If you would like to submit a question, please do so through the contact us page.  

Q. How can i motivate my lazy horse without resulting to the whip?

A. Riders with lazy horses tend to get in a vicious circle as the horse gets slower and slower, so the rider uses more and more leg and the horse becomes more and more desensitised to the leg being used. To motivate a horse with this issue, we advise that initially you stop using the leg and find something either visual or auditory to motivate the horse. A good visual aid is the giddy-up rope. A soft plaited rope of a light colour, that the rider can carry in their hand and use by moving in arc like motion from side to side infront of the rider, and down the sides of the horse (the very light rope causes no pain). Alternatively, to incorporate auditory with visual, the rider can use the giddy-up rope in a side to side motion against a rustly jacket. Another auditory aid we use is just a simple rattle (bottle/box with stones, padded on the inside on one end only so it rattles only one way up and can be kept quiet when needed). When you   make a movement with the giddy-up rope, or make a noise with a rattle immediately that you get a response, you remove the aid so as not to desensitise the horse to the aid. Once your horse is responding well to these new aids for extra forward movement, you can gradually start to re-introduce the leg, so simultaneously with the use of the rattle/giddy-up rope you would give a little squeeze. Again, the moment the horse responds, you remove all aids. If you continue this practice over a few weeks, soon your horse will become much lighter and more responsive to just your leg. As a cautionary matter, we advise that when you first introduce either the giddy-up rope or the rattle, that you do so in a safe, enclosed area.

Q. How big is the round-pen you use for demonstrations?

A. The round-pen we use is 16metres (50ft)  in diameter and 1.98metres (6'6 ft) high.

     For more details on where to buy one, please call Ian Vandenburge 01993 868914

Q. How can i get my young horse who is afraid of water and being bathed to a point where i can give him a bath without making him more nervous? 

A. We advise if you have a spare stable that you don’t mind getting wet, put your horse in there and get a block/stool so you can reach over the door/wall. If your horse is particuarly nervous, he should be schooled to the Dually halter and somebody should be at the horse's head during this process. Attach a nossle with different settings onto a hose and start with a fine mist, remembering that a horse can stand out in the rain without any problem. It seems to be just when the water hisses from the hose under pressure.