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10th Mar 2002
Communicating By The Seat Of Your Pants
WAVERLY, WV--Sometimes a super horse appears at the events where our instructors are showing that really catches my eye. He is already such a nice mover or I can see that he has the potential for three good gaits as he progresses. The following year, however, I might not even recognize the same horse much less tag him as a rising star.
His flowing gaits have become short and choppy. His soft jaw and relaxed back are now clamped and tight.Instead of moving forward in his training, he has deteriorated. When a setback like this happens, the reason is often that his rider does not have an independent seat.
Developing a truly independent seat is the ultimate goal for a rider. It is not about looking pretty on the horse. It is about being in the right position with the right control over your own body in order to be able to communicate clearly and logically with the horse. If your horse feels the bit move in his mouth, it should be because you are deliberately asking him for a specific shape or a cadence or a degree of collection, not because you have momentarily lost your balance or have become tense somewhere in your body.
Obviously, if you are bouncing around on the horse's back or grabbing at his mouth in order to keep your balance, that "noise" is what he is going to listen to. If the way you are sitting or moving on his back creates pain or discomfort for the horse, then any communication is gone. Without an independent seat, it is impossible to properly influence the horse's mind and body in order to train it for any higher level equestrian sport from dressage to eventing or cutting or reining.
The rider must master six distinct skills as she or he develops an independent seat.
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10th Mar 2002

Top Riders Entered At Burnham Market
Many of the top names in the three day eventing world have already entered the Advanced Sections at Burnham Market International Horse Trials.
Jeanette Brakewell, Mary King, Pippa Funnell, Andrew and Bettina Hoy, Rodney Powell, Leslie Law and Matt Ryan are amongst those who have already entered. In addition Zara Phillips will be there, competing in her first advanced class.
"At this early stage we are thrilled to have so many top names and we expect a last minute rush," said Event Organiser, Alec Lochore. "The going is ideal, which is rare in the UK after all the rain over the last two months. One of the best things about our course is the fact that we are one of the few events that practically guarantees a run, which at this critical stage before Badminton, is vital for many competitors.
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9th Mar 2002

Top Eventers Help Libbys Develop New Training Aid
An innovative training aid devised by two leading event riders has been in a range of webbing tack by leading manufacturers Libbys.
The Lungie Bungie has a strong cord of elastic fitted to the bit with a triggered connector which has a large ring in the centre The aid is then fitted to a lunging roller and there are D-rings on each side which allow for three different tensions.
This new design encourages equal pressure on both sides of the bit and encourages softness and submission in the horse without using any force. It is supplied with separate trigger hooks so that the device can also be used on a saddle while the horse is being ridden.
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9th Mar 2002
ILPH Prison Sentence for Horse Abuser
On Monday 4th March at Basildon Magistrates Court Sandra Carpenter, 49, of St. Margaret's Farm, Little Burstead, Essex was sentenced to a two month prison sentence for causing unnecessary suffering to a grey broodmare; 2 weeks in prison (to run concurrently) for breach of a Court Order banning her from keeping horses - and given a further 10 year ban on keeping horses.
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