Brodie - Horses From Courses: Re-training thoroughbred ex-racehorses

Horses From Courses by Scott Brodie

Published by Australian eBook Publisher

Scott Brodie

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1st Edition 2014, ePub and Mobi

eISBN: 9781925271454

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Introduction

This book is not designed to try to teach you how to ride. If you cant ride and ride well, taking on a green ex-racehorse is a foolish undertaking. This book is aimed at those who have plenty of experience with horses, but not so much with retraining ex-racehorses. It is also aimed at those that have attempted to retrain ex-racehorses before and have not achieved a good result. The instructional section is designed as a step-by-step, systematic, how to do it guide; no section should be seen as a stand alone article. I have purposely tried to avoid flowery descriptions when it comes to the simple technicalities. Read carefully, it will give comprehensive instruction on the methods I have used to retrain hundreds of ex-racehorses to a level where an intermediate rider can take them on. I can assure you it worksat this point, my failure rate is less than 1%. I dont profess to be the greatest rider or trainer around, but the experience gained in the shear numbers I have trained cant be gained any other way. The techniques described here are just as effective with young or green horses of any breed; they can equally be employed on horses with issues that have arisen through poor or inadequate training.

Scotts system is simple and easily passed on. It has been used for assisting returned service personal suffering from post traumatic stress to regain confidence and purpose.

Horses have become the biggest passion in my life, second only to my familysometimes my wife might disagree. What beautiful creatures, created perfectly for their purpose in lifealert, agile, swift, powerful, poetry in motion. How lucky are we to have the opportunity to interact with such glorious beasts. We should not take our opportunity for granted. Lets do it to the absolute best of our ability, lets strive to bring our ability up to its optimum. I, personally, have been blessed to work with horses in a professional capacity for most of my working life. I have forged relationships with amazing horse people, and possibly even more amazing horses. Prior to starting my equestrian journey, I had a varied and successful athletic life, partly due to favourable genetics, partly due to a wonderful view of life passed on from my family, and partly due to awesome coaches and role models. I wish everyone the same opportunity.

The coaching that I have had in many sports, reaching national and international level, has taught me invaluable lessons that, in my equestrian life, I have been able to pass on to workmates, horses and students. I think the fact that I dont come from the traditional riding background gives me some positive points of difference.

Scott has competed to national and international levels in boxing, weightlifting, body building and surf-lifesaving. He also played professional rugby league with South Sydney. Inspirational coaches in this variety of sports have influenced his training and teaching style.

Horses draw nutters, this is a documented fact. You may be onemost horse nuts dont know they are nuts. Because horses evoke such passion and emotion, they draw passionate and emotional peoplethis rarely equates to sensible and reasonable people. Many horse people seem to feel they should automatically have the answers to all things horse. Wrong. There is nothing wrong with not knowing; however, there is something wrong with not being able to recognise and admit you dont knowits potentially dangerous and damaging. I tend to think my background of always working under a coach or commanding officer, first as an elite athlete, and then as a police officer/rider, tends to give me a different approach, possibly a willingness to be led and accept guidance, but then, maybe Im a horse nut and dont know it.

Judging police horse events at the 2013 Sydney Royal Easter show. Best Police Horse Patezza, a former racehorse winner of the prestigious Doncaster Handicap. Thoroughbred horses have been used by the NSW Mounted Police Since its inception 190 years ago.

What opportunities I have had. I had eleven years with the NSW Mounted Police. Most of those years were under the instruction of the wonderful Tina Wommelsdorf, gun student of arguably one of the worlds greatest horseman, Franz Maringar, who was a former head rider from the majestic Spanish Riding School and coach of the first seven Australian Olympic equestrian teams.

Left to right: Olympian Bunty Thompson, Tina Womelsdorf, France Maringer, seven-times Olympic coach and Olympian Ernie Barker.

I also received unique and practical instruction from fantastic police instructors, including Commanders Don Rowland, Don Eyb and Sergeant Karen Owen. I was able to develop a unique understanding of the practical application of classical dressage, in sometimes life and death situations. The opportunity to compete on the wonderful Westwood Mardi Gras, Woodyone day jumping the biggest three-star, cross-country courses around, the next jumping cars, breaking up brawls and apprehending murderers.

I have had unbelievable experiences on multiple ex-racers; these included: Woody; Bumper, an unpopular rogue, on whom I was awarded for bravery at a violent demonstration; Lofty Bear, on whom I first rode by the seat of my pants, experiencing the oneness that can come from the human-horse partnership. Lofty Bear also taught me that strength cannot be substituted for finesse when he towed me around the Sydney Showground in front of twenty thousand spectatorsI was Australian powerlifting champion at the time. Another ex-racer was Star, who showed me that when things turn pear-shaped, education is always preferable to temperament; he later died on duty, and a memorial stands in his honour in Darlinghurst, central Sydney. To these horses and hundreds more over the last twenty-five years, most of whom I played a part in educatingbe they police horses, competition horses or just trail matesI am truly grateful.