About Us
Call Us
t: 01497 851764
m: 07794 935590 (Stephen)
07749 391714 (Julie)
Starting/Backing/Breaking
We start/back horses of all types, size and age and will reback horses that have been previously but unsuccessfully backed. We prefer not to use the term break as this concept is so counter to our philosophy and to be honest most people's these days. We recently successfully backed a 4 year-old Welsh pony, Clemmie, which had previously been backed unsuccessfully at another yard. In the last 2 weeks we backed two 5 year-old Trakehners (see testimonial below). Each horse presents a particular challenge depending on its history, how it has been brought up what experiences it has had. Our first role is to gain the respect and then the trust of the horse. Without these two, you are always treading a tightrope. Once these have been established we then introduce the horse to the basics of what we will expect of her. We start with groundwork and this first stage is designed to introduce the horse to the voice aids and to respond to Walk, Trot, Canter and Stop/Stand/Whoa reliably and consistently. Once this has been achieved we will then introduce a saddle and bridle and do the same thing long-reining. Once these 2 stages have been successfully negotiated the horse is ready to take a rider. These initial stages can take a matter of minutes or weeks depending on the horse. So, for example, Clemmie above, had had a really poor experience with humans and had bucked the last one off so it was 4 weeks before she was ready to ride. On the other hand the Trakehners took just a day each for each stage and were taking a rider on day 3.
Once the horse has accepted the rider, it is then a matter of acclimatising the horse to the outside world and this stage can be as long or as short as you want depending on your requirements. Some people want for the horse just to have accepted a rider and others want the horse to be bomb-proof. These questions are all discussed up-front with you so that everyone's expectations are understood and there are no nasty surprises. Of course it is impossible to say how long each stage will take but in general a horse with no particular history and used to being handled will be happily accepting a rider and being ridden out within a week. Thereafter it really is a question of how long is a piece of string?
Here are a couple of bits of feedback from recent clients:
"Delighted with both boys, Stephen. Have achieved more in five days with you "taking the reins" than five months with me dithering! Looking forward to taking them both to the Gerd Heuschmann Clinic this weekend where, I am sure, their training, to date, will be vindicated. Pictured here, Agincourt. Part-bred Trakehner by Elite Stalllion, Axis TSF ex Toujours (AA).", Jo Firoozieh, Letton
Latest News
- 1
- 2
- 3
QUESTION YOUR VET!!
I have long since argued (and practised what I preach) that vets don't know everything and that healthy scepticism is warranted. So, it didn't surprise me at all to read... Read more
RIDE WITH YOUR SEAT!
Ride with your seat is the apogee of ridden horsemanship we are told and I agree. What better feeling than developing the sensitivity of your horse to respond to the... Read more
RIDE WITH YOUR SEAT!
Ride with your seat is the apogee of ridden horsemanship we are told and I agree. What better feeling than developing the sensitivity of your horse to respond to the... Read more
STRAPPING and POWER WASHERS!
You may or may not be aware of the old practice of strapping. This was something used particularly in the racing world post race to help dissipate the harmful toxins…
LEARN WHEN YOUNG
As I have said in the past there are 3 elements to me of becoming a good horseman: 1. Understand the nature of the horse. Observe without prejudice or preconception (easier…
WHAT CAUSES NAVICULAR?
It will be interesting to see the results of this study (about the causes of navicular syndrome) and under what conditions it was run, how many horses were involved etc.…
EVALUATING LAMENESS IN HORSES
I know we Brits hate anyone who blows their own trumpet but please allow me to a little bit. I have spent a lot of time and money on developing…
DONT UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF GROUNDWORK
Rhythm Relationship with horse obedience Unencumbered with deficiencies of rider Correct groundwork is an invaluable and in my experience much underused tool.
DONT UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF GROUNDWORK
Rhythm Relationship with horse obedience Unencumbered with deficiencies of rider Correct groundwork is an invaluable and in my experience much underused tool.
PESSOA: GOOD or BAD?
In a short article I am not going to go into detail about how to use the Pessoa Training Aid. What I do know is that it is invaluable in…
INTERPRETING HORSE BODY LANGUAGE
Horses clearly don't speak in fact rarely vocalise anything when it comes to communicating especially with humans. Sure they use body 'language' but let's be careful how we interpret that.…
STARTING/BACKING HORSES
I like to revisit what I consider to be truths every now and then just to check I got it right and see if there is anything else to learn.…