

3. You can make the job easier for yourself by just working initially in a corner so the horse has less scope for wandering around. Even if the horse isn’t so bad it may still help your confidence if you have someone to hold the horse until he is really relaxed.

4. Take a breath, give him a nice stroke and stand on the mounting block again and stroke him or scratch his wither on the off side and tell him how good he is. If he moves off at any time, put him to work again.

5. In the early stages to teach a horse to stand super square as soon as you get on, get off the opposite (off) side and walk round again. Getting off on the opposite side makes the horse balance himself for the shift of weight.

6. It is very important now you are up there to just SIT for a while – at least for a few minutes. So many of us are in such a rush all the time we can’t blame our horses for getting more and more like us. Another useful action to include is to get in the habit of backing the horse up a step before setting off so he prepares himself for this rather than having his mind set on powering forward.

As soon as he understands what it is you want, you’ll be able to get on any time, any place, anywhere! And what will people say to you? “Oh you are lucky having such an easy horse”!

Read about IHRA Rosie Jones’ adventures

with mounting on her blog http://

rosiejoneshorses.co.uk/blog/mount-terrible

It is very important now you are up

there to just SIT for a while

As soon as he understands what it is you want, you’ll be able to get on any time, any place, anywhere!

Take care when mounting not to kick him as you swing your leg over or sit down heavily into the saddle, both of which can cause him to move off suddenly

Photos courtesy of Sarah W

eston


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Step Three – As you get close to the barrel, you may well feel which side of the barrel the horse thinks he is going to go; choose the other side and, as gently as possible, ride out of the triangle in the direction you have chosen. Use as little physical aid as possible, but as much as necessary. Praise after exiting the triangle.

Step Four – Come in from all sides a number of times. You may find it interesting to learn whether your horse always tends to go one way (left or right) or always hangs toward one area of the school (gate or friends).

IH Training Section

THE QUIET COMMUNICATORWhat is it for? This is a nice exercise for communicating with the horse at the quietest end of the volume scale, encouraging him to listen to you and you to develop more subtle ways of influencing his movement.

HOW TO...Step One – Set up three cones, barrels, or blocks in a triangle, about two-three times your horse’s length in between each of the barrels.

Step Two – Ride as straight as you can manage into the side of the triangle, between two of the barrels and directly toward the third, furthest one. It should be framed between your horse’s ears so that you know you are riding straight at it.

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Flatwork in the school can get boring for horse and rider, which is why you’ll see lots of trainers advising schooling

while out hacking, where the scenery helps keep things fresh.

However, for the times when you have to use the manège, here

are IHRA Rosie Jones’s suggestions for fun, effective exercises.

HOW TO

Step Five – Gradually, you will feel less of a tendency from the horse to go one way or the other, and he will be waiting for you to choose the direction. You will find the you can choose whether to exit the triangle to the left or the right with just your intent (and eye contact) toward one direction and just the smallest of aids.

Step Six – For more advance horses, you can exit the triangle with a leg yield to the left or the right rather than a turn, or you could use this exercise to emphasise the job of the outside rein by steering out of the triangle with the outside aids instead of a direct turn. If you find this easy, have a go at the same thing at a gentle trot.

...encourage him to listen to you and develop more subtle ways of influencing his movement.

All photos courtesy of Jade Trelease


22 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP Autumn 201322 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP Autumn 2013

FUN & EFFECTIVE SCHOOLING IH Training SectionTRAININGwith

HOW TO...1. We are going to start with sets of 15 steps: Count his steps outward in walk ‘1.2.3…’ Every 15 steps he takes, you are going to make a transition, for example ‘walk-trot, trot-walk, walk-halt, halt-trot, trot-canter, canter-walk, walk-canter, canter-halt. It doesn’t matter which transitions you choose, but ride each one to the VERY BEST of your ability.

Try to keep him straight, soft and relaxed through the transitions; try to make the transition on an outward breath from you, and do your best to use your core muscles and seat to communicate the change rather than rely too heavily on hand and leg. If you have a head for numbers and can hold two lots of counting at once (or if you have someone watching who can count for you) do 15 of these 15-step transitions – if not, just do as many as you possibly can.

THE NUMBER CRUNCHERWhat is it for? Everybody knows well-ridden transitions are good for the horse, but they are not often incorporated enough into sessions –why?

I suspect because they are blinking hard work: once you have got a nice trot, it’s so much easier to keep going than to continually re-adjust the horse and move between the paces.

This exercise gives you the discipline to get some of those transitions in. It’s quite hard work, so go for it when you’re in the mood to put some mental effort into your riding – and to inspire the same thing from your horse.

This exercise works on your mental fitness to concentrate on the horse (and his mental fitness to concentrate on you) and the physical fitness of horse and rider to stay balanced through transitions. Each time he changes pace, he needs to rebalance, as do you; this exercise is

great for getting him forward off the leg, light from the hand, and using his

core muscles.

HOW TO

Keep your hands soft and use core muscles and seat to communicate the transition


the horse and move between the paces.

This exercise gives you the discipline to get some of those transitions in. It’s quite hardwork, so go for it when you’re in the mood toput some mental effort into your riding – andto inspire the same thing from your horse.

This exercise works on your mental fitness to concentrate on the horse (and his mental fitness to concentrate on you) and the physical fitnessof horse and rider to stay balanced through transitions. Each time he changes pace, heneeds to rebalance, as do you; this exercise is

great for getting him forward off the leg, light from the hand, and using his

core muscles.

Keep your hands soft and use core muscles and seat to communicate the transition

Ride each transition to the best of your ability



Autumn 2013 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP 23Autumn 2013 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP 23

FUN & EFFECTIVE SCHOOLING IH Training Section

2. As you are riding the transitions every 15 strides, you can also be working on simple school shapes – a figure of eight or 20 m circle for instance, or if you find it easier, just go large.

3. Once you have 15 steps mastered, work on 10 repetitions of transitions every 10 steps, then eight of eight, then five of five, then three of three. This might take several sessions, particularly with younger horses; there is no need to do it all in one day – remember one bad transition is probably undoing the work of 3 good ones – if you or your horse are getting too tired to do them accurately, then you are not doing any good at all.

This exercise gives you the discipline to get some of those transitions in...

5. Build free rein walks into the session, to allow a physical and mental breather.

The fun thing about this exercise is it

can be used on hacks also to get some

fittening and strengthening out of

your hacking time.

4. Adjust the difficulty of the transitions depending on the horse’s usual workload – i.e. babies should just be changing from walk to trot, and more advanced horses can do halt to canter or canter to halt or change within the pace e.g. collected to medium trot.

...more advanced horses can do halt to canter or canter to halt...


Don’t expect young horses to complete each transition perfectly straightaway

With patience and repetition, your horse should learn to stay soft and supple though his transitions



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SPELLING OUT ACCURACYWhat is it for? The more accurately you ride, the lighter your horse will become. Why?

Because when you are riding accurately, you are more likely to be clear about the pressure and releases that you use, more likely to be focussed on what you want and communicate clearly to your horse. This exercise is all about getting you to ride to a set pattern, accurately, which will really get him engaged in his work and listening to you, as well as highlight any issues with his balance or understanding of your aids for you to work on.

HOW TO...The arena is going to become your writing pad. Imagine looking down on the arena from above, and you and your horse are going to move around the arena like a pen on a page, spelling out various letters of the alphabet.

1. You are going to ride the word Accuracy: Use the whole arena for each letter and, once it is done, start over again and use the whole arena for the next. Obviously you sometimes need to move across the school to restart the next letter or move between points, just do so as accurately as possible incorporating these moves into your training pattern.

3. As you get more confident, try using half the arena for the same exercise, or work at a slightly higher speed – anyone who can canter ‘accuracy’ should send their YouTube video to me and I will personally award you a homemade medal!

Use the whole of the arena to ride each letter

Make the points of each letter as precise as possible, using manoeuvres such as leg yielding

Make points as precise as possible – as these three pictures of a turn on the forehand illustrate

...ride to a set pattern, accurately, which will really get him engaged in his work and listening to you... listening to you...

Use this exercise whenever you are lost for

something to do in the school, only play

about with different words and letters –

you’ll find they all can provide slightly

different challenges.

HOW TO



2. Make the points as precise as possible, using whatever manoeuvres your horse is capable of… you can utilise turns about the haunches, turn on the forehand, leg yield, sidepass or rollbacks wherever suitable to get the letters really sharp

With a young horse, just use simple transitions and turns, but ride them as accurately as possible, and alter the speed between walk trot and canter for different ‘pen strokes’ of the letter. You could even include back up for some of the pen strokes.



Training is something that happens every time we interact with our horses – which means that if we’re not careful, and quite without meaning to, we can sometimes cause problems. In extreme cases, this can lead to unhappy and even dangerous horses, says KELLY MARKS.

Those of you who have attended one of the Intelligent Horsemanship Horse Psychology courses will remember we spend some time thinking how to cause problems. In part it reminds us how often people do damaging things to horses without realising the consequences – and then they have to live with the monster they’ve created.

Later on in this article, Monty writes about two dramatically dangerous horses, both breeding stallions – in both instances, their attitude developed because of pain caused by humans. There are cases, though, when it’s not blatant human wickedness but ignorance, vanity, ‘training gone wrong’ or even ‘love’ that causes a horse to hate humans.

I’ll let you decide which category the following instances fit into:

The over-handled foalI don’t class myself as a foal handling expert (that’s Ian Vandenberghe’s role) but I’ve dealt with enough horses that have been ruined as foals to feel confident to offer the advice ‘Never teach/allow horses to do things as foals that you don’t want them to do when they are fully grown’.

Remember in Monty’s book The Man Who Listens to Horses, the actor, Slim Pickins, taught the little foal Bartlett to rear up and put his hooves on his shoulders? And then, of course, when Bartlett was a fully-grown stallion he wanted to continue with this game but it was NO longer funny by then – just incredibly dangerous.

An orphan foal doesn’t have to turn out to be a disaster but the situation has to be very sensibly handled. There are techniques to ensure the foal doesn’t see the human as the source of food and it’s important to make sure the foal doesn’t become ‘humanised’.

This can be dangerous of itself but to create a really dangerous horse you only need someone thinking they are going to ‘sort it out’ with a whip or attack it in some way. A normal horse will run away if at all possible if attacked by a human but the previously over-handled foal will have lost

most of his flight instinct and instead will come back at the handler.

If you ever suspect you have a horse that was humanised as a foal i.e. he’s very ‘in your face’ and doesn’t seem to have any concept of boundaries, you will know for sure when he’s turned out with other horses as he will either be the bully or be very bullied by other horses (as he doesn’t know his own language). My best suggestion would be to get him out with a herd of horses (or at least a few including an older mare or gelding) and they will teach him to be a horse again.

TwitchesI remember as a child being told that putting a twitch on a horse’s nose was actually nice for him because ‘it released endorphins’. I think the people who told me that wouldn’t really have thought about the fact that so do many other forms of pain, danger and stress. It did occur to me that it was if having a twitch on was ‘so nice’ for a horse it was odd no horse ever seemed keen to have one on a second time!

Nowadays sedatives are so safe and sophisticated, generally speaking, there shouldn’t be too many reasons anyone would ‘need’ to put a twitch on a horse. Yet I’ve read an article by a competition rider recently who suggested twitching a horse’s nose is ‘normal’ for every time you pull a horse’s tail; this rider twitches her horses in order to put in ear plugs at every competition.

I’ve seen how defensive and dangerous horses can become if people are constantly approaching them to do something painful and unpleasant – and can you really blame them?

Of course, it’s the most sensitive horses that are most likely to be upset by having their mane or tail pulled, and consequently they are going to be the most upset by having a twitch on their nose. A particularly difficult horse I was once asked to help had already injured people badly when twitched by striking out with her front legs and breaking their ribs.

Unfortunately they had compounded the problem by whipping her (some time later) to ‘tell her it was wrong’ which resulted in a horse that not only attacked from the front but kicked out at the same time. These horses are particularly dangerous if they feel trapped in any way. >>

I’ve seen how defensive and dangerous horses can become if people are constantly approaching them to do something painful and unpleasant – and can you really blame them?

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Careless training methods, mishandling or the use of violence can all create a horse is mean and aggressive

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Lungeing whips on hocksIn IH we very rarely single-line lunge, always preferring to use two lines in order to keep the horse more bilaterally symmetrical and enabling us to do lots of transitions and changes of directions. If someone does lunge and does use a lunge whip, however, there is absolutely no reason this has to be in any way abusive or cause problems.

However the way lunge whips are meant to be used and how they are actually used even (or perhaps especially) on very young horses is not the same. The lunge whip (as you know!) is there as a guide and if a horse were really laid back you would use it in downwards motion just behind him to gain some more impulsion.

If, as I’ve seen people do, including in a highly-regarded book on ‘breaking horses’, you use the whip sideways to sting his back legs, you are teaching the horse to be frightened of things behind him, that human beings can’t be trusted because there is likely to be random pain when they are around. In many cases this back leg whipping will teach horses to kick as reliably as if a trainer had sat down with a shaping plan and figured out “now I want my horse to kick – how shall I go about training him to do it?”

Lungeing whip case studyClare bought Robin, a reschooled racehorse, from a dealing yard who sold him as suitable for a range of activities, including jumping. She quickly discovered he had a rather scary and dangerous approach to jumping – once ‘locked on’ to the fence during approach, Robin galloped headlong to it and shot away as fast as possible on the other side.

Investigations revealed that Robin had been rather a reluctant jumper during his reschooling, so the dealer had ‘taught’ him during a couple of sessions to be more ‘enthusiastic’ by lashing him with a lunge whip as he approached the fence. Robin soon learnt the way to avoid this way to fly at his fences as fast as possible and not stop on the other side.

Those couple of sessions were enough to teach Robin to be frightened of jumping, and a potential danger to his rider, all his life. He was never able to completely control his instinctive need to fly at the jumps to escape the pain he thought was coming from behind.


Tickling nosesOk, I know, I know, in the scheme of things, an owner spending time fiddling with her horse’s nose is very low on the scale of ‘bad things people do to their horse’. Dare I say there will be many of us here who haven’t been able to resist the odd snatched kiss on a gorgeous pink muzzle from time to time?

However, observing people do this with horses over many years, I rarely see a horse as happy, comfortable and relaxed about this ‘muzzle fiddling’, as you are likely to if the human scratches the horse’s wither or even stands quietly by his side and strokes him. Some horses particularly love the stroke between their eyes or a rub behind their ears but watch horses as people touch around their mouths – generally they just find it irritating.

It was really brought home to me when I took Pie to demonstrations and as, he’s so good natured, I thought it would be a nice idea to let

children and members of the public meet him in the break. Quite understandably really, most people would stroke his lovely soft nose, and before too long I saw Pie start to look quite fed up when people came around.

He even started to root with his nose to push people away and while schooling him for that i.e. backing up, as a way of telling him that’s not allowed, it felt pretty unfair on him as he was just trying to tell people ‘look I don’t like that!’

We now explain this to people on the first day of the 5-day foundation course. If people come to talk to any of my horses now I explain they prefer to have their mouths and noses left alone and ask them to just stroke their necks – that way everyone is happy!

When ‘training’ goes wrongI think it’s fair enough to say that nearly all of us trainers have good intentions when teaching people less experienced. A lot can get lost or

Teaching foals to accept being touched all over is an essential part of their training – but problems can arise if the line is crossed into over-handling

Photo courtesy of Jo W

right

CREATING AMEAN&



misunderstood though in communication or assuming people have what the teacher assumes is ‘normal’ knowledge.

For instance, there is a technique of whipping or ‘tapping’ a horse that in theory is perfectly logical. You tap with gradually increasing pressure and vigour until the horse responds – simples!

There are several ways that this can go wrong though, one to do with the timing and consistency of the human and the second to do with the character and history of the animal. The least harmful negative result is that you simply cause a horse to become desensitised to even harsh pressure.

I would say I would never want to chance this tapping/whipping technique with a stallion or a horse that has been over-handled as a foal, as there is every chance they would come back at you – especially as you upped the pressure.

When food training goes wrongPersonally I’m not against all training with food; we discuss the pros and cons in some depth on the Horse Psychology courses. It’s important to be aware there are some ‘cons’ though and to be fully on guard against them.

Before you even think about training with food it’s essential to understand the basics of the necessary learning theory – otherwise you may be training a horse to do something entirely different to what you intend! Many a horse has added ‘grumpy face’ to his repertoire to try and elicit food from his owner.

As I said before, food can have it’s place in training, but just randomly producing food from your pockets is a good way to train a horse to ‘mug’ you.

A good way to teach a horse to bite, and I’ve seen it many times, is ‘treat then smack, treat then smack’. Horses must think we humans are so bizarre at times!


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The lunge whip, if used, should only ever be a guide – using it to inflict stinging pain across the hind legs or quarters, particularly in a confined space, is a recipe for teaching a horse to kick

A good way to teach a horse to bite, and I’ve seen it many times, is ‘treat then smack, treat then smack’.

Accidents happen and care afterwards can be unintentionally painful, where possible, try not to be associated with the pain

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Bad stable managementUnder this heading we can put rough handling in the stable and unsympathetic grooming. We’re all aware by now that most horses on the whole are much happier with freedom to roam and have company, however, this isn’t always practical in Britain (and I’m sure worldwide).

So for the sake of this article let’s say there are times and circumstances that it is necessary to keep horses stabled – what would you see as your ideal stable set up? If you’re anything like me I think you’d love to see lots of happy horses looking over their stable doors while also having the means to see the horse in the stable next to them.

Personally I don’t find it so aesthetically pleasing to see horses fully enclosed as if in ‘cages’ but the question is what is best for the horses? I have to admit that actually the horses that have their ‘safe’ area where they can’t be poked, prodded or generally fiddled with and don’t have food and people travelling under their nose or tantalising out of reach the whole day give every appearance of being much happier and calmer.

The horses that often get the most irritated are those on a corner box where people keep surprising them by walking around the corner.

It might not look as nice to have them ‘caged in’ but I sadly have to concede the horses may develop far less bad habits that way and, in fact, be more settled for it.

Another cause of problems with stabled horses is feed time. As well all know, horses should have access to good forage and water pretty much full time, however, some horses still get very excited about feed time.

This can produce weaving and even aggressive behaviour as the food is produced and the handler in a way rewards the horse’s behaviour by making a quick exit. One way around this is to manage the situation so the feed is in the horse’s stable as you lead him in (this is generally easy with a turn out/stables routine). If you feel you have problems caused by a horse getting territorial the answer, if it’s possible, can be to rotate his living arrangements.

Unfortunate instancesUnfortunate instances do happen (unfortunately). Accidents to horses that necessitate a lot of

injections, box rest and unpleasant procedures are not going to endear him to mankind, particularly if he’s very young and hasn’t even learned the good side of people.

Here, again, I’d like to offer something quite controversial (as with the caged horse opinion) that although it’s essential that we check our horse is properly cared for, if he has to have anything painful done, try not to be around so that he doesn’t blame or, more accurately, associate you with the bad experience.

I think we’d like to believe that horses understand when we’re doing things for ‘their own good’ but by understanding the horses brain we know that would take more mental reasoning than a horse has in his capabilities.

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Funnily enough, if you talk to any farmer about this with farm animals, this just comes under common sense!

RetaliationFinally, I have heard people say it’s OK to kick a horse in the belly when they are being difficult or aggressive, because ‘that’s what horses will do to each other’. Personally, I think this is a really BAD idea.

While there are many things we can learn from watching horses in their natural state, one thing for sure is we are not big and strong enough to fight them. We need to use our intelligence rather than our strength to get the harmony we desire from horses.

While tickling and kissing a horse’s velvet-soft nose is tempting, many of them actively dislike it

IH member Natasha Herman’s take on how our bad habits – in this case feeding treats – can create annoying or even dangerous habits in our horses

...they prefer to have their mouths and noses left alone...

CREATING AMEAN&


Vicious horses are created not born – and it can take just a moment of inflicted pain or violence from a human to effect that change. MONTY ROBERTS looks at how and why it happens

I could write volumes about the aggressive horses that have passed my way, of every gender. My experiences show that, in virtually 100 per cent of the cases, an act or acts of violence by human(s) towards the horse initiated the behaviour.

Sharp pain seems to encourage aggression far more than dull pain; with that in mind, a horseman should be aware of how the equine brain processes the pain caused by a cutting lunge whip. A needle or an electric prod will certainly create aggressive behaviour as quickly as anything I can imagine.

The position of the horse relative to escape routes will also rank high on the list of those important facets in the creation of a mean horse. Placing a horse in a corner and producing sharp pain is probably number one; whipping a horse with a sharp whip while in a large, open area is far less likely to encourage an aggressive response.

Ruining a horse with violenceUntil the mid nineties, my farm, Flag Is Up, included a large breeding facility. Often I took in dangerous stallions that had been given up on; my motivation was to study their behaviour and try to determine what their needs were so as to help many others in the future.

I also wanted to learn more about how these stallions had become mean.

In TissarIn Tissar was purchased in Kentucky as a yearling for $220,000. After about a year of training he was entered in a race and won it, but shortly thereafter began to act in an aggressive fashion with his grooms and handlers.

I was told that on a certain day a farrier decided to ‘give him a lesson in how to behave’. It was said that he used a heavy steel rasp to strike him while he was in the corner of a room provided for farriery:

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In Tissar became enraged, attacked the farrier and caused serious injury.

His trainer sent him to me to correct this dangerous behaviour so he would be safe to breed; they’d decided his racing career was over. He was transported heavily sedated and wearing a muzzle, but there were still several close calls.

When In Tissar arrived on my farm we soon learned he was so angry toward the human species that he would literally run at a handler from a distance of more than 100 metres, his mouth open and ears back. I invented a system where he could eat, sleep, breed his mares, exercise, be bathed and even have veterinary attendance with no one in his enclosure.

In Tissar bred successfully until he was about 18 years of age when he died of colic. I learned an enormous amount from this horse and was able to help horses on five continents that exhibited similar problems.

Court danceA few months after In Tissar arrived, I received a call from a retired trainer of racehorses who owned a rehabilitation facility for thoroughbreds in Southern California.

Court Dance had been sent to him as very aggressive, a horse that refused to accept any form of dental work. When the horse arrived on his farm, the equine dentist was called in and

began his work: as expected, the horse was extremely difficult and flew into a rage; he dislodged a hardwood twitch which bashed the dentist.

With that, the dentist lost his temper and started to beat Court Dance into the corner of a stable with all of the aggression of a prize fighter. I was told the dentist had used these techniques in the past and successfully ‘cowed horses into submission’.

In this particular case, though, the dentist ended up in the hospital with career-ending injuries. I was told that his family could hardly recognise him as Court Dance had rearranged his facial features.

Like In Tissar, Court Dance could not be ‘cured’ but was managed in the same system as the other stallion and successfully bred his mares.

While it’s true that I did not change the

behaviours of these stallions, I was able to

save their lives. One of the great lessons from

them was how dangerous mature horses

can be and how important it is to keep the

humans in their lives as safe as possible

while conducting the work necessary.

A farrier who can keep his temper is essential – in the case of In Tissar, a violent attack by a farrier changed the stallion’s personality forever


CREATING AMEAN&



LEARN & WIN

Water, water, everywhere but don’t forget the salt...The heat wave this summer certainly concentrated horse-owners minds on ensuring their horses had 24/7 access to cool, fresh water. When horses sweat, however, they don’t only lose water – they also lose electrolytes, which must be replaced, writes Nicola Tyler BSc, nutrition director at TopSpec horsefeeds.

As long as forage intake is not limited then

for many horses in the UK for ‘electrolytes’

you can read ‘salt.’ The notable exception is

when horses are ridden in endurance

rides/races, where sweat losses can be

so high that, despite high forage intake,

it is often necessary to supplement the

diet with potassium and possibly calcium,

phosphorous and magnesium, in

addition to salt (sodium chloride).

Electrolytes are important for controlling

hydration and for muscle and nerve function

and so when they are lost in sweat they must

be replaced in the diet, as must the water

loss. As little as 4 per cent dehydration can

lead to a loss in performance and further

dehydration can precipitate problems

such as ‘tying-up’ (rhabdomyolysis).

The level of sodium in the blood governs a

horse’s desire to drink: if the level drops too

low a horse will lose its feelings of ‘thirst’ so,

if water alone is given to horses after heavy

sweating, they may lose the desire to drink,

if they haven’t lost it already.

How much is your horse likely to require?In addition to a horse’s requirement for

salt for maintenance we need to replace the

salt lost in sweat. How much a horse sweats

depends upon many factors including how

fit he is, how hard he is working and the

environmental temperature and humidity.

A moderately-fit horse in medium work in

the UK could lose up to 4 litres of sweat if

asked for a fast canter up a hill, whereas a

horse in hard work might lose up to 8 litres

during an exercise bout.

Horses in extreme circumstances can lose

10-15 litres of sweat per hour so the losses

can seriously mount up for an endurance

horse. Sweat can contain as much as 15g of

salt per litre but does become more dilute

the more sweat is produced.

How much salt does your horse’s diet provide?’Good-doers are often susceptible to salt

deficiency because they receive very little

feed. Most compound feed, blends and

balancers contain 1 per cent salt, much

more and the feed would a) become

unpalatable and b) absorb water and

therefore ‘go off’ sooner.

So if a horse receives very little in the way

of feed he will not receive sufficient salt in his

diet. Forage only contains about 0.25 per cent

salt and no salt is added to most straights

e.g. oats, barley, alfalfa and beet pulp.

So a horse fed a ‘handful’ of mix with a

‘double handful’ of chop twice a day is

receiving very little salt in his diet.

At the other extreme a fit horse in hard

work may be fed three 2kg feeds a day

containing 1 per cent salt i.e. he would be

getting 60g salt from his feed alone, plus

about 25g from his forage. That horse may

be fine with just access to a salt lick if he

does not sweat significantly.

The difficulty arises with a horse in

medium work on a ‘medium’ feed intake

because how much the horse sweats and

what the make-up of that feed is are highly

variable. With a balancer, alfalfa and beet

pulp for example you would need to add salt

to the diet whereas with a balancer and

blends or compound feed you might not.

A horse in hard work can lose up to 8 litres of sweat during an exercise bout – but even just a moderately-fit horse in medium work could lose up to 4 litres of sweat if asked for a fast canter up a hill



WIN COPIES OF ‘WHISPERING BACK’ & ‘BORN TO WHISPER’IHRAs Adam Goodfellow and Nicole Golding are celebrating 15 years at Moor Wood Stables and the 10th anniversary of the publication of their book Whispering Back, which has sold over 20,000 copies.

As part of the celebrations, they are giving away a copy of each of their books, Whispering Back and Born to Whisper.

TO ENTER THE COMPETITION simply email [email protected] saying why you like IH. The most charming entries will be chosen for the prizes.

LEARN & WIN

Water, water, everywhere but don’t forget the salt...

COMPETITION WINNERS!Winner of a pair of tickets for the daytime and evening performance on the Wednesday at Horse of the Year Show, NEC, Birmingham is MIRIAM LYDON, OF CHELTENHAM, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.The correct answer to the question “Which championship is new to Horse of the Year Show and due to be held during Wednesday’s performance?” was: the Dressage Future Elite Championship

Winner of the Neue Schule loose ring bit, plus advice from Heather Hyde of NS, IS KERRY NEWSON OF LAPWORTH, WARWICKSHIRE.The correct answer to the question “What are the points to consider if your horse is showing signs of an over-active mouth?” was:

• Has the dentist been recently?• Is the bit the

correct size and design?

• Has the bit been fitted properly and comfortably?

Celebrate– and –

WIN!with Moor Wood

Stables

The correct answer to the question“What are the points to consider ifyour horse is showing signs of anover-active mouth?” was:

• Has the dentist been recently?

Photo courtesy of Neue Schule

Verbindend loose ring snaffle

‘How best to bridge the gap between requirement and supply’ Providing access to a salt lick 24/7 is essential

for all working horses but although they can

self-select research has shown that they do

not do so with a high degree of accuracy.

The following gives four examples for a

500kg horse using various TopSpec feeds:

FOUR EXAMPLES FOR A 500KG HORSE: 1. A good-doer in light work and not sweating requires 25g salt per day12.5kg forage → 31g salt500g TopSpec Lite Feed Balancer → 5g salt

TOTAL 36G SALTRecommendation: 24/7 access to salt lick

2/ A good-doer on low feed intake, having sweated 3 litres, requires 70g salt per day 12.5kg forage → 31g salt500g TopSpec Lite Feed Balancer → 5g salt

TOTAL 36G SALT Recommendation: Add 1 level tablespoon salt to two feeds daily for at least 48 hours after sweating → 40g salt daily, totally 76g salt. Also 24/7 access to salt lick.

3/ An average-doer on medium feed intake, having sweated 2 litres, requires 53g salt per day 12.5kg forage → 31g salt500g TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer → 5g salt3kg TopSpec CoolCondition cubes → 30g salt

TOTAL 66G SALT Recommendation: 24/7 access to salt lick. However if instead of TopSpec CoolCondition cubes an unsalted feed is used e.g. alfalfa/beet pulp/oats then one rounded tablespoon of salt needs to be divided between the two daily feeds.

4/ A fit horse in hard work, having sweated 8 litres, requires 120g salt per day 7.5kg forage → 19g salt500g TopSpec Comprehensive Feed Balancer → 5g salt6kg TopSpec Performance Cubes → 60g salt

TOTAL 84G SALTRecommendation: Add 1 level tablespoon salt to two feeds daily for at least 48 hours after sweating → 40g salt daily, totally 124g salt. Also 24/7 access to salt lick.

For reference:A rounded teaspoon (5ml) of salt weighs 10gA level tablespoon (15ml) of salt weighs 20gA rounded tablespoon of salt weighs 30gA heaped tablespoon of salt weighs 40g

Bear in mind• Horses cannot store electrolytes in excess

of their requirements so you cannot

pre-load your horse before expected

sweating e.g. competition. However it is

good insurance to make sure that he is

fully hydrated before sweating so

considered use of a measured amount of

salt at least four hours beforehand will

stimulate the thirst response and water

intake ensuring he is fully hydrated

before you start.

• Excessive use of electrolytes before

competition is dangerous if your horse

does not drink as he will become

dehydrated before the competition

starts, a very common cause of

tying-up in my experience.

• If your horse receives a low forage intake

his diet may not contain sufficient

potassium and in this situation a mixture

of salt (sodium chloride) and ‘Lite’ salt

(50:50 sodium chloride and potassium

chloride) may be more suitable to

replenish electrolyte loss.

• You can provide a horse with water in less

obvious ways e.g. by feeding succulents,

haylage instead of hay, soaking hay for 30

minutes before feeding, making very

sloppy feeds and maximising use of

rehydrated feeds e.g. soaked beet pulp.

• The more forage a horse eats the more

water is held in his hind gut. In this

respect hay>haylage>grass>alfalfa>shred

ded beet pulp>bran represents their

average ‘water-retaining capacity’.

My advice is to always consult an

experienced nutritionist; it will cost you

nothing but will allow you to take

enlightened care of your horse.

Nicola and her team of nutritionists

can be contacted on the free TopSpec

Helpline 01845 565030.

Competition!Now’s your chance to WIN A SACK OF TOPSPEC COMPREHENSIVE FEED BALANCER WORTH AROUND £40.

Just answer the question below (hint: the answer is in the article!) and send your answers by email to [email protected] with TopSpec competition in the subject line

“What happens if the level of sodium in the horse’s

blood drops too low?”

WIN a sack ofTOPSPECworth£40



Dylan’s in the pinkBy IH Member Alison Pink

This picture in Alison’s journal, shows the very poor condition he was found in

Looking for a new field com-panion for her mare, ALISON PINK called in at The Horse Trust’s Buckinghamshire HQ (check) and took the first step on a rewarding journey with a cob called Dylan.

In over 30 years’ involvement in veterinary nursing, I have witnessed many tragic cases and the catatonic expression on this pony’s face as we approached the yard at The Horse Trust was all too familiar.

Dylan had originally been left, as a yearling, to die in the snow in the most appalling circumstances; he was soaking wet, collapsed, emaciated, and had a high worm burden with no appetite. He was about to be buried in a hole but was miraculously spotted by someone passing by.

Lifted into an RSPCA van, his chances of recovery were slim; he was unable to eat or stand for at least a week but, thanks to the fantastic dedication of the Horse Trust staff, he was given hope.

A Dylan ‘story’As I chatted to staff, each had a ‘Dylan’ story, including how he laid down on his side to help the farrier trim his feet! It became clear that he had such huge character and I expressed interest in eventually rehoming him. The screening process was very impressive and, after a home visit and many follow up trips to spend time with Dylan, the August day arrived for his collection.

Once in the paddock at home, my New Forest mare Mouse snorting her ‘no nonsense’ introductions to him from the adjacent paddock. It was all text-book behavioural stuff they were soon grazing happily together.

IH Success Story

It was now time to step up Dylan’s pace and I submitted a request to take him to Monty’s road show to be a starter. It’s hard to explain how excited I was when he was invited to attend.

Throughout the afternoon before the demo, everything was carefully explained to all the owners and, one by one, a member of the team brought our horses and into the round pen for assessment. Monty had no contact with the horses, merely sitting with Kelly outside the pen asking questions.

After all the invited horses were seen, Monty gathered us all together and explained his observations of each. I was so convinced that Dylan wasn’t smart or pretty enough for a huge audience to enjoy that I was amazed when he was invited to stay.

Watching Dylan enter the arena amid a huge hushed audience that evening was a very special moment and Kelly sat with me and my husband Tim as Monty joined up with Dylan. The charming Bridget Hughes was calmly riding him after 23 minutes and I thought my heart was going to burst!

Filling our diaryThe next morning I filled in his diary with simply a huge! Entries over the following weeks read Rode to end of track and Rode to house with barking dogs or Passed motorbike AND skip lorry – all incremental progress.

Having had so many events cancelled last year due to poor ground conditions, we were keen to venture out recently and entered an in-hand class at a local show. When Dylan was awarded first place out of 11 others I thought I had misheard the steward.

I couldn’t help myself as I struggled to unfold the crumpled ‘before’ picture out of my pocket to show the judge. I had put it there the VERY week that I had brought Dylan home and waited patiently for this moment…

I had a happy, healthy, up to weight pony and the next stage of his journey was very much down to me. Having been to a Monty Roberts demo and feeling I needed a fresh approach, I got in contact with Sandra Williams, my local IHRA, and she carefully assessed Dylan.

We had hiccups along the way: Dylan’s ‘over-handling’ brought about by his intensive nursing had me flat on my back once, for example. After long lining him one day, he reared and violently shook his head while I tried to think on my feet as to what to do. As he entered his stable there was a considerable ‘clunk’ sound as one of his temporary molars fell from his mouth.

Recording his progressI became a regular visitor to the IH Members forum and kept a diary of Dylan’s progress, which was a real help. In general, however, he was an absolute joy to work with.

As a fairly plain looking pony, he was given some strange looks when I entered him in showing classes, but my reasoning was this involved teaching him many useful disciplines; from standing still while being bathed, to travelling, standing in the line-up and trotting-up in hand.

...my reasoning was this involved teaching him many useful disciplines; from standing still while being bathed, to travelling, standing in the line-up and trotting-up in hand.

IHRosettewinner

Alison Pink and a young Dylan Showring success for Dylan, after the hardest of starts in life



They say you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone but, with Fanfare, I like to think I always knew he was pretty special.

We were very lucky as children to have a

horse-mad mum who, despite a shortage

of funds, made sure we had some nice

ponies to ride. Which is just as well

because, along with my two sisters,

riding was pretty much all we did;

weekends, summer evenings, winter

days – all were a blur of washing ponies,

arguments in the horsebox and rosettes

(and sometimes bruises!) of various hues.

Fanfare came into my life when I

was 10. He was a 14hh hunter type,

a bright chestnut with a neat star and

two matching white socks behind.

Ironically, I remember not being

terribly excited about going to see him

– I had wanted a friend’s rather flashy

and successful grey pony which I’d

tried out, but which had been vetoed by

my mother on price. I also remember

being more taken with Fanfare’s rider,

a dashing teenage boy, on first sight

than this pony with his fox-red coat.

THE HORSE I WOULD CLONE…WOULD BE

FANFARE

Fanfare was to teach me more in four years than I could ever imagine. All of which shows how wrong you can be. Fanfare was to teach me more in four years than I could

ever imagine; he would make me laugh, show me how to be brave, induce the occasional in-saddle

retching with nerves (plunging at the start of XC courses) and be a silent, comforting shoulder

to cry on when my beloved granny died unexpectedly. He was to be my pony of a lifetime.

Like many special ponies, he wasn’t ever going to take me down the centre line at HOYS.

His conformation wasn’t perfect, and he had his limit when it came to jumping – but he taught

me to ride forward at a fence and value the achievement of completing the course at the BSPS

championships (no mean feat for me). He taught me to really ride.

Just as importantly, he was a safe pony to hack out on – although we lived in a fairly rural area,

the off-road riding was limited, and yet we were allowed to disappear off for hours at a time.

In the paddock and stable, he was amenable and even something of a joker, with a party trick

of swinging a yard brush between his teeth as though to sweep up.

Our ponies then (and my horses now) were expected to be jacks of all trades; showing, Pony

Club, dressage, showjumping, hunting and cross country were all on the agenda. It was with

Fanfare that I had my lightbulb moment: during dressage lessons with a rather traditional and

forthright trainer, who advocated giving my pony a hefty, hard yank in the mouth to get him

off the forehand, I silently apologised to Fanfare for what I knew was wrong, and railed with

the powerlessness of a child taught by an adult who should have known better.

Alas, although he was my pony of a lifetime, he wasn’t my sister’s cup of tea. Fanfare adjusted

his way of going to suit the rider and it was obvious immediately that a personality clash was

happening.

He was sold to a friend who lived 10 miles away and went on to earn another ‘pony of a

lifetime’ accolade with her. He lived out his days there, teaching one child after another the

unmatchable joys of a kind and clever pony, until age caught up with him in his 30s.

I have a horse now who is the very image of him – the uncanny resemblance in the advert made

me fly across the Irish Sea to try him and then bring him home. I had spent 25 years looking for

another Fanfare; only time will tell if he can fill the special shoes his predecessor left behind.

Liz Falkingham is editor of IH magazine, as well as running her freelance writing and PR agency

Chestnutmare Media. She also has a small livery and competition yard.

By Liz Falkingham

THE HORSE I WOULD

FARE

Fanfare was to teach me more

It took 25 years to find my horse-sized Fanfare replacement – only time will tell if Carter can fill his shoes

Fanfare taught me to ride forward and be brave



Preparing horses for RDA work

Schooling any horse to be safe and responsive is hard work, but training a horse for Riding for the Disabled (RDA) work has additional challenges. IHRAs Rosie Jones and Sheila Reed look at what goes into creating safe horses for this valuable role.It’s a challenge for all young horses

learning what to listen to and what to ignore.

We need them not to worry when we lose

a stirrup, but to spring forward off the

smallest leg aid, for example.

All horse training really is about teaching

the horse what to respond to on the one

hand, and what to tolerate on the other,

and this is certainly true more than ever

for horses who are going to help in the

valuable work of RDA riding.

By IHRAs ROSIE JONES & SHEILA REED

Picking the right horse Perhaps the most important element of creating a happy RDA horse is to pick one with the right temperament to start with. While training should help bring out his best features, you want a horse already showing good patience, tolerance and relaxation.

The horse must be physically up to the job, well able to carry the weight required – especially considering that weight might not always be balanced as evenly as with an able-bodied rider.

There is also a consideration to be made about age and previous experience. It’s usually preferably to choose a horse of 8-12 years of age who has led a fairly simple life; handled regularly without any problems or bad habits, and used to carrying a rider as a happy hacking horse for instance.

Learning what to listen toMost RDA horses will spend some, if not all, of their time under the control of a ground handler rather than the rider. This means that they need to be thoroughly prepped in terms of groundwork.

They need to understand that the best place to be is at the ground handler’s side – no matter what. They must speed up, slow down, and turn in line with the ground handler’s movements and in many different scenarios so that it is a well-established pattern of behaviour.

If the rider’s aids and the ground handler’s aids differ, the horse needs to know that the ground handler’s requests trump anything else. The only way to teach this is to gradually put the horse deliberately in more challenging situations and continue to reinforce the correct responses using pressure and release. This will of course have a negative effect of also teaching the horse to ignore the rider’s aids to a degree.

Some RDA horses will be controlled by their rider, which makes for a more difficult training

task since the horse needs to learn to respond to the aids of the rider – which will differ depending on the physical capabilities and restrictions of that rider. I met an RDA horse recently who was trained to move forward when the rider took her legs OFF, for example.

Horses are actually pretty flexible about the aids they can learn to respond to; whether audible aids, or a variety of different tactile aids, the key thing is to remember to use pressure and release in order to reinforce the desired response, and to keep consistent.

It only becomes difficult for the horse to learn when consistency is lost – when an able-bodied rider rode the horse above and tried to use normal leg aids, difficult behaviours emerged as the horse was understandably confused. So, for horses who are going to communicate closely with their riders, it makes more sense to train toward a specific rider rather than expecting the horse to be able to cope with a range of disabilities each requiring the horse to tune into different aids.

TEACHING THE HORSE TO BE RESPONSIVE:• Means making sure you get a

response every time you use the aid

• Release the pressure as soon as you get a response

* Allow him to make a mistake, but be responsible for it: use the lightest aid possible, and back it up immediately with a clearer aid if necessary

* Keeping quiet and still in between giving the aid

* Lots and lots of repetition

It’s usually preferably to choose a horse of 8-12 years of age who has led a fairly simple life; handled regularly without any problems or bad habits...



While the image of an RDA horse is often a big lumpy chap who doesn’t notice what happens on top, in fact, if the horse is going to be ridden to any degree of accuracy by riders who might lack strength or balance, then it is important the horse is very light and responsive to the aids. So it is important to assess the ridden job the horse will be expected to do before assuming that you want him to become totally tolerant to any movement above to the point he ignores it all!

Learning what to ignorePerhaps the most important job in the preparation of an RDA horse is teaching him what to ignore, tolerate, and cope with. A great start is to very thoroughly ‘spookbust’ the horse – tarpaulins, balloons, pushchairs, umbrellas, and anything else you can get your hands on.

Remember to address things on the ground, up high, alongside the horse, behind the horse, noises and moving objects too. The main point of all the training is that the horse learns to listen and remain obedient to the handler, and so rather than getting as close to the objects as possible and then get bolted with or squashed, come just within a suitable distance of the object and work on your control of his feet using the Dually halter.

You can gradually get closer while continuously reinforcing the ground control by moving forwards and backwards, left and right, speeding up and slowing down, and making sure there are appropriate releases for him in all the right places.

He may need to learn to accept several people around him at once; often the rider needs a ground person on each side for safety on top of the ground handler with the horse. Incorporating these extra ground people for some of his ground training

All photos courtesy of Mo B

egg

Opposite page: Consistency is key when training RDA – or indeed any – horses, to ensure they will be happy and useful in their ridden work. Below left: Thorough desensitisation to unusual sights and sounds is an essential part of the preparation of an RDA horse. Below right: As well as riders of different ages and abilities, RDA horses need to be able to cope with multiple ground handlers.

helps to prepare him to stay straight and

calm between all the people.

He needs to be totally happy being touched

everywhere on his body, as when those

handlers reach up to support the rider, they

might well tickle his flanks or tummy with

their jacket – all of these things must be

addressed before a rider with limited physical

capability is bought into the question.

Depending on the type of rider that

the horse is going to be working with, he

may need to get used to excess noise and

movement from the rider. For this reason

it is a great idea to teach the horse to tolerate

mounted exercises like ‘round the world’,

‘scissors’ and ‘thread the needle’ (if these

are not clear to you, find a Pony Club child

to explain!!)

Obviously, start with a handler to offer

support and build up your movements slowly.

He needs to learn to stand like a rock at the

mounting block, and these exercises after

mounting can really help the horse to stand

with a foot in each corner to balance for

the moving weight.

It’s a good idea to train them not to worry

about a rider wobbling or falling, as the

horse’s own fear of this can make a fall much

more dangerous if he/she shoots off or worse,

kicks out, as the rider falls. This training can

begin with a pair of fake legs (stuffed jeans)

that are thrown on and off, and then

pulled off, and can progress towards a real

(confident and stable) rider loosing stirrups

and falling forward onto the horses neck.

You also want the horse to deal with other

horses coming or going with no change in

tempo or adrenaline, and so some ground

handling and then riding that involves

other horses trotting past, or our horse

trotting past other horses, is a great idea.

TEACHING THE HORSE TO BE UNRESPONSIVE:• Build up the level of the stimulus

slowly – start with something that doesn’t bother him/her at all

• Do not release pressure if the horse responds to something you want to teach him to tolerate

• Keep busy with the things you want him to ignore/tolerate, make it part of normal life

• Cheat in favour of the horse: make sure the scenario is set up to encourage the horse to tolerate your stimulus

• Lots and lots and lots of repetition

So, as with most training, the challenge

with the RDA horse is choosing which things

you’d like him to notice and respond to,

and instilling the correct responses in him so

thoroughly that they become habit. And also,

choosing which things you would like him

to cope with, without any reaction, and

then repeat and develop until he’s totally

unflappable in the ways you would like.

IHRA Rosie Jones has moved to Bristol,

covering South Gloucestershire/North

Somerset and M4 corridor. More info at www.

rosiejoneshorses.co.uk, phone 07447063856.

IHRA Sheila Reed is a regular volunteer at

her local Cotswold RDA centre based at the

racecourse in Cheltenham. More info at www.

sheilareedequine.com, phone 07780 668136



Perfect forkids too!

IH KIDS

In the last issue, Monty Roberts emphasised how important he felt it was to get children engaged with Intelligent Horsemanship.Here, IHRA and IH Kids editor LIZ PITMAN describes how 12-yo Ellen impressed at the IH Perfect Manners weekend.

Going on a training course with adults when you’re only 12 is pretty tough, but that’s just what Ellen Lee did earlier this year. Ellen, who attended with her mum, was the youngest person so far to go on the course but she did it extremely well. So what made her take the plunge? Ellen explained, “I started a horse share last year, but unfortunately it didn’t quite work out and I lost a lot of confidence from the experience. I came on the Perfect Manners course – Christmas present from my Mam and Dad – to get more confidence in how to handle a horse.”

That’s just what she did. As with many other participants on the IH practical courses, her initial work was quiet and shy, and at times the horses felt that and responded with some testing behaviour.

Barney in particular lived up to his reputation of being a bit of a handful with less confident people but, during a groundwork session with IHRA Rosie Jones, Ellen learned how to handle him; she discovered how her own stance and her ability to take control of each of Barney’s feet made him listen to her. Instead of him trying to push her around, Barney started to wait for her instructions and to listen to her.

As she discovered what she was able to do using some very simple techniques, combined with a good measure of timing and a dash of self-belief, Ellen’s confidence grew. While learning

Join Up, she learned how she could influence a horse’s direction and speed without even touching him; under the expert tuition of IHRA Gitte Monahan, she learned how to long line and how to use her new understanding of body language while working a horse on the lines.

Everyone at the course – instructors, helpers and other participants - were all impressed by Ellen’s progress. Amongst those impressed was Kelly, who taught Join Up over the two days. In fact, Kelly so liked what she saw in Ellen’s final Join Up that she asked for the video of it to be made available to others to watch (see below).

Learning is great on its own, but so much better when your new knowledge really helps; three months after the course, we asked Ellen how she was getting on. “Since taking part in the Kelly Marks’ Perfect Manners course, I have noticed a massive difference in the way I act around my horse, Bailey. I feel more confident because I now appreciate that how I ask my horse to do something has an effect on how he will respond.

“Not only has my confidence grown, but so has the bond I have built up with Bailey. Initially he would barge at feed times, and also when being led to and from the field.

“In fact at times he made a point of making sure he got to the field before I did - thankfully the Dually headcollar helped with that little problem! Feeding times are a lot nicer now as Bailey will stand and wait for his feed rather than simply barging past me to get it. It certainly took time and patience but it was well worth it.

“I now appreciate that owning a horse not only involves the riding and hacking out, but also taking time to get to know my horse and spending time on ground work Bailey is certainly more responsive and I am constantly putting into practice the skills I gained from the course.

I am now helping my little sister, Milly, to improve her horsemanship skills with her new pony Bessie. I would also love to attend another course in the future.”

So thumbs up from Ellen to the course, and thumbs up from us to Ellen!

• See Ellen’s video on YouTube, entitled ‘Ellen’s Join Up during the IH Perfect Manners course’.You can also link straight to it through the IH Kids website on the courses page. Under learning/essentials you’ll also find the IH Kids Guide to Respecting Space, with Ellen and Rosie showing us how it’s done.

Join Up, she learned how she could influence

Back home with her pony, Bailey – leading quietly and politely

Working with a pony on the Perfect manners

course: Ellen doesn’t ask for steps back in

the right way and the pony resists

Working with a pony on the Perfect manners course: When Ellen asks correctly, the pony steps back without resistance

Teaching Bailey not to barge into the stable

Photo courtesy Liz P

itman

Photo courtesy Liz P

itman

Ellen learnt how she could influence a horse’s direction and

speed without even touching him


SHY LOWEN Family Fun DayThe sun shone in Liverpool on July 27 and the storm that later broke was kind enough to wait until after Shy Lowen’s Fun Day.After weeks of planning and preparation, it was fantastic to see people coming through the gates.

The Shy Lowen kids had worked hard to create stalls such as a tropical island coconut shy, a candy stripe sweet trolley, and a cowboy saloon for the pony rides. They had also spent hours practising their longlining and their riding to music displays – you can watch them on YouTube – and even the non-horsey members of the audience could see what wonders these young people have worked with their rescue horses.

As well as giving families a good day out, we were also there to raise much-needed funds to keep the centre going. With a total of £1,038 for the day, we achieved that goal too. Bernie was ‘made up’!

So, on behalf of everyone at Shy Lowen, a huge thank you to all who turned up and/or helped; to say it was appreciated is an understatement.

By IHRA Liz Pitman

and/or helped; to say it was appreciated is an understatement.

Jasmin and Tyler’s

facepainting was a real hit

Nicole and Ellie keep their horses, Teddy and Curly, perfectly aligned during the longlining to music display

It was great to meet IH DGers Mollichop and Portiabuzz who, in true IH fashion, even stayed to help clear up!

Jazz makes sure Michael explains properly how the ‘pin the tail on the human’ game works

Part of the longlining display team,Jack and Rolo show that size doesn’t matter when it comes to working with horses

RA Sue Palmer showed how to

help Brown Boy accept touch and

scary things using pressure and release, and by using his own

language to communicate.

10 month old Philip Palmer was the

youngest to try the pony rides. We think he enjoyed it!

One of the highlights for many was the chance to ride on one

of Shy Lowen’s horses. For some it was the first time ever,

and they loved it.

That’s one big horse when you’re only little!

Amber Jazz, ridden by Megan, caught someone’s eye. An

added bonus to the day came when they asked to meet her

as a possible loan horse.

Adam and Elise on Rolo and Curly ending the ridden display with justified high fives.

Sometimes you just needed to sit and relax with some home made cake

Photo courtesy D

eb Maxw

ell

Photo courtesy Sue N

ichols

Photo courtesy Sue Nichols

Photo courtesy D

eb Maxw

ell

Photo courtesy D

eb Maxw

ell

Photo courtesy D

eb Maxw

ell

Photo courtesy D

eb Maxw

ell

Photo courtesy D

eb Maxw

ell

Photo courtesy D

eb Maxw

ell

Photo courtesy D

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Photo courtesy D

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Shy Lowen Horse & Pony Sanctuary www.shylowen.com

Registered charity number 1122891

Curly ending the ridden display with justified high fives.P

hoto courtesy Deb M

axwell

and/or helped; to say it was appreciated is an understatement.and/or helped; to say it was appreciated is an understatement.

Jasmin and Tyler’s

facepainting was a real hit

comes to working with horses




Case filesFrom the TOBY: Trained to be Vicious

IHRA Liz Pitman recalls how benign neglect turned a pony into an aggressive, dangerous monster.What turned a sweet-looking grey pony from a lightly-ridden companion into an aggressive monster who’d learned more tricks on getting his own way that I knew existed? Surprisingly, maybe, it was nothing more than ignorance and benign neglect.

Toby had lived on the same property for 14 years; all was well until he was left on his own with no company and nothing to do or even see for three years. During that time, Toby’s home was a rather dark, ex-pig sty.

He had a turnout paddock that was nothing more than a square of earth – mud in the winter and rock hard in the summer. As his frustration grew and he started to break out, he became increasingly confined to his pen; he was fed, he was watered, he was mucked out but that was it.

Already intensely frustrated, he reached breaking point when his supply of hay ran out. His owner, in good faith but complete ignorance, had been told it would be cheaper to give him bucket feed instead of buying more hay.

Twice a day he received his ration of molassed chaff and a scoop of high energy mix, and nothing else. He went

from starving – mentally if not physically – to being hit with a high energy sugar rush.

Once rescued, Toby showed us the full range of the behaviours he’d learned to get food – or what he thought might be food – as quickly as possible. Even a grooming kit could set him off.

As well as the usual biting, rearing and cow kicking, Toby had some special tricks. He could reverse towards a person at incredible speed, double barrelling as he came. He chased my husband over a fence on more than one occasion simply because he had a wheelbarrow.

Toby also knew exactly how to squash a person against a wall, and was even more skilled in pinning them against a door – doorways had huge significance for him. Toby’s masterpiece, though, was his version of the head butt – mouth open, his teeth slammed into my head again and again, and he only gave up after three days. Thank heavens for hard hats!

The first step had to be leading and basic control of feet, together with teaching him that he could influence when he got a release from pressure )including the pressure of a food bucket out of reach) by behaviours other than flinging his body around. Because his ‘good’ behaviour was often fleeting at the beginning, accurate timing was essential.

The other really key point was to try and avoid any arguments I didn’t think I could win. Over the years he’d learned persistence by people giving in to his worsening behaviour; teaching him that I would not give in meant I had to be able to stand my ground, no matter how tiring, and so oblige him to look for something else, while of course engineering the situation to make sure the something else was better than his original choice.

Toby now lives at Shy Lowen, where he is a much better behaved and happier boy. He generally knows how to behave around food except, that is, if he thinks you’re taking something away!

Continuing our new series looking at horses from the IHRA files, in this issue we look a pony who didn’t like to be pampered and another inadvertently trained to be vicious (see p25-29 for Kelly’s look at why horses become mean).

We also catch up with horses who made memorable appearances at demos.

IHRA Liz Pitman is based in East Anglia but no longer does call out work. Instead, she promotes ethical horsemanship through teaching and editing the IH Kids website.

IHRA Rosie Jones has just moved to Bristol after spending some months abroad observing different horsemanship methods.

Over the years he’d learned persistence by people giving in to his worsening behaviour...

Toby now lives at Shy Lowen, where he is a much better behaved and happier boy.

As well as the usual biting, rearing and cow kicking, Toby had some special tricks.



CHOCCY: the pony who didn’t like to be pamperedFour-year-old Choccy is now out and about winning in the show ring as a lead rein pony, putting her good looks and conformation to use in rider Hollie’s quest for red rosettes.Together, they’ve qualified for the BSPS Bright Stars competition at the championships in September.

Getting to this stage, however, meant time and work – at one stage I wondered if she would ever make it to the ring. I’ve worked with Choccy since owner Hannah White bought her; together we started her under saddle, taught her manners, trained her little jockey to understand her behaviour, built her muscles up, and got her used to show environments.

But, something was stopping her from taking the show world by storm: She had a severe phobia of having her mane handled, so trimming, plaiting, or even brushing her mane was a nightmare. She would throw herself

around, squash people into walls, threaten to rear or kick, and fling her head wildly – anything to get you off her mane.

We can only guess this must have come from some previous rough pulling. Choccy’s skin is so thin and sensitive – she is like a dainty little miniature thoroughbred – it must have caused her such agony that she was not prepared to trust people with her mane again.

We went through several stages to get her to accept that show ring preparation could be a pleasure not a pain:

Stage 1: At first I tried pressure and release, putting my fingers through Choccy’s mane, waiting for her to relax and settle before removing them. We had some immediate success with this method, but results were still inconsistent and some days it seemed we were almost back to square one.

Stage 2: involved trying to keep her super relaxed - working her before mane handling, making sure she had yummy hay in front of her to keep her distracted and relaxed, and working on the mane in very short bursts, in between normal brushing of the body. We tried a few different locations (arena, field, yard, stable) to see where she was the most accepting (in the stable). I thought we were really getting some progress, but when Hannah and Lauren (Hollie’s mum) took Choccy to a show at the weekend, taking the plaits out was still a nightmare.

Choccy’s skin is so thin and sensitive – she is like a dainty little miniature thoroughbred...

I hope this is the first of many well deserved wins, as Hannah, Lauren, Hollie and Choccy have all worked so hard this summer.

Stage 3: involved more physical checks – including a physio who could find nothing wrong in her neck or poll at all.

Stage 4: involved head lowering and head flexing – bending her head round toward her girth area. Once she had learned this manoeuvre, I used it as an ‘incompatible behaviour’ i.e. making it difficult for her to do the wrong thing by asking her to bend her head while the mane was brushed. This seemed like a breakthrough point and we had one fabulous session where I almost declared her cured, but still results were a little inconsistent – when it came to show day itself, the extra stress of the day was enough to revert the old behaviour.

Stage 5: involved trying to make the head shaking a more uncomfortable option – I tied a big heavyish sponge onto her head collar with string! The idea was that when she threw her head, the rubber comb would bounce about and be annoying and so she might train herself. This simply had no effect at all!

Stage 6: involved longer sessions – I spent over an hour and a half solely handling her mane, keeping calm and relaxed and always releasing pressure for a second or two when she relaxed. By the end of the session she was dozing while I plaited and un-plaited pieces of her mane over and over again. We really were nearly there... but we only entirely eradicated the issue after.

Stage 7: backing her up 30 steps every time she threw her head at all. This helped to really break some of the habit that had developed and encourage Choccy to try tolerating the mane handling even when she didn’t want to – which gave her the chance to learn it was never painful and no-one was ever going to pull it again.

Now, three shows later, it seems the problem is finally gone for good. And readers can rest assured – this pony will not be having her mane pulled in the future with her very lovely owners, and I hope this is the first of many well deserved wins, as Hannah, Lauren, Hollie and Choccy have all worked so hard this summer. >>

She would throw herself around, squash people into walls, threaten to rear or kick, and fling her head wildly...



Carole & MollyMolly took part in The Hand demo in Clevedon this March as a tricky loader. Owner Carole Negus describes herself as ‘a complete convert’ to the ways of Monty, Kelly and IH methods.

“I had been to many demos and would sit there rather smugly watching Kelly and Monty tackle the ‘difficult loader’, each time nudging whoever was sitting next to me and saying ‘I would love them to try and do that with my horse; no way would they get her to do that!’

“Being a big girl, if Molly decided she wasn’t going in, she just wouldn’t. As Kelly told the audience ‘Molly has opinions’,” said Carole.

Plenty of footwork later, Kelly had Molly loading in front of 1,100 people and Carole found she was able to continue the good work at home.

“After 5 months and one amazing follow-up lesson with IHRA Bronwen Packham, our world has changed. We have entered many dressage competitions, and now the only pre-show stress has been about cleaning those white feathers, loading her is just a breeze.”

Millie & SunshineSunshine was an unhandled, six-month-old filly when she appeared at the Bury Farm Equestrian Center demo in February 2012.

“She was very timid and hated all human contact. I had tried several ways of halter breaking her but had no luck, so when

I heard Intelligent Horsemanship were looking for demo horses I jumped at the chance,” said owner Millie Kempster.

After a successful session at the demo, Millie took Sunshine home and practised removing and putting the head collar back on several times a day, as well as doing some leading work with her.

“After a few days of practicing in the stable she went for her first walk round the yard and was brilliantly behaved, so we then took her to be hand grazed in one of the paddocks. She has been to a few local shows since and done well at them, and she’s also brilliant with children; very different to the shy and scared pony which arrived off the back of a lorry on a cold December day in a very sorry state.”

Case filesFrom the

After 5 months and one amazing follow-up lesson with IHRA Bronwen Packham, our world has changed.

Watching nervous or difficult horses transform at demos is one of the highlights for many of us who go along to watch Monty, Kelly and the team do their stuff. Ever wondered how those horses get on afterwards? Well we caught up with a few…

Where are they now

Clare & HonourHonour was used for the private members-only demo at Hadlow College in October 2012. Painfully headshy, impossible to bridle and unbroken, she made fantastic progress that evening with Monty, ably assisted by Pie.

“Understanding that using incremental objects for acceptance gave us a focus and ideas on how to achieve the best results and overcome this very tricky issue. Honour was broken in April this year and is now accepting a bridle! More importantly, no pain or fear was involved,” said owner Clare Webb.

“We’ve even been out to our first show together. Many thanks to Kelly and Monty for giving Honour and me the tools we needed to build our special bond together.”

Nicola & (former IH) BanksyAs was always the plan with the young horses Kelly brought over from Ireland, Banksy was sold last year after starting his life as the star of many demos, meeting Joey from War Horse,

qualifying for Horse of the Year Show as a ridden hunter and beginning his event training with IHRA Sam Austin.

After such an auspicious start, it’s not surprising he’s a big hit with new owner Nicola Freeman.

“We have recently competed in our first dressage test together – I was very pleased with him, he behaved impeccably and we had a lovely time. We have a couple more tests lined up, along with pole work training sessions and cross country training sessions.

“I am just enjoying him so much. Each morning as I walk along the lane to bring him in, I call out over the hedge before he sees me and by the time I get back to the gate he is there waiting for me!”

?



client feedbackIH RECOMMENDED ASSOCIATES

While working with your horse to solve problems and build a better partnership is very satisfying, sometimes a helping hand from a professional can be essential. Here’s what clients are saying about IHRAs.

IHRA SHEILA REED Gloucestershire

IHRA KELLY BROTHERHOOD Lincolnshire*

“Problems with my mule”Although being a very experienced horse owner for

many years, I was having problems with a mule and I

am new to mule ownership. Sheila ‘tuned’ in with my

most difficult mule immediately. Sheila has excellent

communication skills with people as well as mules!

She explained everything and demonstrated in

a clear way – good for an OAP brain! Sheila emailed me notes after the

session; she also recommended various exercises for my mules and

left me with plenty of food for thought. I have already booked another

session and am hoping to compete at Horse Agility with all of my mules.

Lesley Radcliffe, Gloucestershire

“My mare was biting me while being led”Actions speak louder than words: my lovely biting mare,

who walks behind you when you lead her (bit scary)

and wasn’t letting fly spray near her, now walks at my

shoulder, doesn’t bite and stands beautifully while I

spray her! All in two short hours – Kelly is a miracle worker! She was very

calm, friendly and approachable and at no point made me feel incompetent

or unable to ask what at times feel like ‘silly’ questions! After the visit she

sent me comprehensive notes on the areas covered which was great as it

is hard to remember everything. I would have no hesitation in either

contacting her again or recommending her to someone else.

Julie Axup, York

IHRA GARRY BOSWORTH Lincolnshire

IHRA LINDA RUFFLE Derbyshire

“I was disheartened by loading issues”Garry was very patient and explained everything he

was doing; he took everything I had told him regarding

my horses dislikes into consideration. It was so nice to

have help where the person remains calm throughout

their time with the horse. I cannot recommend him

enough – he’s fantastic at what he does and obviously

passionate towards the horses’ feelings and ways of learning. I was so

disheartened and really thought this was a barrier we couldn’t overcome but

Garry has done a fantastic job and helped us both with Pal’s loading issues.

Sarah Thompson, South Yorkshire

“I needed help handling and riding my horses”It is part of an ongoing development

and I feel I have really benefitted from the

help that makes sure I am doing

the best exercises for me and my horse.

Practicing the correct and most

appropriate approach rather than continuing to repeat errors

I was unaware that I was making. It is the quickest way to

learn the best approach and techniques for the good of all

concerned – to make sure I practice the right thing (it really

speeds up the learning and the progress). Maybe IH could

clone people so there are more IH people to go out and show

people that there is a better way to live in harmony with your

horse! Intelligent Horsemanship lets me treat my animals

with respect, integrity and humanity, while still providing

boundaries that keep horses and humans safe. What could

be better than that?!

Karen Gosford, Oxfordshire

IHRA BRONWEN PACKHAM Somerset*

“After a trailer accident our horse had loading issues”Bronwen always works with horse and

owner – this has enabled us to continue

the work she does initially. We do western

riding but this has not been a barrier as it has with other

professionals; the IH methods have worked well for us. We

have kept in touch over the years and worked with all our

horses. Bronwen is excellent at picking up on the riders

mood/fears and has the ‘knack’ of pushing you far enough to

feel that you have really achieved something, without scaring

you to death! She is cheerful and positive and I look forward

to working with her. The IH methods provide a better way of

communication with your horse; all horse owners should

be open to this. She has an excellent range of ideas for ways

of working towards the set goals and makes the work

interesting.

Alison & Douglas Hill, Somerset

Contact details for all IH Recommended Associates can be found at www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk in the Horse Help section.

* Indicates a provisional Recommended Associate

in their first 3 years of being an IHRA


42 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP Autumn 201342 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP Summer 2013

Lincolnshire-based Garry Bosworth admits to being ‘intrigued but a little sceptical’ when he first saw Monty Roberts on the TV programme QED. That changed when he saw Monty live, and led to his working to help human-equine partnerships full-time.

How long have you been involved with horses? On and off since I was 13, which is over 40 years ago now, with a long break of about 15 years while I had a ‘proper’ job

Why did you decide to qualify as a Recommended Associate?After doing the IH 5-day course, it struck me that I had made plenty of mistakes with horses I had been involved with, which could have been avoided with the right kind of help. I felt that I would be able to offer that help to the owners that sought it.

What is a typical day for you?Check the diary! Get whatever equipment I may need for the day into the car (Duallys, ropes, long lines, poll guard, boots for the horses, plastics bags, tarpaulin, etc.) set the sat nav and go. When at the clients’ premises we have a chat about what issues they are experiencing, what are their expectations, and give them an idea of how the session will progress (although sometimes this needs adjusting as we go). Travel time for me to a client can be anything from 10 minutes to 2.5 hours. When back home I finalise notes from the visits and check and answer email enquiries.

What’s important to you when you see an owner and their horse for the first time?I feel it is important to make the client feel comfortable on the initial meeting. It’s also good to see how horse and owner interact with each other, as this can give some clues as to where the root of an ‘issue’ may lie.

What are the common challenges you face in your work as an RA?It’s fairly common for people to expect me to turn up and ‘fix’ their horse. This is rarely, if ever, the case; owners need to be fully committed to

carrying on the training after I have visited. Also finding remote properties that don’t have a name board at the end of the drive is a fairly common thing I come across.

If you could change one thing in the world of horses what would it be, and why?Wow, how do you choose one thing? I regularly visit Bransby Horses, a local horse welfare and rescue centre, and, like many other charities, they are full to bursting. So I would like to see more regulation as far as the breeding of horses is concerned, which would lead to less horses being bred and put on an already-saturated market.

What would be the first piece of advice you would give someone looking at buying/loaning their first horse?Really research how much it will cost in both money and time. Also take a trusted experienced person along with you to view any horses.

What is the most common issue you have to deal with when working with horses? Loading into a horsebox, or rather NOT loading – that is the issue that the owner focuses on, but very often in this instance, the horse can also be ‘pushy’ when being lead. So I guess it’s probably leading.

What are your plans for the future?To carry on helping owners and their horses; in addition to this I have, over recent months, been asked to do more demonstrations, which I enjoy and look forward to doing more. Clinics are another thing that I will be doing more of in collaboration with RA Kelly Brotherhood, both at Kelly’s premises and at other yards and equestrian centres. So if anyone out there would like to host a demonstration or clinic in Lincolnshire or surrounding counties please do get in touch.

Garry can be contacted on 01522 827527 or via

[email protected]. More information at

www.equineempathy.com


SPOTLIGHT ONIH Recommended Associate

Garry Bosworth

Photo courtesy of G

arry Bosw

orth

It’s fairly common for people to expect me to turn up and ‘fix’ their horse. This is rarely, if ever, the case; owners need to be fully committed to carrying on the training after I have visited.



RECOMMENDED ASSOCIATES COURSES & EVENTS

IH Training INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP COURSESCome and have the experience of a lifetime with expert tuition in the art of ‘horse whispering’ and equine behaviour. It will change the way you view not only your relationships with horses, but also the people around you and the relationship you have with yourself.

Call Brenda in the IH office on 01488 71300 or email [email protected] for details. Late spaces do sometimes become available, and you can ask to be added to the waiting list. You must be 16 or over to attend.

REMAINING IH COURSES WITH SPACES AVAILABLE FOR 2013Feeding for Good Behaviour and Health/Maintaining your Horse’s Physical Health for Life with Ian Vandenberghe (£170 or £85 per day)November 11-12

Horse Psychology (£170)November 18-19

Intermediate course: handling the untouched horse (£250)November 7-8 and 9-10

CONFIRMED COURSE DATES FOR 2014Foundation 5-day courseMarch 31-April 4, April 1-5, April 7-11, June 2-6 and 23-27, June 30-July 4, July 7-11, August 11-15 and 18-22

Perfect Manners 2-day courseApril 12-13, June 7-8, June 21-22, July 19-20 and 26-27, August 4-5

Horse Psychology weekend (Lambourn)August 16-17

Stud Practice/Foal Handling with Ian VandenbergheAugust 7-8

Feeding and Nutrition/Horse as an Athlete with Ian VandenbergheAugust 9-10

Special travel saving option for those looking to complete all the preliminary courses in one go:starting on August 7 with Stud Practice/Foal Handling and finishing on August 17 with Horse Psychology

IH-inspired horse agility clinicsAs well as being an IHRA, Cheltenham-based Sheila Reed is also a horse agility accredited trainer. She will be holding horse agility clinics on the following dates:

September 28, November 2 and December 21 at Cotswold RDA centre, Cheltenham

October 13, November 17 and December 15 at Willicote Equestrian Centre, Stratford Upon Avon

More information at www.sheilareedequine.com

Introduction to IH clinicIHRAs Garry Bosworth and Kelly Brotherhood will be teaming up on September 14 to give an Introduction to Intelligent Horsemanship at White Cottage, Thornton Le Fen, Lincolnshire. The day will include lectures and hands-on work where participants will be able to learn how to create a willing and successful partnership with their horse.

Cost is £90 (£80 for IH members) for participants and £25 (£20 for members) for spectators. Booking is essential – contact Garry on [email protected] or Kelly on [email protected].

Perfect Confidence coursesDescribed as ‘an important goal for you and your horse’, Perfect Confidence courses will be running again with IHRAs Julia Fisher, Dido Fisher and Linda Ruffle on September 7-8. Price £260 (IH members), £285 (non-members); Advanced programme (for previous participants of 2-day programme) September 9-12. Price £445 (IH members), £470 (non-members)

More information from Julia on [email protected] or call 07950 965099

Horse massage for horse owners This charity course is with IHRA and Chartered veterinary physiotherapist Sue Palmer, IHRA, on November 16 in Penkridge, Staffordshire. Horses will be provided at the venue.

Cost is £100 per person to include a copy of the DVD Horse Massage for Horse Owners and all proceeds go to the children’s charity Have a Heart. For more information and to book your place visit www.holistichorsehelp.com

Practical equine handling trainingIHRAs Sarah Weston, Bronwen Packham and Jenny Major are offering practical equine handling training on their Hands on Horsemanship courses at HorseWorld, Bristol on September 14 and 15. Price £125 per day (IH members) and £135 (non members).

More information from Bronwen on [email protected] or call 07963 503429

IH demonstrationIHRAs Stephanie Heeran and Demelza Franssen will be doing a demonstration at Equus Live on November 2/3 at Punchestown Racecourse, Naas, Co.Kildare. More information at www.equus.live.com.

...and finallyGloucestershire-based IHRAs Adam Goodfellow and Nicole Golding will not be running riding clinics for the foreseeable future due to personal commitments. They will, however, be available for private clinics, lessons, call outs and residential training. More information at www.whisperingback.com


pastures new - intelligent horsemanship...2 intelligent horsemanship autumn 2013 delivering quality...

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