Correct training and riding are key to keeping your horse happy, comfortable and sound. Combine this with a thorough understanding equine anatomy and how the horse works and you will be better able to train, ride, reduce the risk of injury allowing your horse to perform at his best.
All horses are different in the way they move and think and it’s important to recognise and work with what you have got and train each horse accordingly. There is no such thing as a perfect horse.
To get the best out of your horse you must learn to read them and know when to put the pressure on and when to back off. Also, and most importantly we owe it to the horse to train and ride to the best of our ability.
If you are keen to learn more about taking your training to another level whether you are a rider or coach our online seminar, Biomechanics Meets Training to Win with Caroline Moore (FBHS) and Gillian Higgins is a must watch. This live online seminar is happening on Monday 4 September 2023 at 6pm.
Leading event coach Caroline Moore and Gillian Higgins will explore the importance of understanding how your performance is impacted by equine anatomy. They will also look at the role of correct training with longevity and soundness in mind.
“As riders and trainers, we need to take a holistic approach to looking after and training horses,” explains Caroline. “It doesn’t matter what you do with your horse, we must recognise what our responsibilities are to him. They are truly amazing creatures and do so much for us, we should return this and do all we can to ensure they are happy, health and comfortable.”
Over her years of working with and training many horses and riders, Caroline has developed her own unique training programme that is based on a building block system. During this online seminar, Caroline will explain why her training system works and how it has the welfare of the horse at its core. Gillian will back this up by looking at the biomechanics and anatomy of the horse, considering the effect training has on the horse – good and bad.
Combine the knowledge and expertise of Caroline and Gillian and the scene is set for fascinating and truly thought-provoking evening.
As will be revealed during the seminar, there are many skills that the rider and trainer need to learn to get the best from a horse. Here are just a few to get you thinking.
Building Confidence
The rider must be able to understand and recognise discomfort, fatigue, laziness and lack of confidence. When the rider has the ability your training is going be so much more effective.
“Horses are very good at hiding discomfort. It is easy to overlook slight changes in your horse’s way of going, when what we need to do is question why and assess,” explains Gillian.
Says Caroline, “It can be difficult to recognise when a horse is finding the work difficult, but it is a skill that needs to be learnt so you as the rider, or trainer know when to take the pressure off a little if the horse is struggling.
“By training in this way, you will learn to recognise what the horse is capable of. This in turn gives the horse lots of confidence by building him up bit by bit. When you train in this way you will have a horse that believes he can do anything.”
Patience is a virtue
In today’s fast-paced world, we aren’t always very good at being patient. Living in a world where things happen quickly and instant results are the norm doesn’t work when it comes to training horses. You need just the opposite – a training system where you do things slowly, methodically and correctly.
“Allstar B taught me all about patience,” explains Caroline. “I bought him because of his jump, not his movement and in the early years of his training, his range of movement wasn’t great. However, with correct training and the time to build up his strength he was able to produce some amazing dressage tests. He just proved that you can alter a horse’s movement, but this can’t be rushed.”
Biomechanics Meets Training to Win with Caroline Moore (FBHS) and Gillian Higgins will study the biomechanics of the horse in all three phases eventing using video footage. This will highlight the clear link between correct training with the anatomy of the horse in mind. Together they will discuss how these key points that can be applied to riding and training. By the end of the evening you will have a clear training plan that creates a confident, happy horse that is strong and sound.