{"id":65074,"date":"2022-12-31T12:31:11","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T01:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/?p=65074"},"modified":"2022-12-31T12:33:01","modified_gmt":"2022-12-31T01:33:01","slug":"the-coachs-perspective-with-gareth-hughes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/2022\/12\/the-coachs-perspective-with-gareth-hughes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Coach’s Perspective with Gareth Hughes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Words and images: Rebecca Ashton<\/em><\/p>\n

Gareth Hughes is like Pharlap. He wasn\u2019t born in Australia, but we like to claim him as our own. Although British by birth, he spent his formative years in Queensland riding Arabs with dreams of being a cowboy. He never planned to return home, but the idea that spending a couple of years back in England and gaining an accent would mean he could charge more for lessons back in Australia seemed logical to the young Gareth and sent him packing. When it became obvious that dressage was the career path he was going to take, it made sense to remain in the UK.<\/h1>\n

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Since then he has been on champion medal winning British dressage teams and he\u2019s learnt his craft exceedingly well. So it was a great coup when Kate O\u2019Connor could convince her friend to travel Down Under and teach some clinics and Sally Ann Barbara for grabbing him for an afternoon to educate the accredited coaches of Equestrian NSW. I was lucky to sit in and see what the Brit was about. This clinic was really addressing coaches and how best to navigate the way forward with each student.<\/p>\n

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A medal at the WEG in Herning in 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

Gareth has one goal in mind when he\u2019s training: produce a good Grand Prix mount. \u201cDon\u2019t make it about the exercise, make it about where you are and where you want to get. Our job is to ride a dressage test.\u201d It\u2019s about the simplest way for the horse and mainly using just what\u2019s in the tests. \u201cIf you put something else in to help, you have to take it out again.\u201d From a coach\u2019s perspective, \u201c\u2026. the hardest thing is keeping it simple. Don\u2019t over complicated things so you feel you\u2019re being proactive.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Christine Bates and her successful eventer, the Thoroughbred, Fleeting…<\/em><\/p>\n

The clinic started at Medium level with event rider Christine Bates as the guinea pig aboard her Thoroughbred, Fleeting. Right from the start the question is, \u2018Would the judge like this?\u2019 The work is about getting the marks. The route may not be easy, but short cuts never work. It\u2019s also important as a coach to realise you\u2019re not a judge. Your job isn\u2019t to tell them how good or bad something is per se, but how to develop the combination in the best way possible. It\u2019s like a jigsaw puzzle, but you need to know what the finished picture will look like first. With that in mind, not every horse will be great at every level. If you\u2019re struggling with a level, keep pushing on. Grand Prix is the final goal after all. And the Grand Prix test for each horse may not win you Olympic gold, but it should be the gold medal for that particular horse.<\/p>\n

Once the horse reaches Medium, it should have the basic expression of an Advanced horse, when it reaches Prix St Georges, it should have the basic impression of a Grand Prix horse. From then, you just keep building the horse\u2019s strength so whatever you ask of them, they can give the correct response.<\/p>\n

So, where to start? Gareth believes the three most important things for the horse\u2019s training is balance, rhythm and contact. After that comes impulsion. The other point to note is that no Grand Prix horse has any natural suppleness left. They are older by now so the suppleness has to be trained and maintained. \u201cKnowledge stays but suppleness doesn\u2019t.\u201d As you go up the levels, less test movements are based on paces and more about how you execute the movements; precision and correctness. It all starts with good, basic control.<\/h1>\n

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First watch the combination working around in front of you – Christine is the rider<\/em><\/p>\n

Gareth says that when you first watch a combination working around in front of you, your first thought should be are they together? A horse might be traveling around beautifully, but is it on the aids, for example? Can the rider adjust the horse\u2019s balance and influence the frame? \u201cI don\u2019t care about the quality of trot or canter or suppleness at this stage. I care if horse is following the rider. Then, how do I develop the quality of the paces? Where do I start?\u201d You have to meet the combination where they are and develop them from there. Don\u2019t sit there and point out everything that\u2019s wrong. You need to give the rider tools so she can continue on her own after the lesson.<\/p>\n

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Gareth much prefers starting most horses off in the canter. It\u2019s usually easier for them to swing along and then the trot improves. The circle is used to get what you want and the full school is used to test it. \u201cYou have to be able to go past every single letter with the canter you want.\u201d If not, circle and get the quality back. Gareth\u2019s work is simple; nothing is over complicated. Forward and back, loosen the horse\u2019s jaw, make sure the collected canter is forward thinking, create activity. Once the \u2018base pace\u2019 is found, the rider can go off and find suppleness. Is trot easier for them than canter? Where is the horse sticky? In the jaw? In the rib cage? These are all questions the coach should consider.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important as a coach to understand where your rider\u2019s natural abilities and inabilities lie.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feeling evolves, but not always well. Does your rider have good feeling in the seat and legs but not so much in the hands? \u201cPosition is very important. Subtle changes really make a difference.\u201d The same with technique. \u201cDon\u2019t ride the down step of the canter, ride the up step to collect.\u201d Transitions will get you so far, but then you have to be able to take the work into the test movements and exercises. You just keep adding to what\u2019s been set up. Nothing should deteriorate when the exercises are executed.<\/p>\n

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Shoulder in, leg yield\u2026help your rider find the correct aids, the correct execution of the aids and the correct pressure in the aids to help the horse at that particular moment. How often the aid should be given, the release of the aid. For example, Gareth was helping Christine with her horse\u2019s jaw, \u201c\u2026.like a rusty hinge\u2026..loosen the jaw then leave it. Once it\u2019s loosened, you don\u2019t need to do it again.\u201d It\u2019s also your job to help the rider understand how the progression of exercises work, why they\u2019re in the order they are and how they flow on from each other. Should you execute that leg yield on one rein or both? Be smart with your coaching.<\/p>\n

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Justin Worthy and Benjamin Britten was next. Gareth commented that he doesn\u2019t care if there are mistakes, but he wants to know what the rider does to correct them. The coach isn\u2019t there to pull the combination apart, but to guide them and find solutions. The focus for this combination after the basic work was flying changes and it was here that Gareth emphasised the necessity for patience. \u201cI think it can take 18 months to have changes really established. They\u2019re hard because you have to stop and start them. You don\u2019t want to be practicing them in the beginning of a week out from an Elementary test, for instance.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Gareth is always looking for the best place to start…<\/em><\/p>\n

Gareth is always looking for the best place to start. \u201cYou have to enter the arena straight and with the poll up, so let\u2019s start there. This horse twists himself because he finds it hard to carry, so let\u2019s help him by getting the poll up first. Then we can look to see where the twisting is originating.\u201d This process of \u2018what to tackle when\u2019 is important. You\u2019re better to do one thing not six. Lifting the poll got the horse straighter which allowed Justin to hold the horse up better with the inside leg which improved the canter.<\/p>\n

The exercises might need to be repeated a few times, initially for the horse\u2019s understanding, and then for him to soften his body into it. If they anticipate an exercise, you have to make them softly wait. A lot of the time, it\u2019s not about the exercise, but how you prepare for it, and how the horse goes into it. Patience is also needed if the horse is trying to answer your question, but getting it wrong. Just wait and guide until the right answer is given.<\/p>\n

Once even suppleness is there, speed control is next on the list.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u201cMost horses are built on the forehand. Pushing hard with you seat will not lift the poll. Each aid deals with the part of the body it touches. If the horse looks up in flexion, he\u2019ll look supple, if he looks down in flexion, he feels supple. The judge doesn\u2019t care what it feels like.\u201d The message\u2026 if he\u2019s locked, unlock, but don\u2019t just potter around with the horse\u2019s head on the ground because it feels nice.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Rommy Sanna and Floriade<\/em><\/p>\n

As a coach, it\u2019s also important to know how long a combination has been together. When Rommy Sanna was asked how long she\u2019d been riding her horse Floriade, and the answer was five years, Gareth continued, \u201cFive years, now that\u2019s not a work in progress. Five months\u2026you can have a load of excuses.\u201d It\u2019s also important to ask the rider where they think they are in their training and how it\u2019s going. It\u2019s good to know where they are in their head, compared to what you\u2019re seeing from the ground. But the Brit was quick to add that you shouldn\u2019t say anything at the start of the session, \u201cunless it\u2019s a car crash\u201d. Just observe, then be supportive. You\u2019re there to help them be better. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter how good someone is, how coachable are they?\u201d You don\u2019t always have to do something when you coach. Sometimes the work is good!<\/p>\n

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Gareth still wanted a good base, and control of those baseline paces. \u201cThere\u2019s no use having exercises to get the movement better until you have the trot or canter that you want. The less control you have over the basic pace, the harder it is to make changes to it.\u201d You have to be able to ride the horse, not have the horse just run forward. \u201cIf you add too much too soon, the horse doesn\u2019t know if it\u2019s Arthur or Martha. I want to see one canter through everything first.\u201d<\/p>\n

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With a higher level Prix St George horse like Romy\u2019s, often the horse\u2019s knowledge of the movements isn\u2019t the problem, rather the suppleness which may deteriorate in a stressful situation such as a competition. Romy\u2019s mare was finding it hard to see how to get into the flying change. As a coach, Gareth had to make that all-important decision as to where to start. He chose the canter and working on getting the poll higher.<\/p>\n

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Gareth pointed out that although the horse\u2019s hind legs were active, the canter seemed a little weak. His solution was leg yield. \u201cNotice I always use the same exercises. You don\u2019t need a thousand exercises.\u201d The horse had to wait for the rider to take her into the exercises. \u201cDon\u2019t get inconsistent or the horse will get inconsistent. This situation is about patience. Getting her to wait, waiting for her to get it right without changing anything.\u201d You don\u2019t want the horse to guess. You have to be able to train anticipation and that builds consistency.<\/p>\n

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Gareth also looked for an exercise that could be repeated quickly without riding around the arena 100 times. For the changes he chose a tear drop from the corner back to the track, change and immediately into another 10m circle tear drop into the corner. If the horse lost balance, there was the option to repeat the circle to get her back.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important as a coach to understand if the horse in front of you is a body mover or leg mover. For body movers, you want to add more leg, so you might intersperse your trot work with rising trot.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Caroline Hooper and Beck’s Gold<\/em><\/p>\n

The final rider, Caroline Hooper was a good example of how to train people who know what to do. In that case, it\u2019s about guiding them rather than telling them the step-by-step process. \u201cI have to see what she does and think ok I think we need to add this or that. It\u2019s difficult training top riders. It\u2019s about giving them guidance and also seeing what they would see on the ground. When I have lessons with Carl (Hester), he doesn\u2019t teach me how to ride, he reminds me to sit up or bend more.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Caroline\u2019s horse Beck\u2019s Gold heading to Grand Prix, it\u2019s important to make sure there\u2019s enough quickness to the hind leg. It was also a chance to address spookiness. If a horse has a \u2018spooky corner\u2019 in the test, you still have to get through that corner a lot of times. You have to be able to keep the horse moving. \u201cHe\u2019s allowed to slow down and collect, but he can\u2019t spook.\u201d You have to give the horse a skill set in training that he can take into a more pressurised competition environment. With this horse, Gareth decided on a lot of leg yield to keep the horse\u2019s attention, but not over face him with something too difficult. \u201cFind the exercise that lets you find a way into the horse. Here we are using the leg yield. It wouldn\u2019t work if we kept driving the half pass.\u201d It\u2019s also important to make sure the rider doesn\u2019t get caught up in what the horse is doing and start doing unnecessary movements or aids.<\/p>\n

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With the harder movements of Grand Prix such as the canter zig zag, tempi changes and piaffe\/passage transitions, Gareth emphasised that you find your own way of counting and navigating the transitions. For example, for the zig zag, he would use one, two, three, four, straight, change.<\/p>\n

For the coach, the guidance from the ground might be just changing the line the rider is on to help focus the horse more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“You can only put so much into every horse. If you try to make it a 9 when he\u2019s not capable of it, you\u2019ll end up with a 5.5. If you keep it consistent and rhythmic, you\u2019ll get a 7.\u201d Then you\u2019ll have a happy horse, a happy rider and a happy judge!<\/p>\n

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A big thanks to Gareth, Kate O\u2019Connor of Equine Education Australia for bringing Gareth out, Sally-Ann Barbera, Coaching NSW and Equestrian NSW for organising the clinic. \u00a0Di White for being a gracious host and the horses and riders who step into the arena and help us all learn.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Want to breed your own Champion in Australia? How about Totilas or one of his sons? \u00a0Go to www.ihb.com.au<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Totilas and Edward Gal winning at the Windsor Euros<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Or Total Hope also a winner and a sire…<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gareth Hughes, recent runner-up to Charlotte Fry and Everdale at the London Horse of the Year show, and prolific medal winner for Great Britain, working with the coaches…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,4,1903,1901],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-dressage","category-dressage-tests","category-grand-prix-dressage"],"acf":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65074"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65074\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65206,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65074\/revisions\/65206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.horsemagazine.com\/thm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}