Equine Photographic Blog

It is with great pleasure that we are coving the Equine Grass Sickness Fund’s sponsored ride, cycle and run on the 28th September at Traquair Forest in the Scottish Borders.

Grass sickness is a devastating disease that has now been recorded in every county of mainland UK. The event is offering prizes in different categories and different routes for riders, cyclists and runners and dog walkers. There are also cream teas and activities for little ones such as face painting.

Please get yourselves down there for a fun day out.  Photos from the event will be available from our website will all profits going to the Fund.

More information about grass sickness can be found at the Fund’s website and they also do a mean line in stocking fillers, presents and cards. www.grasssickness.org.uk

I have always been curious about Paso Finos, they fit into that ‘Iberian-derived breed’ that is always fascinating , they are pretty and then there is the whole gaited thing-something of a mystery to most British riding types!

I am not backward in coming forward and so emailed the Rancho Pavo Real stud in Suffolk to see if I could visit. Like other genuine and enthusiastic horse people I’ve met this way, they were really hospitable and friendly and keen to show off their lovely horses. They even answered my occasionally dumb questions and generously spent several hours explaining the gaits, conformation, types & history of the breed. Many thanks to Yvonne and Rachel for a lovely morning-I hope to see you again and have put the Paso Fino show in my diary for next year!

The Pasos are ridden with bosals (steering and stopping) and curbs (collection). The curb seen above looks impressively long but the backward angled shanks leave it with probably less leverage than your average pelham.

There are 3 fino gaits; the classic fino which is mega fast movement of the legs without much forward movement, the paso corto which is more of the speed of a working trot and the paso largo which is the speed of a canter. Very kindly I was offered the ride on Magnolia. I hadnt gone intending to ride and after some pathetic bleating about not having my hat with me, a suitable hat was found (not many have as big a head as me Rachel, must be our brains ). Kindly, probably sensing my terror, Rachel started me off on the lunge. Magnolia was a delight. Its really hard when you arent used to the movement to know how fast you arent going-although I felt like I was racing around the arena, I was informed I was hardly moving . Off of the lunge I got more of a feel for her extraordinary sensitivity. I cant say I was really riding but the mare generously let me be a passenger and I think I smiled for much of the time I was on her! They really are supremely comfortable and each one we met seemed to be a lovely person. I was particularly taken by Oscuro and even more so now I have seen him move in the video!

If you’d like to find out more about these lovely wee horses, please visit

http://www.paso-finos.co.uk/

anyway, a few pics.The first shows the bosal and curb. Luckily Rachel took away the bosal reins for me when I whimpered about 2 reins. Such a pretty mare, they all had beautiful heads.

Wow. What an amazing weekend we’ve had. The long drive down from Scotland to Gloucestershire was well worth it!

Despite the difficulties planning a cattle working test around a foot and mouth outbreak, a lovely afternoon was had at a farm in Buckinghamshire. I had to stand on the car in order to take pictures and I dont do heights very well! Still, it was OK as long as I didnt look down or move too quickly

The Spanish camp-not a regular sight in Buckinghamshire!

Four teams took part in the cattle test; Portugal, Great Britain, Spain and Italy. Each team fields four riders, each rider having to cut a ‘named’ cow from the herd in each round which is timed, with a maximum limit of three minutes. The British all-female team did very well particularly as they have much less experience with cattle work than their European counterparts. They also had the youngest horse in competition, the six year old lusitano mare Uxaria. They managed to get three of the four cattle, no mean feat!

The British all female team!!!!!!!

The Spanish team were extremely slick at the cattle work. One round in particular was so fast that I hardly had time to take a picture. When done so well, it’s very calm and quiet-I’m not sure the cattle even noticed! At the end of the day, Spain were leading with the fast and furious Italians second with Portugal third. The British and Portuguese team members all ride Lusitanos. The Spanish rode purebred Lusitanos and cruzados, which are Lusitano crossbreds. The Italian team had one lusitano mare.

One of slick Spanish team in action

Saturday morning saw the Equitation test. More competitors joined the competition at this point, with all the aforementioned teams having an extra rider representing their countries as individuals and Sweden also putting forward an individual riding an 18 year old warmblood. Team Belgium also joined in the competition-their first.

The divine Otario of the Portuguese team-rider is World Champion. For some reason I have alot of photos of this horse!

It should probably be pointed out that the equitation test (and later the obstacle course) is based on movements the horse may be called upon when working cattle and at this level is ridden one handed (left) entirely off the curb. The test is ridden entirely in walk and canter and movements include half pass, pirouettes, rein back, a four loop serpentine with flying changes and canter 10m circles. The horses are not neck reined.

The Italian team had the most comfy looking saddles. They also had one of my favourite horses of the competition (apart from Otario and the cremello stallion Ole). The grey Lusitano mare had the sweetest expression whatever she was doing.

The obstacle course is in two parts, the first is not against the clock -although there is a time limit. The second is against the clock with time penalties for any knocked over poles etc and elimination if the rider takes the wrong course. Obstacles include single and double slalom (flying changes), canter voltes around barrels-again with flying changes, a small jump, flase ground, rein back, side step along raised poles placed in a ‘L’ shape, livestock pen among others! Horses are judged on boldness, willingness, fluency etc.

The speed course took place the next day with a pared down course that still demanded discipline, concentration and speed! All teams rode well the first day with the Portuguese showing great skill, the Italians a promise of the speed yet to come and the British riding well. The Swedish and Belgian competitors showed how game they are and did a great job. Videos of two of the Portuguese speed rounds can be found on the main site, there are also enough photos to show all of the obstacles!

The Portuguese stallion Ole. Maybe not to everyone’s taste but this horse has such presence, I have pictures of him from Golega as well.

The speed round was great to watch, with the crowd cheering on each team and the Italian supporters being particularly supportive! I dont blame them either, their team were blisteringly fast and their individual rider (just 18 years old) won the speed section. A fair few competitors were eliminated for taking the wrong course including an Italian and Portuguese competitor. It was a great event and a great spectator sport.

The Portuguese won both the Individual and Team European Championship with the Spanish team second and the Italians’ third. The prize giving was a fairly riotous affair ending up with all teams galloping around the arena and lots of hat throwing! The foreign teams are great horsemen and great showmen.

The British team in action

Although I had seen Iberian horses in films and pictures, I had never really given them a second thought to be honest. I had natives as a kid, fell in love with warmbloods as a teen and worked with TBs in my 20s. I had a complete break from horses when I went to university in my late 20s (with my horse habit it tends to be all or nothing, I cant/wont do it by halves :D) and then went on to study for a PhD. I then started riding again but got frustrated with my progress as a once-a-week-rider at a riding school. I cashed in an old endowment and went on holiday-I looked for good value and settled on a classical riding holiday in Golega, Portugal.

I was horribly nervous on my first day-not helped by being presented with an (albeit small) bay stallion and expected to mount up from the ground. Being somewhat overweight and not having mounted from the ground for about 10 years I hardly presented an attractive or athletic picture!My god though, I had never sat on anything like it! I cant pretend to have done the horse justice but the sheer power of that little horse (not to mention how dashed comfortable he was!) made me feel like I was driving a ferrari after years of driving….., well lets just say they werent ferraris )

On my return home I joined the British Luso Society, went to the breed show and kept in touch with what was happening in the Luso world. Even when I came to buy a horse, I didnt consider one to begin with. Backed and ridden away, they start at about £5K which was out of budget. After a few weeks of a disappointing trawl throught the websites and classifieds I had one horse fail the vet and another that would have had I got that far. I saw Vico’s ad on a website and the rest is history (well, he is pretty!). He was at the top end of my budget and unbacked but thanks to a very understanding fiancee I scraped enough together to have him backed and schooled for a few weeks and transported up to Scotland (he was in Western Wales).

Whats he like? Apart from adorable? Well, on a practical level he is very easy to do. He’s not too big (15.1h), he’s a very good doer (a bit too good-have to watch his weight when not working!), he does need rugging in the winter but not as much as most (havent bothered clipping yet) and has no feather. Apart from forage he gets pony nuts-the effects of beet pulp, molasses and alfalfa have been hinted at. He is very quick to learn and has very good manners but he is a youngster and as was cut late, can be a little colty sometimes, nothing thats not sorted out with a growl though.You can play football or tag in the paddock with him and he’s never come close to touching me when playing-he’ll also steal your skip bucket or tip over the wheelbarrow when poo-picking. He has been known to steal hats and loves the sound of velcro being undone. He really hates having his temperature taken-really hates it. Good to worm, shoe, teeth etc.

He is as bold as brass: traffic, farm machinery, dogs, cows, alpacas, scramblers and even miniature shetties dont phase him. When they put up automatic waterers he was on box rest-he spent two days watching intently with his head over the blokes shoulder even when the hammer drill was being used. Thats not to say he doesnt spook though-its just I never see what he spooks at and when he does, he really does! He is very affectionate, a real show off and loves to work. He does get tense trying to anticipate you so schooling is a balance between keeping him occupied without causing stress-mainly he gets tense when I am tense though so I have to be ultra aware of that. He’s comfy, very sensitive, likes to jump (although from my point of view there’s not alot in front!) and I wouldnt hesitate to get another. V is bred very hot, not all Lusos are although have heard it more and more that they are hotter and less forgiving than the Andalucians.

Conformation wise, they arent for everyone. Quite upright they are built for collection rather than speed - Vico can accelerate fast enough to make your eyes water but I wouldnt think he’d be fast over much of a distance (if I ever brave the beach I’ll let you know ) He has quite a high knee action and dishes-the dishing is much better when he is going properly but sometimes when excited on a hack *shakes head*. He is slightly pigeon toed and could be broader across the chest. As he’s a typical old bullfighting type he was hell to fit a saddle to as mentioned previously-very short coupled, very round rib cage and narrow shoulder means that saddles have nowhere to go other than forward (that’d be why a crupper is part of the traditional turnout maybe?). The only saddle tried that could accomodate me and him was a Wow.

So thats how/why I ended up with a poncy foreign breed instead of something else and to be honest, having ‘done’ lots of different horses in the last few months he has to be one of the easiest and lowest maintenance. (*whispers* and the best looking )

So, in my old age I have become what I said I always wouldnt- a breed enthusiast!

and some other examples