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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Carl Hester Masterclass. Carl works with an imported, Dutch stallion, Iresias L (Johnson \/ Ferro). The horse won the Australian 4-year-old title, and followed it up with a win in the 5-year-olds.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n His rider, Gina Montgomery, was, before she saw the light, a star in the Hack Ring. Carl believes that the most difficult thing for a hack rider to change was the fixed outline, the fixed arms, and to learn to ride the horse to the bit.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe want the horse in self carriage, and that means the rider has to be in self carriage, and without a strong core, that is very difficult to do. It is worth riders spending the time getting the core strong, then you won\u2019t need your arms or legs to hold you in the saddle \u2013 they must be soft and independent of your body. You must work to get better, Charlotte goes four mornings a week to the gym, then comes home and rides ten horses a day. There\u2019s lots you can do to improve your riding.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSelf-carriage is really easy to see. It\u2019s that tension into the hand \u2013 it\u2019s the first place you see it through the whole of the top line of the horse. The best thing you can do for self-carriage is the give and re-take of the reins. It is amazing how you forget to do that when you ride on your own.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLooking at this stallion, you cannot help but be drawn to his hind legs. The judges love hind legs like this, because they are very natural. It\u2019s typical of Johnson.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cUthopia was brilliant as a stallion with his temperament and focus. Stallions can struggle with tension, or some go dead. I used to think mares were difficult, but they are not, stallions are. Now half our yard is mares, and half geldings.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want Gina to go more forward, I want the horse to go more to the bridle. Make the half halts to the ears and open the horse\u2019s neck \u2013 don\u2019t close his neck. Ride forward, but ride his neck up so the long steps stay in balance. Always keep the bend in your elbow, don\u2019t flatten your arm or you will flatten his neck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Gina pushes with her leg and slows him, he gets heavy. I\u2019m trying to stop that. Bring the horse back by bringing your upper body up, let your leg go forward, upper body back and look through the ears. When Gina\u2019s half halt lasts too long, there is a little wrinkle (in the skin<\/em>) in front of the saddle. The half halt should be for one stride, more than that and it shortens the neck.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Johnny\u2019 has a lovely canter, just like his dad: \u201cThe canter has an easy balance and quite nice use of the hind end \u2013 sit him up a bit and release the shoulders. I want to see the plait behind his ears, not the plait third from the top.<\/strong> Right now I don\u2019t mind if he comes too high, it teaches him how to use his shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the corners ask for half halts riding forward, and relax your body going out. If you feel the horse goes quicker when I say \u2018go\u2019, he has to come back again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nCharlotte and Barolo – a young Grand Prix horse – demonstrate<\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n
\u201cIf you can create what we try to create, without heavy hands, without hanging onto the rein, if you can do it with self-carriage, then it looks beautiful. It\u2019s this word, expression, which is a dangerous word because once you put expression into it, like heightened suspension and things like that, then if you have got the wrong rider, or a rider who doesn\u2019t ride with an independent seat, then they use their hands and that\u2019s when you get that horrible looking, jerky dressage. It is something we really work on, to be able to create it, without going over-board.\u201d<\/h1>\n
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