This just confuses me!

Hello,

I recently met up with a freind from an old livery yard I used to be at. It was run by a guy called Mike Cresswell who is married to Viv Oliver sister of the very famous show jumper Oliver (but his first name has has left me). Well Mike thinks of himself as abit of an expert having reached grade A himself, and has all these wild and wonderful ideas on how to train horses to jump well.

Such as turning a horse over to make it pick up better!

Not too my taste and so im affraid I wasnt very muched liked because of my not involving myself in there antics.

How about this for a contradiction of training aids....

My friends mare was very strong to a fence and so she was instructed to ride her in a pelham, but then he made her wear spurs??

In not sure I would put the two together as now the mare is hitting the bridle and stopping and then running on away from the spurs and my friend will listen to anything this man says.

Frustrates me terribly!

Elz x

It sound a bit weird to me what do you mean by turn over the horse??
Im getting funny images going threw me head on that one

Put the fence up sooo high that the horse has two physically hit it with its front legs making it almost turn over in the air! He has even done it with the horses rider on board which made me seriously mad!!!

Sounds brutal I know.... but true!

Elz x

Omg that sounds terrible, uhhh...i hate it when people use force to traina horse instead of time. All you end up with is a horse with a bunch of mental/physical problems!!!! It nervse*spelling?* and I think something should be done.

Wow.............Thats a new one




Personally I'd be jumping back on my horse and skidding away as fast as my little horse could carry me

With my experience with spurs we use it to Listen to leg better, not for speeding up, we use the spurs when the horse is more difficult to turn and such. We never bloody the horse either we roll the spurs on the horses side. This is how I have learned it should properly be done. Correct me if I'm wrong.

How is this guy telling her to use the spurs?

NOPE!! He doesnt educate them at all on how to use spurs!!!
The mare is also very spooky! But now she goes at a fence like an idiot, gets very flat over the fences as she is galloping away from the spurs!! She is then hitting the bridle on the other side of the fence and throwing her head back and almost stag jumping in the air between fences!

The only difference is that now the mare doesnt spook at fillers etc because she's too busy running from the leg! It rediculous!

Its a yard full of 14-20yr olds who think the sun shines out of this guys arse! But the problem is his answer for everything is to bit a horse up to the hilt, stick spurs on and ride them in a constant and tight rein (ie pulling them into an outline with brute force!!) If a horse refuses to so called collect then he will have the tightest draw reins going put on them! And make them jump with them on! Now I've heard of jumping with draw reins but you have to be skilled and let the horse have its head over the fence but these poor idiots have to go over it as thery are!

He also gives so called lessons (since he got instructors insurance), and all they do is go around and around the outside of the menage (making a deep trench), occasionally changing the rein and then go around again! No circles, lateral work or anything to encoursge the horse to drop or enjoy a variation!

He has also sold them all dodgy warmbloods (all have been no end of problems, lame, sarcoids etc) for rediculous amounts of money after convincing these poor kids to sell there beloved horses/ponies due to them not being "good enough"!!! Since all this started (10mnths ago) not one of the poor kids has gone clear or been placed at a class but they still keep on listening to him! Like their brain washed or something!

He's making a fortune out of them!

That sounds awful. Spurs and a pelham together are not a bad thing if both are used properly they can be successfuly used to educate a sticky hollow horse. If used incorrectly the product is a horse that is in pain and scared ****less, like your friends horse.

Please tell her to ditch the trainer, bit and spurs. Stick the horse in a rubber mullen mouth snaffle and go for a hack.