It is very easy to cover up your horse's straightness or lack thereof by only riding along the arena edge. This is why riding just 'Off The Edge' of the arena is such a revealing exercise. With this exercise, you literally ride on an inside track and use your legs to keep your horse straight on…
A three-loop serpentine is a series of three, equal-sized half circles which form an ‘S’ shape across the arena. Start this exercise in walk, to allow you more time to perfect your aids and your horse's flexion (and build their muscles) before riding a three-loop serpentine in a working trot, and finally in canter. Begin riding the…
The total prize pot for the 2024 Gloucestershire five-star is £425,000 (over R10 million) – an increase of 12% (£44,700) on the 2023 prize money. The winner will take home £117,600 (R2.75 million), £12,600 more than first prize last year. We hope you'll be tuning in in May to see who seizes this ultra-prestigous title.
Off The Track Thoroughbred owned by Stacey Grace Photography: Amy White Media In Stacey’s words: “It was love at first bite for me… It was late 2020, and I was in the market for a horse. I wanted something special for my 40th birthday (27 December), and my requirements were extremely reasonable; I wanted a perfect horse…
Final standings for 2023 In HQ Pro this month, we took a good look at the final standings in the world rankings for 2023. It’s fair to say that there aren’t too many surprises here… SHOWJUMPING Henrik von Eckermann ended 2023 precisely as he started it, at the top of the World Jumping rankings! With his…
In just three simple steps… Text: Amelia Campbell-Horne After a few weeks of feasting and festivities, we are back to reality and ready to jump right into the 2024 competition season. If this isn't your first rodeo, then hopefully, you have set aside some funds for your annual subscriptions so you won't get too anxious as…
Text: Amelia Campbell-Horne What started as a grand dream thrown around by a few friends over a glass or two of wine has gradually developed into reality. The Pro-Series, which began as Pro-Dressage, was named such, as it is 'pro' dressage, jumping, breeding and all things equine-related, but also because the aim was to make professionals and…
The role of the seat Text: Christie Wolhuter Exclude these first The first factors to rule out are unsoundness and saddle fit issues. Unsound horses may shorten up their stride in various ways, and this can lead to your saddle slipping. For example, one shoulder dropping more than the other will cause the saddle to move…
Text: Skye Littlefield Horses are herd animals, and we know that they rely on their herd to alert them of potential dangers, especially when they themselves are not paying full attention to a situation. Alongside this, they are flight animals, meaning that they’d choose to run rather than to fight, and their powerful bodies are built…
TOYOTA IS NEW HEADLINE SPONSOR OF THE KYALAMI EQUESTRIAN CLUB’S EASTER FESTIVAL TEXT: Written for and on behalf of Kyalami Equestrian Park by Caroline Malan, The PR Machine (caroline@theprmachine.co.za). Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is proud to announce that it has entered into a sponsorship deal with the Kyalami Equestrian Club. The partnership which kicks off in…
