THE RDA-TIME FOR CHANGE.

From a few conversations I've had recently it's become apparent that the Riding For The Disabled Association (RDA) is decidedly lagging behind the times.

It was with this in mind that I had a chat with troton member and para equestrian Andrea Evans a.k.a Limo who recently won the Freestyle To Music Class 1b at the RDA National Championships.

It seems I had hit on a subject that she is pretty passionate about. Andrea has been riding since the age of five but at seventeen a horse riding accident left her with spinal injuries that went from bad to worse and eventually put her in a wheelchair. That's when she started to ride with the RDA.

"Yes, the RDA definitely needs bringing into the modern world. From my experience they need to have closer links as an organisation and to start exporting ideas from abroad. Other countries are definitely ahead of the game when it comes to catering for para equestrians."

One of the areas Andrea had to research herself was specialised equipment. Luckily my trainer is very pro-active and came up with alterations to my tack to help me with my riding. Her latest brilliant idea was to use a poll guard as a template for knee rolls. But I'm just about to get a new saddle,which is great as my current one looks like Frankensteins Monster now!

And simply choosing a non-conventional saddle isn't always welcomed by the RDA. "They can be very set in their ways and not keen on change. I'm fortunate that there's a new team at my local centre who have let me get a treeless saddle which because it's so flat really helps me sit more evenly. The old school wouldn't have tolerated that."

When she hit a brick wall with the RDA and found top British para equestrians less than willing to divulge their secrets Andrea found the internet her best source of information. "The Americans and the Australians were the most helpful. They also have some of the best equipment but of course the shipping is really expensive and you can't try things out. I would love to see stockists over here. And I have suggested to the RDA that they start an equipment database."

Being keen on jumping myself I asked Andrea about para show jumping and whether she did any. What she said really surprised me as having seen youtube videos of this discipline I assumed it was popular in the UK. "Actually, I jumped for the first time on Bruno a couple of weeks ago. My instructor let me as she is up for new things and likes to push the boundaries. The Bristish Para Show Jumping Association (BPSJA) was only set up in the last couple of years and since then they've only held one competition in this country. In France and Germany para's have been competing in jumping for over ten years and that includes cross-country!"

The RDA has been against physically disabled people jumping in the past "because it was dangerous." However they have recently announced that they will be working closely with British Show Jumping to introduce a training pathway for coaches which by 2011 should become integrated into the RDA who propose to hold more show jumping competitions and demos.

So, on paper this seems like a step in the right direction but for someone who rides at the RDA Andrea says the fact is there is little chance of competing even in dressage. "I get to compete in competitions when my local RDA centre holds one and I also compete against able bodied riders when it gets hired out. But getting out and about isn't so easy. We have a regional horsebox but that only gets used for RDA qualifiers and championships. The rest of the time it sits around doing nothing. This is partly because two to three members of staff are needed per rider and my horse Bruno who is at the end of the day a riding school horse is obliged to fulfil his other duties."

On top of that no one else is allowed to take Andrea to a show because of insurance. And she says "There's a big jump from the RDA to "Para Equestrian" competition without much in-between and to get support is really difficult. There is an RDA centre, South Bucks, who really push and promote their disabled riders. They have had two horses on loan from the Para Dressage Training Trust (PDTT) and also have horses loaned to them for competing as well. Plus some of the staff are letting disabled riders use their horses. These are things I'd like to see more of nationwide. The RDA could perhaps co-ordinate a regional/area event more regularly, say three times a year, pool transport and volunteer resources, and work with owners and see about apprenticing riders to them or loaning competition horses. They also need to work on the insurance angle as quite a lot of people are happy to share transport costs. Riders could be more proactive in starting rider groups alongside their RDA groups, as long as the RDA will allow it, a problem I'm afraid I have faced, as we could raise our own funds etc."

So Andrea counts herself lucky to have found a good instructor and a good horse in Bruno with whom she shares a special bond, but worries that this isn't freely available to everyone. Not all instructors are as good as hers and she says "The RDA centres definitely need to pull together more. It's ridiculous that some don't have enough horses whereas others are turning horses away! I've suggested that they have an online swap shop for horses."

Well hopefully the RDA will start to move with the times and listen to what it's members like Andrea have to say. And because Andrea has struggled so much to find information to help her progress with her riding she is keen to share what she knows with others. So follow the links in this post to articles she has written on her website and I'm sure 'Limo" will be up for answering any questions in the troton riding for the disabled group too.

Big Pickle and how horses can help.

The good news is that BP (Big Pickle) is close to finally plugging the well in the Gulf of Mexico the inconvenient truth is that the really important strategic issue is not resolved at all.

The stark fact is that over the last 200 years or so (since the industrial revolution) we as a society have been addicted to fossil fuels and have founded our economic prosperity almost entirely upon it. The consequences for all our grandchildren are not pleasant

- First because we have probably spent up to (say) 80% of the planets accumulated fuel capital in less than .1% of the millions of year it took to “make”/create our grandchildren will have to either find totally new technologies to fuel further economic prosperity or materially change their behaviour and reduce what they consume.

- Second even if we are successful in curbing our own material hunger we will also have to curb a materially hungry culture right across the planet that quite rightly may not be so willing to change – it is simply just not feasible for every person in China, India and Brazil to own a motor car without devastating impact on climate and the remaining earth resources.

We simply can’t carry on like this!

How horses can help: Substitute them for cars - here's why

Horses delivered a very efficient transportation network before - For hundreds indeed thousands of years they proved themselves to be very useful companions to man in terms of getting people and goods from A to B and in very sustainable ways – both commercially and for leisure - not many green house gases emitted by horses (well may be some - LOL) and recycled horse manure is prized by every gardener I know.

It would enforce a slower lifestyle and a more demanding one in terms of care - horses need to be fed and watered and looked after every day but maybe that is not altogether a bad thing at all - A slower and more caring society sounds good to my ears given where we are currently headed.

People would be forced to travel less and that would be good too - The advent of the PC, the Internet and Skype significantly undermines the case for the daily human work migration – really in this day and age why do we bother with the traditional offices always based in towns and cities? Move to the country get closer to nature – hear what she says to you!

Gandhi famously said - There is more to life than just increasing its speed....for our grandchildren’s sake I sincerely hope we can find ways to slow our pace and quickly too!

Ban the motor car and insisting on everybody using a horse (or a bicycle) and could be a good step along the road to our finding a way out of this "Big Pickle" Horses could be a significant catalyst for the change process that must come

Sustainability- it's the only way … Hi-yo, Silver, away!

MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

It's easy to get cynical and think that your vote doesn't count or your voice won't be heard, then sit around moaning about how corrupt and unfair life is! Personally I think you should stand up for what you believe in and that you can make a difference. I have always been inspired by stories of the little person who has stood up to govt or big business. So signing a petition might not get a Hollywood producer knocking at your door but at least you know for the minimum of effort you've had a go at making a change!

I know people who said you couldn't fight Rollkur and if you want to get to the top of dressage then you have to use it. A good old case of 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." But thanks to the outcry from lots of horse lovers the FEI made a ruling that it would be banned from the warm up arena and officials would keep an eye out for other signs of abuse like excessive sweating. The good news is, I've been told that it has definitely made a change to the way dressage riders warm up, well in public anyway-but it's a move in the right direction.

Then today, I was delighted to get an email telling me, as a signatory to the petition against Horse Tax, that the new Coalition Govt wouldn't be going ahead with it. The proposed Horse Tax and the Ban on Fox Hunting were the reasons I voted Tory for the first time ever this year. I was fed up with horse owners being penalised. Just because we ride or hunt we're not all upper class toffs and loaded with money! They also pledged to do something about the stupid health and safety culture in this country which has had lots of negative repercussions in the horse world.

So maybe, signing petitions and going on marches and voting isn't a waste of time. Mind you as a female I've always made sure that I bothered to vote in the General Election in honour of the many women who fought so hard for that right.

One suffragette in particular who draw attention to the cause was Emily Wilding Davison (1872-1913) who became a martyr when she stepped out in front of King George V's horse Anwar during the Epsom Derby, 4th June 1913, and was knocked down, trampled and later died in hospital. Detractors claimed that she hadn't meant to kill herself and that she had instead been trying to cross the track and chose the wrong time! Typical that a woman should be made out to be just plain stupid! However past evidence points to the contrary. Not only had she been on hunger strike in Strangeways Prison, and whilst there thrown herself down an iron staircase in protest but she'd also hidden in a cupboard in the Palace of Westminster overnight so that she could legitimately give the "house of commons" as her place of residence on the census forms and then in 1913 she planted a bomb in the home of David Lloyd George. Which all points to the fact she was definitely a passionate lady who knew what she was doing!

As a horse lover you're probably wondering what became of the horse?! Well, Anwar made a full recovery and returned to racing but Herbert Jones the Jockey who obviously wasn't made of as stern a stuff as Ms Wilding Davison was so "haunted by that woman's face" that he eventually committed suicide in 1951.

So I'm not suggesting that we have to be quite as extreme as Emily to stand up for what we believe in but we can at least try and make a difference-can't we?

CATCH UP WITH PHOEBE BUCKLEY.

A few weeks ago I caught up with Phoebe Buckley and Little Tiger relaxing after their successful trip to Luhmuhlen CCI**** and made a couple of videos with her. Apart from being an excellent horsewoman, she's fun and down to earth and, I think, a really good ambassador for her sport. Very often when I see a top rider being interviewed even I, a true horsey gal, can't help stifle a yawn! But that's certainly not the case with the inimitable Miss B. Her enthusiasm is contagious. Have a look at the video Q&A session and you'll see what I mean! We definitely need more characters like Phoebe in equestrianism if we don't want to keep getting bumped off the BBC or find that another big event has been cancelled!

Phoebe is happy to share her knowledge and after filming we kept chatting-not hard for either of us- and one of the things I asked her about is 'how she approaches a new horse.' Being a generous sort, I thought I might share what she had to say:

" Meeting a horse is like meeting a person. I ask 'What's my first gut feeling about them?' I'm a great believer in trusting your instincts, because I've found they're usually right. Even as I get them off the lorry I'm observing them. When I open a partition do they walk all over me? When I put them in a field do they say "I'm here!" or stand around looking really timid. I then spend a few days watching them as closely as I can without riding them to suss out who they are. I take note of all their little habits because the little habits make the bigger person. For instance if I see that they're a naturally shy person in their horsey surroundings i.e their field or stable it's very unlikely once the tack is on that they're going to transform into someone who's super confident. So I just observe them in what they do in their own time and then work around that when I come to ride them.

I also think riders should be honest with themselves. Often people get a new horse and it all starts off well but then suddenly he starts really misbehaving- in fact someone rang me up about this sort of thing, the other day. The trouble is, if you're unsure the horse will know you're unsure and latch onto that and things can go from bad to worse. Now might be the time to get in a pro-don't ruin your own and your horses confidence for the sake of being too proud.

However saying that, there are also some horses who are really misunderstood like my lovely little horse Gordon who bucks for England when you first put the tack on. He was started in Ireland where they couldn't stop him bucking, so they blindfolded him and he got loose and galloped onto a cattle grid, nearly ripping his foot off. They then put a bucking strap on him and he went through a barbed wire fence. So they shipped him off to England where he ended up being passed from hand to hand because no-one could stop him bucking.

Then he came to me, and I haven't stopped him bucking either, but I work around it. I've learnt that he's such a lovely person to do everything with, apart from putting the tack on, so I give him those 20 minutes that he needs to accept it. I'm never in a rush. And if I'm short of time then I just won't ride him. I take my time and I look after him. Horses are individuals and we should treat them that way. When I got him I just looked in his eye and I knew he was genuinely scared of his tack and I could have done the bucking strap, and the beating, and got the pro in to sort him out, but it wouldn't have made any difference. I just accept him for who he is."

MAN V HORSE RACE!

I'm one hundred per cent certain that if I raced against my horse I would lose. In fact even a fat little Shetland would probably show me a clean pair of hooves and make me eat dirt! So, what's with all these crazy guys who think they can run faster than our four legged friends?

Well, former Olympic silver medallist Jamie Baulch obviously thought he was in with a chance when he lined up against Thoroughbred Peopleton Brook at Kempton Park yesterday for a 100 metre sprint. The eight year old horse has in the past been recorded covering that distance in 12 seconds which is actually two seconds slower than Baulch's best time over the same distance when he was at the top of his game. However on the day Peopleton Brook thundered past his two legged challenger and won by a neck- half a second to be precise.

But you can't blame Jamie for thinking he could be in with a chance because in the past the legendary sprinter Jesse Owens who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics managed to beat a number of racehorses. He joked that his winning formula was to choose a highly strung horse that jumped at the starters gun and so gave him an advantage! And in fact Jamie was hoping to make a faster start but on the day he had to make do with digging small holes in the sand instead of firing away from his usual starting blocks. Ah well we'll let him off then. Nice try though and it was all for charity!!

But if you think that's pretty mad then what about the people who take part in the annual Man versus Horse Marathon in Wales (see pic). The race was started in 1980 to settle a pub debate about which was faster over a long distance. This year there were nearly three hundred runners up against forty four horses. Surprise, surprise, the horse won! But wait, apparently the margins by which horses beat their two legged rivals has been dropping from thirty minutes to a matter of seconds. And two men have actually won-the latest victor being Huw Lobb a team GB member, in 2004.

Well it all sounds like great fun but I I've got a letter here from my mum to say I have to be excused because I've got my periods!!

BBC axes Hickstead Derby from schedule.

At the moment I have to hunt for something decent to watch on the TV because of the Football World Cup and now we have Wimbledon starting it will be even worse. So I was really peeved (to put it politely!) to discover that the BBC are axing their coverage of one of my favourite events of the sporting calendar The Hickstead Derby (June 24-27). If I want to watch it on TV I will have to subscribe to Sky Sport instead!

The DFS Derby on the Sunday is one of the most exciting show jumping events of the year. It's the Grand National of Show Jumping- testing the skill, bravery and partnership of those who take part to the max. Not only is it incredibly long at 1,195 metres but incorporates the tricky devil's dyke-three jumps in quick succession with the middle one being over a water filled ditch and of course the frightening derby bank which has a 3'5" rail on top, then a 10'6" slope down the front and if you survive that a couple of strides to a high upright. In fact in the 49 years of the event there have only been 50 clear rounds!!

So, what's going wrong? Why is there less and less equestrian sport on the BBC? Are we lacking the personalities that we had in the past? Is the sport not doing enough to promote itself? We have had to endure the lacklustre performance of the England Football team-all of whom are paid a small fortune but don't seem to be able to rouse themselves to play with guts and passion-beamed live into our living rooms live and then re-hashed and mulled over for hours on end. While over in Germany at Luhmuhlen Sharon Hunt on long time partner Tankers Town have shown courage and commitment to win their first four star event and Oliver Townend and Ashdale Cruise Master having both only just recovered from a nasty fall which left Ollie with cracked ribs, breastbone and collarbone came in fifth. Also, Troton's favourite duo Phoebe Buckley and Little Tiger came in 24th-all credit to riders who have shown the best of what sport is about. These are our sporting heroes. These are the role models that Britain should be boasting about. But will we see or hear much about their achievements on mainstream TV- Sadly, I doubt it. But at least eventing seems to be faring a bit better in the publicity game than show jumping!

What do you think? Add your views here.

BITLESS NOT BRAINLESS!

Let's face it, most people would think you were completely mad if you said you were going to go team chasing without a bit. But that's exactly what Mark Smith's team do (pic-Bitless Not Brainless team member Jo Taylor on Oz) and they do it in pink headcollars to make a point!

But it's not that Mark Smith is anti bits, he just believes that we rely on them too much and have lost our other more effective skills for communicating with horses.

Mark first started to ride in nothing but a headcollar when he was a kid because his father insisted that he clean his tack every day. Vian Smith who died in 1969 was a novelist and many of his ideas were way ahead of their time. For instance one of his main characters is a jockey who refuses to race with a whip. Mark describes his father as a maverick which is obviously a quality he has inherited along with his beliefs that a horse will do everything you want without the use of a whip, three inch spurs or a severe bit. Instead he'll do it because he enjoys it.

Mark has enjoyed a long career as a horseman. He used to event to international level at the same time as Lucinda Green who he holds in high regard. "I tell all the kids I teach to go and read every book she has written or video about her. No one else has ever won Badminton six times on six different horses and within just ten years."

Now he spends a large proportion of his time re-training ex-racehorses and teaching people of all ages and riding levels to be better and more confident riders. He believes that lack of confidence is what holds a lot of female riders back. "Most women have the technical ability but lack the confidence. Whereas with men, it's usually the other way round!"

When I ask Mark what is the most common complaint he comes across he says, "my horse pulls. Riders come to me with their 'problem' horse and they tell me that their horse is too strong but at the same time I have the horse whispering in my other ear, 'my rider is too strong'!"

"When a jockey wants his horse to really gallop he grabs hold of it. Racehorses are taught to pull when you pull. But what do most riders do when their horse is getting fast? They shorten the reins, shorten the reins, shorten the reins. If you pull then they'll pull. It takes two to keep this going so one of you has to be brave enough to stop pulling and it has to be the rider who stops the argument because the horse sure as hell isn't going to. This is a sport where women compete equally against men which proves it has nothing to do with strength. A horse weighs 3/4 ton-who do you think is going to win?"

Mark teaches trust in his Confidence Clinics and he believes trust is a two way street.

"I usually find there is a breakdown in the communication between horse and rider because the rider is afraid. A lot of people teach technique but without the confidence it doesn't amount to much." And Mark instils confidence by example. "Say I have a kid who doesn't believe her pony will jump fillers. Well once she's watch it jump 20 times with granddad on board she gets back on in a different frame of mind. I give the horse confidence and then the rider confidence. The rider believes she can do it-there's no can't do or won't do it!"

In his Hold Your Horses clinics where the headcollars come into play Mark specifically works on communicating at speed-from the novice who is afraid of their horse going too fast to more experienced riders who want to develop a finer control of speed across country, "so they can go up and down the gears more easily and meet the time."

"It frustrates me that when eventers do the dressage phase their horse understands the flicker of their finger yet when it comes to the cross-country it's like watching a tug of war. Why? It's the same animal, the same mouth. Some people spend a fortune on being taught dressage and think there's no skill in cross-country but the principles are exactly the same. When people say they need a stronger bit I tell them they need to learn how to use what they've got instead. I show people that they have other tools in their toolbox and don't have to go down the road of a stronger bit."

It doesn't take long to realise how passionate Mark is about his subject. It's the passion of someone who knows something to be true, that he thinks is so simple he can't understand why other people don't get it too. "I had a mother bring her 10 year old child and pony to me because the Pony Club had told her that the pony needed a stronger bit. In one session without reins, on the lunge, I taught the kid how to ride so the pony didn't need a bit at all. The mother was amazed and wanted to know why they aren't teaching this at Pony Club."

Why indeed. And after you've spoken to Mark Smith you'll think it's not him who's mad to ride an ex-front running 'psycho' race horse cross-country in a headcollar but everyone else who isn't doing it. The fact that his team Bitless Not Brainless completed in the slowest time of the day definitely shows that there's more method than madness to what he does. And at a one day event in Whitney a couple of weeks ago he was the only one in the whole competition to ride cross-country in the exact optimum time, smack on....in a pink headcollar!

I definitely want to organise a clinic with this inspirational horseman. Now, where can I get a pink headcollar?!

IS THIS THE CLEVEREST HORSE IN THE WORLD?

Lukas an ex-racehorse who resides with his owner Karen Murdock in the USA has been called the cleverest horse in the world by Yahoo and Google. Well, this is about to be put to the test as he bids to get into The Guinness Book Of Records by attempting to identify the most numbers in one minute. Not that his legions of fans need much more proof of his talents!

I recently read Karen's book Playing with Lukas (my first ever e-book!) about her extraordinary journey with this rangy chestnut 'throwaway' thoroughbred found neglected and emaciated in a backyard having been passed from home to home. Karen's own story is interesting enough and her childhood experiences lead you to understand her empathy and commitment to this horse who was initially so dangerous that his fate could have easily been very different if he had not ended up in the hands of this remarkable woman.

Because of Lukas, Karen an already experienced horsewoman didn't 'quit wasting your time with him' as many people suggested but used the sensitivity, compassion and observational skills she had honed as a psychiatric nurse to develop her own unique brand of shaping, clicker training and positive re-enforcement.

Her work has proved that playing games and having fun instead of using whips and force can build confidence and focus, and improve performance, willingness and trust. Lukas not only performs at liberty, he does tricks and has the ability to spell, count and identify shapes and colours.

But it's not just his abilities, it's the story behind this special relationship between horse and human that has captured so many peoples hearts and the spirit of Lukas himself which seems to provoke such a strong emotional response in everyone he meets.

Some people may be dismissive of a horse performing 'tricks', however Karen and Lukas have provided a service to horses everywhere by proving to a wider audience that horses are more intelligent that they are given credit for and for highlighting the potential of ex-racehorses. In fact Lukas has been appointed 'spokeshorse' for TROTT- Training Racehorses Off The Track and is a poster boy for The Californian Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

Together they prove that with patience, kindness, timing and consistency, all horses face a brighter future.

Well, if you have nearly four thousand friends on Facebook as Lukas has then you must be doing something right! We wish him all the best with his record breaking attempt and hope to feature more on Karen and Lukas in the future.

If you would like to ask Karen or Lukas some questions that could end up in the troton blog then click here :D

Police horse named after Harry Patch

I like good news stories and this is certainly one of them - Bristol, UK police wanted to name a new trained police horse and organised a school competition to come up with ideas - after over 450 suggestions they have decided to use the name Harry Patch - Harry Patch who died recently at the ripe old age of 111 was the longest surviving soldier of World War One who lived in the local area. Full story on Harry and what he was and did here

PC Green - Harry Patch's rider said "For me the name Harry Patch just stood out as representative of a whole generation of young men who fought and died for the freedom that we hold so dear."

Chief Constable Colin Port said: "This is an excellent choice. It will be a great honour to have one of our horses named after Harry Patch - a local man who is now remembered fondly worldwide. It will also be a significant way of remembering all the horses that gave their lives in the same conflict." For that story ( horses in the war ) have a quick peek at this ( tissues at the ready folks)

Well done St Cuthbert's in Wells - the school that suggested the name and well done to Bristol police and well done Harry - what a fitting way for your story to carry on!!! Please lets spread this story widely....it is so positive....

ROYAL WINDSOR 2010.

Today sees the start of the Royal Windsor Horse Show (12th-16th May) This year there are more classes than ever with over 3000 horses competing.

This is one of the biggest showing events of the year including prestigious classes for cobs, hunters, mountain and moorlands, veterans, show ponies, re-trained racehorses, miniatures, and coloured horses. Side-saddle fans should also check out one of the new classes the Ladies Side-saddle Equitation Jumping which is taking place on Friday.

If you love your jumping then this is definitely the show for you too. Unfortunately the Puissance had to be cancelled due to lack of entries but there are still plenty of other classes in which the big names will be competing- the highlight being the Grand Prix class on the Sunday. And if you want to spot up and coming stars then check out The Olympic Stars Spotters Competition For 6 Year Old Horses on Thursday. Oh yes, and you're not seeing things if you spot eventer Pippa Funnel in the show jumping ring-she's competing young showjumpers from her and husband Williams stud.

A big draw for hunting fans is the Inter Hunt Team Knockout on Thursday- also becoming known as Hunt Day. Over 20 hunts have entered from across England and it should be really exciting.

If driving is your thing then you've probably already booked your ticket as Windsor boasts the only international driving competition in the UK with phases in dressage, marathon, and obstacle driving.

On top of all that there are classes for disabled drivers and riders, BHS competition classes, displays and demos and on Saturday a group of celebrities and top riders will compete in the BHS Trec Pro-Am Challenge. Last years winner Kelly Marks will hopefully be competing but this time she won't be on her beloved Pie-so let's see how she gets on this time!

And if you've got a thing for men in uniform, or women for that matter, there are plenty of events to keep you happy with Services Team Jumping, Musical Drive of The Kings Troop and Household Cavalry Best Turned Out Troop-definitely like the sound of that one!

Of course if that's not enough entertainment for you then there's plenty of opportunity to shop 'til you drop!

P.S Don't take my word for what's on when-click the link at the top of the page to check out the schedule.

Intuitive Riding

I've always liked people who shake things up a bit, especially if they were part of the establishment in the first place. Which is why when I heard that Lucinda McAlpine was holding an Intuitive Riding Clinic near me I signed up, tacked up and took my mare along to one of the most inspiring lessons that I've ever had.

Lucinda was competing at International level in Dressage when she started to question the way that horses were managed and being ridden.

"I had been training in Germany for five years and had a really talented horse who I'd bought on to Grand Prix level but I just knew that he wasn't happy or comfortable doing the movements. He was the love of my life and I just got the feeling that if I kept doing what I was doing then he was going to break down. I thought that there must be a way to enhance the horse's natural ability without stressing him physically and mentally. A way for him to give me what I wanted and still enjoy it. So, I went back to looking at him as a horse, rather than a dressage horse. For the horse as a species the three essential requirements are constant movement, constant grazing and a social life, so by degrees I adjusted my management system to provide him with these things."

That was about fifteen years ago and as a result Lucinda returned to England and decided that from then on her horses would live as naturally as possible, living out in herds, unclipped and unshod. She also started to work them at liberty in the school, often in groups, so that they could find their balance and expression freely.

"I've found that once the horse is comfortable and relaxed that the work becomes enjoyable and the skies the limit. It's so easy as well. I get up, don't have to muck out, then I go and get my horses from the field and ride them!"

Lucinda has a completely holistic approach to the way she trains others as well and sees her role as that of a marriage guidance councillor. First she observes the horse and rider in action and asks a few questions. Having a fairly good idea of how they operate together she then gets the rider to dismount, strips the horse of it's tack and sets it free in the school.

"I'm saying to the horse, show me the real you. I'm not looking for faults, I don't want to be judgmental. Some horses who have been dominated do take time to become themselves and you just need to give them that time to get down a layer. I see it like someone who's been in a dead end job and just slotted in for an easy life but then like a fly on the wall documentary I'm saying, go on then, just be yourself. Sometimes at first they can be running away as they're not used to it, but I want to see them acting as they would naturally on that day, expressing all aspects of their personality and ability. Just being themselves so that I can get to know them. All the time I'm looking to see if they show me areas of tension. I note their expression, their eyes, their ears, the movement through the spine."

Lucinda will if necessary use her hands to try and ask the horse to recognize and release through the areas where he is holding himself. In the session before mine she drew the riders attention to stiffness in part of her horse's tail which she related to a corresponding stiffness in his neck. I asked her why she thinks that a lot of top dressage horses swish their tails so much.

"When the tail helicopters it tells me that there's tension and discomfort in the back. The tail is like a warning flag. Rigidity in the tail is rigidity in the back. The spine is crucial and if it's compromised, well, you end up with stress on the legs and then the horse breaks down. It happens all the time."

After Lucinda has watched your horse moving on its own she then puts on her own tack. With the help of a saddle fitter she decides on which one of her reactorpanel saddles is most suitable and uses a bridle without a noseband.

"I don't believe in clamping a horse's mouth shut with a tight noseband. And some of the horses I get on are so used to having their mouths strapped shut that even the feel of a loose cavesson will hold that memory for them."

When it came to my mare's turn she gently moved her feet around from the ground, taking note of her reactions before mounting up and then sympathetically asking her to relax, soften and balance herself. She took her through turns and asked her to yield. She showed her how much easier life could be. Lucinda wasn't riding for long but had my mare's attention for the whole time; ears locked on, listening. Then it was time for me to climb on board and my immediate reaction was "Whoa, she feels like she has grown from 15.2 to 17hh, but a relaxed 17hh!!" And it wasn't just me feeling it, friends watching could see it as well.

Unfortunately our hour and a half was over far too quickly and I hadn't broken out of a walk! But as Lucinda has taught me it is a very underused pace and ignore it at your peril.

"Once the balance is established at the walk there will be a whole new trot to contend with so we build up pace by pace. A horse that is unbalanced at walk has no chance of being balanced at the higher paces so why practice cantering for instance, out of balance, while just a while longer in walk can set your horse up for success in a new balance."

This wasn't like lessons I'd had before, full of endless circles, commands, struggle and tension. And we didn't end up in a pool of sweat at the end of it. This was a lesson with a difference,far more enlightening and yes, no sweat! In face Lucinda commented on how fit my unclipped mare was.

"When a horse has its full coat you can use it as an indicator of how much work it's done. When a horse begins to sweat I tend to leave the lesson there. I think we can overwork our horses horribly sometimes if we don't consider the sweat as an indicator of anxiety caused by overexertion both physically and emotionally."

I ask Lucinda what she wants riders to take away from their time with her.

"I want to widen their perspective. Get them to understand they have all the information, I'm just the trigger. I open up the dialogue between them and their horse. The horses we own often reflect back similarities in ourselves and horses come to us for a reason. I don't look for mistakes when I teach people, I look for solutions. We all get things wrong but the mistake is not to recognize it and just carry on. You know horses are so generous by nature that a horse that puts someone in hospital is just fighting for his survival because we have got it wrong, really wrong. With riding your connection with your horse is key. It can be liberating or it can be scary. But people often limit themselves with their own limitations. Instead stop and do something different. I did, and I've never been so happy with my horses."

I got so much out of my brief time with Lucinda that I wanted to learn more.....watch this space!

Cheltenham and the start of a new horsey year?

Cheltenham festival starts today and as usual it has already brought more than it's fair share of drama and we are only just past the first half of the first day. (e.g. no favourites have won a race yet) I was brought up in Cheltenham though for various reasons that don't bear logical scrutiny it was only when I left the town that I became interested in following National Hunt Racing!

I've written about various trips I've had to the festival before - such sweet memories! The build up - the buzz - the excitement .Managed to catch James Nesbitt being interviewed about his horse in the Arkle - Riverside Theatre - and how he found the whole experience totally absorbing - I know exactly what he means even though I've never had the fortune to have a runner there . Riverside Theatre didn't win but I hope James had a grand "craic " come what may.

However if Cheltenham is the climax of the National Hunt season it is also in many ways the proper beginning of the the year for many of us horse enthusiasts.

It's this time of year when the horses can be let out properly from the stables - when the ground dries up and the grass begins to grow - when tack needs to be cleaned and when we all begin to relish the chance of riding out in the lighter evenings. It's the season to appreciate the plants that have begun to grow - hear the skylarks rising from the ground in the morning -a time to brush aside the horrible cold and snow of this winter we've had - the time of year to get down to the serious business of horses!

20:20 Equestrian photo auction for Haiti

Life can never be what you want it to be and certainly the daily events unfolding in Haiti over the past fortnight have been nothing less than a catastrophe for all of humanity.

It is cheering then to both the soul and the spirit when you see the positive side of the human condition rallying to push through this challenge -albeit too slowly the world has worked out what it needs to do to help. Countless acts of selflessness are being undertaken by a great deal of people daily and new media is playing it's part.

In the UK as elsewhere a great deal of effort is being put into helping out and sometimes that help comes from seemingly unlikely quarters.....20 of the UK's best known equine photographers ( they read like a who's who of the profession!) coordinated and led by Jon Stroud ( who also is a valued member of Trot on !)have put together an impressive display of 20 equine images entitled 20: 20 which they will auction in aid of DEC on January 28th - that is is about a weeks time. The photographs to be auctioned can be viewed( provided you are logged onto facebook) here ..The posy of twenty roll of honour - with examples of their work - Tim Flach,( cool video of him here) Henry Dallal, Kit Houghton,Trevor Meeks James Horan, Ed Whittaker, Matthew Seed, Jon Stroud, Bob Langrish, Adam Fanthorpe, Charles Sainsbury-Plaice, Peter Nixon, Steve Parsons, Fiona Scott Maxwell, David Sinclair, Kevin Sparrow , David Millar, Tim Nicholls , Nico Morgan ( facebook page for him here) and Tim Spurgeon. Well done to all you guys you are doing great work and we wish you fantastic success with it all!

"Got the Blues" poster

Copyright 2009 Michelle Guillot -
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