Apprenticeship Open Morning at Lavant House Stables

Lavant House Stables in Chichester, West Sussex, is holding an Apprenticeship Open Morning tomorrow for teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 who are interested in having a career working with horses.

From 10am to 1pm, youngsters will be able to come to the stables, meet the horses, and the team who looks after them, as well as find out what a job working with horses entails.
The stables run a professional programme which enables those who enrol to work towards achieving NVQ levels 1 and 2 – which are equivalent to 5 GCSE's at grade C and above.
Some of the lessons will involve learning to ride the horses safely, and others will teach students stable management, providing them with valuable skills such as how to use and store horse equipment properly.

The Lavant House Stables even have horses and ponies for sale, so anyone who would like to own their very own equine might find their ideal animal.
However, if you do purchase a horse or pony, it is very important that you have a suitable stable to keep them in, a field for them to get the exercise and freedom they need to be happy, as well as the correct horse equipment with which to look after and ride them safely.
Dogwood London can help you find riding hats, saddles, boots, as well as other useful gear such as gloves, bridles, and horse rugs. Have a browse of the online store today!
Photo © will g via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence

Canter leads lead the way

It's finally June, the wind is no longer howling and the indoor school is almost a pleasure to be in.

There were six horses and riders in L's last lesson – L was on Sultan, who looked a wee bit sleepy.

The instructor announced that the riders were going to practise their canter leads – I had no idea what that meant, but I was soon going to find out.

Apparently, being on the correct canter lead means making sure the horse is striding out on its appropriate leading leg when going into canter. The entire ride got their first canters all on the correct canter lead. Hurrah!

But they were just riding large so it was fairly easy – when a rider needs to make the horse change direction, such as going over a jump on a show jumping course, this can become problematic.
At the next exercise, the riders had to canter their ponies over a diagonal pole in the middle of the school, turn into the corner going into trot, then come off the corner on the correct canter lead.
L had trouble waking Sultan up on her first run, but having got him going, she carried out the exercise the best of the bunch, despite, so the instructor said, the need to give her horse "baggy reins".
Next the riders had to go over a series of poles set in the middle of the school. I was completely confused by it all, but the riders all checked their horse tack and seemed to know where they were going. Initially there was some confusion about the series, but the two lead-out riders eventually got their bearings and off they went, changing their canter leads as they went into the corners.
It looked like fun and was great to watch. The riders seemed exhilarated too.

By the time L took her turn, Sultan had more or less given up, having stood for a while on this warm afternoon. It took several sharp taps of her whip to get him going, and he didn't like it, so L got a sharp buck for her trouble. She very nearly lost all contact with her saddle and almost ended up flying right off. Yet she held on for dear life, got her riding boots back into place and kept cool under her riding hat. When she eventually got Sultan going she managed the exercise very well – a couple of wrong canter leads, but she got him back on the right lead with great efficiency.

At the end of the lesson everyone was exhausted, including the frazzled non-horsey mummy on the sideline, but there were lots of hugs and big pats for all the ponies and a very happy drive home for L and me.
Photo © J Venn

Many horse riders could be too heavy for their steeds

A recent news story caught my attention this week. It reported on the results of a study which suggested that equestrianism could be facing an obesity crisis.
I realise I might have to clarify that statement. I don't mean that participants have been purchasing horse rugs in XL sizes, but rather these people could be getting too big for their riding boots – in a manner of speaking.
It has been stated that when mounting a horse, an individual should weigh less than 10% of the animal's mass. To put that into perspective, if a steed is about 500kg, the rider should be approximately 50kg.
However, the results of the study – published in the Journal of Veterinary Behaviour – suggested that many individuals could be too heavy for their mounts. In fact, it appears that only 5% of riders could be within the above limit.
Moreover, approximately 32% could be so heavy that they may place the health of their horses at risk. As a result, their steeds might suffer from various problems, such as back pains, arthritis in parts of their legs, and could even become bad tempered.
Now, I realise this is quite a sensitive subject, but perhaps riders should consider investigating how much they weigh before jumping in the saddle. As a spokesperson from the Association of British Riding Schools put it when speaking to the Daily Telegraph: "What's more important – saving someone's blushes, or saving the horse's back?"
Photo © Just chaos via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence

Michael Schumacher - Future western riding champion?

If you are a fan of formula one racing, you will have probably heard of Michael Schumacher. The seven-time world champion has achieved quite a lot in his motoring career, but he will be retiring later this year.

However, his greatest challenge could be just around the corner...
Speaking to an Italian newspaper, Schumacher told journalists that his wife, Corinna, had suggested taking part in equestrianism.

He added, "I'm thinking of getting involved in western riding competitions…
"Corinna, who has been doing these events for years, has already chosen the right horse for me. I'll give it a try…"

The formula one legend already owns a farm in Switzerland and is a fan of cowboy shirts and boots, so it sounds like he might have the basics covered already. As well as picking out the right steed, here's hoping that Corinna has also advised her husband about proper equestrian clothing, such as riding hats and boots.

If this new challenge does not work out, then the driver reportedly has other options which he is considering. Still, I'm personally looking forward to seeing Schumacher in the saddle, especially if he handles a horse as well as he controls a car.

Photo © ph-stop via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence

Do you think horses are 100% better than people?

Let's say, hypothetically speaking, you wake up one day to find yourself stranded on a desert island. Given the choice, would you prefer the companionship of another human being or your horse?
Fortunately, this situation is very unlikely to occur, but I sometimes find myself thinking I would be better off surrounded by animals than people. Previous research has shown that talking to other creatures can help us deal with stress, anxiety, and other negative feelings. If it happens to be a controversial conversation topic, pets can be better than humans as they don't judge or complain, and will always stay loyal.

Consequently, it's no wonder that some people prefer to put on equestrian clothing and take their horses out for a stroll rather than spend time with other individuals. Singer Leona Lewis could be one of the people who much prefer the company of horses.

Speaking in an interview with The Guardian newspaper, the artist spoke about her fondness for horses, confirming that she believed they were 100% better than people.

Although Leona did not feel the need to confide in her steed, she talks to her animal about a variety of different subjects and feels quite comfortable in its company.

Granted, from the moment I put on my riding boots and jumped in the saddle I felt a certain kinship with my horse. However, even though I respect the singer's work, I have to disagree with this "100%" figure.

Although horses are certainly better at running long distances and jumping over fences than people, a steed cannot make dinner, go shopping, or hold a really stimulating conversation. As a result, I believe horses are closer to 80...possibly 90 percent better than humans.
Photo © astaristarry via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence