Northern Territory Institute of Equestrian Sport

As show month fast approaches,
it’s time to travel, so please take the time to get your float properly serviced.

Shaun at Run Off Mechanical is fantastic. He checked all the lights on my float; tyres; did the wheel bearings and adjusted the brakes, so that it’s safe and ready to go.

Give this small family business a ring to service your float before you hit the road. Highly recommend!

Celebrating rider achievements! 🏆

Matilda Dutton in the NT Show Horse Assoc, show last weekend coming home with two broad sashes!

Reserve Champion Rider U18
Reserve Champion Show Hunter

A huge congratulations Tilly, you have worked hard and overcome many hurdles to get here.
We are so incredibly proud of you!

Thoroughbred ‘Wayanka’ as a race horse V’s this week during his OTT retraining ❤️ such a clever boy!

Yesterday’s NTIES Dressage training, was all about plotting tangent points to ride correct figures and wow, what a difference it made!
Well done team 💪

# Note the winter woolies ❄️ in the morning because it finally got below 20 degrees 😂

This for me, is what makes our horse community great!

I took this snap yesterday of NT’s top jockey, Jarrod Todd ponying dressage rider Kylie Wilson around on her very green OTT mare during her maiden ride at Fred’s Pass Reserve.

Jarrod noticed that she needed some backup and didn’t hesitate to lend a hand.

This act of kindness kept horse and rider safe and helped them to overcome their nerves.

I’m sure Kylie has joined the JT fan club! 👏

A huge congratulations to NTIES riders - Sara Bauman and young gun, Jacob Todd for being awarded ‘Round of the Day’ at the last two jump competitions. We are very proud! 🎉

Imagine having someone simultaneously pushing you forward and pulling you back, only to label you difficult for not knowing whether to move or stay still.

This is the reality for many horses when riders apply leg and rein pressure at the same time.

Over time, horses exposed to consistent conflicting signals don't just get confused, they may develop learned helplessness, a state in which the horse stops trying to find the right response altogether because no response has ever reliably worked.

This is not stubbornness. It is a predictable outcome of unpredictable training. The horse has simply learned that trying doesn't change anything.

This is also one of the reasons escalating pressure rarely solves the problem. If the foundation of the signal was never clear to begin with, riding stronger only adds more noise to an already confusing picture.

Horses learn best when one signal means one thing, every time, with an immediate release the moment they respond correctly.

If your horse seems resistant, confused or shut down, before assuming it is 'horse' problem, ask whether the signals you are giving can be reasonably interpreted.

🔗 Equitation Science, 2nd Edition by Andrew McLean, Paul McGreevy, Janne Whinther Christensen & Uta König von Borstel is available for purchase on our website.

Self-carriage is essential for the general health of the ridden horse.

Many horse sports already ride horses in self-carriage regarding the rein aids.

However, those sports that demand contact should pay more than just token notice of this principle.

Deficits in self-carriage can lead to poor health and longevity in the horse as well as chronic stress and negative welfare states.

Moreover, self carriage is the main key to the future of horse sports: if horse-riding codes adopted this at all levels, much of the stress seen in horse sports would completely disappear, and it is more than likely that people’s lives will be saved because stressed horses are dangerous horses.

This text is an excerpt from Modern Horse Training: Equitation Science Principles & Practice, Volume 1 by Andrew McLean