Mistakes about body language Rider Confidence Special! · the body language- try to ignore what is...

Summer 2015 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP 1

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Sum

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Rider Confidence Special!12 pages of great training and advice including:•Regaining

yourconfidence

•Betterseatstability

•Howtoface–andbeat–yourfears

•Horsesastherapy

Mistakes about body language

even intelligent people make

2 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP Summer 2015

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Dear ReadersI hope as you’re reading this that the summer has well and truly arrived and you are out and about making the most of your time with your horses.

There are few things to match the sense of enjoyment and well-being experienced from the saddle on a fine summer’s day, with only the sound of birds and the clop of hooves to accompany you.

It’s a real pity, then, that so many of us go through a stage when hacking out – or even just getting on – becomes a source of anxiety. I would struggle to think of any of my horsey friends who haven’t, at one time or another, had a loss of nerve – I know I certainly have.

For that reason, I hope this issue of the magazine will be one that offers insight, guidance and inspiration to anyone struggling with confidence problems. We have a special 12-page training section with great features on why fear happens and how to beat it, the importance of rider position and a look at how a course with rearing and falling off on the timetable helped one rider boost her confidence.

Our Big Interview this time is former advanced event rider turned rising para-dressage star Charlotte Cundall. Her amazing story of how she dealt with every rider’s worst nightmare (twice) then fought off her physical and mental demons to keep following her equestrian dream is genuinely inspirational.

Let’s not forget, too, that while difficulties with our horses can sometimes create anxiety, the amazing horse/human bond shared over thousands of years can also be incredibly healing. Our Horses As Therapy feature on pages 28 and 29 looks at how children with special needs benefit hugely from time spent in their company.

Many of our Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Associates have contributed to this issue. They do great work with clients striving to overcome loss of confidence and use a wealth of experience, knowledge, training and passion to find an individual solution to each situation.

If you’re one of the many riders whose pleasure is being marred by anxiety, do consider finding your local IHRA or attending an IH course. As Charlotte Cundall’s story shows, there’s always a route back to your riding dreams – it’s just about finding the right path for you and your horse.

Contents

04

12

28

08 10

Liz Falkingham, Editor

ON THE COVER

04 Kelly Marks – My World: Balance is the key to Perfect Confidence

06 Letters and feedback07 IH Out & About

08 Members’ pictures: ‘Life’s a beach’ special

10 Total Confidence Live12 The Big Interview: Charlotte Cundall,

eventer and para dressage rider

16 Mind Your Own Business: Equestrian Pilates Instructor Sue Gould-Wright

18 IH TRAINING: The Fear Factor – Why riders lose their confidence (and how to get it back)

21 IH TRAINING: A Secure and Positive Position

25 IH TRAINING: Facing Your Fears

28 IH TRAINING: Horses as Therapy

30 Learn & Win: Taking a natural approach with herbs for horses

32 Staying Grounded: Exercises for calm and control

34 Joining Up with the Scientists: can animal welfare science teach us to read body language?

36 IH Kids: Making confidence child’s play

37 Antics raises money for charity

38 From the Case Files

41 IHRA client feedback

42 Spotlight on Sue Palmer

43 Intelligent Horsemanship Courses

Do you have a contribution for Intelligent Horsemanship Magazine?

Please phone, email or send your carrier pigeon to the IH office!BY POST: Intelligent Horsemanship, Lethornes, Upper Lambourn, Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 8QPPHONE: 01488 71300 FAX: 01488 73783 EMAIL: [email protected]: www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.ukON THE COVER: Kelly’s view through Pie’s ears whilst out enjoying some summer sunshine

Find us on

Whilst we endeavour to ensure that all articles in the Intelligent Horsemanship Magazine are compatible with broad IH principles, it should be noted that the views expressed by contributors to the Intelligent Horsemanship Magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the Editor or Kelly Marks.

Printed by Crown Litho 01252 338775 www.crownlitho.co.uk

Note to members: If you make any changes regarding your name, address, email address or telephone numbers, please let the IH office know on [email protected]

Welcome toSummer

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By KELLY MARKSKelly and Pie’s latest mini

adventure at the Highclere fun ride left both feeling revitalised

Welcome to the Confidence Issue of IH Magazine! Although confidence is often talked of as the Holy Grail of Horsemanship, balance (as with most things) is the key; a few self-doubts can be a helpful part of Intelligent Horsemanship if used to encourage greater preparation

and thoughtfulness. What a great subject! I know experience teaches us so much but, for the general,

one-horse owner, there is so little time available to make mistakes.

HRA Rosie Jones has ridden for me in several demonstrations and is often told how ‘brave’ she is for doing so. She likes to point out that a great deal of

her confidence comes from knowing that the way we work together is designed to minimise the risks.

Rosie has, in turn, been strict with me when I had the young horses at home. As I came from a different generation – where the ‘gung ho’ school of horsemanship was often admired – I’ve come to see that her warnings to me about not taking unnecessary risks make a lot of sense.

For instance, if you have a green, young horse to ride, take the time to consider the potential pros and cons of five minutes of long lining before you get on. The downside? ‘Wasting’five minutes. The upside? Avoiding a surprise bucking session that lands you on the floor and upsets the horse.

I’ve found these questions ‘What’s the downside?’ What’s the upside?’ extremely useful in many different circumstances. Do feel free to use them!

I TREAT YOURSELF LIKE THE QUEENThere are certainly lessons to learn from our Queen, who is still riding at 88 years of age. I’m quite sure the people choosing the horses for her to ride think through their suitability very carefully.

I can’t imagine there are conversations such as ‘oh that horse has had a week off but he’ll probably be fine for her to get straight on as long as she sits tight’. If you would love to continue riding into your eighties I think treating yourself

like the Queen has to be a great place to start!

It’s my belief that, in the past, British and Irish horsemanship has been more about bravery and flair than the calculation of the American and German competition teams. However, now we’re managing to put the two things together, the results are speaking for themselves.

If we use competition as an example of how we might improve our own confidence, the interviews on the Claire Balding Show with Charlotte Dujardin, Tony McCoy and Victoria Pendleton were both inspiring and instructive. While natural talent and incredible work ethics play a large part in their success, something else that stood out were the advantages of a top class support system.

Treating yourself likethe Queen has to be a great place to start!

Photo courtesy of M

ichael FreemanMyWorld

Balance is the key to Perfect Confidence


WE ALL NEED SUPPORTOnce you get to Olympic level you’re guaranteed to have everything from personal physiotherapists to nutritionists. In Victoria Pendleton’s case, being an Olympian also meant access to a ‘consultant psychiatrist who specialises in optimising the function of the mind’ in the form of Professor Steve Peters (also author of the excellent book The Chimp Paradox).

While we mere mortals may have to raise our standards mainly through reading and film footage, the right people around us can raise our game (and confidence) significantly. Have you got the right people in your support team right now? Who do you need to hire? Or fire?!

GEORGE AS GATEKEEPERRosie Jones is not letting the grass grow under her feet as she studies for her PhD at Cambridge. With a book accepted for publishing and 18 months’ field study ahead, Rosie has recruited George in a ‘gatekeeper’ role.

In anthropology terms, a gatekeeper is the person who helps you gain access to the people you wish to study. While Pie has appeared on stage at the National Theatre, it’s quite something for George to achieve a career in academia. We are naturally very proud.

George and Rosie were last together at Merrist Wood during the October tour. We wanted to show IH members some easy practical exercises for Separation Anxiety or ridden horses that have got over bonded during the ‘Private Audience’ – a very common occurrence for people with just two horses.

With Rosie on George and me on Pie, this exercise had a very simple premise: when the two horses were close to each other they were made to work hard, trotting around in small circles. Then, when they were ridden apart, they were given a nice stroke and some relaxation time.

They were then brought together again in the middle, trotting around in small circles, before being taken apart to relax. George got the advantages of being apart from Pie very quickly!

Rosie also worked with George on the ground with four poles as an ‘enclosure’ and with me riding around him on Pie. Rosie would apply Monty’s PICNIC principles (Positive Instant Consequences, Negative Instant Consequences) as appropriate as George either fussed about Pie being out of sight or relaxed and focused on Rosie.

Soon enough, Pie could gradually canter past from any direction with George keeping his focus on Rosie.

EXPANDING TIME VIA MINI ADVENTURESThere’s no doubt that as you get older time appears to move faster. Staying in your comfort zone and doing the same thing week in, week out (and even year in, year out) will exacerbate this.

Think back to your key memories last year – what stands out? You may remember your birthday last year – but can you remember anything about the Tuesday afterwards?!

I’d like to make a case for having adventures! It will expand our sense of time as well as increasing our self-esteem (which in turn encourages more adventures).

My recent mini adventure was with friends Sandra Williams, Ele Milwright and Alison Ball when we went on the 10-mile Highclere fun ride. I’d encourage any of you who feel that time is flying by to plan some outings to ensure great memories as you reminisce over 2015.

I was surprised how energised I felt after the ride – and Pie absolutely loved it! While the IH Editor and Ele Milwright have dreams of competing at the Horse of the Year Show, there will be those of you with sound but non-rideable horses who might have fun trying some in-hand showing or a local Horse Agility day.

Then I know there will be one or two of you who will either have no horse, an unsound horse or are unsound yourself. All is not lost!

Can you volunteer to help at a horsey event - sometimes that just involves sitting in a car with a radio mike? Or how about coming on an Intelligent Horsemanship course – you’ll get a lot out of it and meet great people, even if you only come as a spectator or volunteer.

Philosopher Jean –Marie Guyau said: “If you want to lengthen the perspective of time, then fill it, if you have the chance, with a thousand new things. Go on an exciting journey, rejuvenate yourself by breathing new life into the world around you.” As Guyau died of pulmonary disease at just 33 years it’s good to think he did his best to live his life to the full.

With Monty reaching 80 years on May 14th and showing no signs of slowing down, there are few excuses left for the rest of us. So let’s each make a list of three mini-adventures we might have this year and go for it!

Top to bottom: Having fun with your horse and friends is what memories are made of: Kelly (centre) enjoyed her outing with Ele Milwright (left) and Sandra Williams (right); Monty Roberts celebrated his 80th birthday in May, but shows no signs of slowing down or passing up the chance for adventures; After a career as a demo horse (pictured here at Guildford doing the separation anxiety exercise) and trying his hand at eventing, George is now adding ‘gatekeeper’ to his equine CV

Photo courtesy of Jo M

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hoto courtesy of Sim

on Palm

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I’d like to make a case for having adventures!

Photo courtesy of M

artin William

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Straight from the horse’s mouth...LETTERS & FEEDBACK from our members

A copy of Perfect

Confidence

by Kelly Marks

worth £16.99

goes to the

writer of our

Star Letter

Cornish pony is the creamI read the article about Kismet: Was your perfect horse written in the stars? (IH Magazine, spring 2015) – well, I believe that my old mare picked me!The week before my Dad had rung about an

Arab that was advertised in the local paper;

[it] had been sold but, being sure there

was a reason for that, we kept looking.

The following week there was a two year old advertised – I went to see her

and she had spent her entire life on the downs near St Austell, Cornwall,

in a field with her mother and another pony, having only hay occasionally

and with some of the local children throwing stones & chasing them!

I was warned that she may bite as she had bitten others who had come to

see her. Well, over she came and pushed her head into my chest and cuddled me;

that was it, I had to have her. I got her home and once she was in the stable she didn’t come

out for a week. I had my vet and farrier out for a meeting as her front feet were badly split

(one only millimetres from her coronet band) and they decided what could be done.

She also had rain scald, worms and mud fever up past her knees and hocks. In the

picture she’s 10 – she’s now 29 and although she’s lost her topline muscle she doesn’t

look much different to the picture and still loves me! We’ve had loads of fun over the

years and fulfilled my dreams of jumping at the Royal Cornwall [show] and breeding a

foal (he’s not my perfect horse but we’re getting there!) She doesn’t look or act her age.

However you find your perfect horse, enjoy them and keep smiling, as my farrier

keeps telling me. Joy Nicholls, via email

GETTING GRAZING RIGHTYour grazing debate

(IH Magazine, spring 2015)

rang a lot of bells for me.

Last year we moved for my

husband’s job to an area with

lots of horses and so lots of

livery yards but unfortunately

lots of rain as well in the

winter – so not much turnout.

My normally angelic cob

went from being a proper

plod to my worst nightmare.

I’m not a very confident rider

and so when he started seeing

monsters everywhere out

hacking it made me even more

nervous and less keen to ride.

Talk about a vicious circle!

Eventually I decided we

HAD to find turnout no matter

what and after posting on some

local online forums I was lucky

enough to be offered the chance

to turn my horse out with some

retired ponies. Yes, their field

got very muddy and yes, my

horse looked like the Cumbrian

version of the Yeti – but he went

back to being a saint to ride and

my nerves stopped fraying.

I think it’s easy to forget that

most horses are quite happy

to live out so long as they have

enough food and some shelter.

I’m just as guilty as the next

horsey woman when it comes

to buying rugs and worrying

that my horse is cold because

I’m shivering as soon as the

winter comes – but having

seen my boy cope no problem

with just a field and a shelter

he happily shared with two

Shetlands, I’m trying to

overcome my need to keep

him groomed within an inch

of his life at all times!

Claire Smith, via email

Dealing with worst when it happensI wanted to say how thought-provoking your articles on dealing with trauma were (IH Magazine, spring 2015). Although it is something every owner who travels their horses is aware of at some level, I’m sure I’m not alone in pushing thoughts of what might go wrong (and how to cope with it) to the back of my mind.

While the pictures of Rocky stuck over the breast bar were shocking, it was perhaps a good thing to see – and know that, with the right specialist help, horses can be rescued from such horrible circumstances. I’m not sure I could be as calm as his owner was, however!

I hope everyone who read the article was inspired to fill in the survey and help make transport for our beloved horses safer. Carla Fenton, via email

Joy named her mare Iron Tears, from a song by Flotsam and Jetsam, a heavy metal band. “Being a dark

grey when I bought her, she had white hair below her eyes so it seemed to fit.”Star

LETTER


Ever wondered what keeps Kelly and her IHRAs busy when they’re not working with owners and their horses? Here’s an insight…

IH Out & About IH IN THE NEWSWhile everyone who reads IH Magazine knows only too well how effective IH methods are – and what great work the IHRAs do – it’s good to know the word is gradually spreading more widely elsewhere.

Some of our IHRAs such as Garry Bosworth and Rosie Jones write for other magazines, offering great advice for those looking to use non-violent methods with their horses. You’ll also see IH and Monty Roberts appearing in special features – did you see the (cover) feature on Monty in Your Horse recently?

Of course it’s not just the equine press which features IH methods. IHRA Joanne O’Neill recently got a write-up in The Journal following her appearance at a training day.

Let us know if you spot Intelligent Horsemanship or one of our IHRAs getting a mention in the press and send us a clipping to IH Magazine, Lethornes, Lambourn, Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 8QP or via scan to [email protected].

‘Beach Bone-Anza’ by Natasha HermanWIN OUR IH CARTOON! Every issue, we will be featuring a great cartoon from IH member and gifted cartoonist Natasha Herman. To enter the draw to win the cartoon, just send your details to [email protected] with ‘Cartoon competition’ in the subject line.

Alfie’s demo delightFund-raising supremo Alfie Waker enjoyed a night out watching his heroes Monty Roberts and Kelly Marks during the March demo tour, courtesy of Intelligent Horsemanship.

Call to complete surveyAs featured in the last issue of IH Magazine (spring 2015, page 31), a joint survey is being carried out by the British Animal Rescue and Trauma Care Association and Intelligent Horsemanship.

If you haven’t already done so, please take a few minutes to complete the survey if you have had an accident or incident whilst your horse was travelling or stationary in a horse box or trailer.

Any thoughts or information you have about the underlying causes of accidents or incidents would also be useful. This might include the design of the transport (internally, externally or mechanically), the horse (temperament, type and training) and the people involved.• The survey can be found at www.bartacic.org and information regarding incidents emailed to [email protected] with ‘BARTA survey’ in the subject line.

Winner of the grazing guardThe lucky winner of our grazing guard (worth £65) from the spring issue of IH Magazine is Emma Bradley, of Bath. Congratulations!

Fund-raising supremo Alfie meeting Kelly and Monty

“Martin and I wanted to say a huge thank you for gifting our tickets for last night’s demo. Alfie sat through the whole demo totally engaged, only breaking his focus on occasions to say ‘Monty and Kelly are amazing, aren’t they, Mum?’” said Alfie’s mum, Hayley.

“There really are no words to explain what you and Monty do to him, we are very proud that he sees you both as role models. We also managed to keep the secret that Linda, the HorseWorld ambassador, was going to be there; through Alfie’s fundraising, Linda has become a great family friend and someone else who Alfie totally adores, so that added another treat to his evening.”

It’s good to know the word is spreading – both locally and in magazines such as ‘Your Horse’


Members’ PICTURES

Life’s a beach

01 Julie Trafford says she and daughter, Jasmin, are very lucky to have Middleton Sands, Heysham, Lancashire, on their doorstep. Here’s a very atmospheric picture of Jasmine with cob, Boo.

02 Liz Eadon on Cleethorpes beach with one of her show horses

03 Jo Nye’s favourite beach for a ride is Camber Sands, East Sussex – described on TripAdvisor as having ‘A huge sandy beach, undulating dunes and a fabulous seascape’.

04 Heather Lilley enjoys a moment of tranquillity on Frinton Beach in Essex.

05 This picture of Sarah Blake with her late part-bred Arab rescue gelding, Champ, brings back bittersweet memories. “Champ and I only ever enjoyed one trip to Hayling Island beach in Hampshire before his Cushings meant I had to retire him. We had a lovely gallop along the sand,” says Sarah, who put time and effort into helping Champ forget an abusive previous owner and become “the best ridden horse I’ve had”.

06 IH enthusiast Cath Wrigley operates Murthwaite Green Trekking Centre, a small, family-run business on the Western Coast of the Lake District. “We use mainly native fell ponies and specialise in beach riding – our horses and beach are those which feature on the opening credits of Countryfile each week! The beach has no riding restrictions and is an isolated beauty spot, making it ideal for horse riding,” says Cath, who is part way through completing her MRCPH and hopes to offer natural horsemanship courses in the future.

07 Ali Schwabe sent in this picture of members of Suffolk Polo Club on Holkham beach, North Norfolk. “There’s miles of sand, not too many people, shallow water for paddling and deeper bits for swimming. It also has brilliant lorry parking on the drive down to the beach, with overflow into a dry paddock,” says Ali.

08 East Yorkshire-based rider Mel Raven and her Fjord, Jos, met up with horsey friends from around the UK last summer for a horse holiday at Field Farm, Skegness. “The local beach is about a mile hack from the farm – and it goes on for miles! As well as beach rides, we used the cross country course on site, hacked out, and also played in the arenas with the horses.”

09 Bridlington and Scarborough are known for their glorious stretches of sand, but just south of Bridlington is a local treasure worth finding: Fraisthorpe beach. Julie Summerfield (chestnut horse) and Kate Fullam make the half-hour trip from their livery yard as often as possible during the summer to give their horses, Rio and Sparrow, a leg stretch. “One day we turned up early, expecting to have the vast expanse of sand to ourselves, only to find a local kite-surfing club whizzing up and down. We decided to give it a go anyway and the horses were remarkably good,” says Julie.

10 Here’s the Wareing family enjoying a blast along Drigg Beach, near Seascale, West Cumbria. “Although we live miles from anywhere, we are so lucky to have this lovely beach to ride on,” says Steph, who is pictured here with Josh and Lettie on Ollie, Roxster and Earl.

11 Paula Hewitt of Langport, Dorset, crosses the county boundary to visit Brean Beach in Somerset, which she describes as “a lovely, long sandy beach where you can park your horse trailer or horse box on the sands.”

12 Suffolk Polo Club member Delphine Tay and pony, Milanesa, enjoy a swim on Holkham Beach, North Norfolk.

13 Bath-based journalist and PR Katie Roebuck enjoys a ride on Rhossilli Beach, The Gower, with Maverick in 2007. ‘Mav’ now enjoys a less strenuous lifestyle with eventer Cruise now picking up the competition reins with Katie.

Riding on the beach can be one of the most fun things to do with your horse – so we thought what better to celebrate the arrival of summer than a picture special of our readers doing just that!

Of course, all that open space plus the ‘scary’ waves can make a gallop on the sands a daunting prospect too; if you’ve never given it a go but want to do so, read on for lots of advice, training tips and case studies on how to boost your confidence with your horse.

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IHRosettewinner


In April, a new equestrian event had its debut: Total Confidence Live, held at Ardingly, Sussex, featured demos, clinics and talks aimed at boosting rider skills and confidence.

IHRA ROSIE JONES, one

of the trainers offering

advice at the event, reports

The great thing about Total Confidence Live,

Your Horse Magazine’s new event, was the

really supportive environment.

It seems that the old stigma of shame

associated with confidence issues is finally

giving way to a more helpful attitude of providing

people with the resources they need to make

progress in enjoying their riding more again

This is a new format of event; as well as the

usual shopping and training demonstrations,

visitors had the opportunity to benefit from

one-to-one consultations with a range of

experts, watch lots of smaller demonstrations

and attend talks. You could even bring your

horse and ride in one of the clinics.

There was showjumping, dressage, and cross

country going on all day alongside an indoor

arena and two outdoor arenas.

I was answering behaviour and training

questions at the Q & A space for a few hours

each day but, in between my slots, I had lots

of time to see other demos and talk to other

trainers.

I also bumped into lots of IH students and old

clients as I used to be based in that neck of

the woods!

Previously featured in this magazine, TRC

yard manager and trainer Kath Pinington

explained the different requirements asked of

the Thoroughbreds in racing and in ‘normal’

riding. Their demonstration showed how TBs

need help to learn about rhythm, relaxation,

and softness, as well as ways to build up

totally different muscles.

The Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre

demonstration was very enjoyable; the riders

kept lovely, relaxed rein contact with wide

hands to help the horses settle into a longer,

lower frame.

I also watched a demonstration with Jason

Webb (Australian horseman and foundation

horse trainer) and Charlie Unwin. Charlie is

a sports psychologist, so the two bounced

ideas back and forth about how good horse

training is for personal development.

There was a wonderfully supportive

atmosphere on the XC course when I watched

Some of the clinic participants pulled out when they realised their dressage session would take place on grass. If this is something you struggle with, do consider leading your horse in those areas first.

Total Confidence Live is a fun and fabulous day out with frends and family with so much to do!

Jason Webb and Charlie Unwin gave demonstrations and proved how good horse training is for personal development

In the NEWS

Total Confidence

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a session with six riders and Karen Dixon,

who was often shouting “Steady, steady,

STEADY STEEEEAAADDY......phew! WELL

DONE!!! Do it again but slower!” It was

very interesting that under-confident

riders, like under-confident horses, can

want to race through a challenge rather

than take time; of course, this makes it

less safe and more likely that something

will go wrong and add to the confidence

problem.

During my Q and A sessions, there was

one issue that I noticed coming up a lot:

riding on grass. Several people told me

about their horses’ high-jinks once their

feet hit turf and, in fact, one of the event

organisers told me that some of the clinic participants pulled out when they realised their dressage session would take place on grass as they were not able to ride their horses in that environment.

If this is something you struggle with, do consider leading you horse in those areas first. Perhaps even consider making yourself a small outdoor arena if you can organise safe fencing.

You can lead, long line and ride in a small and familiar grass arena, and then begin to venture into schooling in circles in the corners of familiar fields before finally hacking out into the open and

across the horizon. Ban yourself, and your horse, from fast canters or gallops on grass until both of you have your heart rate under control in that environment.

This event was obviously a new venture so it is still finding its feet, but I hope to see loads of you there next year.

If you find yourself struggling with nerves and feeling alone, this event is a great reminder that while there are so many people who share this problem, there is also a fast growing number of professional services on hand to help support you in whichever approach will work best for you.

All photographs courtesy of Your Horse / Total C

onfidence Live

It seems that the old stigma of shame associated with confidence

issues is finally giving way to a more helpful attitude...

Visitors to Total Confidence Live had the opportunity to participate in training clinics


By LIZ FALKINGHAM

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Charlotte and Chenko competing at Hartpury College

He made me realise you can change your dreams rather than give them up.

THE BIG INTERVIEW

CharlotteCundall


Born and bred to event, Charlotte Cundall was on the cusp of breaking into the top ranks of the sport when she broke her back. IH editor LIZ FALKINGHAM talked to her about how she overcame her physical and mental demons to return to the saddle

n April this year, former advanced event rider turned trainer Catherine Cundall stood weeping with pride in the stands as her daughter, Charlotte, performed a beautiful,

harmonious test at the Winter Dressage Championships at Hartpury. Graded as a para rider, on a former event horse, Charlotte beat her nearest able-bodied rival by over 4% to win the elementary restricted to music class.

It’s the latest, most uplifting instalment of the kind of fairy tale equestrian sport occasionally produces; a story you might expect to have come straight from a scriptwriter’s pen. And, like all the best fairy tales, it combines courage, adversity, darkest despair and triumph in spades.

Unless you’re an eventing aficionado, chances are you haven’t heard of Charlotte Cundall. This former advanced eventer was on the point of reaching the top of the sport when her dreams ended in a way all riders dread.

Already qualified for Bramham CCI*** and with Burghley and Badminton in her sights, Charlotte had taken a young horse to a Pony Club area trials and was warming up over a small fence. The horse tripped and Charlotte came off; though it wasn’t immediately apparent at the time, she had broken her back – for the second time in four years.

“I took a while to get up, but I did then got back on and rode round the course. Driving the horsebox home, though, I realised I was struggling to change gear and was in pain,” says Charlotte.

That she had been riding at all was nothing short of incredible; four years before, in 2007, Charlotte (then aged 22) and her mother, Catherine, had been cross country schooling young horses when Charlotte’s horse bucked her off after a fence. Landing awkwardly, she realised her legs felt heavy and strange. “Mum caught my horse and cantered back to me; she thought I was fooling about and told me to get up. I said ‘give me a minute and I will’ – but I could hardly lift my head off the floor.”

Transferred to a York hospital by ambulance, Charlotte was scanned and X-rayed before being given the news that she had broken her back. Two weeks later, she was transferred to Hull Royal Infirmary Neurological Unit and the care of consultant David O’Brien.

“He walked into my room and said ‘so Charlotte, I hear you’ve broken your back – I’m going to try and fix it for you’. No matter how many times I’d heard those two words ‘broken back’, it still hadn’t sunk in before then but when he added: ‘you may be paralysed from the waist down if this operation doesn’t work’ it really came home.”

One operation and 17 screws, rods and plates later, the consultant came into her room the next day and pronounced the operation a success. Knowing how much riding meant to her, he also warned Charlotte she must stay off horses

I while the rods were still in place but that, all being well,he would remove them post-rehabilitation and she could then get back in the saddle. “It never occurred to me not to ride again – riding was what I did. I was ‘Charlotte who events’; I had no interest in a safe, ordinary life.”

Months of painful rehab followed but, 14 months later, Charlotte was back in the saddle. Though she started on her safe, older horse, Filly, soon Charlotte’s drive had her back eventing and even riding out for local racehorse trainers.

“Of course, in the light of what was to follow, I realise now I was too gung ho. I even went back to riding the horse that broke my back, first eventing and then point to pointing

him; it was madness, really,” she admits.

We’re conducting the interview at her mother’s small yard on the outskirts of Driffield, East Yorkshire, where Charlotte’s horses are based. The living room is crammed with photographs of Charlotte at every stage of her riding life – as 13-month-old on her first hunting day; doing her first Pre-Novice run aged 12, on a 12.1hh pony; making the JRN team alongside Oliver Townend.

Catherine has regaled me with tales of her daughter’s courage and talent, which saw her shortlisted for the British Junior European Eventing Team by the time she was 17. But still I wonder whether, after such a terrible injury, Charlotte wasn’t beset by nerves.

“Of course I was nervous when I first got back on - it felt a long way down! But all the time I was telling myself ‘lightning never strikes twice’ and just to crack on – I felt I’d had my terrible fall, got it out of the way, and now I was back on course.”

And, by 2010, it seemed that was true; riding Anne Barlow’s horse, What If, she rose back through the eventing ranks to three-star level. Alongside, she rode a winner over hurdles for trainer Peter Niven and was crowned Yorkshire Area Novice Ladies Point-to-Point Champion.

“It was a dream year: I was doing what I felt I was born to do. Then the fall at the Pony Club area trials plunged me back into the nightmare.”

Though it was to take months of persisting with, first, her GP and, then, the hospital, Charlotte was finally given the news she had broken her back again. This time, damage to the spinal cord meant the vertebrae from her shoulder blades to the base of her spine had to be fused and body cement used to protectively encase it – and there would be no goal of returning to the saddle to pursue.

“The consultant surgeon said that only my riding fitness had kept me walking for so long after the fall; my core muscles had kept the fracture stable. But then he added that part of my life was over – it was time to think about leading a normal life, one without horses,” says Charlotte, who was told if she broke her back again it would mean certain paralysis. >>

“I even went back to riding the horse that broke my back, first eventing and then point to pointing him; it was madness, really.”

It never occurred to me not to ride again – riding was what I did.

Photo courtesy of ES P

hotography


THE BIG INTERVIEW

>> The news dropped her into the blackest hole of depression. “Everything that defined me, not to mention my source of income, was gone. Suddenly there was nothing to work towards.”

It was this more than anything that drove her to despair; fiercely competitive and living a life inextricably entwined with horses, Charlotte now felt cut adrift. The horses were found new homes and Charlotte moved away, unable to bear the sight of the stables.

“I watched Victoria Pendleton’s interview on the Clare Balding Show recently and knew absolutely what she meant when she described putting everything from her cycling life into a box and putting it away for two years when she retired. The only way I could survive was to put my old life in a mental box and never look at it again.”

Visits home meant carefully-worded conversations, where horses were never mentioned. Gone were the inevitable constantly-worn jodhpurs and grubby nails; instead, Catherine found herself stood in the kitchen talking to a glamorous, perfectly made-up stranger.

“She would talk away but her eyes were cold as a shark’s. It was totally unlike Charlotte, and I knew it was the only way she could cope – but it was incredibly hard to see her so unhappy,” says Catherine.

Unbelievably, worse was to come: despite everything, Catherine had been unable to let go of all Charlotte’s tack. Instead, she kept it polished and hanging in place in the tack room, a heart-over-head decision.

“Then I came home one day from teaching and the whole lot had been stolen, every last piece. The only thing that didn’t go was her hat, as it happened to be in the house,” says Catherine, who still clenches her hands at something she describes as ‘utterly devastating’.

The final blow was to fall just months later; Filly, the horse who had given Charlotte the courage to compete again after her first fall, struck into herself in the field, causing a fatal injury.

“It was unbearable and the only way to cope was to try to make a different life for myself,” says Charlotte, who worked for a while at both York and Goodwood racecourse, before joining a pub development company.

“The racecourse work was fun but the other job was not. What last shreds of confidence and belief in myself were gone; I was having to screw up the courage to even go into work.”

Desperate to help her daughter, Catherine persuaded her to come and watch What If (George), who was now acting as a school- master for a local family, at an area horse trials competition. For Charlotte, it was to be a tough but transformative experience. “It was terribly hard watching him ridden by someone else – I had absolutely adored riding him. But, as he came towards to end of the cross country course, I heard myself say to Mum ‘I want to ride him back to the horsebox’.”

In spite of the protestations of the stewards and Catherine’s misgivings, Charlotte was hastily kitted out and legged onto George. Once in the saddle, however, the sight of those beloved, familiar ears bobbing in front were too much.

“I burst into tears. It was very upsetting,” says Charlotte quietly. “Once we got back to the horsebox, I got off and vanished.”

Two months passed before Charlotte was ready to ride again and, this time, it was on a steady horse lent by a friend.

“Three and a half years had gone past since the second accident and everything about being on a horse felt scarily unfamiliar; even the movement made me feel seasick. It took me weeks of getting on him to build up the courage to first trot and then canter.”

It was in canter that the impact of the second accident really hit home. “Trying to sit down in canter was hard. I remember riding round weeping; nothing felt the same,” says Charlotte.

The second fall had damaged the L4 and L5 nerves, making her left leg very weak and causing her ankle to be slack. “I tend to trip over things a lot, especially when I’m tired. My leg just feels like it’s a bit removed from the rest of me!”

As a trainer, it was clear to her mother that Charlotte could no longer ride like an able-bodied person. Though torn about the risk for her in riding again, Catherine knew her daughter would never be happy with a life that excluded horses – and began to

quietly investigate para grading.“The first time I mentioned to

Mum about perhaps looking into being assessed as a para rider, she nodded slowly and said ‘oh, that could be an idea’. All the time knowing she had a folder of para stuff hidden in the cupboard!” laughs Charlotte.

Assessment for both national and international para riding followed in 2013 and Charlotte was graded 4, the same as para dressage rider Sophie Wells. On an advanced eventer who, ironically, was leaving the sport because he disliked dressage on grass, Charlotte began competing in dressage.

“All the time, Mum and I said to each other ‘it’s just a fun hobby – there’s no pressure, we’re not getting him too fit’ which was perfect for me and the horse.”

Success followed at a national talent spotting competition. While there, trainer Tanya Larrigan took Charlotte aside and gave her some invaluable advice.

“She sat me down and said I had to let go of what I had been before; instead, I had to accept my disability and work with it. Hearing this, and finally believing it, was a massive turning point,” says Charlotte, who describes ‘a switch being flipped in my head’, turning back on all the competitive drive and dreams she’d thought lost.

Just as the tide had turned against the Cundalls before, so now it began running in their favour again. Realising her current horse had taken her as far as he could, Charlotte was on the lookout for another when eventing friend Rachel Lupton texted to say her advanced horse was up for sale.

“The horse was The Chenko Artist, one I’d always loved when I was eventing. He was incredibly talented, and had been on the eventing equine pathway as a youngster, but had begun to have problems cross country – most recently ducking out at fences with Oliver Townend. “He was way too much money for us, though, and reluctantly I said no. A month later, Rachel rang and said ‘just come and try him – if you get on, we’ll find a way’ and, once trainer Ian Woodhead saw us together, he said ‘you must have that horse’,” says Charlotte.

Charlotte Cundell

Charlotte at home with her terrier Rodney and Chenko

The only way to cope was to try to make a different life for myself.

Photos courtesy of Liz Falkingham


Photo courtesy of Julia Shearw

ood Equestrian Photography

I had to let go of what I had

been before; I had to accept my disability and work with it.

Charlotte competing George before she broke her back for

the second time

A FAIRYTALE HAPPY ENDINGThis fairytale’s happy ending, then, comes not in the form of a knight in shining armour but of a handsome chestnut gelding with a white blaze and rather boxy front feet. Together, two former eventers – one horse, one human – are storming the walls of the para dressage world.

Within six months, the pair won not just the elementary restricted to music title at Hartpury but also the Grade 4 restricted class at the Para Dressage Nationals at Vale View.

“I think Chenko is so pleased he never has to go cross country again that he gives dressage everything he’s got! He’s not the biggest mover but he tries 100% all the time and is incredibly generous. The next steps are some UK-based international para competitions this year, with the aim of competing at 3-star by the end of the year. I want to establish us as a serious contender for a team place so that, should the opportunity arise, we’re ready to take it,” says Charlotte, who believes Chenko is good enough to take her all the way.

“He made me realise you can change your dreams rather than give them up. All my life, I wanted to represent my country at eventing; now, it’s beginning to feel like I could still represent my country, just in the dressage arena instead.”

COPING WITH THE RISKCharlotte’s mother, Catherine, says inevitably she worries about the risk, but that they both work hard to minimise it every day.

“Someone watches her every minute she’s on board, and we have a deal that, if she’s frightened by anything, she just gets off. No being a hero – we both know she can’t fall off.”

They worked together on overcoming Charlotte’s understandable nerves, which had to be done on ‘completely trustworthy horses’, and humour has been essential in dealing with the situation. “Her left leg does do funny things unbeknownst to Charlotte! I just tell her ‘your leg’s gone feral’ and we have a laugh about it – we’ve always had that kind of relationship and that’s not going to change now,” says Catherine.


IH Training Section

By IH member Sue Gould-WrightRelocating to Northumberland and rekindling her passion for horses prompted SUE GOULD-WRIGHT to set up a new business, Equestrian Pilates. Here, she talks about the benefits Pilates can bring to rider enjoyment and confidence

I had been teaching ‘normal’ Pilates for several years when we relocated to the beautiful county of Northumberland. The move also prompted me, after a very long break from riding, to get back in the saddle.

I soon realised that everything I had learnt doing and teaching Pilates had improved my riding ten-fold: I was able to sit better, ‘feel’ more, isolate muscles and my overall body awareness was infinitely more developed than years ago. Knowing how it could help other riders, I starting promoting my work and, eventually, set up the website www.equestrianpilates.co.uk so I could help people far and wide.

stand like a duck; you stick your backside out, your chest forward, your head forward and let your belly hang out. You need to do Pilates.’

Thank goodness I had to lie with my face down for the next half an hour, as I was crimson with embarrassment! But it prompted to me to do some research: I’d never heard of Pilates but soon found a class – and within weeks of attending my back pain had gone.

It took a while to co-ordinate the postural corrections, breathing and specific exercises, but I was hooked! After several years attending classes, I had the opportunity to train as an instructor and qualified in 2005; I’ve now been a Pilates Instructor and Sports Massage Therapist for almost 10 years.

I get the same buzz when a client tells me how much their dressage score has improved as I do when a client, who was in so much pain they couldn’t even get on a horse, tells me they actually managed to ride their horse for 10 minutes pain free. I am not looking for ‘fame and fortune’ I just want to provide the best tuition I can, in as many formats as I can think of, to make equestrian Pilates accessible to all.

• See www.equestrianpilates.co.uk for more details

TRAININGwith

The benefits of Equestrian PilatesI’d always loved horses – as a small child, I remember going to a riding school with my Mum and big sister once a week. I finally got my first ‘pony’ Ari when I was 39; he was three when I got him but I had known him since he was a yearling.

I’ve also always been sporty and carry many an old injury to prove it! But, thanks to Pilates, I am still stronger, suppler, more flexible and body aware than I have ever been.

As a result, I move with my horse not against him; I also ‘feel’ imbalances in him and in myself. I can isolate muscles to give the subtlest of aids, ‘whispering’ to him instead of ‘shouting’.

I can isolate muscles to give the subtlest of aids. It wasn’t always like this: I had a break from riding from my early twenties to my mid-thirties, and during that time I took up rowing. I loved being on the water but suffered from recurrent back pain. My osteopath would sort me out but a few months down the line the pain would be back.

Eventually, and in great pain, I got an emergency appointment to see a different osteopath as my usual one was away. I asked him why my back pain kept coming back and he told me: ‘You

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WIN A COPY OF SUE’S NEW BOOK

As well as her work teaching Pilates to clients and via the website, Sue has a new book out. Equestrian Pilates: Schooling for the Rider looks at how equestrian Pilates helps the rider and runs through the basics before using photos and clear instructions to guide the reader through various exercises aimed at improving core stability, body awareness, balance, breathing and flexibility.

We have a copy of Sue’s new book Equestrian Pilates: Schooling for the Rider, which has a foreword by Kelly Marks, to give away. All you have to do is answer the following question and send your answers to [email protected] with ‘Pilates Competition’ in the subject line:

Q: What is the name of Sue’s website full of Pilates exercises for riders?

• Equestrian Pilates: Schooling for the Rider is priced at £15.99 and published by J.A. Allen. See www.allenbooks.co.uk

Sue with her horse Ari



DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE!Breathing correctly is one of the basics of Pilates; of course, we all breathe day in, day out, but how many of us breathe as efficiently as we could? When we’re nervous, for example, we are all prone to rapid, shallow breathing (or even holding our breath completely).

Breathing correctly helps lower your heart rate and calm both you and your horse down in a tricky situation; my horse, Ari, will halt or drop down a gait just from an out-breath, for example. By breathing correctly, you are taking more oxygen into your blood system (needed for muscle energy) and focusing on breathing in one side of the rib-cage or another can help keep us centred in the saddle.

This exercise comes from my new book, Equestrian Pilates – Schooling for the Rider.

LATERAL BREATHING EXERCISE Lateral breathing is a technique used a lot in Pilates and yoga. It teaches you to use your full lung capacity and to think about where in your lungs you are aiming your breath.

Find a scarf (or tail bandage/pair of tights!) and wrap it around your ribcage as show in the photograph on the opposite page. Take a breath in and feel which part of you moved: was it the top of your ribcage or your tummy?

When you breathe in correctly, your diaphragm is pressed downwards as the lungs fill with air; your ribcage should expand outwards. Wrap the scarf around your ribcage once more and, taking a breath in, try to push the scarf outwards towards the sides – lateral breathing.

You want to feel that you are actively aiming the breath into the bottom, outside corners of your lungs. Your out-breath will be an almost-involuntary action, as the muscular diaphragm recoils back into place, pushing the air out of your lungs.

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Lateral breathing teaches you to use your full lung capacity and to think about where in your lungs you are aiming your breath


THE FEAR FACTOR IH Training Section

No one who rides would be

surprised to hear a fellow

equestrian had lost their

nerve following a serious fall –

it’s more surprising how many

are able to brush themselves

off and carry on regardless.

But loss of confidence and

fearfulness can happen for many

(not always apparent) reasons.

As a teenager, Rebecca Richards competed at national level in eventing. Like lots of women, she then had a break from horses in her 20s to establish a career and start a family, before coming back to riding.

“The pay-off for 10 horseless years of hard work was that I had enough money to buy

the sort of decent competition horse I could only dream of as a kid. So when Sam came off the transporter onto my yard, I should just have felt massively excited – but there was also a niggle of doubt,” says Rebecca.

This niggle grew roots and became a much more serious nervousness about riding Sam, who in turn became increasingly difficult as his anxiety matched Rebecca’s.

“My dreams of doing BE stuff vanished – how was I going to go cross country when just the thought of hacking Sam out made me retch with nerves? I couldn’t understand how I could go from this fearless teenager whose jumping motto was ‘the bigger the better’ to a shivering bundle of nerves.”

In this situation, telling yourself to ‘get over it/on with it’ really isn’t helpful, says IHRA Suzanne Halsey.

WELCOME TO THE IH TRAINING SECTION

No one who rides would be surprised to hear a fellow equestrian had lost their nerve following a serious fall

“I have worked with plenty of people who have experienced fear in connection with their horse, be it ridden or on the ground. It’s not a nice place to be – dry mouth, feeling sick, heart beating faster, light headedness.

“Often we’re ‘paralysed’ by these feelings, and therefore get stuck or frozen. Our brain may well be telling our body to do something, but the body simply disobeys,” says Suzanne.

Ideally, we might hope our horses would help us out in this situation but often the opposite is true.

“To the horse, this state isn’t all that pleasant for them either. They are sensitive animals, and their instincts tell them that this isn’t a good situation; sometimes, being away from us seems the only viable, sensible option,” says Suzanne.

If you feel like you are out of your depth, seek some professional help.

Fear can get to all of us at some point or another: even professional horse riders at the top of their game can succumb.

This issue’s training section focusses on confidence – IH Magazine looks at why we lose our nerve, how it affects us and what to do about it; seat stability; and horses as therapy

the FEAR FACTOR

Why riders lose their confidence(AND HOW TO GET IT BACK)

TRAININGwith



Facing your fearWhen your confidence is draining away, Suzanne says it’s important to try to access what happened to set this off.

“Recognising and admitting something was/is scary is usually the first step; often we are in denial of what is going on. Talk it through with a friend who can help break it down; look sensibly at your options, and then enlist some support and help.

“If you feel like you are out of your depth, seek some professional help. I often find people are more relaxed when I do a visit – they are sharing the problem, and have someone that can help them.”

That person will also help establish if the problem can be tackled by you or is too dangerous for you undertake. IHRA Julia Fisher says she has had many situations where she has strongly advised clients to stop riding altogether until they addressed the issue(s) causing the fear.

“Bodies are very clever things: they do their level best to keep us safe but they can only work with information they have. If that information is fear – well, fear does funny things to bodies!

“Sometimes, though, a rider’s anxiety is absolutely justified. If they’ve unintentionally over-horsed themselves, for example, it can be better to admit that a change of horse is the first step in rebuilding their confidence.”

Fit for purposeBeing as fit and pain-free as possible is important for any rider – Julia warns riders should “get fit to ride, not ride to get fit; horses are powerful animals.” Physical fitness is also crucial for the horse.

“If a horse has a disability, it can generate more adrenaline more of the time because of the effect the physical issue has on the horse’s flight response. It’s no secret that ‘bad’ behaviour in horses often comes from pain, so educating the rider in this area can make real and lasting changes for both partners.”

It’s no secret that ‘bad’ behaviour in horses often comes from pain. Nor should emotional issues be taken lightly – fear can have a significant mental as well as physical impact. Roger Bradley lost his confidence after being bolted with on a friend’s horse; while he escaped relatively unscathed physically, the same was not true mentally.

“I fell off when the horse swerved violently to avoid a tree and was lucky to only end up with concussion and some spectacular bruises. Far worse, though, were the regular nightmares about being out of control, including going over a cliff in a car or falling off a building – I’d wake up shaking and exhausted.

“The idea of getting back on a horse seemed ridiculous; I didn’t know how I’d ever be able to trust one again. I couldn’t forget how it felt when the horse took off and how absolutely powerless I felt,” said Roger, who had to go right back to basics with a trainer to deal with the aftermath of his accident.

Recipe for successOnce a rider starts to tackle a confidence problem, Suzanne Halsey says it’s good to keep a record of what works and what doesn’t.

“This lays the foundation for your own recipe for success. By keeping a log of events, you may notice other things, for example do things go better when you have more time, or haven’t had a bad day preceeding working with your horse?

“If you have had a good session, then go home and think about what made that work, how it felt, and what factors made it the success it was. Do some mental rehearsal about that session, as this has been proven to be very valuable in taking you forward.

“Likewise if things go wrong, rather than go over and over it in your mind, stop when it gets to the point that it goes wrong, rewind, and replay it how you would like it to go. This mind game can be invaluable at setting yourself up for success,” concludes Suzanne

Continued overleaf >>

By keeping a log of events, you may notice other things, for example do things go better when you have more time, or haven’t had a bad day proceeding working with your horse?

TRAININGwith

SUZANNE’S TOP FIVE CONFIDENCE TIPS

Go and spend time with your horse doing easy, fun stuff like grooming

• BREAK EVERYTHING DOWN INTO BITE-SIZED CHUNKS; work on each chunk until you feel you are confident and can repeat it more than a couple of times. Repetition helps consolidate the new behaviour

• NOTICE WHEN YOU START TO FEEL LIKE THINGS ARE SPIRALLING OUT OF YOUR CONTROL, and stop and take a step back to something that you can manage

• NOTICE HOW YOU FEEL WHEN THINGS START TO GO WRONG. If you feel your breathing get quicker, for example, find ways to help yourself slow the breathing down – you may well notice that as you get control of your breathing, the horse will synchronise his breathing with you

• IF YOU REALLY DON’T FEEL LIKE TACKLING IT, THAT’S OK! Recognising when it is right and when it is wrong to do something is important – go and spend time with your horse doing easy, fun stuff like grooming and tackle the tough stuff another time

• SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS, work on what you can do and focus on the positive


Building confidence and competence“I believe the best way to achieve rider confidence is a multi-track approach, which addresses both the horse’s issues and the rider’s. That starts with a realistic assessment of whether a rider has a good reason to be fearful of their horse,” says IHRA Adam Goodfellow.

“I’ve worked with clients who are scared and, frankly, they ought to be: their horses need a lot of groundwork on desensitising to bags, vehicles and other objects like a mannequin. Otherwise, an ‘accident’ with these horses is no accident at all.”

The next step, says Adam, is a realistic assessment of the rider’s position and movement on the horse.

“Poor position makes it much more likely that you will fall off when your horse spooks, spins or bucks. Lack of fitness, being stiff or simply lack of understanding about what the correct position is and how to achieve it are common issues and contribute to lack of confidence in the saddle.

“So being confident, in the way that can be achieved with something like hypnotherapy, is not a good idea if it doesn’t go in tandem with competence.”

Adam says he’s found a method called seat training can greatly aid both confidence and competence for riders.

“Readers of a certain age may remember supple-ing exercises done on the lunge but, although similar, it’s more targeted. A drill-based, kinaesthetic approach, seat training brings greater balance, suppleness and stability, which in turn builds confidence as you are more likely to stay on in an incident.

“At the same time, the horse grows in confidence and balance, and becomes desensitised to excessive rider movements. It’s also great fun, and easy for you to practice.”

The horse grows in confidence and balance, and becomes desensitised to excessive rider movements

Adam believes one of the major benefits of seat training is the improvement in both the rider’s co-ordination and ability to process information quickly.

“Once the basic exercises are mastered, the trainer can increase the level of challenge by calling out a succession of commands, or ask for a movement with more difficult co-ordination, for example rotating the ankles in one direction and arms in another.

“With practise, the rider’s processing power increases, and this has the effect of seeming to slow down time when dealing with tricky moments. After each movement, the rider has to get back into position and this gradually increases their recovery from disruption.”

Correct breathing is a core element of the training.

“It’s easy to breathe if you think about it, but harder to do so when doing the exercises. Right from the start, I make sure the rider is looking up and breathing deeply without any disruption,” says Adam, who believes any rider can develop an unconscious competence in the critical components of good riding using seat training.

The best way to achieve rider confidence is a multi-track approach.


Correct breathing is a core element of the training

Seat training can greatly aid both confidence and competence for riders

TRAININGwith



HOW DOES RIDER POSITION AFFECT US, OUR HORSE AND OUR CONFIDENCE? As with being on the ground, it is when the horse starts moving the rider that problems occur. It is reasonably common knowledge now, that it is not ideal if the horse moves us in any capacity, as it puts the horse in the position of being leader (being herd animals, this is not generally their preferred role and can create a confidence issue).

However it does depend on where it happens as to how much it affects the horse or rider’s confidence; for example, a horse that moves/unbalances his rider in an unknown place may well become more unconfident than if it is in a familiar place like a school, or hacking round the block with a buddy. This can be true for the rider, too.

I think this is why we can ‘get away with it’ so much of the time; if the horse is confident in his environment, he’s not as bothered by us wobbling all over the place. However it can then come as real shock when you go to your first competition and your horse tanks off with you, and you’re left wondering why that happened!


IHRA JULIA FISHER has been

teaching on the Perfect Confidence

courses with fellow RAs Dido Fisher

and Linda Ruffle for five years. In

this training guide, Julia looks at

assessing and addressing rider

position and stability

Dido, Linda and I have had the pleasure of meeting many people on the Perfect Confidence courses – a varied mix of pleasure riders and professionals. From this experience, we have learnt that supporting both the rider and the horse is key in the process of improving or rebuilding confidence.

We have found that our combined skills can give people the personalised approach that is often needed when confidence has been knocked. The multiple factors that are often involved with loss of confidence can be overwhelming; it can be difficult to know what you can do that will help.

For example if your confidence has been knocked by a fall, should you get someone to work with your horse to stop him spooking? Or was it your saddle that caused him to buck?

Or maybe, if you could have just sat that last buck you would have been home and dry; maybe it’s riding lessons that are needed? Where do you start?!

My speciality is rider position: I am interested in how to achieve the optimum position for the rider that affords them the best stability/security they can have. How we sit has a big effect on our ability to communicate with our horse.

The better we can communicate, the more confidence we can build. How we ride, how we feel when we ride, and what mental state we bring can have direct consequences to our horses confidence as well as ours.

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Rider confidence is fundamental to the partnership between horse and rider and plays a significant role in developing and maintaining the horse’s confidence. A secure and positive

position is an important part of the whole picture.

The better we can communicate, the more confidence we can build.

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Julia says that supporting both the rider and the horse is key in the process of improving or rebuilding confidence

All photos courtesy of Linda Ruffle

A Secure &POSITIVE

POSITION

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Riding with tension just creates more tension. >> Being knocked off balance/moved by the horse means we then generally have to use the reins to secure ourselves. This can cause a number of problems for the horse that can result in behaviour that causes problems for the rider.

A strong contact caused when we use our hands to balance us can override our signal for stop. Also, as we know, horses are into pressure animals, so this ‘holding’ can, ironically, cause running off and napping.

Being unbalanced causes riders to be tense and this

transfers to the horse. Riding with tension just creates

more tension and a tense person is far more

likely to fall off than a relaxed one.

SO HOW DO WE RELAX, STAY WITH OUR HORSE AND DIRECT HIM CONFIDENTLY? Well, for most of us, there is quite a lot involved: being able to breathe and do at the same time is a big part of it. Our bodies do their best to look after themselves, and do the right thing, but if they haven’t got the right or relevant information about what they need to do, they have to make it up as they go along.

Under pressure, bodies either brace or go into a foetal crouch position – neither works very well. Showing the body how to be secure (and feeling the benefits of this) is the way forward; once it has a physical and mental map of how to get there, it will choose that over bracing, pulling or collapsing.

Get your detective hat on: start noticing what’s happening for you and your horse. Smart phones are great – get someone to do a video, or take some pictures of you. Later in this article, we will look at the difference from a position point of view between confident and less confident riders so you can see what you are looking for.

THE SECURE SEATWhat steps can be taken to work out how secure your seat is and what can you do to work towards improving it? Having a starting point is crucial; knowing where you are is a big part of establishing where you need to go and how you are going get there.

Rider confidence is unique to the individual, so it’s important that you get the right coach/ trainer to help you. It is also important that you are supported in looking at the whole picture.

A lot of riding teaching gets lost in translation. Instructions like ‘heels down’, ‘relax’, ‘sit up’, or ‘use your seat’ are often misunderstood or misinterpreted and can cause confusion.

SO HOW CAN YOU TEST YOUR STABILITY? I get my clients to ride Woody, my wooden horse; he is very patient and stands beautifully and the feedback that people get from him is very clear! Something you can do at home, however, is get someone to pretend to be your horse’s mouth (see Starting Point)

With them holding one end of the reins, pick up the reins and go into ‘on horse’ position; then take up the contact you would ride with.

A SECURE & POSITIVE POSITION IH Training Section

A Secure &POSITIVE

POSITION

Also, try standing on the edge of a step on the balls of your feet, then go into ‘on horse’ position – how easy or difficult do you find it?

At this point they need to drop the reins: do you stay put or drop backwards? If the latter, your seat is not stable!

Using an exercise ball to test your balance is also good. Can you ‘ride’ the ball and lift your feet off the ground without the ball moving?

These exercises can help you determine what muscles you use for balance. This is the start of a muscle memory and map for balance.

Can you ‘ride’ the ball and lift your feet off the ground without the ball moving?


Try standing on the edge of a step on the balls of your feet, then go into ‘on horse’ position – how easy or difficult do you find it?’

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Most people push from their feet and grip with their thighs, which is what Ali is doing here; and yet this pushes you out of the saddle rather than keeping you in it.


All photos courtesy of Linda Ruffle

Ali in the secure position

Once Ali has established the secure position, try as I might, I cannot pull her off

Ali is behind the vertical (being on vertical is crucial for correct and productive breathing)

STARTING POINTPictured above is my test rider, Ali, in her ‘starting point’ on Woody: what do you notice? If the horse was to move with her in this position, she would likely get left behind and, if I let go of the reins, she would definitely ping off backwards!

She is behind the vertical (being on vertical is crucial for correct and productive breathing, which is the difference between tone and tension) and if Woody was to magically vanish, she would land on her bottom on the floor. These are all signs that she’s asking the horse to carry her/take her, rather than her being responsible for her own weight.

If we were to ask the question ‘who could move who here?’ Woody would be able to move our rider pretty easily. What’s important at this point is that Ali realises this; so taking her picture and showing her would be useful, as would testing her stability by pushing her from behind, emulating horses hind feet, and pulling on the reins to play out the action of the horse pulling.

We can see how easy it is for me to push her off balance. When doing this, I ask my rider how much effort she is having to exert on a level from one to 10 to stop me from pushing her off balance; this is useful later on in the process, when I have reorganised her, as it gives her a comparison.

I also ask which part of her body she is using to stop me from moving them. Again, this is helping her notice what’s happening and gives clues to what needs to change.

Look at the sequence of pictures (below): is Ali using her feet, core or thighs to stop me unbalancing her?

This exercise is very useful: once you have established where the rider is at, you can go about adjusting their position accordingly. It really helps the body choose the secure position over the insecure one; you would think this is a ‘no brainer’ but you would be surprised how bodies can hang onto what they know, rather than what’s best!


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THE CONFIDENT RIDER>> I have chosen fellow IHRA Carrie Adams as an example of a confident rider, as I think it’s useful to see what we are working towards. Many of the elements that can strengthen our confidence as riders are evident in this image.

What do you notice as an external observer? If you were to compare this picture with a photograph of your riding which elements would be similar? What might be different?

What stands out for me is the degree of balance and security in her position: this is a clear example of a rider being responsible for her own body weight, rather than being constantly shifted by the power of the horse’s movement. This is vital if we are to hold onto the belief that we are fundamentally safe in what we are doing.

We can see in this moment that it would take a lot to move Carrie off balance; she is balanced over her feet with a good shoulder-hip-heel line (if the horse were to vanish from under her, she would land standing on her feet). She has a reasonably neutral spine that, in turn, allows her to breathe well (the picture was taken just as she started to breathe in ready for next stride).

Her feet are light; she is not putting undue force down through the stirrup, so her bottom is down and deep in the saddle, very connected to the horse’s back. This also allows her hands to be independent and give clear signals.

This picture captures Carrie asking for a right turn, and this causes the horse to look slightly over bent, but her hands are still, independent and light; you can see give in the right rein and the left hand is advanced. The horse’s head carriage is not a consequence of any pull back from the rider’s hands, rather from his exploring what is being asked of him.

Carrie has a very powerful frame that allows her to match the movement of this big active horse brilliantly, engage his attention and demonstrate to him that he can be balanced and forward. She is ‘fit for purpose’ – riding within her level of competence on a horse who is able to perform for her and learn from her.

As well as the visible ingredients that allow Carrie to ride with such confidence other key

components play their part. There is a strong sense of Carrie’s level of focus and intent: she is fully ‘present’ in the moment with her horse.

Instead of ‘over-thinking’ or running a “what if …” scenario of self-doubt; her attention is on using the skills she knows she has to ask specific questions of the horse.

She knows what she is asking for, has effective ways of asking and knows the influence she is seeking to have on her horse. This is the state of ‘unconscious competence’ that we can all work towards.

This comes from years of dedicated experience and learning, a supportive partner providing knowledgeable eyes on the ground for feedback, and continued training from suitably-skilled coaches. So how do we get to here?

The answer depends on your starting point; it’s not all about rider position. There are many factors/components to rider confidence – we have looked here at ways to assess your stability and start to build a foundation where you can grow your confidence.

Confident riders can breathe, think and do all at the same time. Practising good breathing in your daily life is useful as this helps you access tone rather than tension; muscles don’t work well without good breathing.

This is also important in helping control your emotional state and adrenalin level. Fellow course coaches Linda and Dido have great skills in helping people deal with and manage the emotion/state that is involved in the confidence issue.

Remember, what we think we are doing and what we are actually doing are often very different. Getting good support and guidance is crucial in becoming a more confident rider that can, in turn, create confidence in the horse.

If this article has inspired you to come on a Perfect Confidence course, the next dates are June 27 & 28 and August 1 & 2. Email perfectconfidenceinfo@ gmail.com for more details.



Photo courtesy of Linda R

uffle

The state of ‘unconscious competence’ is something we can all work towards.

IHRA Carrie Adams – many of the elements that can strengthen our confidence as riders are evident in this image

A Secure &POSITIVE

POSITION

Spring 2015 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP 25Summer 2015 INTELLIGENT HORSEMANSHIP 25


By Ele Milwright Falling off or dealing with a

rearing horse are two of the big

rider frighteners. IH member

Ele Milwright attended a course

designed to give riders the

skills to face and overcome

these and other fears

I don’t know about you, but most of my riding instructors have, understandably, spent most of their energies on keeping me IN the saddle rather than out of it (Sit up! Shoulders back!). Once in a tricky situation, though, where our horse panics and spooks/bucks/rears, how many of us have felt that moment of brain freeze, hoping we won’t fall off and praying it won’t hurt?

One of the biggest issues Intelligent Horsemanship gets asked about is rider confidence. Whether the result of an accident, being over-horsed or perhaps simply deterioration in trust and communication between horse and rider, it is a very common and frustrating problem that can blight our enjoyment of horses.

From Kelly’s book, Perfect Confidence, to the network of IH Recommended Associates who can visit your yard for training solutions, IH can equip you with the tools and techniques for

training and improving your equine partnership. So I was interested to learn that the Stampede Stunt Company has developed an unusual approach to rider training, utilising their experience of trick riding and stunt work to deliver a unique course.

Their very popular Rider Confidence Course, which involves riding highly-trained stunt horses, learning how to fall safely and even sports hypnosis, takes place at The Centre of Horseback Combat in the tranquil setting of the historic Gaddesden Estate. It’s instantly worth the early start on a Sunday morning!

The instructors, Zana and Karl, are friendly and quick to set you at ease; their unique approach has seen clients travelling from as far away as Singapore and New York. There is little dwelling on past issues and fears, but rather a positive and practical approach concentrating on encouraging you to build your confidence in a safe environment, and honing your skills in the saddle on highly trained schoolmasters.

After a steaming mug of tea, we are talked through our first Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) session with Karl, a qualified and experienced sports hypnotherapist. NLP is a mind-training system that helps us manage our thoughts, feelings and behaviours more Continued overleaf >>

effectively. It is an immensely calming experience, and the group emerges in a relaxed and positive frame of mind, ready to meet the horses: the charming Connemara cross, Bullseye, and Andalucian, Todo.

Zana explains how many riders are too quick to commit to a fall; if your horse spooks and you are shifted out of your saddle, then don’t simply give up and slide off. Engage your ‘thinking brain’, regain your centre of balance and use whatever you can – saddle, neck strap, mane – to help pull yourself back up.

The majority of us are so used to being drilled to sit correctly in the saddle that we panic the moment we come out of it. Zana explains the need to forget the importance of a ‘correct seat’, and realise that we can rebalance ourselves without it.

Using the Cossack trick saddles, the instructors help to show us how to move around the saddle, and their various tricks and centering techniques to help maintain balance, even when well out of the saddle. We are soon confidently hanging off our horses at all sorts of angles, and even happily jumping off at walk and trot, learning to use our momentum to keep our balance when we hit the ground running.

All photos courtesy of Ele Milw

right

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FACING YOUR FEARS IH Training Section

FACING YOUR FEARS(OR THE UNIMPORTANCE OF A CORRECT SEAT!)

FACING YOUR FEARSOR THE UNIMPORTANCE OF A CORRECT SEAT!

Using the Cossack trick saddles, the instructors help to show us how to move around the saddle, and their various tricks and centering techniques to help maintain balance

Zana of the Stampede Stunt Company

...my riding instructors have, understandably, spent most of their energies on keeping me IN the saddle rather than out of it...


>> Despite hanging on by just a knee and a handhold, I feel totally in balance and can trot all the way up the school. Using the ‘bounce’ of the movement of the horse helps me ‘pop’ back up again and regain my seat.

Having covered the basics of balance and rebalancing, we move on to the part I have been most looking forward to – rearing. I have previously had a horse rear over backwards and land on me, onto frozen tarmac; we both hobbled away from it, but it has bugged me ever since that I could have ridden the moment better and perhaps prevented it.

Of course, it is far preferable if you can manage to defuse the situation before the rearing starts. Zana recommends that as soon as you feel the horse tense and start to lift, to lean forward sliding your hand along the rein towards the bit, and pull the horse’s head around your knee to disengage his shoulders. Keep riding forwards (circling if you need to) and redirect the energy.

Usually when we are on a rearing horse, it is because things have escalated – the horse’s adrenalin is up, and our thoughts tend to be purely focussed on wanting to get back down in one piece. But with a horse who is trained to rear (and who will ONLY rear on command), the fear factor is completely eliminated and you can focus on experimenting with how to stay in balance, ensuring your hands give the reins so you don’t pull the horse backwards.

Zana’s trusted Andalucian, Niagara, is quick, intelligent and utterly responsive and it’s a real privilege to ride him: I find I’m actually having fun! After a break for lunch, however, we return for the segment that I have not been quite so looking forward to – falling.

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We are soon confidently hanging off our horses at all sorts of angles.

Despite hanging on by just a knee and a handhold, I feel totally in balance

With a horse who is trained to rear, you can focus on experimenting with how to stay in balance, ensuring your hands give the reins so you don’t pull the horse backwards

Zana and Karl reason that by teaching you how to fall safely, so you no longer fear the fall, you will be able to concentrate on actually riding through the problem.

Stunt rider Ash effortlessly vaults up on to Nelly, the wooden horse, and demonstrates the sideways fall. I’m not sure if I’m more

nervous about the falling or the pressure that they’ll want me to vault on (phew, spied a mounting block!).

The theory of falling is if you plank and roll, you will minimise the impact. Ash throws himself off, rolling dramatically across the school.



The theory of falling is if you plank and roll, you will minimise the impact.

Now it’s my turn – I face plant, though it doesn’t hurt at all due to the crash mat. Karl gives me a few more pointers, and I realise I need to really commit and spin as much as I can to ensure I get clear of the horse, with the momentum helping to minimise impact. I try again and – result – I manage a satisfying roll across the mat!

The group (a maximum of six) works together, and there is a strong feeling of mutual support and good humour, inspiring even the most nervous to take the plunge.

The next section covers what to do if your horse slips over. If you can, kick your feet out of the stirrups so you can keep your leg from getting trapped under the horse; this then gives you the option of jumping off when the horse lands.

However, if your foot is trapped, then you need to commit to staying with the horse when he gets back up, to save yourself the risk of being dragged by the stirrup. Again, the centering techniques we have learnt earlier help you stay with the horse, ready to react quickly when he gets back up.

Finally we head back to the classroom for a follow up NLP session, helping to re-programme our thought patterns, replacing panic and anxiety with calm and confidence, giving a renewed surge of self-belief in our capabilities.

At the time of writing, my own horse, Hovis, is just coming back into work after a winter off. Our riding is currently limited to hacking in walk, with only the occasional bin, bike or pig to deal with, so I have yet to test myself under more adrenalin fuelled situations.

That said, the very next day after the course, I rode Hovis into the stream that crosses through our village – an everyday occurrence for many, but I have been failing to persuade

him that there are no alligators in there for over three years. Yet this day we happily ended up splashing around up to his hocks for about 10 minutes, with him even relaxed enough to have a drink.

Am I a more confident rider? I think I will be. Am I a more positive rider? Absolutely!

It doesn’t matter what your horse does, it only matters how you react. This course’s unique approach, centred on the idea that it doesn’t matter what your horse does, it only matters how you react, allows you to practise potentially dangerous scenarios in a safe, secure environment; and who wouldn’t want the chance to ride such beautifully schooled stunt horses? I’m already planning to return, but am spoilt for choice – should I try horseback archery, roman riding, medieval combat or Cossack trick riding? Whatever it is, I am inspired to get out there and have FUN!

• If you fancy learning more about this course, and discovering the secrets to confidence in the saddle, go to www.horsebackcombat.co.uk

NOTE: Intelligent Horsemanship strongly advocates the wearing of a properly-fitted riding hat whenever handling or riding horses. Zana and her team are professional stunt riders and, for their professional careers whilst filming and performing, they are required to ride without a protective helmet. As such, they often choose to practise in the school environment without hats so that they feel confident and comfortable without them. This is an elective, calculated risk undertaken as part of their own professional training process.

All photos courtesy of Ele Milw

right

Stunt rider Ash effortlessly vaults up on to Nelly, the wooden horse, and demonstrates the sideways fall

Karl guides me in to the correct position so I can roll safely off the horse without catching my leg

Karl and Zana give me a few more pointers, and I realise I need to really commit and spin as much as I can to ensure I get clear of the horse

Zana demonstrates what to do if your horse slips over on top of you

This course’s unique approach allows you to practise potentially dangerous scenarios in a safe, secure environment


The close, and at times almost magical, bond shared by humans and horses has led to an increase in the concept of using horses therapeutically in recent years. IH Magazine looks at how children in particular can benefit from interacting with equines

More than perhaps any other domesticated animal, horses provoke a wide array of complex physical and emotional responses in humans. Sir Winston Churchill captured the essence of this when he (purportedly) said: “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”.

The idea of using this bond as therapy is increasingly popular; service veterans (some of whom are PTSD/I sufferers) have been a feature of Monty Roberts’ work and demos in recent times, for example. When it comes to children, however, the benefits of interacting with horses have long been known and utilised.

For over 40 years, the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) has brought children and horses together, recognising – as did the Ancient Greeks as far back as 600BC – the therapeutic value of riding. The association describes the ‘simple pleasure of working with horses’ as the ‘starting point [from which] everything else flows – be that freedom of movement, gaining confidence, building relationships, receiving life-enhancing physiotherapy or achieving individual goals’.

Beyond the considerable physical benefits for disabled children, including making their bodies more relaxed and supple, reducing spasms, and improving balance, posture and co-ordination, riding has palpable emotional ones too. A survey published by the RDA last year, based on a 12-week Tracker study at 26 RDA Groups across the UK, gave a startling insight into this.

The 181 school-age children involved in the study showed significant change across the six key areas of communication, confidence, enjoyment, relationships, physical ability and horsemanship. In just three months, 80% of riders demonstrated physical improvement, greater confidence and more enjoyment; 75% showed a greater

willingness and ability to communicate; 82% showed improved relationship building skills; and 83% demonstrated ‘clear advances in horsemanship’.

IH member Charlie Avent rode RDA ponies as a child and credits his on-going relationship with horses in helping him overcome the challenges posed by his autism.

“Many people used to be very negative and even hostile towards me and my autism because I am very easily confused and upset by things that most people take for granted. I cannot easily process my thoughts and feelings like other people can.”

Working with therapy horses at Gloucestershire-based Heartshore Horses, however, including those trained using IH methods, boosted Charlie’s confidence and self esteem and allowed him to believe in himself sufficiently to become an author and disability rights campaigner.

“When I feel upset or overloaded, I have my own horse, Spirit, to look after me; she is like my sister, best friend, counsellor and therapist and I love her with all my heart. But I also know that sometimes, when I am feeling too stressed, it is not good to be around my horse as she can also feel anxious.”

As with people, horses have individual characters and respond in different ways when interacting

HORSES AS THERAPY IH Training SectionTRAININGwith HORSES

as THERAPY

An RDA survey found 80% of school-age children demonstrated physical improvement, greater confidence and more enjoyment from riding horses at their centres


Photo courtesy of D

ido Fisher

HORSES AS THERAPY IH Training Section

with humans during therapy. The Heartshore horses vary not just in size, but also in their own sense of confidence; from wise old Cai, ‘who knows how to get along with everybody’ and ‘teaches us about wisdom’ to Gangster, who, unlike his name, is a ‘sweet but anxious character’ who ‘teaches us about sensitivity’.

Heartshore horses live in herds and are given as much freedom as possible, says Charlie; “they then reward us by choosing to come and help our clients.”

IHRA Dido Fisher, whose business Intuitive Leadership works with people via remedial horse-human relationships, also sees the value of allowing horses freedom when working in a therapy setting.

“In most of my work the horses are at liberty, free to engage or disengage and give their human partner feedback on how they are doing. With very small people and some of my special needs clients, we work with a loose rope as a symbol for the connection we want to create without the rope.”

...the horses are at liberty, free to engage or disengage... While Dido works with a wide range of clients, over more recent years she has worked increasingly with children with special needs. Alice is one of these children who, says Dido, is lucky to have ‘a super caring and vigilant mother, who actively seeks experiences for Alice in the wider world’.

“Alice does not speak but she is bright and wise. She has a handful of signs she uses for communication, yet we chat and laugh and joke through most of our sessions; she has a quick wit and tells me jokes through her eyes.

“When I first met Alice I wondered how I was going to connect with horses into her quiet

Alice developed a close bond with therapy horse Dillon

Photo courtesy of D

ido Fisher

Dido Fisher and Alice, who found a desire to communicate via time spent with horses

Photo courtesy of C

harlie Avent

Charlie’s on-going relationship with horses – especially his horse Spirit – is helping him overcome the challenges posed by his autism

When I feel upset or overloaded, I have Spirit to look after me.

world,” admits Dido, who worked first on Alice’s comprehension of a horse to allow her to see it as more than just a ‘large and unusual being, disquieting to her sense of physical safety’.

When Alice met therapy horse, Dillon, her initial skepticism soon disappeared. She moved very quickly to demonstrating his importance to her by creating one of only a few hand signals for ‘Dillon’.

“She developed a close bond with him, showing her palpable happiness to be with him and requesting visits. I experienced the depth of this bond when meeting many of her friends and family on her 7th birthday.

“Every person I met, after asking how I knew Alice, exclaimed ‘Dillon! I’ve heard so much about Dillon! She talks about him all the time’. He had become, for Alice, a symbol of her desire to communicate outwardly.



Herbs are a natural part of a horse’s diet – many will seek out certain plants when they’re unwell as a natural remedy. Not all can find what they need growing in their field, however; filling this need was the impetus for three IH members to set up an on–line shop supplying herbs to horse owners

Taking a natural approach

LEARN & WIN

When equine herbalist Karen McGovern found her declining health meant getting out to see clients was becoming increasingly difficult, a change of approach was needed. This was where IH members Catherine Walker, Kathy Nadin and Kathy Nicholson (known to those on the IH Discussion Group as Catrin, KathyN and Dragonmaster) stepped in.

“Karen become disabled a few years ago, but she was still in demand to provide herbs. The vet she worked with had stopped practicing to become a barrister, so Karen found it difficult to get out to visit the horses on crutches, and impossible to stand to weigh out the fifteen or more herbs that go into every mixture,” says Catherine Walker, who met Karen when she was looking for herbs to treat sarcoids.

She and the two Kathys came up with a plan for an on–line business, JK’s Herbs, which would utilise their talents and access Karen’s amazing knowledge of herbs.

“Kathy Nadin is a qualified medical herbalist, so makes up Karen’s recipes to customer order using human–grade herbs. Kathy Nicholson is an aromatherapist – the lotions and pastes contain essential oils that are her expertise – and I manage the webpage and the paperwork,” explains Catherine.

There is a family history of using herbs to treat ailments; Karen’s grandfather bred shires and cobs in the late 1800s and had recipes he used to keep them healthy.

My grandfather was an herbalist and he lived well to the ripe old age of 99. “My grandfather was an herbalist and he lived well to the ripe old age of 99; he never got a vet out to his horses either. I used to go for a walk through the woods with him and he would show me different kinds of herbs and what they could be used for,” says Karen.

She named the company after a Thoroughbred mare she rescued from the meat man. Suffering from malnutrition, brittle hooves, mites, broken wind, rain scald, sweet itch and cystitis, JK was a real challenge for Karen’s talents.

“Having a horse that was so ill encouraged me to use all my years of inherited knowledge. The care plan was so successful, however, that, at 31, JK went on to win Veteran Horse Society classes, though she missed the Championships by being just a little too fit!

“Golden Veterans are not supposed to canter round the ring … and JK did,” laughs Karen.

Herbs are a natural part of a horse’s diet...

By LIZ FALKINGHAM


Karen is delighted with the business’s progress: “When the three of them approached me with the idea of re-starting the business, I was stunned. I have no children, so no one else to pass my knowledge on to. Without them, generations of herbal expertise might have been lost forever.”

• More information at www.jksherbs.co.uk

FIVE GREAT HERBS TO GROW IN YOUR HORSE’S FIELDKaren was recently asked by a customer what herbs she could grow in her field that would benefit her horse. Here’s five of her suggestions:

1. NETTLES. Horses will carefully pick the flowers off the top. People can eat nettles too, they can be used in salads or, made into tea they’re a spring tonic and the calcium, magnesium and silicon they contain is good for strong bones. When they’re growing, you can cut them down and leave them until they start to go almost black and the horses will love them (and once wilted, they won’t sting you if you need to move them).

2. HAWTHORN. Many of us are lucky to have a hawthorn hedge in our field. Hawthorn helps the heart and circulation, so laminitic ponies seek it out, and the berries contain phytonutrients, antioxidants that have a variety of therapeutic effects including strengthening the walls of blood vessels. Extracts of hawthorn berries, leaves and blossoms also contain compounds that help tone the heart and vascular system.

3. MARIGOLDS. These brightly-flowered herbs are good for skin, coat and any itchy bits. Horses don’t naturally choose them, so you’ll need to collect and dry them to feed. Gather when it’s dry, preferably in the morning, after the dew has been dried by the sun. The flowers need quick drying in the shade, in a warm draught. Spread out on sheets of paper, loosely, they might discolour if they touch each other.

4. COLTSFOOT. Often to be found growing alongside dandelions, coltsfoot is known as the ‘cough plant’ and can be useful for chest problems, respiratory tract disorders and, notably, to relieve coughing. The plant sends up yellow flowers on a red, scaly stem. After the white down blows off, the broad, bright green leaves, whose shape gives the plant its name, appear. Cut the leaves in June or July, dry, then feed in hay, especially to horses with tendencies to cough, or with COPD.

5. GERMAN CHAMOMILE. This plant, which likes rich, fertile soil, offers anti-inflammatory and mild sedative effects, as well as being a tonic to the digestive system. The flowers are the part of the plant we use; you can sow seeds, but you’ll only get one single flower plant. Allow the plant to spread in the second year – they layer like strawberries – then you will get several flowers to each plant. Chamomile tea is an infusion, made from 1oz (30gm) of the flowers to one pint of boiling water. It was known popularly as an old-fashioned but extremely effective remedy for ‘hysterical and nervous affections in women’. Nowadays we know it for its soothing, sedative, and harmless effect.

Making up the herbal products

Hawthorn can help tone the heart and vascular system

Nettles are known as a spring tonic and are good for healthy bones

WIN A TAILOR-MADE HERBAL PACKAGE FOR YOUR HORSE!

JK’s Herbs are offering the winner of our Learn & Win competition in this issue a herbal package specifically made up for their horse, worth £50. There’s also a second prize of 1 litre of Fly–Stuff lotion worth £15, and a third of Bug-Off human fly repellent, worth £5.

TO ENTER, answer the following question:

Q: Which herb is known as the cough plant? (hint: the answer

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horse


By KELLY MARKS

Getting behaviour right on the ground is fundamental to our partnership with our horse. KELLY MARKS looks at some common problems and how to deal with them

STAYING GROUNDED:

PROBLEM: THIS HORSE IS TOO STRONG AND RUNNING ALL OVER ME!

SOLUTION: WHEN YOU CAN’T STOP DOWN ENERGY – RE-DIRECT IT INSTEAD

If you’re not strong enough to keep a distracted or anxious horse still, it is pointless to keep attempting force; you’ll frustrate yourself while teaching the horse to ignore your signals. Make it a rule of horsemanship (and life!): If you’re not being successful at something for an unreasonable length of time – you need to try doing it differently. Use the little control you do have to bend his head around to keep him in a mini circle around you.

Turning a horse’s head around to one side, particularly at the poll, has often been used as a method to calm horses. Here though, as well as bending his head

exercises for calm & control

You’re likely to be amazed at

this calming and actually very easy

method of getting a horse breathing and

relaxed again.

around, we’ve included allowing or encouraging the horse to move around us as part of the technique – see photo above.

A clear focus brings the best results, so if you can get one hand on the line close to his halter (knuckles on top) and the other hand on his shoulder or just behind it, start to encourage the horse’s inside hind leg to step under the outside hind leg. And breathe!

Carry on until you feel the horse relax. He may give a sigh or lick and chew as a sign he’s stopped holding his breath as well – this is good!

This is not only for emergency situations but any time you meet a super anxious, head-bashing horse. You’re likely to be amazed at this calming and actually very easy method of getting a horse breathing and relaxed again.

Various Western trainers talk about ‘disengaging the hind quarters’ but old British horse trainers have used something

similar without putting a specific name to it other than ‘circling’. A former groom of John Whittaker’s told me that when one of his stallions was playing up in the stable John said to her ‘let me show you what to do’. He took the horse’s head and turned it in small circles around himself and the stallion calmed right down.

PROBLEM: WHEN ANXIOUS, MY HORSE GOES TOTALLY RIGID

SOLUTION: TEACH YOUR HORSE IN ADVANCE HOW TO LOWER HIS HEADAs with all emergency manoeuvres, it is best to teach them when not in a state of high anxiety! Like a fire drill at school, you practise when you’re calm so everyone automatically knows what to do if an actual emergency occurs.

Photo courtesy of D

avid Kerw

ood


School fires are thankfully rare but most horses are going to feel anxious at some time in their life so this exercise is extremely useful. It could even be considered essential.

With a normal headcollar, halter or Dually – using pressure from the middle ring beneath the chin – ask your horse to lower his head by applying a pulsing, downward pressure. As soon as you feel the slightest relaxation from the horse, release the pressure as if you’re letting go of something scalding ie INSTANTLY! Then breathe…

Give the horse a moment to process and then repeat. Again, give your horse time to process (you may get a lick and chew) and repeat.

To add focus, make it a horse-friendly goal over a number of different days, or at least sessions, that with gentle pressure you can lower your horse’s head one or two feet from the ground easily.

Head lowering lowers the heart rate because horses’ physiology means that their blood pressure is monitored when it goes into the top of their neck by way of ‘baroreceptors’. When the head is lowered the baroreceptors ensure the heart rate lowers to prevent a high blood pressure risk to avoid the risk of a brain embolism (blood clot).

PROBLEM: I DON’T KNOW HOW TO RE-ASSURE MY HORSE WHEN HE FEELS TENSE

SOLUTION: STROKING OR SCRATCHING – BUT WHERE?!Answer – It depends on the horse: I asked this question on my “Kelly Marks and Intelligent Horsemanship” facebook page recently and got over 200 answers! According to the respondents, most horses preferred scratching to stroking and favourite areas included (as you’d

expect) withers, but also under the jawbone, around the ears, the inner thigh, the top of tail, the crest, the mane – you name it and a horse somewhere liked it.

This exercise is especially useful when initially bonding with feral ponies. There are cases when lice infestation can actually work in your favour as you can use some very agreeable scratching to let a pony understand that humans do have their uses.

Your assignment now is to go out and discover where your horse’s favourite stroking/scratching place is. You only pass this test when your horse has a suitably ecstatic expression!

hinds too. Be creative and try mixing different combinations of feet.

You can practice this both facing your horse and getting him to mirror your feet and when you’ve perfected that you can see how you get on doing the exercise with you in a leading position. Make it your horse-friendly goal that you can call out any foot of the horse and the handler can have that foot behind or in front of the pole. Then make sure you get a photo of each foot in position!

Ask your horse to lower his head by applying a pulsing, downward pressure. As soon as you feel the slightest relaxation from the horse, release the pressure

Practice this both facing your horse and getting him to mirror your feet and when you’ve perfected that you can see how you get on doing the exercise with you in a leading position

Photo courtesy of D

avid Kerw

ood

Photo courtesy of D

avid Kerw

ood

You can use some very agreeable scratching to let a pony understand that humans do have their uses

Photo courtesy of Leanne R

oger

PROBLEM: I’M WORKING WITH A TENSE HORSE AND A TENSE HANDLER – IS THERE A WAY TO RELAX THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME?

SOLUTION: ROCK N ROLL OVER A POLE! This exercise teaches both horse and

handler subtlety towards each other and is

great for developing a horse and handler’s

focus and concentration. Although you can

do this exercise without any props they do

serve to aid focus.

Introduce a suitable pole (I like the square

pole as illustrated) or even a long bamboo

stick on the ground and ask your horse to

first step one foot over and then back and

then the other front foot over and then back.

Then ask for both front feet over and then

back; repeat with each hind and then both

This is a lovely exercise; it can be quite meditative for both horse and handler. It’s great for showing the horse that the human can influence his feet and also for developing a soft, relaxed feel in the horse – and the handler too.

It may bring the feel of a real connection that had previously been missing – quite comforting on many levels for both horse and human. It also teaches your horse to respect personal space and that the human has influence over this, as well as finely tuning communication between you. Horses often sigh and lick and chew a lot in this exercise.

If you find difficulties with any of these exercises it’s time to come on an Intelligent Horsemanship course or get in touch with your local IH Recommended Associate. Don’t hesitate – act now!

• With thanks also to IHRA Gillian Bradley (South Wales)

It may bring the feel of a real connection that had previously been missing – quite comforting on many levels for both horse and human.


Joining UPWITH THE

SCIENTISTS

By ROSIE JONES

n the second of her

special, science-based

features for IH Magazine,

IHRA ROSIE JONES reports

on some interesting

animal behaviour research

and asks whether animal

welfare science can teach

us anything about the best

way to read body language.

I

You have to read the animal subjectively, as you do with people.


that situation or that particular individual.Francis has tested whether or not

people can actually judge the body language of animals reliably. She asked a variety of people to describe the body language they saw on videos of pigs, then carried out statistical analysis to check whether people reached a consensus on what they saw, and whether their judgements fitted with what welfare science already knows about the animals’ state of mind.

During her presentation, Francis said she was surprised by how good people are at reading animals, so much so that she believes the subjective, qualitative reading of body language can be developed as a useful part of welfare research. I thought this was fascinating but I had my doubts: people might be good at reading body language sometimes, but they can be incredibly bad at it too.

It wasn’t that long ago that humans thought animals didn’t feel any pain despite their wriggling and squealing and, even now, opinions vary greatly. At the lunch break, I met Francis to find out more about her project and to ask her more about all the times I know that people have misread body language (including me!)

It wasn’t that long ago that humans thought animals didn’t feel any pain.It was really interesting to hear that Francis put her human guinea pigs through a specific process to prepare them to be able to best read body language. There was a special process, a sort of ‘tuning them in’, that she put them through in order to bring out the best of their ability to read body language of different species.

It got me thinking about what sort of process might enable us to unlock our best body-language-reading ability. I definitely think it would involve trying to cut free of any sort of narrative you have already written for what is going on.

So it would probably be easier to do it for other people’s horses than your own; it might even be easier for other species. Francis also thought using short video clips, writing single words rather than sentences, and having privacy while you are completing the exercise would all help, giving you a space away from other people’s judgements and your own expectations. This leads us onto your homework for this issue:

Firstly, a quick note: if you are going to have a go at the homework, before you read this article you should watch a YouTube/video clip that features a horse. It can be any clip – you or someone else, the horse could be loose or ridden – then write down anything you like about what you see or think about the clip: you will refer to these notes later. Then read on...

I recently attended an anthropology conference in Exeter. As most of you will know, anthropology usually studies human culture, but the really exciting thing about this conference was that it was themed around making connections between anthropology and other disciplines, and also making connections between humans and other animals.

I gave a paper which showed people can’t rely on how ‘close’ they feel to the horse to tell them how ‘close’ the horse might or might not feel to them. I am not going to tell you about that now, however; instead, I’m going to tell you about a talk I attended given by animal welfare scientist Francoise Wemelsfelder.

In welfare science, researchers tend to try to get quantitative rather than qualitative data to try to find out about the animal’s welfare and well-being. They might use measurements like heart rate, or cortisol (stress hormone) levels in saliva, for example.

Rather than follow these techniques, Francis believes it is possible to look at the whole animal, and find out something about the way that animal is feeling. This would be a qualitative judgement, and more easily picked up on by people, rather than any sort of scientific measuring device.

Basically, Francis is talking about using body language within welfare science. She is not talking about developing a list of certain body language traits which ‘mean’ certain things, though; she points out that this approach is doomed to failure.

For example – tail swishing in extreme frustration, or because of a single fly, is quite a different thing. Most people would have no problem distinguishing which tail swish shows more of a welfare problem, but it would be very difficult to write down all of the different elements of the body language involved and exactly what they mean.

You have to read the animal subjectively, as you do with people, and make an intuitive judgement based on all sorts of body language details that come together into one picture, that might be unique to

OVER TO YOUYou should have already watched a video of a horse before reading this article but, if not, do it now. Then, get on YouTube, and find a few videos of animals: search for something like ‘pet behaviour’ or ‘zoo animals’ and you should get plenty of options to pick from.

Don’t stick to horses as the idea is to tune in your innate ability to understand body language, rather than to rely on the things you have already been taught. Don’t select clips that you expect to be anything in particular; just go through any old animal clips that come up, watch the first 20 seconds or so then move on to the next.

Write down single words to describe the animals’ state of mind. Do this with 10-20 videos in a row.

Now let’s go species specific, and go back to horses. Do the same exercise with at least 10 short clips of horse videos – ridden or unridden. Just write single words that describe the horse’s state of mind by looking at the body language- try to ignore what is going on with the tack, or rider, or the other horses, and just judge the body language on its own.

Then go back to the clip that you looked at before reading this article, and re-watch it. Use the technique of writing single words that refer to the state of the horse’s mind and nothing more: resist the temptation to ‘tell the story’, or put it into any sort of meaningful statement.

Reflect on the words you have written, compared to the notes you initially made – do you believe you have been able to learn more about the horse using this technique? Did the tuning process of looking at different animals for short periods of time help you, or did you find it irrelevant?

How easy did you find it to describe other animals’ state of mind compared to horses? Please come on Facebook and let me know what you think – be honest; this is an experiment and I want to know if it worked for you or not!

• Rosie Jones is in her first year of a PhD at Cambridge University, and is partially sponsored by Intelligent Horsemanship. She will be writing regular articles on her research, as well as setting ‘tasks’ to allow readers to share in the learning experience. She can be found on Facebook under Rosie Jones Horses


How often have you heard a fellow rider lament their poor confidence levels – and wonder where the fearless child they were (“it never occurred to me to be scared”) disappeared to? It’s tempting to believe nervous child riders are a rarity but the truth is that confidence is easily damaged at any age.

Are children innately brave until they learn otherwise, or do horse-savvy parents make sure they set their kids up to be bold? Kelly Marks recently asked just that question on the Intelligent Horsemanship page...

LIZ FALKINGHAM tells us what you had to say on…

IH KIDS

…Avoiding the pushy parent trap

“I am finding that backing off and letting my kids decide what to do then helping them do it is working better for them than me setting the agenda,” says Laura Butler, who adds that she mixes this with “a few lessons from an excellent and well-trusted instructor to remind them they have to do as they are told sometimes!”

Mari Williams agrees that “no pressure” is important, while Abby Purver believes that gentle encouragement to try is helpful: “I was often told I couldn’t do something or I wouldn’t like this or that; this caused me to lack confidence and constantly doubt myself. Now, as an adult, I push myself to do things outside my norm and have great fun doing so.”

After a difficult childhood of her own, Louisa Pearce strives to be supportive of her own children’s love of riding: “I will never tell my children they can’t do something or call them stupid. I will always listen to their needs and adjust to their needs without spoiling them.”

…Getting the right pony

“I reckon a good rule is: young rider, old pony! I started riding as a three year old on a three-year-old pony - she terrorised me!” remembers Jessica Jeans. “Twenty-five years later, the same pony is being a perfect angel teaching my son to be a confident little cowboy. I swear I can sometimes hear her laughing at me!”

Alison Cook is the District Commissioner of Pony Club branch as well as a parent of a nervous rider. “For me, it has to be a confident, safe pony every time,” she says. “They also grow in confidence when they spend time with the pony doing in-hand and caring for pony.”

…Allowing children to find their own way

Teacher Jamie Louise Elliott believes children need the opportunity to make (and learn from) mistakes “and maybe even fail (or lose) at something in a safe environment” as a foundation for building confidence. “They need to deal with something that’s potentially difficult (not dangerous) and learn how to sort it for themselves so they learn the skills emotionally and physically that they need.”

Deborah Cunnion has been riding since she was eight and admits she wasn’t always the most confident. “It wasn’t until I started trekking and not schooling that my confidence grew. I think it was a mixture of ‘real’ situations ie open fields, and [riding] horses that were not bored.”

Learning to look after a pony has been invaluable for Shelly Player’s daughter. “[We’re] lucky enough to have a friend who is not only teaching her but we share the pony. [My daughter] does all the care/housekeeping/feeding etc at all different times and this has made her so confident rather than just an hour’s lesson.”

…The power of education & fun

Jackie Tye has been teaching children natural horsemanship for about five years and says kids become confident when they have some understanding [of] why we do things a certain way with horses. “I teach kids on ponies with halters or Duallys and bareback pads to teach balance; I take it very, very slowly and it works. Wish I’d been taught this 50 years ago!”

For Jackie Prior, fun is absolutely key to a child’s confidence: “We are holding a Silver Medal SWPCA show in June and this year there is a ring dedicated to the kids. A totally *fun* theme for kids 3yrs+ (to be assisted by Mum/Dad/Granny) with rosettes to all, to encourage them, build their confidence and to laugh, smile and build the bond with their ponies.”

And finally…Understanding that every child is an individual

“I think that confidence is about the child as much as the pony and the riding,” says Chrissy Wisken. “Some have low confidence in themselves and need careful encouragement, moving from step to step incrementally until they are doing things that they didn’t think possible only a few weeks ago and not even really realising it! Others are almost fearless and will have a go at anything! Teachers always need to remember that, just like horses, people are also individuals.”

CHILD’S PLAYMaking confidence

“I think that confidence is about the child as much as the pony and the riding...”



Photograph courtesy of G

iles Penfound / w

ww

.gilespenfound.com

When Sandy Vandenberghe cared for her uncle David Laity during his fight against cancer, it was to be the impetus for her starting a charity raising money for children affected by the disease.

“David was a very much loved Cornishman, who always thought of others before himself, and was a great supporter of charities,” says Witney-based Sandy, who is the wife of IHRA Ian Vandenberghe.

She and the trustees of the charity, set up in August 2003, decided the focus would be to raise money for children aged 18 years and

under, affected by cancer.

All the money from Antics’ stud

fee goes to the charity.

“Many of the trustees had been affected by the death of someone close to them due to cancer and we felt it was the children, who haven’t had much of a start in life, who we really wanted to support. I felt my Uncle David would have liked this too,” says Sandy.

The charity was named Antics, after the skewbald stallion Sandy and Ian stand at Hartsop Farm (home to many of the IH courses). He arrived as a ‘gift’ from a mare they rescued and it was decided he would have a superb role in life by helping raise money for children – all the money from his stud fee goes to the charity.

Antics offers support to children in active treatment for cancer; or who has a sibling or parent in active treatment for cancer; or who has suffered bereavement of a parent or sibling through cancer. With the money raised through the charity, the trustees provide funds locally and nationally by way of grant aid or through the purchase of goods or for social needs such as a relief break for the child.

“We’ve supported special family days out and holidays, granted ‘wishes’ for an item that help a bereaved child and sponsored a horse whispering course for a child in remission,” says Sandy.

Fund-raising comes from parties, charity rides, car rallies, sponsored walks and a whole host of other events. Antics is always looking for ideas to keep funds coming in, so if you think you could help contact the charity at [email protected].

• Stallion Antics’ stud fee is £250 for 2015. He has a superb temperament and is a nice, straight mover with good feet and limbs which follows through to his stock. More details

at www.anticscharity.org.uk

100%

Delivering quality rosettes and show supplies at fantastic prices

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email: [email protected]: www.bows4shows.comtel: 01262 604 031 / 07841 1377 187

37 St John StreetBridlingtonEast YorkshireYO16 7NN

Ele & HovisIH member Ele Milwright has endured a roller coaster ride of challenges with her show cob, Hovis, as well as overcoming health issues of her own. Now the future is finally looking bright for the two of them…

I bought my beloved cob, Hovis, in December 2011. He was a green, just-backed four year old, found for me by my friend, Glenn Knipe, in Ireland, and fitted my request of ‘potential show cob, must be willing and kind’ perfectly.

We soon got to work; schooling, happy hacking and a few shows in our first 2012 season. Hovis proved to be a little star, sensible for his age but with a lovely sense of fun – I couldn’t believe my luck - we even got brave enough to try hunting and, after a couple of goes at Hound Exercise, we attended our first Opening Meet with the Berks & Bucks Draghounds to end our year on a high.

As you might expect, I was really looking forward to the 2013 showing season, especially as we’d had some encouraging comments from judges about his potential. But, somehow, things weren’t feeling right: we were schooling one day and he bucked, which was very unusual for him.

Then he started not wanting to be caught, and became trickier to load. It was very clearly pain related, and so began the long process of elimination – teeth, saddle, back etc.

It transpired that, after a growing spurt, his saddle was too tight, and so he was refitted with a wider model. With the support of an

osteopath, we went back to basics with lots of ‘long and low’ work, and we seemed to turn a corner.

We started to venture out again to shows, and we had some pleasing results. Hovis was working beautifully, but if he got tense or worried, the bucking would start again – it was incredibly difficult to know if this was a learnt behaviour or actual pain.

The bucking got more frequent, then things came to a head during a lesson. He stuck his head down and bronc’d down the whole long side of the school, dumping me on the way.

An in-depth work up at the vets resulted in a diagnosis of sacro-iliac pain. Hovis endured a course of deep steroid injections into the spine, and we continued to try and gently school, re-educating and strengthening his muscles.

After each injection he would feel great, and we could progress but, as the effects of the steroids wore off, the bucking would reappear. It was mostly in canter but could also happen randomly; this unpredictability became quite worrying.

Although the roller coaster ride had been mostly down in 2013, there had been some upswings too. Hovis was talent spotted by show producer Lynn Russell for The Showing Register’s Pathway to HOYS

Hovis had a promising start to his early showing career

Photo courtesy of Eele M

ilwright

Hovis relaxing during treatment from a local Bowen therapist

Photo courtesy of Eele M

ilwright

Case filesFrom the

programme; as competing at Horse of the Year Show is on my all-time dream bucket list, I was thrilled.

We had six weeks to prepare so a plan was drawn up, including a successful outing in hand prior to the big day. Once at the Gala Show, Hovis looked and felt great – but, feeling so well and fresh, Hovis couldn’t resist a buck going into his gallop, blowing our chances completely.

We were still placed third and, as it turned out, just one place off making it to HOYS. But I was just thrilled with how well he had done, and that he finally seemed to be feeling better.

After all our trials and tribulations, 2014 was therefore supposed to be our year. Unfortunately the gods did not agree; after not feeling too well all spring, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

I was completely wiped out, and riding was incredibly hard. My friend, Linda, took over riding Hovis and, after some fantastic schooling sessions, we set off to the BSHA National Champs in good spirits.

Unfortunately, a combination of excitement, tension and applause meant bucking from Hovis in the warm-up and the ring. I was utterly crestfallen; the way he had gone in

I knew that I needed to check Hovis’s ability to cope in company... So when Kelly invited me to join her on a XC ride at Highclere Castle, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.


the ring indicated no pain, and therefore I could only conclude that my lovely boy had well and truly learnt to buck as a behaviour.

Utterly dejected, and still in the throes of chronic fatigue, I couldn’t think what else to do. I turned him away for the winter, to give myself time to think.

But, as we all know, time really is a great healer. Spring 2015 arrived, and I was beginning to feel a lot better.

Hovis was dragged out of his field, and given a top-to-toe check by my osteopath and declared good to go. A saddle check revealed yet another bout of growth, and I took the plunge to have a tailor-made saddle, to fit both him and myself perfectly.

We began to hack, building up his walking work and stamina, and treatment from a local Bowen therapist, plus the new saddle, helped Hovis stride out and use himself. Schooling began, and he felt amazing: there was my lovely, willing Hovis again.

As you’ll see on pages 25-27, I attended a Rider Confidence Course; although I had not lost my riding confidence as such, I had been feeling doubts about Hovis’s unpredictable bucking. On the course they taught us various coping mechanisms and rebalancing techniques that made me feel far more prepared and able for any ridden issues that might come our way.

So with a tentative plan for the showing season 2015, I knew that I needed to check Hovis’s ability to cope in company, and also to get out and really let him open up and use his body. So when Kelly invited me to join her and IHRA Sandra Williams on a XC ride at Highclere Castle, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

With the lovely Pie to act as a sensible companion, and two equine behavioural experts on hand, I was unlikely to find a better set up! So on a beautiful April day, we set off together out for a 10-mile ride across some stunning rolling Berkshire countryside – and he behaved perfectly!

It’s been a long journey, with

moments of doubt and despair,

but I genuinely feel my boy is back.

We are a partnership again and I

cannot wait to see what adventures

and fun the future brings us!

I genuinely feel my boy is back. We are a partnership again and I cannot wait to see what

adventures and fun the future brings us!

Hovis was talent spotted by show producer Lynn Russell for The Showing Register’s Pathway to HOYS programme

Photo courtesy of Ele M

ilwright


Joanne’s road back to confidenceSouth Yorkshire-based Joanne Fieldhouse was always a confident rider as a child, and even had an ex-racer on loan in her teens. A fall on a fun ride, however, shattered her confidence – here, she tells how she’s gradually regained it.After leaving university in 2000 I bought Polly, an 11-year-old 15.1hh Connemara x TB mare. One Easter during a yard treasure hunt we approached some woodland and she decided she didn’t want to go in.

After a difference of opinion, Polly took off – I lost my balance and came out the side door, landing on my face, breaking my nose and cracking a couple of ribs to boot. I got back on and finished the ride but, back at the yard, I became terrified that she’d take off again as she fidgeted, and jumped off.

Eventually, I decided to find her a new home with someone who would give her a job to do, as she was still a very good mare, just not my perfect partner. After that I had little interest in riding and took in project ponies instead, working with them on the ground.

Any confidence I’d had after the fall deserted me.

Every so often I would get an urge to ride but any confidence I’d had after the fall deserted me. It was only when helping a friend find a new horse that I decided to ride again.

Fast forward a few months, lots of ups and downs (and a meeting with the Bank of Mum and Dad!) and I collected HippoHead, a barely-backed 16hh, five-year-old gelding whose picture I had fallen in love with. He was everything I wanted on my wish list – apart from being young and green!

I was still very, very nervous and would shake at the thought of getting on him, despite him never putting a foot wrong. But, little by little, we progressed.

I gave us both Bach’s Rescue Remedy to calm my nerves and to settle him if I thought he was on edge. In reality it was my nerves that were causing his, so I had to make changes to myself to be able to do him justice.

I had lessons at the local riding school every week on the school horses and gradually I felt more confident, especially when I realised I still had so much to learn. This then progressed to lessons on HippoHead and our confidence improved no end; we were becoming a partnership.

We had the occasional bad day (and falls) but I made myself get back on, even when I didn’t want to. I set goals and challenged myself at every opportunity, whether it was to go out and ride a test, or to do a clear round of jumps – even if it was just poles on the floor.

Case filesFrom the

We made the most of our local riding club, joining in training sessions and the summer camp. The nerves were still there and, occasionally, tears; however, I narrowed down the problem to a fear of being out of control; in particular in an open space – I still had issues hacking HippoHead out.

I was able to hack out on friends’ horses, however. In the end, I bought Duke, a ‘happy hacker’ Dales pony and, with ‘brave pants’ firmly on, I took him on hound exercise with the Rockwood Harriers.

After an initial panic at cantering in an open field, we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. With someone else riding Duke, I’ve since been able to hack HippoHead out, first around the village and then across the fields.

Last weekend we had our first canter along a bridle path, and he was a superstar. We are now enjoying life in the big outdoors.

It’s been a long four years with HippoHead to get to this point, and is now more than 10 years since the fall from Polly. The nerves are still there, but I can now manage them; my horsey friends are wonderful and know I can be nervous, but between us we never let the nerves get on top of me.

A lot of it has been common sense; knowing when to not put myself in a situation where it’s going to be detrimental, for example. I also kept a diary since day one and update it with what we get up to and the rollercoaster of emotions.

I look back over it on occasion and can see that all the little wins are really building up into one big win, which is being a more confident rider again.

Joanne and Hippohead

Photo courtesy of Joanne Fieldhouse

Pho

to c

ourt

esy

of J

oann

e Fi

eldh

ouse

The nerves are still there, but I can now manage them.

Joanne has gradually regained her confidence and is able to enjoy hacking in open spaces again


client feedbackIH RECOMMENDED ASSOCIATES

While working with your horse to solve problems and build a better partnership is very satisfying, sometimes a helping hand from a professional can be essential. Here’s what clients are saying about IHRAs.

IHRA ZOE CHIPMAN Surrey

“I was having problems with loading”My horse is 17.2 and knows his size and

strength! Zoe was very calm and reassuring

with him, which he responded to – he found

confidence in her manner and handling.

He was a horse which had taken an hour and

three-quarters hours to load the last time. With Zoe, he was soon

trotting up the ramp of the lorry without hesitation and Zoe taught

me the best way to give him confidence and avoid his evasions.

Since Zoe’s visit we have travelled to the vets successfully,

loading without hesitation in both directions. I was extremely

satisfied with the work she did and will be contacting her

shortly to address his ‘crossing the road’ fears.

Caroline Shenton, Hampshire

IHRA JULIA FISHER Hertfordshire IHRA PADDY GRACEY Lancashire

IHRA LUCY MORGANS Hampshire

“I needed help with a youngster on box rest”Julia was very helpful given the limited situation. My horse had been on box rest with leg fractures; it was very frosty and we could not safely get him out of the stable. Julia gave me lots to think about, tools to help me going forward and generally improved my confidence about the whole situation.

Vivian Miles, Hertfordshire

“My daughter needed help loading her horse”Paddy explained exactly what he was doing

in a clear way so that my 12-year-old daughter

felt confident that she knew exactly what to do

when loading her horse. We were extremely

satisfied with the work Paddy carried out

and have already recommended him to others on the yard.

Dawn Atherton, Lancashire

“We had to use sedation to clip our horse”Lucy was very calm and patient and

explained the process clearly, stage by stage.

Her friendly and approachable attitude made

the whole process stress-free for both my

horse and myself, with amazing results.

Casper was only able to be clipped in the past with full sedation;

after Lucy’s work, I have been able to clip him out this year

without even tying him up. Lucy explained how I could carry

on after she finished and this has resulted in me being able

to clip his face, ears and bridle path. I can’t tell you how

pleased I am as we seem to have a new-found trust.

Rose Clarke, Wiltshire

Contact details for all IH Recommended Associates can be found at www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk in the Horse Help section.

IHRA SARAH WESTON Hampshire

“Continued help with a New Forest foal”My New Forest filly lives completely wild on the forest but she is so sweet and trusting as a result of the way Sarah worked with her. Sarah taught her to lead, have her feet picked up and enjoy being handled and accept a headcollar.

Thanks to the good foundations Sarah laid with her, the vet was able to treat her following an injury with minimal distress to the pony. The work Sarah has done with me and my filly has been invaluable.

Lynn Clark, Hampshire

IHRA JOANNA O’NEILL Northumberland

“To build a partnership with my horse and make her less spooky”I learnt a lot and understand how small the “TRIES” have to be for the horse to learn; I also improved my timing. I’m already noticing a difference in my horse by

practicing and being more aware of my body language.

Helen Rennie, West Lothian

IHRA JENNY MAJOR West Somerset

“We needed help with two small Dartmoor Hill ponies”Jenny saved my life with two very small Dartmoor Hill ponies who were completely wild – within two visits they had completely changed. Jenny has a very nice gentle but firm way with the horses; I was extremely satisfied with the work she did.

Sarah Fox, Taunton


IHRA Sue Palmer combined her qualifications, skills and passions as a Chartered Veterinary Physiotherapist and Equine Behaviourist to found her business, The Horse Physio (formerly Holistic Horse Help) in 2007. Described as ‘inspirational, informative, friendly, and supportive’, Sue is also the author of the book and DVD Horse Massage for Horse Owners and has a new book and DVD out this year, just to keep her busy!

How long have you been involved with horses? Since I was three years old – we had a Shetland cross called Scottie who was full of trouble! I remember him pulling me and my brother on our sledges, as well as riding him. I think it was usually Scottie who was in control though!

Why did you decide to qualify as a Recommended Associate?I was living with a gypsy and we spent our time at different horse markets in the UK and Ireland. I wanted to be able to work with horses in a way that made more sense to them, and that got better results more quickly. I went on 10 years later to qualify as a Chartered Veterinary Physiotherapist, and now I work as a horse physio specialising in behavioural and performance problems. The only way a horse can communicate that he is in discomfort is through his behaviour or his performance, and I hate it when horses are punished for simply trying to tell you what’s wrong.

What’s important to you when you see an owner and their horse for the first time?To find out what the owner wants from me, so that I can tailor my treatment to suit both horse and owner. I ask a detailed set of questions that gives me a full picture from the owner’s point of view, and then I assess the horse so that in his own way he can tell me the story from his point of view. Then I put all my findings together to determine the most appropriate course of action, whether that’s treatment from me, or onward referral to another relevant professional.

What are the common challenges you face in your work as an RA?People’s belief that horses are ‘naughty’ – it really frustrates me! I’m writing a new book, DVD and course entitled Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training, looking at whether the difficult behaviour or poor performance your horse is demonstrating is because he’s ‘taking the mickey’, hurting, or doesn’t understand what you’re asking. I’d like to make it available to all BHS instructors, because I believe that it’s through them that the understanding will slowly spread.

If you could change one thing in the world of horses what would it be, and why?I’d have some kind of exam you have to pass before you can own a horse. I think it is complete madness that someone with no training whatsoever can own a horse and keep him on a private yard with no knowledgeable support.

How might someone tell if their horse was in pain or discomfort?Watch his behavior: ‘listen’ to him. Changes in behaviour are commonly linked to discomfort, but also long term ‘difficult’ behaviour, including bucking, rearing, napping, pulling a face when saddled or girthed, struggling to pick up the correct lead, being girthy or cold backed, spooky, ear shy or head shy, and much, much more.

What advice would you give to horse owners to help keep their horses comfortable?That strapping, grooming or massaging on a regular basis are valuable. I always say to people that the reason we didn’t need to use physios in the past, is because the grooms strapped the horses every day, so those horses effectively

had a physio session every day.

What is the most common issue you have to deal with when working with horses? One of the things I love about working as a physio is that there

isn’t really a common issue. Every horse is so unique, and so I am constantly kept on my toes making sure that my

assessments and treatments are specific to the individual.

How do you find a qualified physio for your horse?

Go to www.acpat.co.uk. You are looking for a Chartered Animal Physiotherapist – it’s the word ‘Chartered’ that means that the practitioner qualified as a physio in the human field before undergoing further study to qualify as an animal physio.

What are your plans for the future?I’m working on a series of small handbooks and DVDs that will fit in your pocket to take to the yard with you. They’ll be

“10 tips to…” or “10 steps to…” and I’m really excited about them! Also, one day I’d like my own small yard where

people can bring their horses to me for treatment. It seems so wasteful sitting in the car driving from yard to yard when I could be helping horses.

• More details at www.thehorsephysio.co.uk

SPOTLIGHT ONIH Recommended Associate

Sue Palmer

Photo courtesy of Sim

on Palm

er / Into The Lens

Every horse is so unique, and so I am

constantly kept on my toes.



IH Training2015 IH COURSESCome and have the experience of a lifetime with our expert tuition in the art of ‘horse whispering’ and equine behaviour. It will change the way you view not only your relationships with horses, but also the people around you and the relationship you have with yourself.

Perfect Manners 2 Day Course, £325 June 6-7, July 11-12, July 25-26, August 22-23

Horse Psychology, £170 August 8-9 (Travel Saving Course)

5-day Foundation Course, £575 July 13-17, July 20-24, August 3-7 (Travel Saving Course), August 10-14 (Travel Saving Course)

Stud Practice / Handling the Young Foal with Ian Vandenberghe, £170 (£85/day)July 4-5, July 30-31 (Travel Saving Course)

Feeding For Good Behaviour And Health/Maintaining Your Horses Physical Health For Life With Ian Vandenberghe, £170 (£85/day) August 1-2 (Travel Saving Course)

Intermediate Course: Leading and Loading the Less Easy Horse, £250 August 15-16 (Travel Saving Course), August 17-18

Intermediate Course: Handling the Untouched Horse, £250 Date TBC

Reservations can only be made on receipt of a 50% deposit. You must also be a member of Intelligent Horsemanship, which costs from £20 per year; see page 30 for details on all the great benefits, as well as a special prize draw for those referring new members.

The courses are open to all over the age of 16. We also welcome spectators at a cost of £30 per day – you are welcome to observe and take notes.

See www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk for more details.

If you’ve ever thought about attending a course but have not been sure of what it is about and what the benefits are, this section is for you!

Each issue we’ll be looking in more depth at one of the courses; for summer, we look at the Perfect Manners two-day course.

FOCUS ON... PERFECT MANNERS TWO-DAY COURSE

Perfect Manners two-day course, at Hartsop Farm, WitneyThe two day ‘Perfect Manners’ weekends are personally taught by Kelly Marks and her team with the good humour and confidence-building techniques for which the Intelligent Horsemanship courses have become famous.

The two days cover how to create a bond with your horse, including using Join Up, and achieving excellent ground manners with a horse. There are also long lining sessions and the opportunity to put newly-learnt ground handling skills to good effect in loading practice.

Described by previous attendees as a ‘very pleasurable, intensive course’,

the Perfect Manners course is suitable for everyone from the complete novice to the experienced horseperson.

This course is open to students younger than 16, but they do need to be accompanied by an adult.

The course includes long lining sessions and the opportunity to put newly-learnt ground handling skills to good effect in loading practice

Learning how a horse responds to long lining

Advance tickets £30 (or £35 on the door if available)

EARLY BIRD TICKETS for Intelligent Horsemanship Members are £25 up to 30th September, when being booked by an IH Member for themselves and their friends. GROUP DISCOUNT – BUY TEN TICKETS & GET ONE FREE. Please note IH Members may also bring up to two friends into the Members’ Private Audience at the demonstrations.

Join Kelly Marks & Intelligent Horsemanship on Facebook

>> Partnership for Performance

SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER BISHOP BURTON COLLEGE Hull HU17 8QGSATURDAY 17 OCTOBER MYERSCOUGH COLLEGE Preston PR3 0RYFRIDAY 23 OCTOBER HARTPURY COLLEGE Gloucestershire GL19 3BETHURSDAY 29 OCTOBER MERRIST WOOD COLLEGE Guildford GU3 3PESATURDAY 31 OCTOBER INGLISTON EC Bishopston PA7 5PA

www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk or call 01488 71300 (Mon-Fri 9am-4pm)

OCTOBER2015and Kelly MarksMonty Roberts

Main demonstration 7.30pm – 10.30pm (with 30 minute interval)

Doors open at 6pm for IH Members’ Private Audience and 7pm for main demonstration

Mistakes about body language Rider Confidence Special! · the body language- try to ignore what is...

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