Good foundations
Get your promising youngster off to the best possible start with help from the British Dressage Young Horse Forum
Taking a holistic approach to training young horses
AYOUNG HORSE IS a blank canvas — at this stage of their education it’s crucial that you set good foundations for the future. Patience, consistency and repetition are key to establishing a young horse’s way of going. The starting process is sometimes done too quickly these days, though, and this can be where issues begin. Encouraging correct training of young horses is the focus of the British Dressage Young Horse Forum. This annual series of demonstrations is in its fourth year and offers training advice for four, five, six and seven-year-old horses, within the scales of training and FEI directives.
At this year’s forum, British Dressage training director Paul Hayler and British Dressage trainer Paul Fielder offer their help and guidance on how to train young horses, while Dr Rachel Murray from Rossdales guides you through conformation and the care that’s needed to train a young horse and ensure a long, healthy and successful career. The take-home messages from the forum are to constantly focus on having the wellbeing and comfort of your horse in mind — this is also at the forefront of the British Dressage philosophy. Here, we take a look at some of the areas discussed in more detail.