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F R E E M O N T H LY E Q U E S T R I A N M A G A Z I N E

YO U R H O RS E S , YO U R S T O R I E S

AR RAN STATI O N n o t h r i lls o d e

4 PA G E P H O T O S P R E A D

C L I C K E R T R A I N I N GH O W I T C A N H E L P YO U R H O R S E

t h e g r e atn z t r e k

H O R S E S T H ATH E A L

R A C E H O R S ER E CYC L I N G :PA R T I I

W I N !A b r o w b a n d F R O M P I Q U EE Q U E S T R I A N

Yvette with her horse Regi

equine online nz

It has been great to hear so much positive feedback from the first issue. One of our goals at Equine Online is to celebrate the New Zealand equestrian in all shapes and forms.

You might enjoy the Sunday hack, or be preparing your horse for the highest levels of competition. You might ride Western, English, or not even ride at all, but every equestrian lover has one thing in common; we all experienced that moment when we fell in love with horses.

The first horse I ever sat on was an old ex-racehorse called Buddy. It was very unglamorous- I’d borrowed a riding helmet, and my gumboots continued to slip off my feet as I sat atop the gangly, but incredibly sweet bay. I didn’t care what his breeding, age, conformation, or experience was- he was a horse and I was sitting on him! From that day, I begged my parents for riding lessons. I didn’t have goals to compete, or to be a great horse rider, I just wanted to be around horses. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the negatives- you might not be able to nail that leg yield or your horse may have been an absolute terror at your last show. However, I bet if you asked your younger self if it mattered- the one who just sat on a horse for the very first time- the answer would be no.

So whenever things aren’t going quite right, I challenge you to think about that young girl or boy (or hey, you may have recently started riding as an adult!) and the joy you experienced from your very first ride. I’m sure this will put you in a positive frame of mind which will help you to eventually nail that leg yield!

Yvette

F R O M T H E E D I TO R

EDITORYvette Morrissey

CONTRIBUORSBrooke Burns, Jacqui Van Buuren, Emma Hurrell,

Gemma Sigglekow, Grace Gray, Hayley Grant, Sue Holmes, Hayley Clarke, Freya Thompson, Claire

Madden, Jess Land, Marie Gordon, Senara Caddy.

PHOTOGRAPHERSKaylee Mcbeth, Brooke Burns, Natureinsync Pho-

tography, Kelly Allen.

CONTRIBUTE!We are always on the lookout for new contributors.

If you are interested in becoming a part of New Zealand’s first free equestrian e-magazine, send

us an email: editor@equineonline.co.nz

CONTACT USWe would love to hear from you. Send us an email

editor@equineonline.co.nz

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page 5

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contents4 NEWS AND REVIEWSInter-school showjumping; a new horse park opens in Canterbury, should judges ease up on

scars in the show ring, what do the new health and safety laws mean for equestrian business

owners, and more news and reviews.

9 EQUINE ONLINE’S HORSE OF THE MONTHMeet our very first Horse of the Month, sponsored by Pique Equestrian and find out how you

could win a gorgeous browband!

12 INTERVIEW: ROCKIN HORSE NZMeet the girls whose mission it is to improve the quality and style of halters and dog collars in

New Zealand. Plus be in to win your very own custom made halter!

14 THE GREAT NEW ZEALAND TREKHayley Grant took part in this year’s Great New Zealand Horse Trek aboard her Kaimanawa

mare Indy. She tells us about her incredible journey.

18 INCREDIBLE ICELANDICSMeet the couple who are using clicker training to ride their Icelandic horses ‘naked.’

22 PHOTO SPREAD: ARRAN STATION NO THRILLS ODE Photographer Kaylee Mcbeth was at the event to take some photos of the show jumping and

cross country phases.

26 HOW HORSES HEALJacqui Van Buuren visits two organisations who use Equine Therapy and is touched by what

she sees.

30 RACEHORSE RECYCLING: PART IIThis month Claire finds hacking helpful for maintaining focus, Yvette enters Bomba in his first

show, Jax teaches Wills to jump, and Jess deals with back soreness,

36 COLUMNSThis issue Freya gives her tips on how riders can improve their core strength, Marie reflects on

her decision to get back into horse riding, and Senara discusses goal setting.

E Q U I N E O N L I N E M A G A Z I N E M AY 2 0 1 6 3

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It was a cold and early morning for 18 school teams at the Paraparaumu Interschool Showjumping held at Waikanae Park on April 13. The day began with two showjumping rings set at 50 and 80 centimetres, with over 80 riders testing their skills over three courses, a Table C, 2 Phase and AM5 IJO. Horowhenua College student, Megan Davies, was at the event competing on her two horses, Prince Of Pop and Costiera Amalfi. “It was such a great outing! I especially loved the facilities at Waikanae Park and the help from Waikanae Pony Club. It was such a fun event!” Megan said she felt incredibly lucky to attend a school that participated in such an event. “It is such a great opportunity for students who don’t play any other sports to get a chance to represent their school proudly, doing something they love,” she said. Wellington Girls College were the winners on the day. Overall, the day was very well run and many riders com-mented they are looking forward to participating next year..

WELLINGTON THE WINNERS AT INTERSCHOOL COMP Words: Brooke Burns / Photos: Natureinsync Photography

N E W S

Sarah Willets-Scott from Wellington Girls College

Sophie Arcus from Ohau SchoolAleisha Fitzgerald from Paraparaumu College

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A new park for horse riders and car-riage drivers has opened in Selwyn. The park, called the West Melton For-est, opened to a flurry of equine en-thusiasts on April 30 where they celebrated with a barbeque lunch. West Melton Forest is part of Environ-ment Canterbury’s 350-hectare pine for-est, Waimakariri River Regional Park, which also includes Baynons Brake, a smaller horse-riding trail on the op-posite side of the river, near Kainga. The main use of West Melton For-est is to provide a safe place away from cars and vehicles for recreational horse riding and horse-carriage driving. “Lots of people have been asking for plac-es to ride off-road in the Selwyn district,”

said Environment Canterbury Parks and Forests Team Leader David Owen. “Equestrians will appreciate the new 10 kilometres of marked trail. Horse and carts are permitted in the forest as well, with large sandy areas and forest roads to explore.” Picnic areas are provided and walking the trails is also possible. This project has been supported by the community through volunteer planting days, a picnic bench donated by Can-terbury pony clubs and many other donations of both time and resources.Riders can access the park from Old West Coast Road; turn onto Chattertons Road, and 3km from the road junction is the entrance to West Melton Forest..

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Riders enjoy the new West Melton Forest park.

NEW HORSE PARK OPENS IN CANTERBURY N E W S

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Equine business owners now have to get their head around the new health and safety laws.

The new Health and Safety Reform Bill came into force on April 4 2016. Gemma Sigglekow writes what this means for businesses in the equestrian industry. So I am not sure about other train-ers, coaches and equestrian business owners out there but I am work-ing hard to get my head around the new Health and Safety laws as a responsible business owner. For a start, the laws are for anyone con-sidered a PCBU. A PCBU is the legal enti-ty “operating a business or undertaking”. In laymen terms anyone teaching, training, coaching, schooling, shoeing, undertaking therapy on horses, you name it, the term PCBU covers us all. We have a 32 page legal document to get our heads around that explains what our duties are and of course what the consequences are if we don’t com-ply. I have had word that the rural sec-tor, which equestrians fall under, will be a section that will be under close scrutiny due to high incident rates. After talking with a few other business owners, they too are feeling a bit in the dark, tending to ignore rather than address the new processes we face. Firstly we have to set up clear health and safety plans for our everyday work, clear-ly identifying any potential hazards and how we can best avoid control them at ev-ery location we undertake our business. Next we have to ensure all workers on site have been adequately informed about safety risks and confirm that they understand these risks and that they agree to the control measures set. Any pupils or clients also have to be in-formed and agree. Full PPE (personal protection equipment- helmets, back protectors, boots etc) must be supplied and used at all times. Facilities such as toilets and showers are to be provided at places of work. Sometimes this is easy

but for lease holders of bare land for working horses this may prove a nightmare in costs for improvements. Please do not take this as all you have to do, its just a basic overview from my preliminary readings of the law. I start and train horses for a living as well as retail saddles and other training equipment, I also go around the coun-try and coach. I am expected to have a hazard identification sheet for each site I visit and have all parties sign a waiver. I teach up to 20 riders in a week-end or more, and I tell you sometimes I cannot identify a hazard a horse may throw at me in my line of work espe-cially after this last year I have worked with some seriously quirky horses. I am plugging away and hope to have my plans in place by the end of the month... but if something happens before then I could be liable for fines! For instance if a rider is caught with no hel-met, fines can be up to $6000 and if my worker doesn’t the fines escalate. So if I hap-pen to coach you and ask you to wear a helmet please humour me!

The Act is part of “Working Safer: a blueprint for health and safety at work” and reforms New Zealand’s health and safety system following the recommen-dations of the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety. Keen to know more? You can find the legis-lation online at http://www.legislation.govt.nz/

Do you operate an equestrian business or offer an equine service? How are you finding the new health and safe-ty legislation? Email your thoughts to reporter@equineonline.co.nz .YOUR THOUGHTS

OPINION: HEALTH AND SAFETY LEGISLATION O P I N I O N

By Gemma Sigglekow

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There are a lot of opinions in the show ring when it comes to the presentation of our four-legged friends. Having com-peted in New Zealand and Australia myself, there seems to be very diverse opinions between the two countries on the appearance of scars in the show ring.I’m not talking about the kind of scar that bulges off the leg- I’m talking about the scars left when our beloved horses get a bit too up close and personal with a wire fence. The scars that are still slightly noticable even after an application of make-up.I have personally found New Zealand judging to be more critical when it comes to scars. It states in the RAS rules that as long as the scar is “not a hindrance or un-sightly no penalty will be imposed upon the horse”. Well, that’s great! But how do judges define “unsightly?” In the Australian rulebook there is no mention of scars at all. The rules even have a lee-way on splints, but yet some judges seem to automatically say no to scars.We all know that when it comes to showing there really is a certain etiquette. We must have the matching cravat and browband and have a sheepskin saddle cloth. If we want to go as far as Australian, Garry Owen, you must wear wool-len gloves with a pearl button. In the show ring, the horse is judged on movement, manners and confirmation. Hang on- let’s stop right there. Conformation. If we look the word up it simply means “the correctness of bone structure”. Last time I checked scars were acquired. Most scars in the show ring

do not have any hindrance on the horses movement. They wouldn’t be in the show ring if it did! The amount of advertisements I have seen that state “not suitable for high level showing due to scars” reinforces this perception. Wouldn’t it be a shame to place an outstanding horse in second place simply due to a scar? Hopefully New Zealand will get to the stage where judges become more forgiving of scars in the show ring.

SHOWING THE SCAR By Emma Hurrell

YOUR THOUGHTS Have you ever been marked down in the show ring because your horse has a scar? Or do you think the judging of scars in New Zealand is acceptable? Email your thoughts to reporter@equineonline.co.nzfor your chance to have your letter featured in the next issue..

O P I N I O N

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The Bashkir Curly horse is a unique and incred-ibly rare breed. This breed appealed to me par-ticularly due to their fascinating curly coats, and after reading that they were one of the top en-dangered horse breeds globally I was keen to find out more about these rare (and su-per cute) horses! After many debates and theories it is now agreed on that this breed of horse dates back to 1898, when Peter Damele began a breeding program for these horses after discovering them while he was riding with his father in central Nevada High Country. These horses were originally bred for working cattle, and are still used for this purpose today.These horses are unique due to their distinctive curly mane, tail, and during winter their full coat. Although heights can vary, these horses usu-ally range from 14hh to 16hh. What also makes The Bashkir Curly Horse stand out as a breed is that they are hypoallergenic, meaning that even if you are allergic to horses you will not have a reaction to these horses. Overall these horses are pretty fantastic crea-tures! If you would like to find out more about these horses and how you can do your bit to stop them from going extinct, you can visit the American Bashkir Curly Horse Registry.

M: 022 4288 586E: ellen_davis_photography@yahoo.co.nz

Ellen Davis PhotographyEquestrian photographer - mid/lower North Island

Ellen Davis Photography and Design

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DID YOU KNOW: THE BASHKIR CURLY HORSE By Grace Gray

D I D YO U K N O W

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• Bridles Browbands

H O R S E O F T H E M O N T H

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HORSE OF THE MONTH

CRUISE

Sponsored by

Equine

Our very first Horse Of the Month winner is Cruise aka So Big, who was nominated by his owner, Heidi. Heidi and Cruise are now the lucky new owners of a bridle from Pique Equestrian.

“I would like to nominate my horse Cruise (So Big) for Horse of the Month. Cruise saved my sanity by coming into my life exactly at the time I needed him. I went through a marriage break up and had to sell my horses and truck. A few years later once I was getting back on my feet, my closest friend talked me into going hunting and I loved it. Cruise is only six years and was pig/deer hunting before I got him. He stands at 16.3hh and is a gentle giant, behaving perfectly around my kids. He is safe enough for my six year-old and three year-old to ride. We take him to the beach, forestry, BMX park; out hunting, show jumping, and even when we go camping. I can tie him to the trampoline whilst the kids are bouncing to wash him for a hunt. He is the definition of the ultimate all-rounder and will be with our family forever. Of all the horses that I’ve had over the years, this is the one that I would be lost without.”

Pique Equestrian is located in Queenstown, Central Ota-go and are stockists of bridles, browbands and boots.

*Entries are accepted from those living in New Zealand only. For full T’s and C’s email editor@equineonline.co.nz.

piqueEQUESTRIAN

WHAT MAKES YOUR HORSE SPECIAL?

Tell us and be in to WIN a browband valued at $30 from Pique Equestrian NZ!

Nominate a horse you think deserves to be Equine Online’s ‘Horse/Pony of the Month’

and tell us their story- it can be funny, inspira-tional, sad or plain strange!

*Entries should be under 300 words and emailed to

editor@equineonline.co.nz

Online’s

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Stockists of • Boots • Bridles • Browbands

W I N !

TO P 5 H O R S E F I L M SThe next best thing to horse riding is watching movies about horses, right? Well we have selected five of our favourites for you to enjoy on your next rainy day inside. So

grab a blanket, some popcorn, your favourite horse soft toy and cuddle up and be entertained by our selection of movies.

BUCK (2011) The story of the man who inspired he novel ‘The Horse Whisperer’. Buck tells the story of Buck Brannaman and how his abusive childhoof helped teach him the compassion and insight needed to train horses. The documen-tary follows Brannaman on his annual 40-week-per-year circuit of ranches where he gives clinics on natural horsemanship. See some of the tech-niques Brannaman uses on unbroken and problem horses.

Watch it if: You like documentaries, and want to see a horsemanship master at work.

SEABISCUIT (2003) The story of the little racehorse that gave America hope during the Great Depression. Seabiscuit tells the story of three men- a businessman who is grieving over the loss of his son, a broke and injured jockey, and a down-and-out horse trainer- and how their lives intersect to train a tempermenal and broken down racehorse to win some of America’s biggest races. Th

Watch it if: You enjoy a classic American storyline and always wished you lived in the roaring twenties.

WAR HORSE (2011) Albert and his horse Joey live on a farm in the British countryside. After his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry by his father, Albert enlists to serve in World War I. Joey begins an odyssey full of danger, joy and sorrow, and he transforms everyone he meets along the way. Meanwhile Albert, unable to forget his equine friend, searches the battlefields of France to find Joey and bring him home.

Watch it if: You have have a box of tissues handy!

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TO P 5 H O R S E F I L M SThe next best thing to horse riding is watching movies about horses, right? Well we have selected five of our favourites for you to enjoy on your next rainy day inside. So

grab a blanket, some popcorn, your favourite horse soft toy and cuddle up and be entertained by our selection of movies.

NATIONAL VELVET (1944) When Velvet Brown, an equine loving 12-year-old living in rural Sussex, becomes the owner of a rambunc-tious horse, she decides to train it for England’s Grand National race. Aided by former jockey Mi Taylor (Mickey Rooney) and encouraged by her family, the determined Velvet gets her steed, affectionately called The Pie, ready for the big day. However, a last-minute problem arises with the jockey and an unexpected rider must step in as a replacement.

Watch it if: You are a family of horse lovers.

DARK HORSE (2015) Dark Horse tells the story of a barmaid at a working man’s club in Cefn Fforest who came up with a plan to form a syndicate to buy a racehorse. Eventually 23 working-class people buy a share of a poorly bred English steeplechaser named Dream Alliance, and they did what no one thought it could be done: turned him into a champion.

Watch it if: You love an underdog story.

AND THE REST...It was a real struggle to pick five favou-rites, so here is a comprehensive list of many other horse films we recom-mend you watch!

Black Beauty Phar Lap Horse Camp A Horse Story A Horse called Bear The Black Stallion The Young Black Stallion The Black Stallion Returns The Colt Hidalgo Champions Dreamer Secretariat The Long Shot The Horse Whisperer The Silver Brumby The Man from Snowy River Sylvester Flicka Flicka 2 Flicka: Country Pride Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron The Derby Stallion International Velvet Virginia’s Run Ruffian The Man from Snowy River Big Spender

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R O C K I NH O R S E W E A RMonica Oakley and Emma McCutcheon are a team of two who have set out to improve the quality and style of halters and dog collars in New Zealand. Together they created RockinHorse NZ.

Tell us a little bit about your background. We are both from horse and farming backgrounds and have ridden all of our lives. Emma holds a Bachelor of Design and has worked for many top New Zealand fashion design-ers. Monica is a professional horse rider and trainer who has competed at top level eventing.

How did you come up with the idea for the RockinHorse? We were sick of our halters always breaking so we set out to find the best quality materials available to design halters that were durable and hard wearing. We set out to source the strongest hard-wearing materials we could find and put

them to the test.

What material do you use for your halters and dog collars? We decided on PVC coated webbing because it is super strong, durable, supple and doesn’t require any cleaning apart from a simple wipe with a damp cloth.

What sets your products apart from others? We personally cut and sew all of the halters here in New Zealand and we have a wonderful laser engraver who does all of the name plates for us. Our colour chart has a vast amount of vibrant colours to choose from and as well as

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being beautiful our halters are very strong and durable.

Do you sell halters overseas? Yes we have sent one off as far as Germany.

What does a typical day involve for you? The number of orders we receive varies from week to week so we work our day around how many halters we have to make. If we are ahead of schedule we devote some of our time to designing and testing new products.

How many halters have you sold so far? We have lost count lol but it is a lot!

How can people get their own custom made halter? We have a Facebook page where

people can order via private message or they can email us at teamrockinhorse@gmail.com.

Do you each have horses? What discipline/s do you enjoy? We both love eventing. Monica is a professional rider who currently has a team of six horses competing at various levels. Emma has three horses; one events at pre-novice level and the other two are young ones who will be out next season. We will both be out in force early in the spring.

What’s next for RockinHorse? We are currently working on a few new goodies to add to the RockinHorse range. We will advertise these goodies on Facebook when we are completely happy with the design and we are confi-dent the product is up to our high stan-dard of durability. .

WIN!A CUSTOM MADE

HALTER FROM ROCKIN HORSE!

Visit the Equine Online Facebook page

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T H E G R E AT N Z T R E KHayley Grant and her Kaimanawa mare Indy, took part in Stage 11 of the Great New Zealand Trek in February. This is her journey.

By Hayley Grant

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DAY 1 - 2 SPRINGFIELD & HIGH PEAK STATION

Everyone arrived at the campsite in Springfield where we set up camp and got to know each other over a few drinks. Our gear checked and the horses were checked by the vet and the farrier to ensure they were sound and able to handle the trek. It was on day two we officially set off to High Peak. Massive trucks carried showers, toilets and the gazebo. The first part of the trek was the biggest of the hill climbs. I was excited, but a bit nervous because I wasn’t sure how Indy would cope, but we made it to the top. The view was incredible- we

looked over the Canterbury plains on one side and ranges on the other. We travelled 32 kilometres that day, and the last 10 kilometres were the hardest. Indy grew tired so I dismounted and walked the remaining five kilometres. That night we danced to a live band, which was set up under a marquee. We filled our plastic cups at the onsite bar. By the end of the night we took the party back to one of the horse trucks. A high-light was over 20 people singing Willie Nelson’s ‘Seven Spanish Angels’- which is apparently the Great Trek ritual.

DAY 3-4: ALFORD FOREST & MOUNT SOMERS

Unsurprisingly, I wasn’t the brightest spark in the morning due to an enthusi-astic evening the night before! However, I think I’ve discovered the best hangover cure: trekking. I think it had something to do with the wind in my hair, and after half an hour I felt fine. For those feeling less fortunate than I, there was a ‘sag wagon (an old Western term) to pick any riders or horses up and take them to the next destination. It was this day I experienced

my first challenge. After we went over the bridge that took us to Mount Hutt, we had to walk up a steep bank; this took a lot of concentration and I had to direct Indy carefully. We had heard that earlier a horse had taken a misstep, and had fallen down the bank. Fortunately both horse and rider were fine. That evening after we made it to our next camping spot, we celebrated at the local pub. The bar-tender looked like she had never seen that many people in her pub before and people were having competitions to see if they could make her smile. A few of the locals came back to the horse truck, and I bet one guy in an arm wrestling compe-tition (I may have cheated). Luckily, day four was a rest day. Some trekkers went into Geraldine to do some shopping, but I caught up on some sleep. I didn’t move the whole day.

DAY 5-6: PEEL FOREST & BLUE MOUNTAIN STATION

On day five we awoke to rain, but we con-tinued on. We climbed two kilometres up the ranges and trekked along the Surrey hillside. It was this day I met a rider who

THE JOURNEYSpringfield High Peak StationAlford ForestMount SomersPeel ForestBlue Mountain StationFairlie

LEFTGood views and great company. Riding riverside on day five.

RIGHTHayley and her mother, Maree, who also went on the trek, cool down on one of the warmest days.

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was riding a beautiful first cross Friesian horse that she had bred herself. He was a gentle giant, and I was in awe of him. We walked peacefully alongside water races before crossing the Rangitata river. Day five was a big day- but it was also one of the most incredible days as we headed towards the ranges. It was also the day where I took Indy for her first swim in a river. We had tried at the beaches back home in Christchurch, but she was frightened of the waves, however she powered through the river and even overtook Mum and her horse! That night we stayed at a very special place in Peel Forest: Waikonini Homestead. Waikonini is a Victorian style country home located on a deer farm. It was built in 1882, and has 10 acres of lush gardens. It was like living in a fairy tale. The next morning we regretfully left the comfort of the homestead and followed a four-wheel drive track to Blue Mountain Station. This part of the trek was very hilly, and the temperature reached 30. The walkers struggled that day. I felt Indy handled it well. Each day she was getting fitter. We usually left at 8:30 in the morning, and retired at 5pm, so the days

were long. On day six we crossed a single bridge with a 50 foot drop either side. It sounds scary, but all the horses crossed perfectly fine, not fazed by the drop. There was a water hole at the bottom of the drop where people swam their horses. Day six was my last day on the trek; I had pre-booked tickets to a concert so Indy went in the sag wagon for the rest of

the journey before being dropped home. I wanted to be a cowgirl forever, I didn’t want to leave. Spending each day trek-king through the Canterbury countryside was enlightening; life was so simple. Throughout the journey I felt so relaxed- getting up and riding your horse every day was incredibly therapeutic..

T H E G R E AT N E W Z E A L A N D T R E K : F I N D I N G A C U R E F O R M S

The Great New Zealand Trek began traversing the length of New Zealand in 2006. It has been designed to enable participants to gradually travel the length of the country walking, biking or horse riding in supported luxury. With off road access, en route support, luggage transport, camping and yarding, professional caterers, hot showers, massage, live entertainment, bar, café and a huge support crew it is much more than a trek. The purpose of the Great NZ Trek is to raise money to help find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). New Zea-land has one of the highest rates in the world affecting around one in every 1,000 people. This year Stage 11 of the trek was completed, and $35,000 was raised,

bringing the grand total to $314,000. Stage 12 is set for March 4-12, 2017. This will see trekkers make their way even further down the South Island. Planning for this stage is still underway, however more information is ex-pected to be released this month, on the Great New Zea-land Trek Charitable Trust Facebook page. All proceeds go to the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, New Zealand’s leading independent medical research facility. For more information, check out their website: www.greatnewzealandtrek.org.nz or of you would like to make a donation to the Great New Zealand Trek, visit their Give a Little Page at https://givealittle.co.nz/org/greatnztrek

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I N C R E D I B L E I C E L A N D I C SClicker training is quickly becoming a popular way to train horses. Anette and

Geoff Kira, Manawatu, are able to ride their Icelandics ‘naked’ using the

training method.

By Sue Holmes and Yvette Morrissey

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I N C R E D I B L E I C E L A N D I C SClicker training is quickly becoming a popular way to train horses. Anette and

Geoff Kira, Manawatu, are able to ride their Icelandics ‘naked’ using the

training method.

By Sue Holmes and Yvette Morrissey

T HE ICELANDIC HORSE comes f rom- you guessed it- Iceland. Like the miniature horse, Icelandics are

a small breed but are classified as horses, though they stand between 13 and 14 hands. The breed is known for being hardy, adaptable and sometimes spirited. They were purpose bred by farmers in Iceland to be working and riding horses. There are few Icelandic Horse breed-ers in New Zealand, making the breed relatively rare in our country. Anette Kira, originally from Sweden and now living in the Manawatu, has been riding horses since before she could walk. Anette and her husband, Geoff, own three Icelandics- Pipar, Hrima and Paufi. “What I like about the breed is that they have beautiful natures, are incredi-bly healthy and strong horses, and they want to work with you,” she says. She trains them using the clicker method- a training regime that is fast becoming popular in New Zealand.

WHAT THE CLICK?

Clicker training is a relatively new phenomenon in New Zealand, but it is fast gaining a following with equestrians. It is a method that uses positive reinforcement to encour-age good behaviour. Aside from horses, clicker training is also used with dogs, cats, dolphins and other animals. The basic idea is that you use the clicker when teaching the horse a new behaviour. When the horse successfully does what you have asked, you click, and then give the horse a treat as a reward. Anette says clicker training is the best training system she has found. ”Without any comparison clicker training is the easiest way to train horses. The horses absolutely ▶

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love it, and that is what makes the training so easy- they want to do it.”

EVERY WHICH WAY

Anette says she has tried every training technique or riding style possible. She has show jumped competitively in New Zealand and in Europe to 1.30m, competed in dressage and eventing, and has even given western riding a go. “I think I’ve tried every training method that has been invented for horses. When I started riding I was taught to show the horse who’s boss, and it just didn’t feel right.” She first discovered clicker training when she was compet-ing dogs. She had taken a break from riding, as she was not enjoying riding anymore. “I had tried everything with this mare. I got frustrated and didn’t want to fight with her. I started using clicker training with the dogs and found it fantastic, so figured why not try it with horses.”

LOOKING FOR THE POSITIVE

She didn’t look back. Because clicker training focuses on positive reinforcement, it means the training is never forced. “The horse always has the option of not doing what is being asked, but if they want a treat, then they have to do some-thing to make me click.” Her theory is that this way, the horse is always listening and trying to figure out what the handler or rider wants- the goal every equestrian wants to achieve.

As a result of the clicker training, Anette and Geoff are now able to ride their Icelandics using hand and verbal signals. They can walk, trot, canter and turn- all from Anette using hand signals. Anette has even taught Paufi, a twenty-four year old gelding, to lower his head so that her seven-year-old son, Caelan, can put a headcollar on him. “You can use clicker training to teach anything.” Anette is also successfully using clicker training with a Clydesdale-pony cross rescue horse. “When we got this horse he was very uptight and had shut down mentally. I don’t think he would be a happy horse if he was trained any other way.”

ALL IN GOOD TIME

Not only is clicker training beneficial for the horse, it is also beneficial for the rider. It teaches the handler to pay closer attention to what the horse is doing and listen. While clicker training provides instant gratification, it does take a lot of practice to get the timing right. Before training horses, Anette’s husband Geoff started clicker training with dogs. “When I first started, my timing was out. I could get the dog to do what I wanted, but not exactly how I wanted him to do it. It took me a little longer to get to the stage where I had perfection,” he says. Once Geoff had improved his timing, he started training horses. “I wanted to get my timing right before moving on to horses. With clicker training, it’s not the horse that has to learn- it’s

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you,” he says. In essence, you need to train yourself to train the horse. They both recommend doing as much research as possible before starting clicker training and seeking out experienced people when learning how to clicker train.

TRICK OR TREAT?

The click itself isn’t a reward; it’s a behaviour marker. “The click basically tells the horse that what he has done is correct. It may take me thirty seconds to fish out a treat, but it doesn’t matter because they already know they have given the correct response.” Working with treats can become dangerous, especially if you have a greedy horse. Anette explains one of the first lessons you learn with clicker training is ‘don’t rob me.’ This involves waiting until the horse is standing calmly and waiting for the treat before it is given. “One of the horses was particularly pushy at first, so I stood behind the gate. They quickly learn that when they nuzzle for the treat, they won’t get it. As soon as they stand back, that’s when they get treated.” Do you always have to treat with clicker training? “No you don’t,” says Anette. “You treat the horse when you are teaching a behaviour. Once they’ve learnt the behaviour you apply the variable reinforcement schedule.” This involves varying when the treats are given. “I may have a horse walking beside me, and when teach-ing them this, I may treat them after they have taken one step. Once they have learned to follow, I may treat every

third step, then the first step, then the seventh step, hen the second step, and or the twenthieth step. Eventually you may only treat every twenty minutes. The point is to be vari-able when you treat. You do it so that they know the treat is coming, but they don’t know exactly when.” “You’re also not going to be clicking every minute, forever. That’s too much work. It’s just at the beginning phase of training you click frequently, then you ease off.”

ART IN MOTION

It’s captivating to see. Anette stands at the gate and calls, and next minute a flurry of horses come trotting around the corner. She opens the gate, and one follows her through the orchard, over the lawn, and stands next to the mounting block, ready to be ridden. There is no halter in sight. “If someone told me five years ago that I would be riding a horse all over the farm without any gear, I would have laughed,” she says as she mounts Pipar. “With clicker training, I feel more in control than I have ever felt before. I can take the horses out on hacks with no gear-and they do what I ask. They turn, stop, go faster or slower. I feel more in control with him than with any other horse. It’s just the best.” .

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no thrills odeEnjoy photographs taken at the Arran Station No Thrills ODE on April 17.

Photographer: Kaylee McBeth Photography

ARRAN STATION

P H O TO S P R E A D

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T H E H E A L I N G P OW E R O F H O R S E S Contributor Jacqui Van Buuren visits two organisations in New Zealand practising Equine Therapy and is touched by what she sees.

By Jacqui Van Buuren

F E AT U R E

T THE MORNING IS grey and bleak when I arrive at Riding for the Disabled Whangarei, a contrast to the shrieks of young laughter coming from the huge covered arena. I’m met by Rachel Ball,

the newly appointed Operations Manager, who has come from the Waikato to take on the job at the RDA. “I was looking for a job with meaning,” she says, “Something that inspired me to get out of bed in the morning; this is a special place.”

RIDING FOR THE DISABLED

I intend to find out why. Rachel was a keen eventing rider who left her job as a truck driver due to a herniated disk in her cervical spine (from working not riding!) and is full of fantastic ideas on how to advance the RDA and in doing so improve the lives of the incred-ible horses that make up the therapy horse team. “This job is mentally strenuous for the horses, they need a release- an outlet to just be horses. I’m very interested in helping enhance their lives and in turn this will help our clients even more.”

I’m interested to hear about the transition Rachel says the horses go through every morning when they come in from the grazing paddock. “They come in full of typical herd behavior- ears back, full of beans, sorting out the pecking order but the minute they take one step into the arena they change and they know exactly what they are there to do. They quieten down and well-behaved, it’s inspirational to see.” There’s more laughter coming from the arena and it’s getting hard to concentrate, I feel like I’m missing out on a party! We head out to see the team in action. The RDA has both paid and volunteer staff; all are passionate about working with the horses and seeing the children progress. Heather Timmins is a huge part of this and her involvement with the RDA has been lifelong. Heather’s mother runs the Kaitaia branch and she has been involved from the age of six. She is the Head Coach and her job is to design individual riding programs to suit the wide variety of children that attend the school and to assist with their specific disabilities. Seeing the children aboard their horses and ponies is a delight. Sitting ▶

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aboard a 14.2hh chestnut crossbreed is a seven year old boy holding two cups of water and pouring them with great concentration into a bucket on the ground. The water splashes him, the horse and the volunteer, and the laughter erupts once again and I realise I am seeing magic in action. The horses are a vast and varied bunch. There’s Lofty, a 17hh ex-huntsman’s horse, and Purdy, a crossbred pony. There is a lovely bunch of miniature horses that are a good place for the kids who are intimi-dated by the size of the others to begin. Rachel tells me of kids that wouldn’t touch a horse, that were frozen in fear, how she would put their hand on hers and gently start the process with just touch. “Once the kids feel that here is another living being, the penny drops for most.” She smiles as she talks of little people who are stretching their previous limits, both mental and physical and literally flying without wings. And the horses; they quietly and steadily go about this very important job they now have, carrying their young passengers through the boundaries that have held them back for so long.

HORSES FOR HEALING

While the RDA work to help younger members of our community, Hazel Squires, the Programme Facilitator at Horses for Healing, has a heart for adults suffering with mental health issues. Having gone into a terribly dark time after the her husband passed away she knew first hand just how much these animals can teach and help those who need it. “I had an ex racehorse called Paris who I had leant to a friend at that time and they insisted I take her back. That horse was a savior for me.” Hazel runs a 10 week course using horses to help people find their confidence; some-t imes for the first t ime in their l ives. Hazel swears that she is not to be given any of the kudos for the incredible programme and is quick to move the conversation onto her therapy horses. Kauri is her ‘main man’. Kauri is a 16.3hh Clydesdale/Thoroughbred cross who is 26 and when he’s not involved in giving gentle nurtur-ing therapy to those who need it he can be found out and about with Hazel competing side saddle.

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Horses for Healing starts from the ground up with their clients who learn how to groom, feed, clean and care for the horse before any riding takes place. “An important part of this programme is encour-aging a person to look out from themselves to the needs of a horse. In return, the horse gives back love and acceptance,” says Hazel. Each program is tailor made for the individual by the Horses for Healing team who all have expe-rience working with mental health patients and each case’s ‘success’ is measured very differently. Twenty-four-year-old mother, Kelsi Halliday, believes she has her life back free from drugs and alcohol thanks the equine healers. The young mother hit rock bottom and went through rehabilitation, but it was her experi-ence on the Horses for Healing course that has seen her regain her confidence and allowed her to tackle her mental health illness. “My whole concept of life and mindset has changed. I focus on the positive things in life and the horses help me do that. I used to have a horse when I was eight years old, so for me it was like going

back to the simple times before life got hectic.” Working with the horses gave Kelsi the confi- dence to sit through a job interview. “Dealing with a 17 hand high horse in a bad mood makes doing a job interview very easy!” Hazel says that measuring how it’s working can be difficult. “Stories like Kelsi’s or feedback from clients who say, ‘I went shopping and didn’t want to run out of the supermarket’ or ‘I don’t feel like taking my life anymore’ are huge indi-cations that we’re doing the right thing here” Hazel considers herself incredibly blessed to be doing two of the things she is most passionate about, working with horses and helping other people. “We want people to take what they learn here from these wonderful horses and apply it to their lives. We want them to become the prince or princess they were meant to be, to sit strong and tall in the saddle, heads up with their eyes wide open to the future.” .

“...clients who say, ‘I

went shopping and didn’t

want to run out of the

supermarket’ or ‘I don’t

feel like taking my life

anymore’ are huge indi-

cations that we’re doing

the right thing here”

- Hazel Squires, Horses

for Healing Programme

Facilitator.

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RACEHORSERECYCLINGPart II. This month Claire finds hacking is brilliant for maintaining focus, Yvette competes Bomba in his first dressage competition, Jax teaches Wills to jump and Jess encounters some soreness with Arnie.

but this actually provides great school-ing opportunities for rhythm and speed control and for working on our half halt. Working Ouch on the road provides a varied environment which keeps him mentally stimulated as he gets bored very easily especially if worked in the paddock or arena constantly. If this happens he invents all sorts of tricks to entertain himself. The constant change of scenery in our rides also helps Ouch to focus. If I can maintain Ouch’s focus while riding past new sub divisions being built, it means I can maintain this focus while out competing. This also keeps me focused on what I am wanting from Ouch as he is not only the horse who can strug-gle with focus at a competition. We have just started working on some collection work, however, Ouch does struggle a bit with this as he likes his long and low, so we are introducing it gradually, keeping the collection confined to short periods of time and increasing the length and fre-quency slowly. We have entered a dres-sage competition in May where our focus will be on completing the tests in a consis-tent rhythm with the main focus being on our accuracy. I am not so worried about collection or even cantering for the spec-ified period in the test this time around. This will give me an idea of what we need to work on and will set my training plan for the second day of the series is in August followed by a show in September.

CLAIRE AND OUCH

Ouch has just completed a one month spell after competing in the inhand stan-dardbred section at HOY and has just come back into work. Before being able to work on his collection, impulsion and rhythm it is important to build up his fitness and muscle strength. But before all of this he had his teeth done, back checked and saddle fitted so that we are starting with a clean slate. Ouch has also had a change of bit and is now wearing a Micklem bridle. I have done quite a bit of road work at the walk and trot; luckily for me Ouch is very quiet on the roads and unfazed by cars, trucks, and motor bikes. During each ride I work on getting Ouch to stretch and engage over the back and work in a soft long and low frame, building up the time periods that he maintains this as he gets fitter and stronger, firstly in the walk and then in the trot. We also focus on maintaining a steady rhythm at the desired speed that I set. Ouch can still get a bit excited and “race horsey” especially if faced with a long straight grass verge which to him looks like a racing straight

Hacking has been great for Ouch’s focus Lunging helps to establish a steady rhythm

RIDER: Claire Madden LOCATION: Kumeu, AucklandOCCUPATION: HR Assistant IF MY HORSE WERE A CARTOON CHARACTER HE WOULD BE: Sylvester because he is proud, persistent, and cunning. HORSE: Major Ouch (Ouch) AGE: 8HEIGHT: 15.3hh DAM: Ouch La Fe FeSIRE: Art Major STARTS: 32 WINNINGS: $30,390

DISCIPLINE: Showing

This month Claire brings Ouch back into work and begins their preparations for their first dres-sage competition. She also finds hacking is great for main-taining Ouch’s focus.

T R A I N I N G

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One-sidedness. The most frustrating thing about training ex-racehorses. They can be going fine on one rein, and then all of a sudden you’re riding a donkey. You could say this is the biggest issue I am dealing with when it comes to Bomba’s training. This month I haven’t had a whole lot of time to put into his training; the days are shorter and keeping two horses in work proves to be quite a mission! But I will say I have learned a whole lot more. Number one: lunging is the Holy Grail. As I often like to say, the horse needs to be able to do anything by itself before doing it with a rider on its back. Number two: It sounds so simple, but it really takes time for the horse’s muscles to grow and to adapt to a different form of riding- especially going from racing, to being in a paddock for 14 months, to show jumping and then to dressage! So I guess I just need to be a bit more patient and continue to work on the basics. Once we nail those, the rest will just flow. I entered Bomba in his very first dressage show. I was taking my other horse and I thought it would be an interesting test to

YVETTE AND BOMBA

see how Bomba would react to a new environment. He took to it like a fish to water. Her acted exactly as he would at home- I was thrilled. While his behav-iour was outstanding, I learned a few things from our tests that we need to work on. Firstly, he really struggled to go into the corners of the arena. He is still quite stiff on the right rein, so he skimmed around the corners rather than bending correctly through them. Secondly, while his transitions on the circle are good, he struggled to canter when asked in the corner of the arena. So I think these issues all comes down to stiffness. Despite those factors, he still managed to get some good scores, and he even picked up a ribbon! So all we need to do now is practice. Lots of lunging to help to loosen him up, some baby laterals, and lots of transitions to ensure he is off my leg. I’m not so con-cerned with Bomba being on the bit- I am wanting him to stretch into the contact and bend through his ribcage first. He just doesn’t have the strength to hold himself up yet, so I will continue to work on the basics before getting to that point. He has moments where he will pop himself down, which is great, but in no way do I expect him or ask him to carry himself this way all the time. I’ve had to teach myself this, because my natural inclina-tion is to put a horse in a frame. So I am learning throughout this experience also.

Bomba at his first dressage competition

RIDER: Yvette MorrisseyLOCATION: Christchurch OCCUPATION: Editor IF MY HORSE WERE A CARTOON CHARACTER HE WOULD BE: Dumbo- he’s always tripping over himself, but has the kindest nature. HORSE: Keeparunnin (Bomba)AGE: 7 HEIGHT: 16.1HH DAM: Goldilocks SIRE: Keeper STARTS: 19 WINNINGS: $25, 825

DISCIPLINE: Dressage and showing

In this update, Yvette encoun-ters a common problem with ex-racehorses- one sidedness. She also takes Bomba to his first dressage show.

T R A I N I N G

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Lunging: how to create a dressage horse

Wills has been getting plenty off atten-tion this month with my other mare being rested due to a stone bruise. He’s gone from being wobbly with no brakes or steering, to being a only slightly wobbly, forward moving, responsive horse. He is also starting to establish a contact. Initially was weak on the right rein, but with lots of practice and praise he is now building his strength and becoming more supple. We’re still falling in on corners and dropping out of canter from time to time, but when I look back at the first few rides he has come on in leaps and bounds. Another exciting development is that Wills is now jumping! He’s not very brave, but he is very rideable, so if I ask him to go over a jump, he will do it even if he isn’t one-hundred per cent sure. We’re only popping over small jumps (70cm) at the moment but he is starting to enjoy it and often gets the most switched on during our jumping sessions. What we are having some difficulty with is personal space. Wills has absolutely no clue about personal space and is a bit nippy! They

are more ‘annoying teenage brother’ nips as opposed to ‘I’m going to take your arm off’ bites. In fact, he reminds me of a teenage boy so much! All he wants is food and given the state he was in when he arrived I’m not surprised he’s hungry all the time. The good news is that thanks to a regime of good hard feed, canola oil, cider vinegar, hay and grass he has gained condition and his coat is also very shiny. He is obviously feeling good too because if I give him a few days off he can be a bouncy to ride! As I’m discovering, Wills is a big goof ball. He’s discovered that if he flicks his head around when I’m trying to bridle him I can’t get it on. I proceed with much patience and try and have a laugh about it. What’s next for us? Well, we’re booked for a showjumping clinic with Jill Ullrich which will mean first and foremost getting him onto the float! We haven’t attempted this yet and I’m hoping he has been floated before to make the training easier. I’ll also be getting more coaching from our neighbours, Juliet and Kate Woods. It’s such a great help to have knowledge-able riders who are old hands at bring-ing ex-racehorses into the eventing and showjumping world- so I am very lucky. In between lessons we will be doing a lot more hacking around the farm, throughhe bush and into the creeks. Wills hates water with a passion, so wish me luck!

JAX AND WILLS

Jax and Wills going for a hackWhen Wills first arrived- he is now noticeably plumper!

RIDER: Jax Van BuurenLOCATION: WhangareiOCCUPATION: Mother/ Radio Announcer IF MY HORSE WERE A CARTOON CHARACTER HE WOULD BE: Bevis or Butthead because he’s such a dork! HORSE: Buffalo Ben (Wills)AGE: 4HEIGHT: 16.2hh DAM: Princess DowerSIRE: Buffalo Man STARTS: 1 WINNINGS: $0- but sold for $18,000 as a yearling

DISCIPLINE: Pleasure and something

This month Jax deals with a common ex-racehorse issue: one-sidedness. She also jumps Wills for the first time, and she discovers that he has a cheeky side.

T R A I N I N G

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Arnie is now getting treated for back spasmsArnie is starting to put on condition

It’s been a bit of a quiet month with Arnie trying to get to the bottom of a few wee niggles he has. He’s always been a bit tight across the back so I was working on getting him to stretch long and low to encourage him to let go and swing over his back. He was starting to get pretty good at this and I have been using a mixture of lunging in a bungy and short 10 minute rides where all he does is stretch long and low as well as hacks around the place to keep his mind fresh. This also works well to get him out and about in a stress free environment. Arnie got to the point where he was starting to get more and more agitated under saddle and started to buck a fair amount. He started off bucking going into the right canter when striking off so we did lots of work on that and then it got to the point where he started doing little hops at the trot. He’s fine cruising around in the walk but has his back up and is clearly uncomfortable when asked to work over his back. While he was getting lots of body work to try and help this issue, we decided to look into it a bit further and check there was

nothing out of the normal with a blood test. Thankfully the results came back all in the normal range. After talking to the vet we decided that the best plan of action was to try and get his back just behind the saddle to release as it is cur-rently in a permanent state of spasm. He is having six weeks off along with regular body work and then will come back in by just hacking out for a few weeks before going back to normal work. Hopefully after some treatment and time off Arnie will be back to being a sound and healthy horse and ready for training..

JESS AND ARNIE

RIDER: Jess Land LOCATION: Christchurch OCCUPATION: Owner of Jess Land Equestrian IF MY HORSE WERE A CARTOON CHARACTER HE WOULD BE: Goofy. He likes to play round and he’s a bit off a goober! He makes everything entertaining and if he finds something boring he starts making his own fun. HORSE: Amadeus (Arnie) AGE: 5 HEIGHT: 16.1HH DAM: Diva in Red SIRE: Pentire STARTS: 14 WINNINGS: $15, 325

DISCIPLINE: Eventing and show-jumping

This month Jess deals with a frustrating issue with her horse that most of us can relate to- back soreness.

T R A I N I N G

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P O S T U R E A N D C O R E S T R E N G T H

This month columnist and personal trainer Freya Thompson gives riders tips on an issue that is important for every discipline: core strength and posture.

F o l l o w F R E YA o n Fa c e b o o k

down. Start with two sets of five, and gradually increase. Concentrate on squeezing your shoulder blades together as you lift.

Tip forward with arm reach: Standing, engage your core and reach your arms up to the ceiling. Stretch your arms forward, keep your legs straight, and tip forward as far as you can maintaining a straight spine. Start by holding for five seconds and gradually increase. Ensure you don’t hyperextend your lower back.

*Always check with your doctor or exercise professional before starting a new exercise regime. Check the REPs website for registered and qualified local trainers. .Freya gained her Bachelor in Sport and Exercise from Massey University in 2009 and has been working as a per-sonal trainer for the past six years. She works with the New Zealand Jockey Apprentice School to encourage a health-ier lifestyle and therefore longer careers for young jockeys. She has competed in a variety of disciplines including Level 4 dressage, show jumping up to 1.20m, and 1* event-ing. She has also ridden track work for several years and retrained several ex-racehorses into sport horses. Most recently Freya has been competing in Muay Thai. Over her 16 fight career she gained three New Zealand titles and was in New Zealand team at 2014 World Muay Thai Championships.

Surely I’m not the only one who is constantly commanded to “sit up straight and keep your shoulders back!”. Not only does slouching look horrendous, it also changes our balance and effects the muscles that are being used to guide the horse. With good riding posture we are engag-ing the rhomboids, middle and lower trapezius, latissimus dorsi, posterior deltoids, and erector spinae (back and shoulder muscles) as well as numerous deeper stabilis-ing muscles. These muscles are big, they are (or should be) strong, and they hold us up and take any strain from the horse. As soon as you slouch you disengage these muscles, your arms take on more pressure, and you risk injury to you (and your horses) back. Even with large amounts of weight training our arms are never going to be the strength of our back muscles. The best way to train our muscles into good riding posture is to ride regularly and concentrate on the activation of your back. These exer-cises will help to build the strength you need and give you better control over this muscle group.

Bridge (facing the floor): Start on knees and for short amount of time. Gradually progress to on toes and for longer periods of time. Ensure your back is flat. Common faults are holding the hips too high, or the back arching downwards.

Aeroplane Back Extension: Lie on your stomach with your arms out to the side. Gently lift your chest off the ground, pulling shoulders back as you do. Pause, then lower back

C O L U M N : H E A LT H A N D F I T N E S S

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W H AT I T H O U G H T I K N E W

After 30 years, adult rider and columnist Marie Gordon is back in the saddle. This month Marie reflects on her decision to get back into horse riding and the many things she learned along the way.

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into before giving up in despair and just moving it (she’s not too fat, is she?) There have been a number of embarrass-ing conversations with experienced professionals about the smallest of things. Like the time I rang the vet on a Saturday morning because a horse has diarrhoea and I was concerned it might be a bad thing but apparently I hadn’t given it long enough (like I should have known that) to confirm if it’s actually a problem. Then watching my horse bolting off with the lunge rein in tow and not knowing what I did wrong, worried she was going to end up standing on the rein and flipping over, wondering whether I should try again even though I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and that perhaps I should give up as maybe she didn’t like it. Among the many mistakes I’ve made so far, the biggest was trying to get started based on what I thought I knew, and secondly, doing it on my own. What I knew about riding would have been perfectly adequate as a child learn-ing – there was an adult to know everything else. What I’ve come to realise is the power of knowledge. Ignorance may be bliss in the world of inanimate recreation activi-ties but it can be life defining when you bring an animal into the mix. Not only can you undo your own life in an instant, you can also undo that of a perfectly well trained and educated horse through your own lack of knowledge. So, you may be wondering why I started out trying to find my own way through this minefield. Am I mad? Why didn’t I find a riding school, get a coach, or join a club? I’ll talk about that in a future column. Next time I’ll tell you about how I found my first horse. .

Goals start with a dream, and if you don’t try, you’ll never know if your goal could have been a reality. You hatch a plan. Then you forget everything you learn as a pro-fessional about risk management and launch into it! For me, that pretty much sums up being an adult learner. There I am, aboard my chunky equine stead, marching through the tussocks, over hills and down dales. I am collecting ribbons and rosettes, and a network of friends. Perhaps I’ve watched too many episodes of ‘Bonanza’ and ‘Country Calendar’? The path I’ve taken to get back on the horse has been less poetic. What I thought I knew at the start and what I know now are worlds apart. My plan would have been vastly different if I had understood that from the outset! From a lifetime prior I could remember how to catch, tack up, groom and mount a horse. Somewhere in the back of the cranial computer I was sure I could still remember how to ‘ride’. At the same time I had a decent sized property with lots of grass, good fencing, some shelter, and a good water supply. Now, for the pony. Without even considering what I now understand you need to know to ride correctly, at the beginning of this adventure I didn’t even have an adequate basic knowledge to ensure I kept a horse healthy and myself safe. As a result there have been countless moments where I’ve questioned my decision to own horses. I have frequently found myself standing in the middle of the paddock evaluating how far to move the electric tape, then moving it back a bit but at the same time trying to calculate 1.5% of body weight and how many square metres of grass that should translate

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Columnist and BHS riding instructor Senara Caddy discusses how goal setting is a powerful tool for success.

someone who can give you positive and constant support. Break down your goals. By writing down each step you need to take to achieve your goals it will make them seem less daunting and therefore more achievable. Breaking down your goals will also help you maintain your motiva-tion and attention. Start small and goal by goal eventually builds up to the ultimate one. Always be aware of the next step you need to take.

Write it down. Keeping a clear, written record in a notebook will help you to stay focused. Write down when you have achieved any one of your goals so if you are ever feeling negative, you can read it for a self-confidence boost.

Adapt your goals to change. Remember just like circum-stances change, goals do too. Be prepared for setbacks with your horse such as lameness issues, ill health, or training problems.

Don’t forget about your own health and wellbeing. If some-thing does go wrong, don’t give up, stay positive and make a diversion in your plan to your next goal.

Good luck and remember goal setting is a powerful tool to success. .

No matter what your sport, goal setting plays a huge part in building your confidence, developing existing skills, and learning new ones. Horse riding is very challenging so it is easy to become despondent. How many of you have asked yourself at some point “Why do I bother, I may as well give up”? Setting personal goals will enable you to stay positive, focus your attention, maintain and enhance motivation as well as increase your confidence. Goal setting helps you develop new strategies to reach your desired outcome and encourages you to stick to plans. There is nothing more rewarding than achieving a personal goal. Your ultimate goal might be to qualify and compete at Horse of the Year, it could be representing your pony club at a teams’ event or it could be to complete your first one day event, dres-sage test, and show jumping round. You may want to go up the grades in your chosen discipline, win champion at your local ribbon day, or it may be as simple as wanting to canter around the perimeter of a paddock confidently. No matter what it is, how big or small the goal, it is a personal journey for you and your horse. Here are some tips for goal setting: Be realistic. Keep your goals challenging but not so difficult that they become too hard to achieve. Sit down and discuss your goals with your coach. Your coach will be able to give you advice on what skills or qual-ifications you need to achieve your goals and help with the process of achieving them. It is also important to have

F o l l o w s e n a r a o n Fa c e b o o k

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