Ideal Guy s track-to-hack story Andy s Equitana Experience

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1 Ideal Guy s track-to-hack story Andy s Equitana Experience By Alistair McLean, Senior Trainer, Australian Equine Behaviour Centre Photos by AEBC With this article, which talks about Andy Alistair s Equitana experience, we wrap up the Unharnessed Potential series, an education awareness campaign to promote the re-training re-homing of Stardbreds when they retire from a racing career. Throughout this series, Alistair McLean has documented the re-training process from track to hack. The articles have covered everything, from settling-in to the new training environment to backing, the basic responses, teaching the pacer to trot canter, lateral work, introduction to jumping, consolidating improving the responses, strengthening further education all the way to the first outing. The previous article marked the completion of Andy s retraining, according to the shaping scale - proof level - which is testing the responses you have trained at home in more challenging (unfamiliar) environments. This, however, is by no means the end of the road! Horse training never really ends. The horse s physical development, constant refining perfecting of the responses are what leads horses their riders achieve their maximum potential. As this issue goes to print, after a well deserved rest, Andy is back in work at the AEBC. Leading up to Equitana An important part of the preparation for Equitana was to take Andy to a new environment without the added pressure of a competition or performance. For this, as explained in the December/January issue, we took Andy to a dressage day, just for a casual look around to test his training. Training your horse in a new unfamiliar environment, without the pressure of competing, is an opportunity to test all the responses you have trained at home correct any issues. It is the training in these different environments that shows us where we are on the training scale. This is the time where you can focus on finetuning all that you have taught your horse at home. Anything that is not quite consolidated at home will only be worse in an unfamiliar place, so it s important to stop teaching him new things focus on improving the responses he has already learnt. Andy s first outing, which took place about six weeks before Equitana, gave me some idea of how he would respond in a pressure situation helped me identify the areas I needed to work on at home, as well as any groundwork undersaddle techniques I could use to get him to relax at Equitana. To read more about Andy s first outing go to: ideal-guys-track-hack-story-part-10-the-firstouting or call (07) to purchase a printed copy of that issue. In the weeks leading up to Andy s demonstration at Equitana, we focused more on refining his gaits. We practiced riding the movements in a 20m by 20m arena so we could see how well he would cope in the small demonstration arenas of the Equitana exhibition. Page 32 HORSES PEOPLE Phone: admin@horsespeople.com.au HORSES PEOPLE Page 33

2 Armed with the knowledge gained at this first low-key outing, we decided the weeks leading up to Andy s demonstration, we would focus more on refining his gaits. We practiced riding the movements in a small 20m by 20m arena so we could see how well he coped in the smaller space. As expected, he found this quite hard in the beginning as his movement covers a lot of ground. It was also very important to keep him interested in his work not get caught up in training too often. Andy has never been a horse I worked in the arena six days a week, so it was important that this didn t just change in the lead-up. We still went out on rides into the bush through the week - mixing the rides between riding on a loose rein on a contact. I think this is where a lot of Andy s improvement came from. Being able to keep him focused, riding some transitions lateral work gave a more realistic training simulation to Equitana than the closed environment of the arena. His home environment is a great place to train as there aren t many distractions, however, it does not train proof. Proof, the highest level on the training scale, is not something that magically happens, it comes from making the aids you have trained in a familiar environment work in challenging situations. In essence, it is when you can overshadow the environment with your aids. This is something I was well aware of leading up to Equitana, so we did a lot of proof training under-saddle, testing all the responses in all sorts of situations. Arriving at Equitana Andy arrived on Thursday morning joined the other lovely horses that were representing the Stardbred s unharnessed potential at the breed village. Andy was rarely stabled at the AEBC, so it took a while for him to settle in. Although we practiced staying overnight at our first outing a few weeks earlier, the environment of Equitana was much more challenging the windy weather that morning did not help him settle. We made sure that he had enough water roughage to keep him chewing throughout the day we were pleased to see that, despite his obvious anxiety, he began eating drinking from the start. Leading up to Equitana, riding out, sometimes on a loose rein other times on a contact, is where a lot of Andy s improvement came from. Being able to keep him focused, riding some transitions lateral work gave a more realistic training simulation to Equitana than the closed environment of the arena. Andy Dec 2013 The transformation from race horse to saddle horse is a gradual process you should always let the horse set his own pace. A team approach that covers all areas: Health, nutrition, training, conditioning, bodywork, hoof care a horse-friendly lifestyle have seen Andy s body musculature completely change in less than a year. While he will always be a sensitive horse, he has become much more relaxed. Andy Nov 2014 Page 34 HORSES PEOPLE Phone: admin@horsespeople.com.au HORSES PEOPLE Page 35

3 I knew this was a huge ask for him I really didn t know what to expect. We were hoping that he could have been walked more regularly but, because of the public access the crowds visiting the breed village, he had to stay in his stable all day was only allowed out between 6pm 8am. This was not ideal for a horse like Andy, but a necessary safety aspect of attending an event like Equitana. Andy did, however, manage to settle down happily posed for photos scratches from the many fans that visited throughout the event. During our test ride, Andy felt a little tense in the beginning, but I just focused on getting him relaxed through some turns lateral work, got him obedient through transitions. A test ride Our next task was finding a permitted time to have a test ride. It was the day before his demo, so I really needed to see how he felt. However, the organisers could not let me out of the breed village to ride until after 6:30pm when the exhibition areas were closed to the public. Then, the car park had to be cleared to get to the warm-up arena, which was likely to be at least another hour this was getting near dark. Luckily, I know that Andy has well trained responses, so I could be flexible on where we train. So, in the end, we managed to squeeze a ride on a 10m x 20m area of bitumen the night before his demo. It was not ideal, but it was better than nothing. The small space bitumen footing of the exercise area meant I could only walk, but I was still able to get a feel for him in this new environment. There were cars nearby manoeuvring out of the car park a lot of activity everywhere, so it was good enough to test our responses. Andy felt a little tense in the beginning, but I just focused on getting him relaxed through some turns lateral work, got him obedient through transitions. After 10 minutes, he was relaxed responsive, so we called it a day hoped for the best tomorrow! Page 36 HORSES PEOPLE Phone: admin@horsespeople.com.au HORSES PEOPLE Page 37

4 His basics under-saddle really stood a huge test in that small high pressure environment, but he responded well, showing really clean transitions. Andy s in-h training has historically been a lot more inconsistent than his ridden work, which is a good reason why he was instantly so much calmer from the moment I got on. The big day The morning of the demonstration day (Friday) was exciting. We had a great team of helpers getting Andy ready. One of Andy s sponsors being NRG Products had provided all of the show-prep products we needed to make Andy look like a star. It is safe to say that Andy had never had so much grooming in his life! This is where our park training came in very hy - Andy stood patiently while the girls turned him into a sparkling dressage horse. We were lucky enough to get a short warm-up ride in a proper arena on our way to the demo arena. Again, I focused on the same things as the night before, but this time I introduced a little trot canter. He s your best mate, so why wouldn t you give him everything he needs? Andy actually felt very nice at this point was listening carefully to my aids. I knew this was a huge ask for him I really didn t know what to expect. Catalina with QH Stallion DC Caddilac Jack (Rusty). Photo courtesy of Kim Grosso by 42beats. The walk over to the main pavilion was filled with nerves excitement. Andy was still feeling great. Before getting into the arena, we had to walk through the crowd past the booths. He was nervous, but still very responsive at this point walked through like he had done it all before. The demonstration The demo was a huge success for Andy. It was by no means a perfect demonstration, but it really showed how far this horse had come in only eight months. Corrects ALL Vitamin Mineral deficiencies AND balances mineral ratios across the whole diet. The in-h work was probably the trickiest part. Andy became quite nervous wanted to move around a lot. It was difficult to show the things we needed to show for the demo we didn t have much time to spend on groundwork, so we didn t spend a lot of time doing the in-h training. Because Andy was first started under-saddle at the AEBC, his ridden work has been clear consistent from day one. His in-h work, however, has a history of inconsistency between being hled by different people as a foal, in training, at the races, during transport, etc. This means that his in-h training has been a lot more inconsistent than his ridden work, which is a good reason as to why he was instantly so much calmer from the moment I got on. His basics under-saddle really stood a huge test in that small high pressure environment, but he responded well, showing really clean transitions. Watch the story of Unharnessed Potential : VETtalk TV - Real Aussie Vets - Real Aussie Pets One site with two options: Pet Owner of Vet-Pro Go to: His lateral work was also nice, however, it was difficult to really show the crowd what he can really do in such a small arena. He did occasionally get his legs in a knot! A canter Towards the end of the demo, he was getting very tired I could feel he really needed a stretch, but Andrew wanted to show the crowd a canter but we were running low on time. I was a little worried his tiredness was going to be a problem. I asked for canter from the walk as he generally stays together a bit better, especially in a small arena, I was so pleased that he gave me a very good effort very clean walk to canter transition. He cantered a nice circle returned to walk with another lovely transition. It s quite amazing that a pacer could do that in a tiny arena, in front of a crowd, after just eight months under-saddle. It s a testament to the breed specifically to Andy. PERFORMANCE ELITE TO BEGINNER PLEASURE AND PONY CLUB SHOW AND WORKING SPELLING AND RESTING SPORT AND RACING BREEDING AND GROWING Like us on for free feeding tips Or visit Page 38 HORSES PEOPLE Phone: admin@horsespeople.com.au HORSES PEOPLE Page 39

5 The Australian Equine Behaviour Centre for their care expertise, for documenting the re-training process. Harness Racing Australia for their enthusiasm, goodwill financial support. Greg Grant Saddlery for providing all the rugs, equipment saddlery that Andy has required throughout his re-training. All in all, Equitana was a very successful outing for Andy. He was better than I ever expected him to be in such a radiant atmosphere. He is a great example of what can be done in a small space of time with such a trainable breed. It is unfortunate that the statistics of re-homing Stardbreds are so much lower than their Thoroughbred counterparts, as they generally have very good temperaments make ideal pleasure horses. From a re-training perspective, the fact that harness racehorses do not have any (bad) experience under-saddle gives re-trainers an opportunity to start them just like any young horse. As we have seen with Andy, despite their lateral gait being very well-practiced ingrained, Stardbred pacers can be re-trained to trot canter, some have excellent movement by any stard. With human injury rates in horse-human interactions so high, I hope that this project the re-training book will continue to provide incentive to use this breed more outside the track. Although Andy s basic re-training is now well-established, I am looking forward to continuing to ride him in 2015, but that will be after he enjoys a well-earned rest in his paddock. As well as continuing to develop consolidate Andy s training, the next goal in the project is to compile a Guide to Re-training the Stardbred Racehorse to help others rehome re-train more of these wonderful horses when they finish racing. Do you have an off-the-track Sty? Send us your Sty stories photos! In future issues of Horses People Magazine, we will highlight the wonderful stories we receive share the partnerships created between Stardbreds their trainers/riders. your photos, story contact details through to editor@horsespeople.com.au. Turn to Page 46 to learn about Stardbred hoof care from Andrew Bowe who has been trimming Andy s feet during his stay at AEBC. Kilmore Equine Clinic vets support staff for looking after Andy s health. Shannon Lee, Advanced Equine Dentistry for providing specialised Dental Vet Care. Andrew Bowe, the Barefoot Blacksmith, for providing regular hoof care to Andy. Thank you for supporting Unharnessed Potential Ian Bidstrup, Spinal Vet, for assisting Andy s rehabilitation. Innordica for their products to support Andy s weight gain hoof rehabilitation. NRG for grooming products treats that have kept Andy sparkling inside out. Manuka Haylage for their contribution to Andy s feeding regime. Southern Cross Horse Transport for safely transporting Andy with the upmost care. About the Author: For the past two years, after returning from Europe, Alistair McLean has been a senior trainer at the AEBC. During his time in Denmark, he worked trained with Icelic horses, a breed that is four gaited, although a lot smaller than Ideal Guy, the experience is giving Alistair an advantage in training a pacing horse. The Australian Equine Behaviour Centre (AEBC) specialises in foundation training, re-training further education of horses - using learning theory as their guide. The Centre has been established for over 20 years, so they don t just have learning theory down to a fine art, but their facilities have been equally fine-tuned to provide the best possible training environment for horses students. HORSES PEOPLE Page 41