I specialise in Gaited Horses, but will consider other horses on a case by case basis. Stallions are welcome. I offer horse starting, further education and gait training. I can also help and work with you on specific problems, whether it relates to gaited horses, issues with riding or groundwork. Please contact me to enqurire and discuss your requirements.
As I have under cover facilities, I am able to work horses all year. However, due to time restrictions, I currently only offer part-time training. What that means is that your horse will be worked 2-3 times per week, and my weekly charges reflect this. During weeks when I don’t get a chance or your horse needs a break, only agistment charges apply.
The benefit of this approach, which I use on my own horses as well as client horses, is every horse has plenty of time to think about the new material, proceess it and is fresh in mind and body for the next session. By not working horses daily I also get better feedback if the new material is processed before moving on to the next stage.
When I start a horse, I begin with groundwork, which is a chance for the horse and myself to get to know each other. A chance to build rapport and where I build the foundation for all subsequent work. I’m not a believer in loads of lunging, and use is sparingly as one of several tools to teach a horse to walk, trot and canter on request, but also to back up, to yield shoulders and hindquarters and to stand still. I introduce various items in a fairly systematic fashion over a period time, the order of and timing of which depends on the horse I have in front of me on the day and the circumstances. This gives me a good chance to observe reactivity and find out about issues (if any) and what needs more work.
All horses are started in some form of a bitless bridle, either a correctly adjusted rope headstall, a cavecon, a sidepull or similar setup, and here, also, I am guided by the horse and by what works best. Groundwork includes explaining rein signals and introducing the concept of neck flexions, as well as reinforcing yield of shoulders and hindquarters and backing up learned on a lead, but now with reins.
I may introduce a pad and roller or go straight to a saddle after familiarising the horse with first a towel, then a saddle pad. I will always do a little lunging at this stage to ensure my student is ok with the saddle in all gaits, and I will use that opportunity to work on stops, turns and transitions on the lunge.
I’ll introduce a mounting block and teach the horse to line up and stand still. First on a small one in the middle of the arena, then the large one on the wall. After that, I progress to leaning over, adding weight and getting on. And then we progress to walking, stopping turning in the arena. Over the next few sessions I like to ensure the horse has found balance with the added weight on top, and that the rein aids are understood, while also introducing body and leg cues and working on toning all request with the reins. Much attention is given to bending and yielding and to transitionz, with many ‘stop and think’ breaks and when something really good is offered, the session is finished. Overal, sessions are only a few minutes at this point.
Unless I’m starting a stallion, I’ll bring in another horse ridden by a friend to be present at a couple of sessions, and they we venture out into the forest together. This gives the green horse a lot of extra confidence and it is good practice for safety reasons. Whenever ready, we then venture out alone together, increasing the lenth of the ride and the number of challenges we encounter. With a stallion, it depends on each individual. I make sure I socialise them with geldings nearby and sometimes they can then go out together, but other times it means doing the first few outings solo. I emphasise good manners around other horses and will spend time ensuring they can keep their focus on me without being distracted by mares in the vicinity. The program is the same as with geldings and mares, but I usually end up spending a bit more time ensuring that we have clear lines of communication and a clear understanding of who the team leader is.
I think that all horses should be ridden out, and find that green horses really benefit from the education. Inbetween rides out, I will still do arena session, be it to consolidate things or because the weather isn’t nice enough to go out. Inside work can be flat work or involve some obstacles to special challenges, and I try to keep it varied, not just for the horse’s education, but I find it beneficial to keep them challenged and interested, and it is more fun for me as well.
With gaited horses, I generally work on gait while out on the trail. However I have found that any amount of “good” work, that is: work that enhances balance, ability to self-carry and collect while staying relaxed will enhance any gaits, including the saddle gaits. Unless I have a specific issue (e.g. a very pacey horse), I just ride out and pick the places that will promote gait and reward for it. Pacey horses sometimes need a little more help to find balance, and that can usually be solved with arena work.
Of course I also like to to work on more advanced things, where I like to combine applied classical dressage with weapons work, skill at arms, garrocha or advanced obstacles.
I could talk for ages about my work and play with horses. If you like what you are reading, get in touch or arrange a visit and we can talk more.
I will not use any flavour of sidereins, tie downs, running reins or any other gadget that restricts a horse’s free neck or head movement. I will not use weighted shoes or any gadgets on the legs to alter stride or break-over.
Please note the minimum age of horses that I will accept for starting and any work under saddle is 4 years, and I don’t have an upper age limit on what I will work with, assuming that the horse is sound to perform the activities expected of it.
