TRAINING TIPS
Creating a calmer horse
one that I reached out to, whether it was a show rider, horsemanship person, or dressage rider could help me address the root cause of his anxiety while at shows,” Felicity recalls. She was just told ‘kick them forward’, ‘pick up the reins’, ‘close the contact’ and ‘do your best’. The challenges were also apparent at home, where her horse would be hard
If you’re preparing your horse for its first competition, or have a horse that spooks easily, you’ll love these tips from FELICITY DAVIES.
to catch and ran away when he saw the float come out. “He would do all the things I asked of him once I’d caught him, but clearly he was not really loving it,” she says.
A better way Watching videos of renowned EU-based horsemanship and dressage trainer Will Rogers (which showcased beautiful dressage horses calmly executing their movements over, between and even completely under large, flapping tarpaulins) got Felicity’s brain ticking. She was eager to uncover the secrets behind producing these calm performance horses and, when Will’s ‘Groom/Working Student wanted’ advert popped up, Felicity was chomping at the bit to make the most of the opportunity! She applied, got the job and spent the next ten months overseas learning the ins and outs of preparing young performance horses for their first outing, when they’d attend events with crowds of 10,000 or more people yet remain totally calm and unfazed.
T
Felicity returned to Australia with new-
he sound of the loudspeaker,
Horsemanship and Mindset Mentor
found knowledge around the principles
the touch of a flapping ribbon,
Felicity Davies knew there had to be a
of horse desensitisation. She believes
or a looming carnival Ferris
better way of doing things when, after
there is much you can do with any horse
wheel can all be pretty scary for the
competing in Show Horse events at
at any level, and the results are not
unseasoned competition horse. But you
State level for over ten years, she could
just limited to the show ring. So here’s
don’t have to leave the success of your
tell her current horse wasn’t achieving
how you can start the journey towards
horse’s first outing to chance. Likewise,
the success he was capable of. He
creating your own calmer horse.
if you have a horse that can’t stand
was doing his best to perform well, but wasn’t completely happy or relaxed.
Setting up for success
loud noises, or is seemingly afraid of its own shadow, there are straightforward
That led Felicity down a rabbit hole
training there are a couple of other
techniques you can use to help reduce
of investigation, trying to find a way
boxes you need to check off. "First,
your horse’s fears and foster a more
to better prepare him for the typical,
make sure your environment is good,”
confident individual.
bustling show horse environment. “No
says Felicity. For productive training of
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Before you begin desensitisation