| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| templars |
Posted - 21 Nov 2010 : 9:57:11 PM
We had an absolutely brilliant day at Oli Townend's today.
I used to think he was a little gung ho, but over the last couple of years have really come to admire this young man's dedicated and commitment to his horses.
Today we had a whole day at his yard (it was his members' open day) and we were treated like royalty.
The hospitality and friendliness was amazing and he was so open and honest about his approach, his training philosophy and his outlook on life in general.
The first thing that struck us all was how content and completely soppy all the horses are. We got to cuddle
Carousel Quest
Ashdale Cruise Master
ODT Master Rose
Lord Limerick (this horse fell in love with Evie - it was mutual - we had to drag them apart. He was a very special person xx)
Neo de Breuil (a cracking little horse with enormous ears)
And then we were treated to Oli training a new horse(Brewster Rooster) who had the most AMAZING jump.
We learned so much and Oli was so generous with his time and experience.
When we were in the tack room, every bridle had a snaffle bit and flash nose band. Oli's approach - they all have the same bit and if one gets a bit strong, he does more schooling till is okay in a snaffle!
Flat work - magical to watch. No aggression, no domination just gentle encouragement and him continually talking to and stroking/patting the horse. No gadgets, no schooling whips. And the horses adore him and were soooo relaxed.
Jumping, again a gentle and relaxed approach. The youngster was so capable, he got a little cocky in the approach to the jumps and raised his head and rushed the last couple of strides. Oli never shouted at him or jerked his mouth, he would just gently turn the horse in a lare circle and go nearer and nearer the jump so the horse didn't over-react when it was close to the jump. This is different from what most jump instructors tell you - never turn away from a jump. After just a few minutes, the horse clearly understood what was being asked and he just started doing it perfectly!
Lovely to see he's managing on the sort of facilities most people have access to - a normal school and a mud patch! No indoor school and no mirrors or flashy arenas.
And the food was scrummy!
If anyone is interested in eventing, we can't recommend this enough for a day out next year.
Good luck for next season Team Townend - with horses as well cared for, loved and respected as yours - you deserve success
Oh, and forgot to say - we had a good chat about the breeding of horses and he's a massive fan of Thoroughbreds and he was genuinely interested in the contribution Arabian breeding can make to performance horses. Bless him |
| 10 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| saddlebred |
Posted - 24 Nov 2010 : 8:52:47 PM
We saw just an hour session at Your Horse Live last year and thought Oli was fab - and very entertaining. He isnt built like your normal event rider and will be the first to say that he cant get his heels down but he is very sensitive to his horses.
Glad you had a fab time and were even able to get him talking about Arabs  |
| templars |
Posted - 23 Nov 2010 : 7:23:41 PM
He's registered with FEI as a French Anglo Arab and having checked his pedigree, he is predominantly Arab and Thorougbred with some missing lines on his dam's side. If Oli wanted, he could get him registered as a British part bred. Going to suggest it to him :))))) |
| Lynda |
Posted - 23 Nov 2010 : 7:06:27 PM
It sounds as though you had a fantastic day at Ollies. It must have been a wonderful experience to be up close with his horses, and lovely to hear that he likes the Arab blood.
Just one point, is Neo de Breuil an Anglo as we know them in this country? |
| katefox1812 |
Posted - 23 Nov 2010 : 2:23:28 PM
What a great summary - thank you! I feel as though I've learnt a lot just reading this! |
| templars |
Posted - 23 Nov 2010 : 12:33:03 PM
Re the conversion to Arabs - no problem at all - he's already riding a French Anglo Arab
The wonderful horse in question is the super little grey with the big ears that we got to cuddle
NEO DU BREUIL
As for tips:
1. separate tack for training and competing
2. cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness
3. work horse in loose outline and encourage it to carry itself, don't force and every time the horse corrects itself, pat it, verbally praise it and make it feel good - remember to explain to the horse what you want, not criticise it when it does it wrong
4. jumping, don't just jump the same couple of fences time after time for training - jump a full course (this was soooo true for Harry and it was great to hear we'd done the right thing. Harry had got so used to just training with his previous owner that after 3 fences jumped in a row, he thought he'd finished and he'd get really stressed having to do more. So, regularly do one or two warm up but then jump 8-12 jumps
5. flat work - make sure whatever you do on one rein you do exactly the same on the other
6. if the horse doesn't get it right, take a deep breath and explain again. The example was approaching the jump, the young horse rushed and held his head high. Oli took him away from the jump did circles and got the horse to lower his head (gently) and then made the circles go nearer and nearer the jump, as he went past the jump, Oli would praise him and then gradually the horse kept his head down near the jump and they just popped over. It took about 6 circles for the horse to get the idea of what was wanted
7. keep things simple - feed, tack, routine
Hope that helps |
| sab2 |
Posted - 22 Nov 2010 : 10:41:06 AM
Pleased you had a wonderful day, feel free to share any tips you picked up. |
| Pasha |
Posted - 22 Nov 2010 : 09:42:42 AM
Sounds a lovely day! |
| templars |
Posted - 22 Nov 2010 : 05:08:39 AM
Consider it done! He's very interested in Anglos!!!! If fact, a certain lady you know may well be visiting his stallion next year!!!!
We were very reassured that we've been thinking on the same lines - his view is that it's no good dominating an event horse because if things go wrong cross country you need the horse to think for itself and work with you not for you. We stopped having dressage lessons from. Dressage trainers, now we use an eventing dressage trainer and it was very, very comforting to hear Oli does just the same. Phew - got that bit right!
|
| Mrs Vlacq |
Posted - 21 Nov 2010 : 11:55:57 PM
sounds like a productive day....
(a very young Oliver had one of his first major SJ wins at HoYS on a TB x Sec D, the TB part being our dear departed Hipu Who - good to hear he's interested in breeding too.... how long until we can convert him to Arabs!) |
| Callisto |
Posted - 21 Nov 2010 : 10:52:41 PM
Must admit I've never been a huge fan, but then I've never been to an open day at his yard - he certainly manages to project a rather brash persona(and rather muscular - as opposed to sensitive riding style), very glad to hear that he has a rather different approach in real life. Glad you enjoyed your day. |
