Finding the key
MOST riders will have heard the old adage of “if you don’t pull, they won’t pull” at some point during their time in the saddle. While grounded in truth, it isn’t always so simple. But there are steps that can help, starting with understanding, training and building mutual trust.
“It’s about getting to know them and building that partnership,” says Charlotte Alexander, who retrained the likes of Denman, Earthmover and Ulck Du Lin.
“If you are taking on a former racehorse at an older age, their bodies are going to be more set in a certain way. There may be only so much you can do on the schooling front, so it is about building up that relationship.”
She adds understanding the aids and how their bodies are built from their previous career is a good place to start, as is looking at your own way of riding and
