The things that people think they're supposed to do with a bit in a horse's mouth are unbelievable. When you first start teaching a horse to heed, you use a corridor of aids or pressures to create a feeling in the horse of where you want him to move. As the horse's understanding increases, the handler can not only change the direction of the horse's strides but also their length, speed, and cadence. The British Horse Society has learnt that yet another horse has died of ragwort poisoning. Scirocco, a 16.1hh dark bay gelding belonging to Mrs Wendy Harrow of Llanelli, died a slow and painful death earlier this month.
Most riders know and appreciate the importance of physical training.
Everyday you go out and practice, develop skills, and set goals. The very word training implies some sort of preparation that is specific and focused. Not one of you will debate the fact that you need to physically train yourself and your horse in order to be better at your sport. You also know that practice, commitment, and desire are essential to this undertaking. At some point in its training, something will startle or frighten an energetic, red blooded baby horse and he will rear or pull back or run sideways while the trainer is leading him.