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Well done on reducing your chances of finding a great horse tenfold.  The most bred, readily available and highly undervalued group of horses around today.  The thing is, most people who put ‘no thoroughbreds’ have often had very limited experience with them and think they’re all the same, which is kinda like saying all Aucklanders are the same, or all white people are the same, it's a very broad generalisation that wouldn't be accepted if we were discussing humans.  You are, in fact, talking about an incredibly diverse group and each individual should be assessed as such.  People who don’t...

Boots, breastplates, martingales, saddle pads, bits (ooh don’t go there!) how much of this is necessary and how much of it is surplus to requirements? I’m a big fan of the ‘less is more’ approach, which doesn’t mean I won’t use some of the fantastic gear available to me but ultimately you’re looking to train your horse to not require ‘extras’ in order to do his job. Let’s look at a couple of gear items and the questions you might ask yourself before you reach for it. Travel boots:  Now here’s something I used to put on every precious horse...

I’m always amazed how these incredibly kind animals walk straight up the truck ramp, park themselves for what might be a six hour drive, live in a tiny yard for 3 days and are still somehow keen to perform for us.  Let’s face it, best case scenario for us we get a bit of prize money and a pretty ribbon, best case scenario for them is an extra feed and some carrots!  We should be eternally grateful for their willingness to participate in competitions with us, and we should be all over their every need to survive the show in...

Most adverts give plenty of clues as to what to expect when you’re viewing horses.  When the advert say not for a beginner - then it’s not for a beginner, and no amount of praise in any other areas can negate this statement.  Are you a beginner?  This is a tough one as there is no magic number of years that make you experienced.  There are kids jumping Grand Prix and there are adults with 30 years experience who barely get out of walk.  If you can’t comfortably get on a horse you don’t know and go for a canter, then...