Grass And Horses - The Long & Short Of It
Equestrian Advice & Guides Beginners Advice
The winter months are approaching, so we caught up with International Showjumpers Michael Duffy and Amy Inglis to find out how they manage the challenging UK winter season.
Michael: "The season is all year round for us and has been for years now. In the winter months, we do tend to do more indoor competitions – including the Indoor World Circuit at venues such as Onslow/Helsinky and, of course, London Olympia, where Amy will be competing again this year. We are also both going to Spain at the end of October/beginning of November to escape the winter weather for a couple of weeks and compete at the MET Olivia – Mediterranean Equestrian Tour.
"Our very exciting news is that this year we will be launching our overseas training camps, which will include top training facilities at lovely equine hotels and will be ideal for those just starting out on the International Circuit (more details on this to be announced on our socials)".
Amy: "We keep the training very similar, although we probably spend more time in the arena, rather than out hacking. As British riders, we just have to get on with it – although, with them being competition horses, we obviously make use of various on-site benefits, such as the solarium, which we tend to use for the horses on a daily basis in the colder months, both prior to and after training, for roughly 20 minutes at a time".
Michael: "Keep them in some form of work – it's easy just to give them the winter off but I think this is a mistake (unless they are very young). Keeping them in some kind of work will allow their optimum fitness levels to be reached much quicker when the season reopens".
Amy: "Yes, we continue to teach liveries and clients all year at our home, Broxmead Farm, and also in local venues, such as Hickstead and Brendons. In fact, from September we are teaching various elite riders from the top UK schools, including Roedean, and will of course be hosting the aforementioned overseas clinics".
Amy: "We would advocate riding on a variety of surfaces where possible – from road work, to school, to hacking, to a blast on the gallops. Variety is good for a horse's mental health and promotes fitness and soundness – every vet we have every used would recommend road work once a week as it strengthens the horses legs".
For further news and updates on Michael and Amy, follow them on their socials:
@duffy_michael1
@amy_inglis1