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Adria Mashburn
Adria Mashburn - USA - Showjumping Rider / Horses competed by Adria Mashburn include Cilandro, Looping 35 and Artano G. Below you can watch Adria Mashburn riding Looping 35.
Diddy goes Champion at Area 14
Despite horrid weather and feathers full of mud, Diddy won his CHAPS class and was CHAMPION coloured at NPS Area 14. Also, Dixie made her showing debut and won her CHAPS Open class and was 2nd in an Open BSPA class. She has qualified for the National Champs. Dixie was incredibly well behaved - Charlotte showed her and she did her job like a pro!
Gracie has a baby girl!
Gracie gave birth to a bouncing baby filly on Monday morning. Both are in fine form.
A Hatrick for Team Abbotswood!
We took three horses to Oakwood Park which host a very good selection of CHAPS qualifiers. All three won their classes - a first for Maggie, Diddy and Little Miss Muffet who made her showing debut. It was a glorious day in the sun (a rare thing these days). Roll on the National Championships!
Registered Arabian - Mare - 15 years old
TF Shamrock known on the farm as "Gazelle" is a 15 hand registered Arabian mare she just turned 15 on 3/17 and is being bred to Loki a half Friesian half Quarter horse stallion. Gazelle is very sweet natured with incrediable gaits. She is broke to ride for an experienced rider. We are offering her with a LFG
Sparta is a two year old Friesian Sporthorse. Her dam is a 17 hand modern style Percheron and her sire is Loki a Quariesian Stallion his sire is Danny a 17 hand purebred Friesian his dam is a 15.3 hand Quarter horse mare. Sparta has had all of her ground training and is ready to begin under saddle. She is very trusting in nature and enjoys being worked with. We expect her to mature to around 16.3 she is currently 15.3 hands.
Q. I’m taking my mare on holiday to Exmoor this summer and hoping to go for long hacks every day. How should I prepare her for it?
Start your fittening programme with lots of walking. Build this up gradually to 11/2–2 hours at a time and for the first six weeks, only do this walking exercise. I know it sounds as if it could be boring, but it need not be if you vary your route and perhaps travel to somewhere different. It will help hugely with your pony’s fitness, as it doesn’t put any actual strain on her, but will help to strengthen bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles.
Follow this with another six weeks of increased work. The work now can become much more varied and interesting, but no fast work yet! Mix schooling with hacking and perhaps include some competitions such as clear-round jumping or dressage. Harder sessions should be kept short, but gentle hacks can be of longer duration.
Hill work
By now your mare should be pretty fit, but will lack the edge she needs for those long, steep Exmoor hills. Therefore, twice a week, give her some really intensive work, which could include some faster work with short gallops or some gymnastic training over a jumping lane with varied (but rideable!) distances.
After a hard day, make the following one a gentle day or even a day off. Long trots or steady canters up hill are good at this stage. She will blow hard, but do not ever take her to the point where she is blowing excessively or becomes in any way distressed. This stage with faster work will increase her heart and lung capacity. Some anaerobic work is involved, so her system will become trained to cope with the effects of this.
Go the distance
In all, around five months of gradually increasing work as outlined above will give you enough fitness to undertake 25 miles (40km) per day on your holiday.
Do not do more than six days work a week – we all need a break! But try to fit in five sessions a week with the days off split. Once your mare is fit, you will find that you do not need to keep up the same level of work to maintain what you have built up.
Turn her out as much as possible – ideally, all the time. As the work increases, so her need for extra feed will increase. Good grazing in the summer can provide for most of this, but be prepared to supplement. Feeds such as full-fat linseed will help to give her stamina, and good-quality fibre from unmolassed beet pulp and alfalfa, for instance, will give her lots of energy in a slow-burn form. Give her access to a salt lick or put a tablespoon of salt in her feed on days when she sweats a lot or when it is very hot.
Good luck for this exciting venture on Exmoor!
Adrian Hirschi
Adrian Hirschi - SwitzerlandDiddy goes Champion at Area 14
Despite horrid weather and feathers full of mud, Diddy won his CHAPS class and was CHAMPION coloured at NPS Area 14. Also, Dixie made her showing debut and won her CHAPS Open class and was 2nd in an Open BSPA class. She has qualified for the National Champs. Dixie was incredibly well behaved - Charlotte showed her and she did her job like a pro!
Gracie has a baby girl!
Gracie gave birth to a bouncing baby filly on Monday morning. Both are in fine form.
A Hatrick for Team Abbotswood!
We took three horses to Oakwood Park which host a very good selection of CHAPS qualifiers. All three won their classes - a first for Maggie, Diddy and Little Miss Muffet who made her showing debut. It was a glorious day in the sun (a rare thing these days). Roll on the National Championships!
Adriano Patria
Adriano Patria - ItalyRegistered Arabian - Mare - 15 years old
TF Shamrock known on the farm as "Gazelle" is a 15 hand registered Arabian mare she just turned 15 on 3/17 and is being bred to Loki a half Friesian half Quarter horse stallion. Gazelle is very sweet natured with incrediable gaits. She is broke to ride for an experienced rider. We are offering her with a LFG
Adrianus Hendrikus Combrink
Adrianus Hendrikus Combrink - NamibiaSparta is a two year old Friesian Sporthorse. Her dam is a 17 hand modern style Percheron and her sire is Loki a Quariesian Stallion his sire is Danny a 17 hand purebred Friesian his dam is a 15.3 hand Quarter horse mare. Sparta has had all of her ground training and is ready to begin under saddle. She is very trusting in nature and enjoys being worked with. We expect her to mature to around 16.3 she is currently 15.3 hands.
Ad Adriaans
Ad Adriaans - Holland - Show Jumping RiderFlavio Adrian Orozco Ochoa
Flavio Adrian Orozco Ochoa is a showjumping rider from Mexico, help us expand our profile on Flavio Adrian Orozco Ochoa, please email us at info@stableexpress.com. Horse Riding HolidaysQ. I’m taking my mare on holiday to Exmoor this summer and hoping to go for long hacks every day. How should I prepare her for it?
Start your fittening programme with lots of walking. Build this up gradually to 11/2–2 hours at a time and for the first six weeks, only do this walking exercise. I know it sounds as if it could be boring, but it need not be if you vary your route and perhaps travel to somewhere different. It will help hugely with your pony’s fitness, as it doesn’t put any actual strain on her, but will help to strengthen bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles.
Follow this with another six weeks of increased work. The work now can become much more varied and interesting, but no fast work yet! Mix schooling with hacking and perhaps include some competitions such as clear-round jumping or dressage. Harder sessions should be kept short, but gentle hacks can be of longer duration.
Hill work
By now your mare should be pretty fit, but will lack the edge she needs for those long, steep Exmoor hills. Therefore, twice a week, give her some really intensive work, which could include some faster work with short gallops or some gymnastic training over a jumping lane with varied (but rideable!) distances.
After a hard day, make the following one a gentle day or even a day off. Long trots or steady canters up hill are good at this stage. She will blow hard, but do not ever take her to the point where she is blowing excessively or becomes in any way distressed. This stage with faster work will increase her heart and lung capacity. Some anaerobic work is involved, so her system will become trained to cope with the effects of this.
Go the distance
In all, around five months of gradually increasing work as outlined above will give you enough fitness to undertake 25 miles (40km) per day on your holiday.
Do not do more than six days work a week – we all need a break! But try to fit in five sessions a week with the days off split. Once your mare is fit, you will find that you do not need to keep up the same level of work to maintain what you have built up.
Turn her out as much as possible – ideally, all the time. As the work increases, so her need for extra feed will increase. Good grazing in the summer can provide for most of this, but be prepared to supplement. Feeds such as full-fat linseed will help to give her stamina, and good-quality fibre from unmolassed beet pulp and alfalfa, for instance, will give her lots of energy in a slow-burn form. Give her access to a salt lick or put a tablespoon of salt in her feed on days when she sweats a lot or when it is very hot.
Good luck for this exciting venture on Exmoor!
Adriaan Smeulders
Adriaan Smeulders - Holland - Eventing
