Carl and Charlotte , fab program

[Eve]

He seems such a lovely person, is he really? Was a fab program on horse and country

They showed utopia being hacked out.. In a hackamore... On an actual road! I thought wow!

Know of a few 'aspiring' grand prix riders whose horses would never be allowed to be turned out much less hack out. 1 I know of is stabled 22 hours a day as its too expensive to risk a field injury

Haven't seen the program - but I think what you say is true about hacking and turn-out. This info may 'out' me a bit, but his mother rode with me once and said it's his philosophy that the horses need varied work and a 'natural' life, so they are turned out and hacked out as well. I've also been told that they often participate in yard Christmas day 'race' as well - but I can't remember who told me that so perhaps take it with a pinch of salt!
Not all grand-prix horses are stabled all the time - Blue Hors Matine died of a field injury so she obviously had plenty of turn-out time. So sadly while her life was cut short, she must have had one hell of a great life while it lasted.

Yes love that show - the series often gets repeated on Horse and Country if you miss it.

Can't understand why anybody wouldn't hack out / turn out.

All the top thoroughbred stallions like Galileo etc get turned out and they are worth 10s (possibly 100s) millions of pounds. I saw both Northern Dancer and Sadler's Wells in their paddocks.

When I had my top show horse (winner at Royal International etc) I hunted him hard every Winter.

Horses need variety in order to perform at the highest level - it's mental as well as physical.

ooh -what's this program? What channel? Can I get it on Freeview?

It is a Sky Channel (not sure about Freeview) - their website is www.horseandcountry.tv/

Also did you see the lovely picture of Tina and Miner's Frolic (Racing Post on Sunday) hacking across the South Downs with grass up to his knees. A lovely natural picture. I know he isn't a dressage horse but is an Olympian three day eventer rather than "aspiring".

We don't have sky! I'll have to go surfing on Freeview.

I completely agree that horses generally need turnout for their mental well being though, altough if they get plenty of work and time out of the stable, I guess it's better than nothing.

My girlie needs to be in lots in the summer when she has to be in away from the grass (severe laminitis risk from metabolic syndrome) and flies(navicular and running about and going lame risk) pysical wreck, so she is only getting two hours out at the moment as she keeps making herself lame. She does get ridden most days though.

She's out pretty much all day in winter.

Yes, it was a lovely programme. Watching him being led out for his graze when he was in Germany was nice too - so relaxed and matter of fact.

I've seen another series on Carl Hester and his horses all get turn out time, and not alone in a tiny paddock either but in small groups (presumably not the stallions though), it can only do them good.

My ex pointer came from a yard where he was out 2 hours a day, did 30 mins on a horse walker and was then in the rest of the time. He was completely flummoxed when he arrived with me and after a few days of extending turnout I threw him out 24/7. He'd mooch about for 2-3 hours and then hang round by the gate hoping to come in! He's worked it out now and is so much better for it, although he does love being tucked up in bed, snuggled up in his rug. He had to do 4 weeks box rest last year and was amazingly chilled about it.

he comes across as an all round nice person.. is he really? Tell me hes not a diva!

My DS (12) met William Fox Pitt , Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks and Mark Todd at an event earlier in the year, got all of their autographs and they were all very very nice to him and asked about his ponies and riding.

I may have been to Carl's yard a few times and it's true, all the horses go out, get hacked out etc. He is genuinely a very nice person and everyone at the yard is, too. By contrast, at my local yard none (I repeat,none) of the "dressage" horses go out (ever), all they get is time on the walker. I have witnessed the same on many other yards, horses don't go out, turnout is replaced by walker, or if the horse is very lucky, by an hour loose in the indoor school on its own with doors shut (zero stimulation), and the horses are put on calmers etc to make them more manageable. Very, very sad. On one yard people thought I was mad when my horse went out in all weathers, mostly unrugged and unbooted . When I asked if she could be turned out with another horse for company they thought I was even madder. Moved from that yard after three months...

I know that Carl Hester is a massive advocate of horses getting turn out - and rightly so IMHO.

I know of a dressage yard where the horses go from stable to ménage and back to the stable, how depressing would that be?

There was yard around here the daughter - I think- competed her dressage horses at Grand Prix level. They were huge warmblood tpes and lived out with no shoes, never clipped - no rugs, and competed like that. She used to do demos at local country shows talking about her methods. I was amazed. I guess she ony groomed the tacky bits for exercise, and then properly only for shows.

I think she moved out of the area.

Everyone here was a bit sceptical that you could compete at that level with a horse living out,but it seemed to work. Her horses were amazing.

I read somewhere that more horses injure themselves in the stable than in the field.

We know someone who bought a show pony,took it home and tried to turn it out into the field.The poor thing was terrified,so she rang the vendor to ask what the problem could be,only to be told that 'that pony has never set foot in a field before,she only walks on rubber or concrete.'It took her ages to get the pony to accept going onto grass.

I had a lesson once with carl when i was a student.
i can vouch for him not being a diva at all!, he was a genuinely nice and inspiring guy. Im not the best rider, was on a school horse that was extremely talented and the ride he managed to help me get that day will stay with me forever.

He went to great lengths to explain to me that if i could remember this "feel" when it was right on an experienced horse, then i would know what to aim for with my own youngster. And he was right! i can remember the feeling like it was yesterday and im still a dressage fanatic (albeit at a very novice level) 10 years later.

Ill be there cheering him on this thursday

Thought of this thread yesterday when I saw all those high scores rolling in - happy horses are obviously good horses. Plus I think Uthopia an Valegro were the only horses calm enough to do a proper lap of honor!

Haven't seen the program as we don't get the channel. And I don't really follow dressage.

But, watching both the team and the individual shows, I was amazed by both Carl and Charlotte's performances - they looked so fluid and natural, and the riders, especially Carl, looked so happy. They were such fun to watch. Laura, by contrast, I thought gave a stilted performance in the individual freestyle and I think Carl should have beaten her.