YOUR HORSE’S TRAINING FLATWORK l CIRCLES, SERPENTINES & TRANSITIONS
VANESSA WATSON TURNS up at Alex Harrison’s Chew Magna base on a rainy week day with a few issues running through her mind. Her gelding, About Time III (Ted), doesn’t have the best conformation, and he can be wobbly on the centre line. Vanessa, who also trains with Elizabeth Allen, started coming to Alex for assistance with test riding last November.
As she walks Ted into Alex’s outdoor arena, Britain’s youngest List 2 dressage judge instructs her to warm up.
“I warm up a horse for between five to 15 minutes, depending on the horse’s age. The younger ones don’t need to stretch for too long, while I like the older ones to warm up for longer,” he notes.
As Ted is eventing at BE100 level, the movements asked of him in the test aren’t very complicated and so Alex has been focusing on honing the basics, as well as working on consistency.
Once Ted is warmed up, Alex instructs Vanessa to trot a 20m circle.
“Try to make sure that you keep his head and neck in
