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Equestrian Entries for the New Zealand Horse Rider

November 10, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

Whilst learning about the Equidays event in New Zealand recently I found myself then guided to the Equestrian Entries website. I had no idea that there was an online resource for horse riders in New Zealand! Equestrian Entries provides details on horse competitions around New Zealand.

Equestrian Entries is a Great Online Resource for NZ Riders | Equus Education

You can register to be able to make use of this online resource that allows you to look at events in New Zealand. You can also view your entries into said competitions and the results. Wonderful! To register you’ll need an ESNZ Registration number.

Equestrian Entries for Horse Riders

I love the concept of this site. Now I may be ignorant and perhaps there are such sites for Australia, the UK and US, too! But I love that there is one place you can go to find out about national horse competitions, register in these events and in time, see the results. For each event, you can see:

start and closing dates of the event
the discipline/s covered
the location of the show

You can even view location details on GoogleMaps, check out the schedule and enter yourself into the event. Wonderful! So if you’re a rider in New Zealand, be sure to make use of this incredible resource! And if you’re located elsewhere, why not do a search to see if there’s something similar you can utilise? And if there isn’t… maybe this is an area for someone to step in and create one 😉

“There is a lot of folklore about equestrian statues, especially the ones with riders on them. There is said to be a code in the number and placement of the horse’s hooves: …four legs in the air means that the sculptor was very, very clever. Five legs in the air means that there’s probably at least one other horse standing behind the horse you’re looking at; and the rider lying on the ground with his horse lying on top of him with all four legs in the air means that the rider was either a very incompetent horseman or owned a very bad-tempered horse.” ― Terry Pratchett

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The Schleese AdapTree

October 18, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

I am currently reading Suffering in Silence by Jochen Schleese. I am learning a lot more about saddle fit and the implications for horse and rider if things aren’t correctly fitted! Nearly halfway through the book, there have been a few references to the AdapTree for saddles.

As it says on the Schleese website:

Caring from the inside out, the Schleese AdapTree® is the first tree which adapts to the horse’s bio-mechanical movements. Through the calculation and implication of the rider’s weight, the AdapTree® is fitted and infinitely adjustable at any time by one of our authorized Certified Saddle Fit Technicians or Saddle Ergonomists.

Do you have an AdapTree in Your Saddle? | Equus Education

The AdapTree

The gullet plate within the tree of the saddle is adjustable. This means as your horse puts on muscle or loses tone around the withers, it can be adjusted to fit its shape. This will also improve saddle fit, decreasing the chance of discomfort to the horse. The tree is made out of polyurethane which is flexible. Schleese indicate on their site that this “provides complete freedom of motion and comfort, flexing with your horse’s lateral movement to improve connection and communication.”

Now this particular idea is new to me, but I believe an important concept in a saddle. The tree points tend to be forward facing in saddles. They often sit just above the shoulder blades, but if incorrectly fitted can restrict shoulder movement. In the AdapTree, the tree points are rear-facing, so that this doesn’t impact the shoulder blades in a negative way.

Another new idea to me highlighted in Suffering in Silence was that saddles are made by men, for men. Anatomically, they’re not correct for females and limit their chance to achieve the best position and centre of gravity whilst in the saddle. The middle of the AdapTree has a padded cut-out area that removes pressure from the front pelvic area. This means women can sit correctly without having associated issues that can arise from too much pressure in this area. Apparently it’s not uncommon for women to gain back pain and even health issues because of too much pressure whilst in the saddle or poor positioning.

I love when horse related products are created out of a need or a desire to make something even better. I believe the Schleese AdapTree® is one such product!

Profile On: Alex Brown, Former Exercise Rider

September 27, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

Alex Brown recently released a novel relating to the horse racing industry. As someone who was a professional exercise rider, he has fit a lot of his knowledge into his book Missionville. He also kindly took the time to answer some questions about exercise riding as a career.

Former Exercise Rider, Alex Brown with a Fan | Equus Education

How much of your day/week is related to horses?
For now, very little, unfortunately, unless you count writing about them, and my new book, Missionville!

What was it exactly that you did?
I worked in horse racing, in the United States, on and off for more than 25 years. During this time, I mostly exercised horses as a salaried or freelance exercise rider. A typical morning would mean galloping about 7-8 horses, starting around 6, and finishing around 10 in the morning.

This gave me plenty of time to do some other stuff. During the latter years, a lot of my additional time was devoted to horse welfare issues, horse slaughter and the retirement of racehorses.

In this field of work, is it possible to be a full time professional and earning a liveable income?
Yes, an exercise rider can do quite well. My last salaried job, which was for Steve Asmussen, I was earning around about $30k salary. Because of the short working hours, I could do a little extra work, if I wanted. That might have been breaking young horses, freelancing a few extra horses at the track, or working in a role at the races (which I never did).

Missionville by Alex Brown | Equus Education

What are the general steps taken to be employed in such a role?
I was lucky. I’ve ridden all my life, and went to the US to ride for a racehorse trainer who had recently moved to the US too. Basically, you need some decent riding experience before heading to a racetrack, and then you need a trainer who will spend some time helping you get started. You don’t want to be thrown in the deep-end straightaway.

Riding on a track is quite different to equestrian riding. You need to learn how to ride off a neckstrap, bridge your reins, ride with shorter stirrups, and so forth. Strangely, you learn to ride longer, with more experience, but it’s important to get the balance of riding short.

Favourite horse memory?
That’s a tough one, after twenty five or so years. But it will be about a horse winning a race. It’s just a great feeling, after galloping a horse for awhile, to see it do well at the races.

Most recently, probably when Maple Time won a little race at Penn National. When I worked for Asmussen, any time Salty Langfuhn won a race.

Future goals?
Now I’m back in the UK, and retired from horse racing, who knows. I really enjoyed writing Missionville, which is in part based on my experiences at the race tracks in the US. But I’m not sure writing full-time will ever be my calling. I am fortunate to have another career in the sphere of MBA admissions, so that keeps me busy too.

Best thing about your sport/profession?
I just love horses. We owe so much to them.

7 Horse Riding Careers to Consider

September 8, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

So you want to make a career out of riding horses, ey? Well here are 7 horse riding careers to consider. Some offer consistent work and wages. Others will be successful only if the horse in question being ridden is successful in its given discipline.

1. Exercise rider for racing
  This is a person who rides horses in their morning workouts. Often this will be for thoroughbreds galloping on the track in flat racing, or jumps racing. Riders are generally paid per horse that is ridden and can get work 6 – 7 mornings a week.
2. Jockey
  You need to be qualified to ride in race work and your earnings will be based on the performance of your mount – as well as the class of race. Rides may be over weekends or during the week, depending on race meetings.
3. Eventer
  Many of these riders need to be sponsored and the performance money is a lot less than in race riding. Still, it is possible to ride competition horses for a living. An eventer focuses on dressage, show jumping and cross country riding.
4. Catch rider
  For the owners who have a horse that needs to be ridden, a catch rider can come in handy. They ride the horse in its competition event for a fee – and hopefully the horse receives points/ribbons in the classes it is entered.
  
  7 Horse Riding Careers to Consider | Equus Education
5. Educational rider/trainer
  Some horses have issues with regards to their education or the way they’ve been ridden. They may be acting up because they are in pain or fearful. Some trainers manage ‘difficult’ horses beautifully, getting to the root of the problem and enabling owners to move forward with their riding goals.
6. Trail ride guide
  Perhaps you’re the sort of person who loves getting out and about, seeing beautiful places on horseback. You also love interacting with people and can teach beginners a thing or two. And maybe you enjoy riding with more experienced horse people, too. Taking people out for trail rides may be a job worth considering! It will often involve matching strangers to appropriate horses, tacking up horses and taking groups out for a ride. Then you will be dealing with the horses and putting them away again. Many trail places do 2-3 rides in a day or some overnight rides for the more experienced clients.
7. Mounted police
  It is worth noting that if you want to get into this area, it can’t be solely because you want to ride! Mounted police officers have to serve as a police officer for a few years before they are in a position to consider the mounted department. It can also be quite competitive. Love of the law needs to be your focus, with getting to ride a bonus 😉
The 7 horse riding careers to consider listed above touch on different disciplines and different working hours. Have you considered another? I’d love to read in the comments about other riding careers you’re interested in!

Horse Riding Camps

January 27, 2017 by Christine Meunier Leave a Comment

I have been reading a children’s horse book – Izzy’s Chance by Doreen Bairstow. In it there was a reference to Scripture Union. Being a horsey book, I thought perhaps it was a horse riding camp with a Christian focus. Although horse riding is available, the focus isn’t on horse riding camps.

But this got me to thinking. Why not horse riding camps as a horse related career?

When I was teaching horse studies at Box Hill TAFE, once a year we had an intensive practical camp. This was held over a couple of days for the Certificate II in Horse Studies students. They got to ride twice a day and other sessions involved practical classes relating to horses.

Horse Riding Camps

Having a property set up with the specific focus on horse riding and care I believe could be a great niche. It could cater to educational facilities that offer horse courses. If they’re looking for a place where their students can ride and do practical sessions, I am sure a camp would appeal!

For the parent with a horse crazy son or daughter, knowing they can book them in for a riding camp over the holidays would also be appealing. Offering weekend camps could be of benefit too. It would just be a question of marketing the property so that people know what it could be used for. There may be certain times of the year that are more in demand – school holidays, weekends for example.

However, if other times of the year are marketed correctly, horse riding camps could bring in income all year round. For example, they could be marketed to equestrian teams with professional equestrian riders holding workshops and making use of the property and its horses. Horse riding camps – why not?

Equestrian Entries for the New Zealand Horse Rider

Equestrian Entries for Horse Riders

The Schleese AdapTree

The AdapTree

Profile On: Alex Brown, Former Exercise Rider

7 Horse Riding Careers to Consider

Horse Riding Camps

Horse Riding Camps

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