23/05/2025
Carl Hester Masterclass!!
Carol Bloomfield was the winner of our draw and she kindly gave us this extensive coverage of the event! Some true back pocket jems for us all.
Thanks Carol!!
Thank you, Dressage Wellington for offering me the chance to see Carl in action in his clinic in Taupo – it was fantastic!
There were so many ‘ah ha’ moments – probably things that I have been told by many instructors over the years, but he certainly has a way of putting things across just at the right moment when the opportunity arises.
Fiora Au (North Island Rider Rep) did a wonderful summary in her Facebook post and I have tried to integrate these with my 14 pages of notes!
GEMS and GUIDEDANCE
• The routine in Carl’s Stable is 2 days schooling, 1 day hacking, 2 days schooling, 1 day hacking and then a day off in the field i.e. Don’t school every day
• Most horses are easier to bend to the left and when we start schooling, we tend to start on the left rein. Make sure you go on both reins 😊
• There are very few GP horses in the world! (Think he was telling us not to be disappointed if we don’t make it !!) There is a lot of canter work in a GP test so you need to be able to lengthen the neck and have a clear 3 beat canter.
• Always count your strides e.g., number of strides in a 20m canter circle so that you know where halfway is if you need to do a flying change on the centre line, or how many strides there are to the halt on the centreline so you don’t have to look for the marker when riding a test.
• Definition of Harmony – when there is a soft rein that is moving with the motion.
• Release pressure to reward – pat neck, or on and off with leg not constant pressure
• When collecting stretch the front of the torso and drop the elbows to half halt – only for one stride, then repeat if necessary.
• Remember that the plait behind the headpiece should always be the highest point
• In collection ‘think rein back’ and then use the whip to TAP up the hind leg to activate it – in the collection NOT when riding forward
• In lateral work there is a beginning, a middle and an end – in the middle think of changing gear so that the movement doesn’t peter out.
• In lateral work the outside leg is the accelerator and inside leg collects
• In half pass think of the horses outside eye looking at the marker you’re aiming at to get the right amount of bend.
• In lateral work set up the bend in the corner and don’t change it
• Pirouettes – turn the nose, the shoulder and then the hindleg (middle) – use the outside leg on/off not a constant pressure to allow the horses leg to swing through -start small and get bigger, if you start big and get small you get stuck
• Circles – think of as 4 parts so you are making 4 turns, this helps to keep the impulsion
• Use shoulder fore to ride into transitions – this creates a light inside rein
• Horse heavy in front – don’t ride forward, collect, activate then ride forward
• Use your body to shorten the strides by moving slightly back and slightly forward to lengthen the stride.
• Rising trot is good even in the upper levels
• Canter is quite difficult to improve so always check the canter on both reins when buying
YOUNG HORSES
• Normally break in at 3.5yrs, have 6 weeks work –
o walk, trot, canter on the lunge then turn out over winter
• Keep corners shallow so that the horse stays upright
• If the trot is more downhill than canter use more canter to develop the trot, and if the canter is more downhill use more trot to help it.
• Can raise the inside hand to help bend
• Stretching tells you if you have been working well –
o push hand forward if the horse curls under as want to stretch the underside of the neck as well
o If the horse doesn’t stretch do more at the end of the session so you teach him to stretch – ride in figures and circles in the stretch to do this
• Walk – to improve row both your hands to encourage the head and neck out
• Trot
o use rising trot, use small trot and long trot
o teaching the horse to round and sit, want to see/feel the same rhythm when he comes back
o Use Shoulder fore before the transitions to help
o Give and retake both hands to test self-carriage
• Trot/Canter –
o too much hand stops the horse jumping forward.
o Make sure inside rein is loose, from preparation with shoulder fore
• With the half halt lift the hand slightly to lift the underside of the neck
• Stiff horses – use lateral work. Don’t have bend to his bendy side.
o On the hollow side – leg yield with no neck bend from the track to the centreline to get the middle of the horse straighter
o On the stiff side LY from the centreline to the track
o Don’t lose rhythm
• Canter –
o most horses get stronger from the canter work, looking for roundness into the outside hand, touch with whip to bring hind leg under.
• Reward with a pat when they get it right
JUNIOR RIDERS
• Lengthening
o Teach with a touch of the whip and a click
o Only ask for a couple of strides e.g. 3 x’s down the long side
o When the lengthening is right the neck will start to arch
• Create impulsion in rising trot on a straight line to make lateral work easier for the rider
• Shoulder In
o Maintain the bend from the corner
o Keep contact with the outside rein
o Keep rhythm – if there is too much angle there will be a change in rhythm
o Keep your outside leg back
• ½ Pass
o Like Travers on the diagonal
o Keep weight to the inside – if you need to bend over and look at the inside hind!
o Horses outside eye towards the marker
o Make the riders outside leg aid on and off not a constant squeeze
• Extended walk -walk hands forward in the walk rhythm
o Ride with seat rather than legs (and go forward like you are walking out the gate at the end of the test!)
• Walk Pirouettes
o Create more activity first by shortening the walk
o Start in shoulder in
o Focus on the front end, don’t use too much outside leg as this steps the outside leg across, use a touch of the whip to increase impulsion at the end
o Turn thinking nose, shoulder, hindleg (moving the ribs)
o On the stiff side 1/2pass into and out of them
o Do them on the long side to test how far out you are going
• Flying Changes
o Before attempting make sure Canter Walk Canter transitions are easy
o Aid when head comes up (when the front inside leg comes to ground)
o Don’t give too much room – head towards wall useful
o Loose legs helps to give better aiding
o If not coming, try somewhere else in the arena.
o Some horses take 3 or 4 years to get changes
EVENTING HORSES
• Relaxation
o May be better to do 3 x 1/2hr sessions
o Travers/Shoulder In in canter on a 10m circle
o Collecting by lengthening the front of your body, feel like someone could walk beside you before asking for the walk transition – this should be asked for when the horses head is up, you can collect then activate with a touch of the whip to get a great transition to walk
o Trot, almost walk, trot – using half halt – Elbows back, hips trough your hands, allow the elbows to drop and release
o If horse has a dominant rein ride shoulder fore with the dominant rein as the inside, be careful not to allow too much bend into that dominant rein
• ½ Pass and Change
o Count the strides – 1, 2, 3 : Straight, change, bend: 1, 2, 3
• Serpentine Changes
o Know the number of strides to the centre
o Keep in shoulder fore on the leading leg
o Stay in the saddle
• Shoulder In
o Develop medium on the long side and back – develops transitions
• Stretching
o Do at any time – feel if the neck goes down and forward
o Nose shouldn’t go lower than the point of the shoulder, so the underside of the neck stretches as well.
• Extensions
o Think of upper body slightly forward in the extension
o Keep softness in the jaw
o Allow the horse to come back (upper body slightly back)
from extensions rather than abrupt transitions – this will keep the forward motion
o Swing is about getting the strides longer not faster
SMALL TOUR (YOUNG RIDERS)
• Collection
o Not slowing down, quick hindleg which feels slower but isn’t
o Think rein back and use a tap of the whip to activate
o From half halt think forward before losing the impulsion
o Use counter canter for training collection as the wall helps
o Use travers to help with lowering the croup especially if get canter too short – stretch neck with your hands as well
• Take Risks – extensions need to be from marker to marker not slowing and petering out; ride S/I to half pass from marker to marker
• Shoulder In
o Around the circle to keep horse on outside rein, pat with inside hand
• Pirouettes
o Need to be able to canter on the spot and have a really good ½ Pass
o A pirouette is 6 – 8 steps, start developing by just cantering on the spot for 6 – 8 steps down the long side; the rhythm must be maintained, don’t go slower
o Use Shoulder in, in and out of the movement, put nose to point of shoulder and the horse should ‘pat the ground’ before the turn
o Keep the two arch’s – one in front and one behind the saddle
o Working pirouettes are 8-10m
• Flying Changes
o Change with your heels
o 1 x’s – just move your legs, change rein after doing 2 so that you get better quality changes
• Canter walk canter
o just one aid, if going to right lead, aid with left leg and reverse
o let the horse use its neck
o if horse drops out of canter, get off forehand before cantering again
• Extensions
o When really good, collected work looks like medium
• Corrections
o For a soft mouth – lift the bit
o For a hard mouth – open the hand
o After a correction loosen the hand
• Rising Trot
o Think rising through your hat not your shoulder
• Passage
o Improves expression in trot, like cantering on the spot improves the canter
BIG TOUR
• Loosening
o Use leg yield both at trot and canter
o Good to use leg yield before doing changes
• Flying Changes
o Only the rider’s lower leg should move
o Have legs off and on not on all the time
o In Tempi Changes take legs away and work heels individually – ‘breathing with the legs’
• Piaffe
o Can train either from the walk or from passage
o Loosen the hand when collecting from passage
o Lighten the seat in Piaffe
o Prepare using alternative legs then use both legs together
o Go forward into trot when starting out – not into passage
• Passage
o Use a heavier seat than for piaffe
o Sit strong with the hand light
• Walk
o Practice the free walk on the diagonal – moving hands with the horse
• Strengthening
o Walk pirouette to canter pirouette to walk pirouette is a good exercise
