Horse&Rider Magazine – September 2020

In this feature. . .

Our expert

As told to Bethany Searby. Photos: Adam Fanthorpe

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.

Our model

Three Coynes (Jumbo) is a five-year-old stallion by Argento who’s showing much promise.

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➤ Improve

your rhythm ➤ Increase his power

In the saddle

➤ Banish

steering problems ➤ Keep him calm and focused

Back to

school WITH JOHN WHITAKER

Whether your horse is green or a seasoned professional, there’s much to be learned from taking him back to the classroom

S

uccessful showjumping is all about rhythm, power, control and a level head on your horse’s shoulders. I start my young horses with plenty of hacking, poles and small fences to help set them up with these skills.

While these might look like baby steps, older horses can benefit from the simple things, too – so if you’ve got a horse who rushes from time to time, loses his canter or thinks he knows best, taking time to establish the basics is a great way to improve his way of going. Work on perfecting his rhythm and power, as well as keeping him calm and under control, and you can’t go far wrong.

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Our expert

Emma Massingale is an equine trainer, free rider and specialist in working horses at liberty. She’s also an active film maker, with a popular YouTube channel full of entertaining and educational content.

Our model

As told to Rebecca Philpot. Photos: Jon Stroud

Nahla is a nine-year-old Connemara, who Emma describes as a clever and kind soul who’s always up for doing something fun.

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Mind matters

Emma Massingale

Train a

better bond PART 3

Whether you’re looking for a way to give your horse’s routine a refresher or a skill with handy real-life applications, this trick ticks all the boxes

O

ver time, it’s easy to fall into the same, stagnant schooling routine. The one that feels like you’re making all the right moves but, really, sends both you and your horse into autopilot. If this sounds familiar, take a second to remember why you got into riding in the first place – it would’ve been for fun, right? Well, that’s exactly how it should be. That’s why this month, I’ve got an exercise to help you and your horse enjoy your time in the school together to the max. Practical? Of course. A bit of fun? Most importantly, yes.

Working with him

Tricks might not feel like something that’ll come naturally to your horse, especially if you spend the majority of your time together training and competing, but he may well surprise you. By spending a bit of extra quality time with him on the yard and in the field, you’ll soon start to notice some of

his little quirks, which often form the foundations of your trick training. For example, some horses are naturally very inquisitive and their first reaction might be to pick things up – if that sounds like your horse, then this’ll be perfect for him! Especially when you’re getting started, it’s all about recognising his habits and adding a cue to them.

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Photos: Jon Stroud

Express equine

M workout

You don’t need hours of hacking to get your horse’s heart pumping. Give him a full-body workout in under 30 minutes with Fizz Marshall’s exercises

Our expert

Fizz Marshall has worked with all types of horses in her six years as Centre Manager at the Equine Therapy Centre at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire. More recently she’s worked for racehorse trainer Jonjo O’Neill and as Yard Manager for Carl Hester.

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ost of us would probably consider heading out for hillwork or knuckling down for an hour in the arena as high-intensity work for our horses. However, sometimes life commitments mean that you just don’t have the opportunity to ride for this long.

As such, when time is of the essence, lungeing through a few different pole exercises will let you give him a full-body workout against the clock.

Management know-how

-

Good groundings

Working your horse from the ground is an excellent addition to his weekly exercise regime. Not only does it offer the chance to work him without a rider on his back, but it also allows you to watch how he moves from a different perspective.

Bear in mind that lungeing your horse – particularly over poles – can be hard work. The key is to focus on quality over quantity in your session, and be sure to give him a break when he has done well.

Pick your kit

For any lungeing session, you’ll need a...

• lunge line • bridle with reins removed or a lunge cavesson • roller with pad underneath • lunge whip (if required) • pair of side reins or other training aid

TOP TIP

Provided you attach them loosely to begin with, warming your horse up in a set of side reins will help him to take the contact forward straight away, encouraging him to open his frame and stretch.

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