Category: Training

Riding and Road Safety Points to Consider Speculation surrounding motorists not taking enough caution, or time to think, while approaching and maneuvering around horse and rider on the road is, and has been for some time, a hot topic in the industry. However, it’s not only the driver of a vehicle that holds a responsibility to keep the horse and rider safe on the road, it’s also that of the rider. So, what can we do to help make sure everyone is kept safe? Here we look at assessing the…

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How to Ride a Flying Change How to ride a flying change with Animalife sponsored dressage rider Tor Fenwick. To some, a flying change may initially be experienced by complete accident, while to others it’s ‘the’ move that when trying to ride it, they seem to fail every time. In this article, Tor talks more about making sure the basics are correct before moving on to training a flying change and leaves her best advice on how to ride one. Get the basics right first Horse Before you think of…

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Cooling off a horse after any exercise is crucial. No matter what the activity or duration, time to stretch out muscles and let the heart rate return to normal should be a regular part of any horse rider’s routine when riding the horse at home. Event rider, Harriet Morris-Baumber understands the importance of cooling a horse effectively, especially following the cross-country phase of an event. Here Harriet explains ‘aggressive cooling’ and how to efficiently reduce a horse’s core temperature. Guest Post: Harriet Morris-Baumber Cooling off a horse after exercise Everyone…

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What is a Green Horse? For many, the term can be quite confusing. The saying can mean different things to different people. Essentially, a green horse refers to one who is inexperienced in a particular discipline and/or its education. In this article, we invited international Dressage rider, Alex Harrison, to give us his thoughts on what makes a green horse … green. Alex dives into what training can be undertaken and how to deal with competition days by using turn on the forehand. Written by Alex Harrison, International Dressage Rider…

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Are you ready to get fit for horse riding? Riding is a great way to stay in shape and connect with horses, but it requires physical fitness. So before you jump into the saddle, you need to make sure your body is up for the challenge. After riding for some time, you will notice an increase in health, fitness, strength, flexibility and endurance; however, it’s advisable to give yourself a ‘leg up’ (pardon the pun!) before you start. Even if you’re an experienced rider, some work on yourself out of…

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Build your horse a fitness plan with this quick and easy guide. We take a look at how you can schedule an effective programme for improving your horse’s performance and help reduce the chance of injury. Before You Begin Before you begin your horse’s fitness plan, he or she should be given a general health check. This is an ideal time to: First Things First If you’re starting from scratch, take a look at our guide to bringing your horse back into work. However, if you’re upping the intensity or…

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Horse riding requires a level of fitness specific to the sport itself and often even the fittest of individuals struggle when it comes to getting on horseback. It’s all very well being able to run 5 miles a day without stopping and attending all the latest fitness classes, but without taking part in the correct exercises you are likely to find horse riding challenging. Getting enough hours in the saddle itself is a massive help towards correct rider fitness, but there are many ways to improve this when out of…

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Does your horse focus? Horses are such incredible animals, they not only give us much joy, love and entertainment, but they also provide us with exercise and even sports competition. Horses are incredibly social creatures and enjoy spending time with other horses. They also love human interaction and ‌can bond intensely with their owners. Training a horse can be rewarding and fun, especially as it involves using your hands, body and voice. However, horses also require consistent attention from humans as otherwise, they can be distracted which can lead to poor…

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Introducing a Green Horse to Jumping a Course with Bex Mason Here, Bex Mason shares 4 top tips on introducing a green horse to jumping a course for the very first time so that they learn lots and enjoy themselves. About Bex Mason Bex is a Gloucestershire-based showjumper and has a strong team of up-and-coming world-class horses, which she competes across the UK and Europe. Bex spent years training and competing with leading showjumpers, including Tina and Graham Fletcher (GB), Ludo Philleaperts (BEL), (NZ) and Viki Roycroft (AUS). In recent…

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Four showjumping tips for the more experienced horse This month we are joined by equestrian competitor and coach, Bex Mason who gives her four top showjumping tips for readers with more experienced horses by highlighting the importance of the basics, variety, cavaletti training and goal setting. About Bex Mason Based in Gloucestershire, there’s not much Bex Mason hasn’t done in terms of equestrian competition since the launch of her business in 2010. Having spent over a decade training and competing with top riders such as Tina and Graham Fletcher, naturally…

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If your horse is lacking top line and you’re hoping to use lunging aids to help them, then take a look below at our top suggestions. Lunging aids are a great way to improve your horse’s performance and topline, the area from the horse’s wither, along it’s back to the croup. There are many benefits to lunging when done the correct way. It’s an excellent way to help build back muscles without the rider being on board, helps the rider assess the horse’s way of going, and improves rhythm in…

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Equestrian Training Tips Discover equestrian training tips for amateur horse riders in the following guide. No matter if you are a professional 3-day eventer or a novice learning the art of horse riding, regular training is key in your improvement. The fantastic nature of partaking in equestrian sports is the variety of events which encourages engagement with the sport and allows the rider to find their best fit for them and the horse. Depending on what event you choose to take part in, often determines your training routine and techniques.…

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Becoming a Confident Horse Rider Becoming a confident horse rider is not easy! When it comes down to being a confident horse rider, two things can affect your outlook; your ability and your mindset. After time off riding, you might feel as though the reset button has been well and truly hit regarding your previous boldness in the saddle. So, what can we do to get back to our courageous riding ways? Tackling the Ability Barrier No matter how much time you have had away from the saddle, you horse…

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5 Non-Riding Exercises to do with your Horse Riding/Training:: Everything Horse As the lockdown persists, here are 5 non-riding exercises to do with your horse. While riding hasn’t been banned, it may still be a good idea to consider doing more groundwork to help prevent injury, as the last thing any of us want to do right now is end up in hospital, or put any more strain on the NHS. Now maybe the time to learn a new skill, slowly and safely of course. New skills and exercises undertaken…

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  There’s never been a better opportunity to fine-tune your riding skills than now, in fact, it’s something that should be done at any time of the year. In this article, we take a look at the rider’s core strength with event rider, Harriet Morris-Baumber. As riders, we are becoming increasingly aware of our own fitness and the impact it has on our ability in the saddle, alongside the performance of the horse. Overall fitness is important but having good core strength can transform your riding. Why core strength? Your…

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Kevin McNab gives top tips on how to bring a horse back into work following injury Bringing your horse back into work following injury will require time, patience and a plan. You’ll no doubt be eager to climb back onboard, but depending on the type of injury and how your horse has been managed, will alter the plan you put together to start working your horse back to fitness. In this article, Team McNab eventing shares their thoughts and tips on how to work on fitness after injury by shedding…

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Setting Achievable Goals for You and Your Horse in 2020 It is that time of year again when resolutions are made and often broken before the start of February. Here event rider and trainer Harriet Morris-Baumber offers advice on setting goals that are achievable. Whatever your resolution or goal seeing it through is all about making sure they are achievable in the first place. This is not to say that you shouldn’t push yourself out of your comfort zone but in equestrianism, ambition can sometimes outweigh ability like in no…

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Reduce spooking and gain more confidence with these simple tips for hacking out. With hacking already posing dangers from erratic road users, spooking can only make situations worse when out and about. As riders have naturally begun opting for safer off-road routes, horses can often miss out on great hacking benefits as a result. So, we want to give you the confidence boost you need to get hacking out again, even if it is just 5 minutes, with some simple tips… Keeping Confident… If you’re hacking out and wavering on…

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Riding position is a key factor in strength, balance and functionality during your horse’s ridden performance. However, when on top of the horse, riders can find it hard to break old habits, leaving themselves and horse’s unable to achieve their full potential, plus become more at risk to injury! So, how can you improve your riding position? We were lucky enough to call on the expertise of Emma Malone, a locally-based Advanced Body Control Pilates Teacher, Equipilates™ Registered Trainer, Equitation Science Practitioner and Coach in training with Mary Wanless of Ride with Your Mind…

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Systematic Training Feature with Harriet Morris-Baumber On winning Badminton 2019, Piggy French was quoted as saying: “This shows that if you have a system and work hard, dreams can come true.” This is a philosophy that event rider and trainer, Harriet Morris-Baumber, not only lives by herself but also instils in her clients. “Systematic training, hard work and consistency are the foundations for any successful partnership and once a training programme is developed, it must be given time pay off.” said Harriet. What is Systematic Training? Systematic training usually involves…

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