Marlene and Camaro have placed in the last four years' Nissan Outdoor Grand Prix Having placed 6th in the 2017 Nissan SA Outdoor Grand Prix, Marlene Sinclair is looking forward to the 2018 competition, in which she hopes to better her 2017 placing. Who are the horses that you’ll be competing at this years Nissan Easter Festival?…
Conditioning muscles, as with most other work with horses, therefore, relies on a consistent, progressive programme [dropcap]M[/dropcap]uscle is the most adaptive tissue in the body in that it can grow and develop with training and degenerate and become weaker during periods of inactivity. Trained muscle is more efficient because: It has an increased number in the…
Unstoppable combination, Lisa Williams and Vitality Campbell, share their journey to WEG [dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s always a proud day when one of our own is selected to compete at international level. Lisa Williams and Vitality Campbell (formerly Discovery Campbell) have been tearing up the showjumping arena lately, taking home win after win. After qualifying last year for the…
As the horse moves, the sand or dirt creates friction and rubbing [dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen our horses start acting up when being ridden, our minds quickly think it’s some kind of internal pain or mental block that the horse is experiencing, resulting in out-of-the-norm behaviour. While it’s important not to ignore the possibility that that could very well…
Q: Which is the most difficult Derby course in the world? A: The Hamburg Derby is widely considered the most difficult in the world, and the original course was designed by Eduard Pulvermann, a hunt rider. He was never able to jump the dyke without incurring faults, hence its name, ‘Pulvermann’s Grave’. The course is reminiscent of…
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he first Thoroughbreds were imported into South Africa in 1792 and informal races were held at Green Point, Cape Town from September 1797. The British governor of the colony, Lord Charles Somerset, imported a number of English stallions and mares in 1814 and encouraged other wealthy settlers to do the same. A government stud was…
The frame in front should reflect the engagement and thoroughness from behind. [dropcap]R[/dropcap]iders in today’s age have lost sight of what it means for a horse to be ‘on the bit’. The expression has become associated with submission and obedience of the horse, and the aesthetic look of the horse with his head down and ‘in…
Behind every successful rider is a coach who is constantly teaching, motivating and inspiring their rider [dropcap]A[/dropcap]ll instructors have their own personal style of teaching, which will work for some but not for others. As a rider, you will likely change instructors a few times as you grow up, become more or less competitive, or change…
Contact should be seen as a symptom of what is happening behind [dropcap]R[/dropcap]iding can sometimes be an overwhelming minefield of both terminology and analogy, leaving the rider not entirely sure of what they are meant to be striving for. Here we demystify one of the most basic and yet complex concepts: the contact. We discuss what it…
Share the passion with your grooms and teach them to ride There are many good reasons to invest in expanding your groom’s skill set. For a start, he is the one spending the most time with your horse, some 10 (or more) hours a day. This intensive care can add to marginal gains in competition horses,…
