feature
In this issue – top event rider Isla Bennett talks about how to improve your flatwork and how important it is for all three phases of eventing. Here Isla provides advice on improving paces, rider position and being more disciplined to get the best out of your horse. With her husband Tim, Isla runs Bennett Equine Sports Rehabilitation at Tutbury in Staffordshire.
Training on the Flat with Isla Bennett
Training on the flat influences every single phase of eventing and can determine how successful a horse’s jumping will be. It also plays an extremely important role in keeping your horse fit for eventing.
Currently the horses that are in competition have regular flatwork training; usually being schooled three times a week. The horses have an easy day after a competition, are then worked on the flat, over jumps or hacked out for the rest of the week.
We get the horses fit by increasing the workload gradually; working them in the school and combining these sessions with fast work and jumping. We are also very fortunate to have access to the Activo Med Aqua Treadmill which is wonderful for helping to both maintain healthy joints and muscles, and also repair and rehabilitate damaged ligaments and tendons. Flatwork, done properly, helps build and tone muscle, improves heart and lung capacity over periods of time, and keeps the body supple and strong. It also helps the rider because the horse becomes more obedient and movements become easier, with horse and rider clearly in tune with each other.
Some people worry that the horse will become bored and fatigued if this amount of work is done, but I feel that it completely depends on the rider. If you just amble around in circles day after day both horse and rider will become fed up, the key is to make it varied and fun, not repetitive.
To prevent any boredom, I train my horses to a high dressage level not only for the dressage phase but because the better the flatwork, the easier it is to ride a fence.
At Home in the School Before you move on to more advanced movements it is important
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to warm your horse up slowly and to establish a good walk. Let the horse stretch and become supple before moving on to the next stage. Try using as many lateral exercises as possible. A really useful exercise to help supple the horse’s body is Shoulder-in. Use it regularly for older horses to help loosen them up before asking them to do anything demanding, and for younger horses it is a lesson in obedience, listening and responding to the hand and leg aids. The importance of control and accuracy on the flat and over fences is high and it all comes down to the horse moving away from, and around your leg. The more you practice the more quickly the horse will react.
Another lateral movement in walk is half-pass; again this teaches obedience as the horse has to move away from your outside leg, while bending around your inside leg. This will help supple the horse and make sure the hindquarters are engaged.
Working in trot and canter, I like to keep using different movements, paces and transitions to engage the horse and keep him listening to the aids. This helps warm the horse up and build on control and suppleness.
Isla in a balanced rhythm
to do some more work in walk. This will help to re-establish the horse’s balance and engagement. You can also do this at any time if your horse is not listening to you. When you achieve this, you can go back to working on the
Like humans, many horses have a preferred side. They tend to work better on one side than the other, it can often be better on the left side than the right. If your horse has one side better than the other, start off working on their good side. Then when you switch over you can work more on the side the horse finds more difficult, aiming to strengthen the horse and make them suppler on that rein.
When I work the horses on the flat I want the horse to be lengthening down through the rein and going forwards into the hand, this helps encourage the horse to swing
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quicker paces or a specific problem you may be having.
You may find the horse is struggling to achieve a short collected canter. This is something you will need in the jumping phases and is important to accomplish on the flat.
Getting your horse to shorten his stride, whilst making sure the horse maintains his energy to lift and carry himself forward is relatively simple. Work on small circles to encourage the horse to engage his hindquarters and sit on the inside hind leg. This shortens the stride without sacrificing the impulsion
through his back using his whole body in the movement, which is exactly what you want.
To be more effective in the saddle I do a lot of work in sitting trot. To achieve a good sitting trot you need to develop a good seat, position and balance. These again will help you with the jumping phases as well as for dressage.
After a good 15 minutes of trot and canter work, I would go back
that must be contained within the shorter stride.
A good canter will definitely help your horse’s jumping whether you are coming to a combination with a short distance or find you are on the wrong stride to a fence. To correct the horse you will need to shorten the canter but keep the energy and power to clear the jump.
Working on a collected canter will help the horse to learn to create a big jump from this pace and maintain the power and energy, becoming more like a coiled spring. Relying on sheer pace to give your horse the power to clear fences can be very dangerous.
Isla asks from more bend
Don’t forget... Throughout training, your horse should give you his full attention regardless of what is going on around you. Your horse should not be distracted by anything or spook. They need to learn once you are on their backs they listen to you.
It is important to give your horse a break and reward in-between exercises. Your horse should always work for reward. The reward
should be in the form of a pat on the neck or at the end of a schooling session a Polo or carrot.
In preparing for an event it is good to have a few outings where there are a lot of things going on, this will help avoid things like spectators with umbrellas hampering your performance. This is also as important in the jumping phases; the horse must listen to the rider and be focussed on the approaching fence, not on brightly coloured fillers or ring stewards.
Preparation and practice are key and will help you on the route to success. These must also be backed up with good knowledge of your horse and discipline.
To find out more about Bennett Equine Sports Rehabilitation visit
www.bennettequine.com or telephone 01283 812185 or mobile 07866 756539.
Canaan Farm
Results INTRO B 1st Poppett
5th Sonnie 6th Pumpkin
PRELIM 7 1st Promise 2nd Murphy 3rd Wilbostar 4th Pumpkin 5th Lexy
NOVICE 24 1st
Dressage Qualifier 14th November 2010
Tamzin Ward
2nd Sophie’s Diamond Georgina Bird 3rd Dobson 4th Lexy
Georgina Bird Cara O’Neil
Jenny Morgan Sarah Smith Aimee Asher Iona O’Neil Roz Brennan
6th Tyersal Margueritta Catherine McQuillan
2nd Frankie 3rd Misti 4th Merlin
5th Lilly’s Delight
Irish Silver Touch Heather Barton Carla Whitehead Christine Taylor Laura Hedger Sarah Hedger
ELEMENTARY 42 1st
2nd Lilly’s Delight
Irish Silver Touch Heather Barton Emily Hedger
NEW STUDY CONFIRMS INFLUENCE OF SADDLE PANEL SYSTEM ON PERFORMANCE
A pilot study by Sue Carson Saddles to evaluate the effect of three different saddle panel systems on the way in which horses move, has highlighted the influence of saddle flocking on a horse’s joint motion and energy production, revealing that panels using the flair® system have a positive effect on equine movement.
The study was carried out by Russell Guire of Centaur Biomechanics, whose expertise underpins the testing and evaluation of saddles used by British Team riders.
Three different saddle panel systems – flocked, half flaired (with flair in front and flocking at the back) and fully flaired, were fitted to two different horses by a Sue Carson Saddle fitter. Reflective markers were attached to the horses, identifying joint centres and the horses were ridden in both rising and sitting trot.
Data was captured at 50HZ using a 2D motion analysis system (Quintic Biomechanics) and all the measurements taken have been proven as reliable indicators to identify gait changes that relate to performance.
In every case, results show a difference between the flocked saddle panels, compared to the half flaired and fully flaired. The differences seen show that the
choice of saddle panel produces a change in joint motion and energy production within the equine gait and that the flaired saddle panel system has a positive effect on equine movement.
Discussing the results, Sue Carson said, “Our saddle fitters are highly trained and can advise on which of the different saddle panel systems are best suited to individual horse and rider combinations. As they have all competed successfully at affiliated level in the various disciplines, their first hand knowledge extends to understanding what riders are working towards, both in training and competition. This study helps that understanding and confirms that the saddle panel system is an important factor in facilitating improvements in performance.”
The results of the study can be found online at
www.suecarsonsaddles.co.uk or for more information, please contact Sue Carson Saddles on 01629 540343.
Catherine McQuillan Val Peacock
Christine Taylor on Misti
Emily Hedger & Heather Barton
equestrian life qualifier
Heather Barton
Lincolnshire Sports Awards
Tara Redfern
Two people from the equestrian world featured in the Lincolnshire Sports Awards held at the Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground on Thursday 11 November. European para-dressage gold medallist Sophie Wells from Harby received the Sportswoman of the Year award. Richard Evans from Nettleham, who has designed cross-country courses at Hackthorn and other venues for the Burton Pony Club, was runner-up in the Lifetime Achievement Award section. The awards were presented by sports broadcaster, John Inverdale.
Sportswoman of the Year 2010 Sophie Wells, Harby nr Newark (attends University of Lincoln)
Sophie is the first Para- rider to represent GB at a major able-bodied championships and she won silver in the European Championship Team Dressage in September. She was selected to represent GB in the World Equestrian Games, and is well on course to achieving her aim of competing in the GB Dressage Team at the London 2012 Olympics.
Sophie Wells
Mr Richard Evans
Photos courtesy of
www.lincsphoto.co.uk
www.equestrianlifemagazine.com
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