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“When the competitor is shooting the qabaq, the spectators must look at the arrow…..  This is not for safety, but because arrows get lost, we need to know where they land…”  And so, we are introduced to the ancient sport of archery on horseback.  A rider sets off at a gallop on his little Arab x Caspian horse, crosses the start line with a yell that would pause any would-be attacker, and nocks his arrow onto his bow string.  Within a few strides,...

Each winter that arrives seems to be wetter, making the management of horses increasingly difficult. One of the biggest challenges of a wet season is the management of grazing and turnout. With increased rain comes increased mud, often making turnout impractical or impossible at some yards, despite the best attempts of the yard owner. Many yards bring in turnout restrictions or stoppages in times of severely wet weather, which can be difficult and disappointing for horse owners who want...

Well October certainly kicked off Winter for us! I mean we were sick of mud beforehand and then we got MORE rain?! We really began to question our life choices when we could hardly see our horses’ ears through the driving rain. I’m sure it’s not just us who struggle with mud and low spirits in Winter. It’s a really difficult time for all equestrians, not least because our bodies are literally getting less of the stuff they need to keep us happy (the technical term is ...

We gave Rachael the following three products to put through their paces in her daily life, to see whether they did in fact live up to expectations! She tested all three to the max and these were her findings... Dublin Mesh Back Riding Gloves; Here we have a very comfortable pair of gloves. I wear gloves all year round and in fact now can’t ride without them, you can never own too many gloves! Bailey is not particularly strong at all, but my hands will now blister and cut very easily, so I ...

British Breeding are delighted to announce their third Stallion Event, which will take place at Addington Equestrian Centre, Buckinghamshire on Saturday 8th February 2020. London Olympic showjumping gold medallist stallion Big Star will return to the event, alongside a host of top stallions from high profile studs, including Catherston, Caunton Manor, Future Sport Horses, New Priory, Stallions AI and West Kington. The British Breeding Stallion Event, sponsored by Baileys Horse Feeds and in as...

The Weatherbeeta ComFiTec Essential Combo Heavy is a classic styled turnout rug, ideal for use in the winter when it's really cold, with 360g of polyfill to keep your horse warm and cosy. Perfect for rug wreckers who are prone to trying to trash their rug, it features a strong and durable 1200 dener ripstop outer to prevent tears, with a repell shell coating to keep the rug fully waterproof and breathable.

I often get asked "What do you feed Bailey?" and "Do you have a preference between hay and haylage?". The answer is, I feed both. I feed Bailey 50/50 hay and haylage through the summer and then come winter I increase the proportion of haylage. The rest of the gang are little porkies so they only have hay, or very limited amounts of haylage in the winter. Hay is great for my porkies as I can soak it when they get a bit tubby, but I make sure I also have some available for Bailey as he loves...

Hi, Edward here, This time I’m going to give you some tips and tricks to help improve your dressage scores: 1. The centre line: This happens twice on the test, once at the start and once at the end. The directives for the judge are; Straightness, contact and balance. Pick a point at C and focus on it the whole time until you get to G. Before you turn down the centre line, ensure that your horse is moving forwards into a contact equally with each rein, and keep them strai...

Do you have a problem with your lower leg swinging back when you jump? Then there are many things to consider, but the main areas to start looking at are the length of your stirrups, your jumping position, your weight distribution and your lower leg strength. If your stirrups are too long you will find you are stretching to reach for them, which leads to your leg being less secure in the saddle and slipping back. You’ll want to tighten them up to ensure you have a bend in your knee, hip...

My best tip for the end of the clipping season is to get your clippers serviced and blades sharpened, ready for the following clipping season. There’s nothing worse than getting to the start of the season, getting your clippers out, starting to clip and then finding that half way round doing your horse, the blades go blunt or the clippers pack up and just stop working! Now this may be too late for some who have already hit this wall, but at least you know how to prepare for next clipping s...

I was working with a client recently, and a whole new can of worms opened up. I’m sure she’ll know who I’m talking about as I write – an experienced horse person with a sensitive, non-conforming mare who throws up challenge after challenge. The human was worried that she didn’t have the equine skills or the time to commit to helping the mare, and the mare… Well, she was just stressed and anxious. The first day, when she arrived (in a halter) at the arena ...

ACE Cross Country is a venue that we visit quite a lot because of the work we do with young horses. ACE has expansive fields of cross country fences but also has fully marked dressage arenas and a show jumping field. The jumps start off about as small as it’s possible to go, so that horses and ponies can work up gently and have a very positive experience. ACE is often our backers’ first outing as the fences start so small and we can take a friend for them to help them round. The ...

The aim of your riding hat is not only to provide protection but also comfort. It doesn’t matter if you just have a hat for hacking or if you’re an international competition rider, you only have one head and therefore it’s in your best interest to ensure it is fitted correctly. Every brand of hat fit’s differently and within this the fit and size of each model will also vary. Not everyone has the same shaped head, some are more rounded while others are more oval, some dee...

Apologies this is my first post in a while, I’ve had a really busy summer and am now back full time at university. I have had a great summer with lots of teaching, judging and riding. Since I finished university for the summer in June, I increased my hours at Shardeloes Farm Equestrian Centre (where I freelance throughout the year) to 4 days a week. It’s such a great set up with lovely facilities, staff and horses. I did a lot of teaching, of all abilities and ages from beginne...

The dark nights have started to set in and every night it’s getting darker earlier and earlier. It’s hard not to lose motivation when the weather starts to change, but here are a couple of great exercises if you find yourself short for time, just want a quick but beneficial workout, or you don’t really feel like riding but your horse needs to keep fit. A 20 minute lunge session (10 mins each side) will stretch their legs and help to keep them fit. Bailey and I love doing ground...

I think one of the biggest challenges that riders face in some remote countries is a lack of diversity. You only know what you know – and commonly, that is what you are exposed to on your front doorstep. I was sitting having dinner with a few clients in an Asian country, and one of them laughed, pulled out their phone and said – oh man, I have to show you this video, it’s hilarious…. And they showed a horse (an event horse) doing his dressage test on grass, inside the wh...

If you turn your horses out through winter, or they live out in muddy conditions, my top tip is PIG OIL. You may already use this, and I hope a lot of you do. Of course, if you do then you will completely agree with me, or you wouldn’t be using it. And if you don’t use it – Go out and try it! This is the best way to prevent mud fever, and if you have a hairy cob then it’s also great for preventing bog burnt feathers. The pig oil acts as a water repellent barrier and the...

During winter our bodies and muscles, as well as our horses', are naturally colder so it's important to give your horse a lot of time to warm up, gradually increasing their body temperature. Typically, horses feel very tight when it's cold so I normally warm up Bailey for a lot longer, allowing him a lot of time to walk and gently stretch laterally before asking any work from him. I aim to do both directions at the same time, bending him both ways to encourage equal muscle development. If I do f...

As winter approaches horse owners in the UK will be digging out rugs ready to keep their charges warm as temperatures drop. At the same time, those changes in day length will have triggered the horse’s body to start growing a longer, thicker coat with more oil to help keep it warm and dry in cold and wet weather. Horses have a remarkably wide thermoneutral zone, which is the breadth of temperatures in which they will feel comfortable. While their core temperature is 38°C, it’s on...

I’ve been spending more and more of my time teaching long reining this year, which is awesome, because I love it, it’s amazing to see the horses and riders changing, and the riders love it too. I couldn’t imagine training a horse without long reining, it’s just such a big part of what I do. And, it’s made it really clear to me, as I watch long reiners battle to steer – you’ve got to have a plan about where you’re going. It’s no good staring a...