Horse&Rider Magazine – October 2020

WIN!

RIDING KIT, TACK AND FEED worth over £2,000

STRAIGHT

& SUPPLE

DARE TO BARE CO

ULD YOUR HORSE DITCH HIS SHOES?

IN FOUR EXERCISES

Mount

St John

12

LIGHTWEIGHT

TURNOUTS

The breeding venture with a unique approach

BANISH SPOOKS

for good

ULTIMATE

BOX REST SURVIVAL

put to the test 20-minute

full-body workout Understanding

NOSEBLEEDS

GUIDE

r e k a it h Jothehonlny griW d you’ll ever need

£4.25

Issue number 610 October 2020 ■ Find the perfect saddle ■ Mount St John ■ Banish spooks ■ Box rest survival guide ■ Go barefoot ■ Gridwork with John Whitaker ■ T&T lightweight turnout rugs ■ Nosebleeds

The UK’s best-selling equestrian monthly

In this feature. . .

➤ Use

a grid to improve your performance

perfect gridwork

John Whitaker’s

Make the most of your gridwork with John’s top tips

Our expert

John Whitaker MBE has competed on five Olympic teams and has won the Hickstead Derby four times. He has a catalogue of top three team and individual placings in European and World Championships, proving himself a senior team staple over four decades.

As told to Bethany Searby. Photos: Adam Fanthorpe

Our model

Arge is an eight-year old , 16.3hh homebred gelding sired by Argento. Having competed successfully with daughter, Joanne, since 2018, John’s now taken on the ride and the pair have just started competing at 1.40m.

22 HORSE&RIDER

In the saddle

➤ Test

your horse’s adjustability ➤ Work on jumping accurately

G

ridwork is the ultimate way to teach your horse to think on his feet, build athleticism and improve his balance.

Anyone can put up a row of fences and ride their horse through it, but to reap all the rewards of gridwork you need a bit of forward planning. Part of this is setting up an exercise that suits your horse – I find a simple line of three suitably-spaced fences is a good place to start.

Getting the most out of a gridwork session means putting the work in on the flat, setting the fences up properly and being prepared to have any bad habits of your own exposed. When it comes to gridwork you get out what you put in, so if you’re ready to graft then you’re set to have a positive session.

Flat first, jump second

Before starting on your grid, it’s important to establish a quality canter and control on the flat. Most of us compete with the hope of winning, whether at Riding Club or Grand Prix level, but for ultimate success, horse and rider need to be totally in tune with one another. That’s why many of the best riders look as if they’re doing nothing at all – they’ve only to think and their horse will react.

➤

Getting the most out of a gridwork session means putting the work in on the flat

HORSE&RIDER 23

Photos: Bob Atkins

Getting through it E Sometimes your riding worries can have unexpected causes – find out more with therapist Bonita Ackerman Du Preez

60 HORSE&RIDER

xperiencing a confidence blip is natural and happens to the best of us. But while it may be common, finding the cause isn’t always straightforward. From a fall that results in injury to bereavement, traumas can crop up in any corner of life, so it makes

sense to adopt a holistic approach to get to the bottom of it. So, how could overcoming these hurdles, some of which may seem completely unrelated to your riding, leave you feeling more positive and confident in and out of the saddle?

By taking a methodical approach, the answer is bound to reveal itself.

Our expert

Bonita Ackerman Du Preez is a performance coach, neuro-linguistic programming, hypnotherapy, and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) practitioner. She runs Equine Edge Coaching and specialises in treating trauma, stress and anxiety.

Mind matters

Where to start TOP TIP

Sometimes, it’s best to address your confidence issues with a therapist. Try to find one with whom you have a supportive rapport, and who will use a range of therapies to help you get back on track.

Sometimes the event that’s had an impact on your confidence is clear, for example in the case of a fall or an injury. Other times, it comes as a result of a combination of traumas that have to be carefully untangled in order to recover.

By spending time exploring the elements that make up your personal, professional and riding life to pinpoint the root cause of your anxiety in the saddle, you can fully address the issues and return to riding brimming with confidence – the root cause may not even have anything to do with horses.

➤ HORSE&RIDER 61

96 HORSE&RIDER

Photos: Jon Stroud

Management know-how

Shoes off at the door Our expert

David Hall BSc (Hons) DipWCF (Hons) qualified as a farrier in 1986. In 2017, he was appointed to the Farriers Registration Council, elected Deputy Chairman in 2018 and progressed to Chairman in 2019.

If you’ve ever wanted to transition your horse to a shoeless life, or are new to barefoot living, David Hall has the answers

A

s lockdown restrictions were imposed on the country and show centres closed, farriers saw a huge increase in shoe removal while many of the nation’s horses enjoyed a slower pace of life. We also found that many horses in seasonal work who spent the winter barefoot were being brought back into work without shoes, too.

Removing your horse’s shoes while he’s out of work

has long been a recognised option in equine management.

While this practice isn’t truly barefoot living, it’s a baseline that many people have harnessed this year to help establish the feasibility of bringing their horses back into work without shoes. So, is going barefoot an option for your horse? The answer may surprise you – and it’s definitely a lifestyle worth giving some thought to before you put your horse’s shoes back on.

➤

HORSE&RIDER 97