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Cool, Calm and Collected in the Dressage Arena
Spooky Horses - How to Train Them
When it comes to a cool, calm and collected performances in the dressage arena, top Olympic rider Carl Hester has some great tips up his tail coat sleeve for getting the best out of your horse:
If you ride a spooky or excitable horse, getting your warm up just right will be the key to a successful test in front of the judges. It’s important to do a really good warm up, consisting of walk, trot and canter and whilst I try to keep my warm up the same out at competitions, as I do at home (so that the horses know the routine and it keeps that level of familiarity and reassures them) sometimes you do have to adapt it slightly if they are a bit excitable or distracted. Assessing what kind of mood the horse is in will give you an indication as to what to do with him. If he is backing off you should think about getting them to think forward and concentrating. If he is very jolly, then think about doing lateral work such as circles and changes of rein, to start him concentrating on his job. My warm up always consists of lots of transitions, especially on a circle, to get him bending, flexing and listening. These are also great exercises for lazy horses, especially when combined with lots of transitions.
Once the horse has settled, then you can try and work him in a lower frame, but it’s no good trying to get him stretching down at the beginning if he is just taking advantage of the length of rein and messing about or doing emu impressions! If you can start off working him ‘long and low’ then great – but if not, pick up the reins, get him listening and softening, then pop a stretch session in before you pick him back up and then do some more work before you go in for your test.
With those horses that are a little sharper, then we also supplement their diet with my Net-Tex Carl Hester Calmer when required. Because you can either feed it daily by the maintenance product or via a concentrated syringe for those occasions such as travelling and competing, it means that we have the flexibility to keep the spooky and excitable ones relaxed in their daily routine and yet help concentrate those horses that only find competing a little too bewildering!
Judging the amount of time that you need to warm up, really is dependent on the horse’s temperament, mood and level that you are competing at, so do your homework and work out your times to allow for extra time.
Think about rhythm and straightness throughout your warm up and you will soon find that your horse is concentrating on you. Also, don’t forget to cool down properly after your test as well, just as you would do at home!
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