IMPROVED education and teamwork are key to providing young horses with a start that will set them up for happy, healthy and sound lives long into the future.

This was the key message from the first “Better Beginnings” event, organised by the British Horse Foundation (BHF), on 10 October.

The aim of the conference, at which a variety of experts spoke, was to focus on management of youngsters, from before conception to two years old, seen “through the lens” of horse sport’s social licence to operate.

“These are challenging times, with increasing threats to equestrianism, and our social licence to continue to work with, care for and nurture horses,” said BHF chair Jane Nixon.

“We need to earn that licence, and show clearly, unequivocally to all who have never known or interacted with horses, that the horse always comes first, and its health and welfare is always paramount. If we make good breeding decisions, and get the first two vital years right, we have that foundation.

“What we take forward from today should be a springboard for better education, on management of young horses, and should have a positive effect on their happiness and quality of life into the future.”

Dr Nixon, an equine vet with decades of experience, said an aim of the day was to inform sustainable breeding and production, resulting in horses who are fit for purpose, with the least chance of developing physical or mental issues, and “earlier than necessary loss of function”.

“Socrates said the secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new,” she said. “Today we won’t look back, unless it’s to plan for the future. We must produce a happy horse rather than chastise for an unhappy one.”

The focus was to be on motivating people to base their actions on the most up-to-date scientific evidence to help produce sustainable, rideable horses.

Four-time Olympian, and leading breeder and trainer, Jennie Loriston-Clarke spoke about the importance of sustainability in sport horses.

“Probably the most important part is that the horse can be trained for and sustain the level you consider it to be bred for,” she said. “Conformation and soundness are really the be-all and end-all of everything you do with the horse, plus temperament, of course.”

Mrs Loriston-Clarke spoke of the importance of varied work as horses start their training, on a variety of surfaces, up and down hills, with “a bit of jumping for any horse, as it loosens back muscles and gets them flexible”, and pole- and gridwork to build strength.

But before this point, she added, it is vital horses are bred carefully, “paying particular attention to straightness, conformation, then getting the food and the whole package right, so you can go on with a horse that’s good quality and will have a long life. Horses should not be retiring at 10”.

She added: “I could tell you of horses who have been ruined because they weren’t looked after properly as foals. You see an awful lot of ignorance, so it has to be education, in all we do.”

British Dressage international director and chief selector Judy Harvey said temperament and rideability are key for international horses, and that foals have to be raised as “good citizens”.

“They have to grow up as babies; socialising, playing in the field, learning pecking order and their place in society,” she said. “It’s very important they have a natural life.”

Ms Harvey noted the importance of handling foals so they can have the vital early farriery, and “give them the life they deserve”.

Edward Matson, of Twemlows Stud, spoke of the importance of the mare in breeding. Three key issues that need to be taken into account when deciding whether to breed from a mare are her conformation, temperament and any hereditary defects.

“Why are we breeding from that mare?” he asked. “People have high-performance mares they want to breed from, or there are the mares who have retired, so ‘let’s breed from her’, but why is that mare retiring, and should we be breeding from her?”

He stressed that people thinking of breeding one foal need to be aware of the resources needed to give that horse the best start.

“Have people got the time to do this?” he asked. “A theme of today is education, and how to get this across?”

Consultant anaesthetist Michelle Dawson stressed the importance of input from experts in foals’ development, and of listening to their feedback.

“You might have bred the best foal in the country, but how’s it doing at three, at six, and at nine?” she said, adding that this information may help inform future breeding decisions. “Maybe it got injured, and maybe all the foals from that mare break down before they’re 12. I think that ‘audit loop’ is missing in a lot of breeding.”

Two of the key players in foal development are nutrition and farriery.

Good farriery

Ben Benson, lead farrier at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, said he is “passionate” about spreading the message on the vital importance of good farriery, from the start.

“I’ve heard a lot about what we’re trying to achieve with breeding and training, and conformation, but often we need to take that back to the start,” he said. “It’s about looking at the building blocks, and I’m not sure that message is clear enough to our breeders.”

Mr Benson said it is vital the foal is assessed by a vet and a farrier in the first 24 hours, including walked on a hard surface.

“They see hundreds of foals, and will see details often breeders and owners overlook because it’s their foal and it’s perfect,” he said, adding that any issues need to be addressed immediately, to minimise the risk of long-term issues. Foals’ feet should be trimmed within the first weeks, and at short intervals until the horse is 18 months old, to give the best chance of long-term straightness and soundness.

“We have a short window to work on a horse before it’s too late,” he said. “By the time it’s two, it is too late. The best management is trimming, every two to four weeks, to make sure the feet are as close to perfect as possible, so every foal has the best chance.”

Mr Benson agreed on the importance of all professionals working together to give a foal the best outcome, adding: “Who’s the most important in managing a young horse? Everyone. The whole team.”

Sidney Ricketts of Rossdales, who specialises in equine stud medicine and equine clinical pathology, cited the importance of ventilation for young horses, to avoid respiratory problems.

“Keep them out as much as possible,” he said, adding that when horses are housed, they should have fresh air coming in from both sides, at the horses’ level, and high ceilings, and that the air should “smell of fresh forage and clean horses, not manure and ammonia”.

Researcher and equine biomechanics expert Russell MacKechnie-Guire spoke of natural asymmetry in foals, which is likely to become more evident at about three months old. He said handling foals from both sides can be helpful, and early assessment of conformation is “essential”.

“Early intervention will help reduce the effect asymmetry may have on development,” he said.

Jan Birch, whose doctoral studies and specialist research interests are in reproduction, lactation and growth, covered weaning practices, saying the stress of weaning can be the greatest in a horse’s life.

Naturally, she said, weaning will take place at nine to 10 months, but early, abrupt weaning can cause stress. This can be behavioural, physiological and nutritional, which can have long-term effects.

She said although every mare and foal is different, in general gradual weaning, and in groups rather than individually, is the least stressful method.

“If you can reduce the stress of weaning, you have potential to be able to reduce negative impacts on foal growth and development,” she added.

You might also be interested in:

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Starting young horses: the secrets to success from some of the industry’s best

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Will Plunkett on his quest for improvement, letting a horse find its own balance and his childlike love of riding

I describe myself as a sport horse trainer – though that’s never an option in the drop-down menu when you’re doing the car insurance. I’m known for doing breakers – for people like the Billy Stud and Peter Charles – but in reality my wife Laura and I also have home-breds and other horses that we compete for clients. Including the kids’ ponies, we probably own about a dozen horses ourselves. Laura does all the admin; I wouldn’t last a single day without her.

My background wasn’t horsey, but luckily I was bitten by the bug when I was young as I passionately hated school. I’m dyslexic so I just counted down the days to leaving school and working with horses.

We didn’t have a lot of funds, so while I was learning to ride at the local riding school, I hung around at our neighbour’s yard until she eventually helped find me my first horse, Sundance. I hacked 90 minutes each way to shows so I’d get up super-early and take a short cut across the playing fields. It was lucky Sundance was an Arab as it gave him the stamina to do it.

I’ve had a lot of tricky horses. You become known for being able to ride difficult, sharp ones, so you get sent more. I didn’t have any kind of competition career as a kid, but I was brave, plucky and determined, and realised that if I rode those horses, I’d get opportunities. Then I had the chance to compete and kept improving; that was how I carved out a career. I always want to improve and if I thought I couldn’t any more, I’d probably give up riding.

I’ve trained with the Dutch Olympic medalist Albert Voorn in the Netherlands for the past decade. His whole philosophy is about not forcing the horse into a frame, which really appeals to me. Over the years I’d already figured out it’s best to let horses find their own balance, but Albert teaches how to make them rideable without force.

I do everything with the breakers myself. Half the job is about getting them tacked up in a relaxed way and it tells me all about their character and mood. An added bonus is that I don’t have to try to learn all their names; there are so many breakers that they end up getting called things like The Grey Billy On The Right.

With the Billy horses, there’s a master list for the year and, while they’re here, I make notes about their temperament, their mouth, their canter. When they’re ready to leave, I match up all their microchips with my notes.

Many of those I’ve started have gone on to jump internationally, but sometimes the best horses are very blood and not always the easiest to start.

There was one, Billy Dorito, who was extremely sharp and you’d be scared to blink on him. He eventually got sold to Darragh Kenny and one

day I was on social media and there was Dorito in a fancy-dress class with Darragh. I laughed and thought, ‘Yikes!’ It’s amazing how horses change and grow into their careers.

Just before the first lockdown, I broke my first bone at the age of 42. It was a freak accident; it was windy, something banged and a breaker shot off and slipped over on me on the yard.

I couldn’t get out of the way in time and the stirrup iron bent back on my foot. My tendon pinged and a bit of bone snapped off with it. I cut up some old boots so I could get back on two days later, but it was more painful than I’d anticipated, so I took a couple of weeks off.

One of the very few upsides of Covid is that I’ve been able to take a few hours off on the odd Sunday. Normally I have breakers in plus shows at the weekend, so I work all hours. I try to take a week off each year but as we’re a family of five that can get expensive, so we often go camping.

I can moan for Britain – I could win an Olympic medal. But actually I just love riding horses, and deep down inside is the kid who hacked across the playing fields on Sundance.

This feature is also available to read in this Thursday’s H&H magazine (15 April, 2021)

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A sound foundation is essential for young horses, regardless of which discipline they follow. Alice Collins finds out how the Billy babies start out

Having backed over 1,000 of horses during the past quarter-century, Will Plunkett (pictured throughout) is well versed in the art of breaking horses in to start their ridden careers. He gives 50 Billy Stud three-year-olds their basic training every year

“I’ve broken horses for everything; eventing, showjumping, dressage, Arabs, for racing – even a Shire horse,” says Will.

His diverse CV is testament to Pippa and William Funnell’s firm belief that an all-round education is crucial, regardless of the horse’s intended use.

Pippa says: “William and I are insistent that the basics are done correctly, no matter which route you’re going down. In our case, we’re breeding them and it’s important to handle them correctly from the beginning. They stay in herds until they’re three.”

“Horses learn so much from the herd environment,” says William. “It’s like kids at primary school learning as much from their classmates as from the teacher. And it’s the same basic education for all the horses regardless of what they’re going on to do.”

Leicestershire-based couple Ginnie and Will Turnbull have been producing a variety of horses for 30 years, with Will breaking horses in before handing them over to Ginnie.

“Our least favourites are horses that have been over-handled,” she says. “Horses who have been part of a herd have learnt about pecking order and patience. They might be a bit feral, but they’re open to learning.”

William Funnell agrees: “An untouched horse is a blank canvas. Of course some are more difficult than others, but I haven’t ever had a horse born nasty. Those are created by people.”

So what is the formula for building the correct basics – over and over again – with a range of horses?

1. Breaking horses in: relaxation is key

“Initially, my main emphasis is relaxation,” says Will Turnbull. “That’s the most important thing to me because it means they can go on and be ridden in all three paces on as light a contact as possible.”

When Will introduces side-reins, they’re fitted loosely.

“It’s just so they feel the weight of the rein on the contact and to teach a little inside flexion,” he explains. “I am very against trying to tie the horse into an outline.”

Ginnie and Pippa are both adamant that speed is never the answer when teaching young horses. Success comes via the horse calmly understanding what is being asked.

“A lot of people go wrong by using speed,” explains Pippa. “We’d rather spend longer establishing the basics, and proceed more slowly but with improved understanding. That applies to meeting fillers or the first log; anything new. You have to kill the speed and keep them on line with your leg.”

Ginnie concurs: “If the horse tries to rush, we take all the pace away and let them think about it. If they’re ever in a pickle or not coping well, it’s so important to give them time to think. It’s about trying to minimise their flight instinct and teach them that they have time to do things confidently.”

2. Consistency

William Funnell points to consistency being key from the outset.

“It’s like when you let your dog jump up at you, but then the day he has dirty feet and he gets in trouble,” he says. “That’s a mixed message and not good training. It’s the same with horses; the rules have to be consistent, but it’s even more important because it’s a safety issue.”

Pippa adds: “It’s invaluable to spend time on the ground getting the horse calm while teaching them that they’re not allowed to walk over you. People get in trouble when they miss the moment to react and eliminate issues early on.”

All these experienced producers of young horses agree that calm consistency is absolutely essential.

“Horses get confidence from discipline,” says Will Turnbull. “I don’t mean being hard on them, just them clearly understanding the boundaries. Don’t be inconsistent and leave the horse in no man’s land of half being in charge as it makes them tenser and it’s harder for them to understand what’s required.”

William concludes: “Horses learn to cope with all sorts, but you’re always either training a horse or untraining them. If you let them get away with something, then you’re untraining. If you’re consistent, you don’t need to be tough.”

3. Balance

Pippa stresses Will Plunkett’s superb balance in the saddle as one of his star qualities. A balanced rider can transmit balance to the horse, which is crucial with green horses that have recently been broken-in.

“People need to be very aware that youngsters find it really difficult to keep their balance,” says Pippa. “If on top of that they have an unbalanced rider, that makes life even harder. The horses should be allowed to travel freely forward. If they spook and the rider loses balance, they learn that they get pulled and grabbed. A balanced rider can be more influential; the stiller you can sit, the better.”

Will Turnbull echoes the sentiment.

“When a horse is tense – which a breaker might be – people tend to hang on,” he says. “I am very careful not to. Even if a horse is trotting very forward, I won’t hang on. I’ll maybe ride a transition to walk and then trot again, but I won’t hang on to the reins. Hanging on doesn’t teach them to relax.”

William reiterates the role of the balanced rider in creating a confident horse: “Rider balance is so important. We have riders come to us who can ride a grade A, but I wouldn’t let them jump a metre on a four-year-old because their balance isn’t good enough. A four-year-old can’t differentiate between being pulled to stop or because the rider has lost balance.”

Pippa’s top tip is always to use a neck strap with young horses: if the rider loses balance, the strap takes the strain, not the horse’s mouth.

4. Breaking horses in: why simplicity matters

Everyone agrees that the only items on the menu to begin with should be the absolute basics.

“A lot of horses’ problems stem from the rider doing too much,” counsels Pippa. “Will Plunkett is great; he doesn’t worry where their heads are. In the beginning, it’s all simple. Just stop, go; left, right. It’s key you spend time on the basics and don’t run before you can walk.”

Both Will Turnbull and Will Plunkett use a tried-and-trusted system for breaking-in horses, with the emphasis on step-by-step simplicity. Will Plunkett adds one building block to his routine every few days and drops off the first part, so the vast majority of the day’s work is still familiar to the horse, yet they are also adding new skills.

Will Turnbull uses a lunge pen to transfer the voice and body aids from the person on the ground to the rider. Although he does not use a lunge line, the handler in effect lunges the horse while the rider sits quietly on top. The aids are then gradually transferred from one person to the other, until eventually the rider is in full control.

5. Straightness

Keeping a horse straight sounds so simple, but straightness needs to be carefully nurtured in a wobbly young horse.

“Straightness is always the main thing,” reiterates Will Turnbull. “We use loose side-reins on the lunge so they can’t just fall out of the outside shoulder. We also work on straightness early by turning them from the leg and moving the outside shoulder. We never drag them round from the inside rein.

“Any horse broken with absolutely no contact is often tricky later. There’s no forcing, just a gentle contact. Popping a fence checks the straightness and the confidence.”

Once the horse understands the leg, it’s also a straightness tool.

“We channel the horse with the leg,” says William Funnell. “We use our legs to keep them straight over fences – when you narrow the options down for a horse, he doesn’t look left or right. “They learn not to question what you’re asking because you’re consistent and they understand what’s required.”

6. The role of horsemanship when breaking in horses

Reading a horse’s reactions is paramount to ensuring a successful start. Quick and appropriate reactions nip issues in the bud, ensuring they never blossom into bigger problems.

“So much of the early training is building trust so the horse understands we’re here to form a partnership,” explains Pippa. “I’m their friend while also reading their body language and acting accordingly. It’s about meshing that with telling them what to do that’s the fine line.”

William agrees that the small lessons add up to a positive bigger picture.

“For example,” he says, “the day a horse doesn’t want to walk to the school, you clearly nudge it with the leg rather than being afraid to and waiting until it’s a bigger issue. Otherwise you might have to hit it with a stick, and if that’s done in the wrong way, you’re creating further problems. Before you know it, you’ve got a horse who’s worried and refuses to walk to the school.”

7. Confidence

“Confidence is crucial,” says Pippa. “Without confidence, trust cannot be built; and that magical partnership you want to build between you and your horse has to be formed around trust. Confidence makes it so much easier to go on to the next stage, whether that be a progression in training or the next level in competition.”

Instilling confidence is the driver behind the Turnbulls’ belief that all horses should learn to jump as part of the breaking-in process, regardless of what discipline they are aimed at.

“We break eventers and dressage horses mostly, but the process is the same for all,” says Ginnie. “The dressage horses pop a jump and hack. It doesn’t matter if they aren’t good at the jumping, they just need to be confident enough to answer the question.”

Will Plunkett does all the breakers alone. It began as necessity, but as he developed his system, it became by choice as he finds it easier to build trust and confidence.

“When it’s just me, everything is more predictable,” he says. “Sensitive horses often get more sensitive the more people are there.”

As Will says, confidence and trust go hand in hand, and with this instilled in a young horse, it has every chance of fulfilling its potential.

Will Plunkett’s secret ingredient when backing horses

Will is adamant that there are no magic tricks to starting young horses properly. But he does have one superpower he used when breaking horses in.

“It’s not for everyone, but I vault on every horse,” he explains. “I vault across the saddle from the ground, then from there I swing my leg over. The horse barely notices and it means mounting is a non-issue.

“I see people trying to make young horses stand still to mount, but I let them walk and they learn that I’m going to jump on anyway, so they may as well stand still. Later on they can learn to stand at the block, or whatever the owner needs them to do. I’ve earned more money from vaulting on than anything else,” he laughs.

Ref: 11 February 2021

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Jay Johnson on learning from his time behind bars and how he’s repaying horses for saving his life by helping to saving theirs...

Never in a million years did I imagine as a child I’d be doing this; backing horses and working with difficult ones. I was in a children’s home and, in five years, had nearly 20 foster homes; my brother and I went through a lot. Then, my last foster parents came along with horses. Everything we had was unbacked or difficult and that’s how it started.

Horses saved my life – I owe everything to them and my parents. I used to self-harm, took overdoses, but I would go and cry to the horses, and that’s what saved me. That’s why I’m so passionate about what I do.

All horses are completely different but you have to outsmart them. It’s a psychological game, but a horse is what you make it. Treat it like a brat and it will become one, treat it like a horse and it will take you to the end of the earth. I love them and am fascinated by them, and you never stop learning.

The best thing about what I do is saving horses’ lives by resetting them when they’ve been written off as dangerous. I’ve been a professional showjumper and jumped up to grand prix level, but nothing compares to riding a horse across a field when the vet’s standing there waiting to put it down because this was its last option. I don’t think anyone will understand just how that feels.

What breaks me is if there’s a horse I can’t fix and to see the client cry. My mum brought me up to do the best by any horse.

It is a very stressful job. I only have one chance. If my client gets hurt or I make the wrong decision, it’s game over. It is a fabulous job and I love the rewards, but it is hard work; I go all round the country helping horses, and now internationally too.

A lot of people have asked if they can do what I do and I say it takes endless years. It’s about feel; you have to understand the horse and the situation.

I wear my safety gear because I’ve been hurt. I’ve fractured an arm, dislocated my shoulder, broken every bone in my face, and my ribs, three or four times. I also have a plate in my jaw, but you just have to get on with it. I landed on my back once, on concrete, and thought, “I need proper gear.” People may laugh at my “body armour”, but it’s saved me; I would have smashed myself to smithereens without it.

One injury was when I forgot to tighten the girth. Even at my level, and the length of time I’ve been doing it, I didn’t tighten it, and paid the price. I got absolutely dumped. But we all make mistakes, and you learn from them.

Everything I’ve been through makes me good at my job. All the foster homes, the terrible things; one driving force has been to prove I can do it, and I never stop learning. I went to prison because I was standing up for a friend and I paid the price. I also didn’t mean to go on the run, but I’d broken the day licence and thought I wouldn’t get parole, so I did. But if I hadn’t been to prison, I wouldn’t be able to fix problems. Horses and humans learn from routine.

People say I’m good at what I do, but I want to better myself so I can help more horses, as I’ll always be in their debt.

Ref Horse & Hound; 16 April 2020

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This time of year is traditionally when many young horses are started under saddle. Once you’ve got to the stage where they’ve accepted the rider and done the initial riding away process, however, what are the essentials for a young horse to learn from there? H&H asked some professional riders and trainers for their top tips

Learning to stand still

North west-based Michael Cooper started his career with eventers before switching to show horses, and now competes working hunters at the highest level, as well as having a busy schedule judging and training. Finding and starting young horses is a key part of his business and Michael says teaching a horse to stand calmly is high on his list of priorities.

“It’s essential for a show horse to be able to stand; for the judge to get on, for example, or to receive their rosette, but any horse should be taught to stand. Being willing to stand quietly at the mounting block is one of the things we make sure they will do fairly early on,” says Michael.

An advocate of lots of long reining during the starting process, Michael first teaches horses to stand on the long reins. Once the horse is under saddle, this training continues.

“I’m a big believer in teaching young horses to be calm — if they won’t stand quietly when asked, you’re going to struggle to get them to work calmly in walk, trot and canter. I like to have another older horse in the arena working round me and then focus on getting the youngster I’m riding to stand and watch.

“Start by asking for just a few moments of stillness, then allow the horse to circle if he needs to before asking for halt again. Gradually build up the amount of time you ask him to remain standing quietly while the other horse is working, and remember to reward him when he does,” advises Michael.

Learning to be forward off the leg

Professional showjumper and UKCC Level Two BS coach Faye Raw likes to see her young horses learn to go forward confidently off the leg once they are past the initial starting stage.

“A mix of work in the arena and out hacking is great for keeping youngsters engaged and thinking forward. Lots of lengthening and shortening in trot and canter is the start of getting the horse to step under and use himself correctly, and that’s something easily done while hacking,” says Faye.

“As the youngster builds strength and stamina, this work can then be taken into the arena. I like to use poles on long strides so that I can ask the horse to trot down first in three strides and then shorten for four every so often, and that exercise can be done in canter as well.

“Make sure, as well, that you don’t allow the arena boards or fencing to become a ‘crutch’. Come off the outside track and make sure the horse is able to work in a straight line — it’s surprising how many young horses miss out being taught this crucial skill.”

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Hacking out confidently

Getting young horses out hacking is something Intelligent Horsemanship’s Kelly Marks agrees is fundamental to their foundation training.

“It can be a daunting prospect sometimes, though, and so good preparation is a worthwhile time investment. Ideally, find a circular route and walk it first yourself to make sure it doesn’t ask too many questions of a young horse — heavy traffic, very spooky objects etc.

“You can then walk the horse round it in hand or on the long lines to give him confidence initially, before going out under saddle. It can be helpful to have an experienced older horse to go out with, especially for the first few times doing canter work — having a steady partner upsides will give a youngster confidence to go forward safely in a straight line.”

Kelly also recommends taking youngsters out to shows and events purely as observers, giving them time to relax and take things in.

“It’s another thing which means investing some of your time, but is something which will pay dividends later when you start asking the young horse to begin his competition career.”

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I keep thinking that life will start to calm down a bit but it doesn’t seem to work out that way!

I am writing this after two big weekends in a row, one working at Your Horse Live and one playing, perhaps a little too hard, at the annual UK Polocrosse Association awards dinner and ball.

Your Horse Live is one of the major events on our calendar as it gives the team and I a chance to showcase our work – something I don’t really get to do through competitions like most other trainers.

I had planned to take Clayden, the rescue horse that I have spoken about in previous blogs, but we just couldn’t get his paperwork all sorted in time.

I was lucky to have a lovely stand-in in Cali, a young Spanish horse that had been with me for three weeks after Nicky. His owner, realised he wasn’t quite as ‘broken in’ as she was led to believe after she bought him from the continent.

Let go of your horse!

My first demo on Saturday morning went as planned and followed the theme of ‘let go of your horse!’ Cali showed some nerves but settled quickly as I explained how to introduce a young horse to a new environment.

Diesel was on top form showing off for the crowd with some liberty work and finishing with me playing some bridleless polocrosse.

Unfortunately I had to adapt my two Sunday demonstrations after the whole event went into an incredibly moving two-minute silence to mark Armistice Day at 11am.

Diesel, who was waiting to go into the arena, thought the bugle playing The Last Post was a hunting horn. Having been hunting once as a four-year-old and finding the experience incredibly overexciting – it was clear that my demonstration was rapidly changing into ‘What to do if your horse becomes over-excited!’

It was a shame after so much work with him at home that he wasn’t able to perform all the fun tricks, but the crowd’s feedback was that these demos were more educational because everyone who rides horses has those moments when things don’t go according to plan.

Q&A with Carl Hester and Paul Tapner

I also enjoyed my time on the Q&A panel with the likes of Carl Hester and Paul Tapner (pictured below). It was very refreshing to hear top competitors such as this having such common sense attitudes towards how they keep and train their young horses and I hope I’ll have more opportunities to quiz them in the future.

I’m not sure why anyone would want my autograph but sitting on the ‘signings’ stand was quite an experience too – perhaps they mistook me for Paul Tapner on account of my Australian accent!

As ever my team was fantastic and worked so hard with the demonstrations and on our stand, which was busy all weekend.

It was lovely to have my wife Penny there too for moral support, but I’m worried that my wallet might have taken a bit of a beating over the weekend as she came home with a lot of shopping bags!

New ventures

On the home front, things are going well with all the horses and their training is going well. We are enjoying the new block of Cheval Liberte stables and already planning for the next phase of development of the yard.

I’m looking forward a Retraining of Racehorses clinic next week and our Christmas Coffee (or mulled wine!) Morning Demonstration at the beginning of December, before the family and I go to Australia for Christmas.

I’m also incredibly excited that an online project that I first started over two years ago is in its final stages of completion. I won’t tempt fate by talking about it until its up and running as it has been such a labour of love, but hopefully we’ll be able to get on that plane and have a celebratory drink to toast the beginning of a new venture in our lives!

Jason

Read more of Jason’s blogs

Jason Webb’s blog: Progressing with Clayden and teaching new skills

Our blogger has had a busy fortnight of training and is excited by his youngster’s development

Jason Webb’s blog: Riders, don’t hang on to your horses!

Jason has been teaching riders to resist the urge to hang on to their horses and shares a video of

Jason Webb’s blog: Camp success, steady progress and who needs a bridle?

H&H’s blogger had a busy weekend hosting a horsemanship camp and made exciting progress with a unhandled youngster

Jason Webb’s blog: New faces and an exciting announcement

H&H's blogger introduces some fresh projects and plans a special trip abroad next June

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I received quite a reaction to my last blog and the video that accompanied it, with the comments about rearing generating a lot of social media “chat”. As far as I’m concerned, the more people that talk and share information about the problems they are having with their horse and how they are having success solving them, the better!

The odd day of sunshine is making us all on the yard look forward to spring, even though it will take some time for our fields to return to normal. Tom, my assistant trainer has returned to work after his car accident and for the first time in a while, the “Dream Team” of a fantastic group of grooms, my head girl Gem, my manager Sarah, myself and Tom will be firing on all cylinders.

However, it won’t last long as Sarah goes on maternity leave at the end of May and we’ll have to find a very special person to fill her boots while she gets to grips with motherhood. I’ve told her that after looking after me for 5 years, managing a newborn will be a breeze!

Enjoying polo ponies

For the past couple of years I have been starting a number of homebreds for the Tomlinson family at the Beaufort Polo Club, and 7 have just arrived as the first lot of this year’s batch. It is always a bit of a treat for me to work with these little horses who have been bred to have the excellent temperament, athleticism and agility needed for high goal polo. They are reminiscent of the Australian Stock Horses I grew up playing polocrosse, campdrafting and working the farm’s livestock on.

When these ponies come to me they have been handled expertly when required, but otherwise left to grow up in a herd environment where they can just “be horses”. This, along with their temperament, means I can aim to have them stick and balling with a little neck reining, lateral work and a soft stop after 3 or 4 weeks.

I had the added bonus of having one of the Tomlinson’s Argentine riders, Corto, to help me out for the first week. He didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Spanish but we seemed to make each other understood by a lot of gesturing! In the photo (top) you can see how relaxed these ponies are – this was their first ride in the arena in front of some Hadlow College students who had come for a day visit!

A bucking challenge

Among the other horses in for training, one is proving quite a challenge. He was backed elsewhere, but he didn’t take very well to being ridden. Now, when he comes under any sort of pressure it is like someone has flicked a switch, and believe me, he has a pretty impressive buck on him – and that’s before you even put your foot in the stirrup!

He is not a particularly nervous horse, although he is sensitive in certain areas of his body, so he will tend to brace himself and buck rather than try to run away from pressure. He has been with me for just over a week and after some fairly intensive groundwork, I’m now riding him. This is where “feel” and “timing” really come to the fore as the trick with him is to diffuse any feelings of tension or attitude before it escalates into anything too serious.

As time goes on, I would expect these flash points to become less frequent and less explosive as he learns that I am giving him another option that will be far less strenuous for him!

Looking ahead

The next couple of months are going to be really exciting. I’m doing a fair amount of filming for a project I’ve got on the go and then I’ve got an interesting event in Horseman’s Calling, before taking an overdue family holiday to Texas with Penny and the kids. We are hiring a motorhome and going for a road trip taking in my UK polocrosse teammates, Danny Duhig and Rachael Gaylor’s wedding in Austin and a clinic we have lined up.

I haven’t spent much time in the US. The last time I went with a great friend to watch the Ray Hunt Memorial event where 9 horsemen and women started horses over the weekend using Ray Hunt’s techniques and it was a really interesting and educational trip. However, I’ve had to promise Penny and the kids that I’ll try and keep away from horses as much as possible this time!

Jason

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What a weekend for the Kiwis! Top 3 placings at Burghley and a very happy 29-year-old in Jock Paget — what a fantastic achievement. Unfortunately I missed most of the action over the weekend, but have enjoyed catching up on the news via Horse & Hound’s news feed!

I am full of admiration for the eventers, the trust they put in their horses and their horses in them, and enjoy picking their brains whenever I can. I have 3 or 4 potential eventers in for starting at the moment including one of Emily Baldwin’s homebreds, Betty, who has just had her first few rides and is going sweetly. It would be very exciting if she ended up at the top level one day.

In my last blog I spoke about a couple of horses that I am currently working with.

Damian

Hallam’s Solento

has been with me for 4 weeks to be started under saddle and has gone so well he is now enjoying a little break in the field before doing another 2 weeks and a handover with Damian. The picture (right) is of him hacking up our driveway on the way back from a trip round the local lanes. I try to get the young horses out and about round the farm and lanes as soon as I am confident I have the necessary controls as it prevents them getting sour and gets them used to the big wide world.

When Solento arrived straight from the continent after being bought up in a herd, he took a while to settle down, but apart a couple of “interesting” groundwork days in the first week he has been an absolute pleasure to work with. He is closely related to Serupgards Salut, one of Damian’s top horses, so we are all looking forward to following his progress once he leaves Risebridge Farm.

I also spoke about a young horse whose nervous rushing tendencies were developing into a bolting problem. He has done well and is now with local event rider Matt Selby to put some competition miles on his clock before being sold. Although his owners have made the difficult decision that he is not going to be right for them, I am confident that there will be a positive outcome and he will go on to be a successful competition horse.

Now onto a Luna the Mule update! Although I now know where the saying “stubborn as a mule” comes from, we have made great progress and she is being ridden. The main difficulty came with bridling her as she was incredibly head shy and didn’t like her (large!) ears being touched, so you can see that we have actually started her ridden work in a halter (pictured top) whilst we work on that area.

With headshy horses you first have to gain control over their feet so you can always get them to “face up” to you (stand still facing and looking at you) if they move away from you when you approach their head. I then work on their head and neck flexions and making a low head position their “default setting”.

I then move my hands in a pattern around the head and once they have accepted me rubbing their face I work towards the poll and ears. All the while I am making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard and should they turn and move away, I move their feet quickly to make them face up to me again before repeating the process. After this it is time and repetition in order to truly establish the low head position and develop confidence in contact with the head and ears before introducing the bridle.

In my spare time (which admittedly I don’t have much of!), I play a bit of polo and polocrosse and earlier in the year captained the UK Polocrosse team in South Africa. I am pretty excited about an ex-hurdler, Lady Deddington, who I bought earlier this year and rode at the weekend in the UK Polocrosse Association National Club Championships. We won the A grade with my club, Kent Target. She is a complete natural and has made me smile every time I ride her.

No matter how many talented dressage and jumping horses I ride and the pleasure and satisfaction I feel from seeing them progress towards realising their full potential in the competition arena, the Aussie outback boy who grew up chasing cows on stock horses isn’t too far under the surface. There are few things I enjoy more than sitting on such an athletic and intelligent horse that is built for speed, is as nimble as a cat and who finds her job so easy… bliss! I know I should look at selling her but I just can’t quite bring myself to write the advert…

Jason

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A new model of an equestrian product designed to prevent serious rider injury when breaking and training horses has been launched.

The Ardall SR2 is an improved version of the original Ardall Safety Rider – a mannequin used to imitate a rider on the horse’s back.

The new model has the added feature of a foldable torso that offers the option of being used folded at half height, or erect at full height.

“This is fantastic for particularly nervous horses as the Ardall SR2 can be introduced at the lower, folded height and once the horse is comfortable and confident, it can be unfolded to sit erect at full height and so give the horse the proper feeling of having a rider on its back,” said a spokeman for Ardall.

The Ardall was designed by experienced horseman Paul Murphy and was first launched last year at Dublin Horse Show.

“Starting young horses can be an extremely dangerous occupation and I’ve lost track of the number of times I have hit the dirt over the years!” said Paul.

“We improvised with homemade contraptions tied to the saddle to try to accustom the horse to something being on its back, but we got to a stage when we decided that there had to be an easier, better and safer way! The result was the Ardall.”

The Ardall SR2 costs €558 ( £449) with the 10% introductory offer and the Ardall is €490 ( £394).

For more information visit www.ardall.com

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A product that allows you to start a young horse without venturing on to its back has been launched in Ireland.

The Ardall is designed to resemble a human torso and is placed on the back of an untrained horse — or one that hasn’t been ridden in a while — to accustom the animal to the sensation of being ridden.

Showjumper and trainer Paul Murphy of Co Kerry, launched the Ardall at the Dublin Horse Show (3-7 August).

Paul, who starts around 30-40 horses a year, told H&H: “Breaking is a main part of our business. I originally created it to make our lives here easier, but decided to market it.

“I’ve had a few near misses with young horses — it’s dangerous — and as a showjumper I couldn’t afford to be injured.

“This [the Ardall] gets horses accustomed to a rider, without the risk of someone falling off.”

The dummy, which weighs 35-40kg, fits all standard saddles and can be used during long-reining and lungeing.

Paul said it speeds up the backing process, but the aim was safety.

“It stays on — the first rule of breaking a horse is not to come off it, as if you come off today, he’ll try again tomorrow. And if you come off again tomorrow — then you’re in trouble,” he added. “It doesn’t matter how good a rider you are — horses can still be unpredictable.”

The Ardall costs €669. For more information, visit: www.ardall.com

Read this story in full in the current issue of Horse & Hound (25 August 2011)

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Recent work conducted at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, and published in the journal Hormones and Behaviour, examined the stress suffered by young horses being backed.

Stress levels were measured by examining the horses’ heartbeats and the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva.

In looking at heartbeats, researchers considered not only their frequency but also the short-term fluctuations in intervals between the beats, which have previously been shown to be a good indicator for stress.

Unsurprisingly, it was found that the start of training was a stressful period.

Initial lungework caused only a moderate amount of stress, but this rose markedly when the rider first mounted.

It seems likely that the horse interprets the first mounting of a rider as a potentially lethal attack by a predator, from which it is unable to escape. In addition, the rider is outside the horse’s field of vision.

When the horse and rider walk or trot forwards, the level of stress decreased.

It therefore appears the horse adapts rapidly to the idea of being ridden and that — as is the case for humans — exercise may help relieve stress.

To find out how stress affects competition horses’ performance, don’t miss the Vet Clinic in this week’s Horse & Hound, 16 December ’10