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HORSE WORLD
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SILLY STEREOTYPES
I enjoy the yard I keep my horse at but quite often have the same comments made to me when new people come on the yard. The most common one is, “which horse is your girlfriend’s?” Or “aren’t you a good partner for doing your girlfriend’s horse for her”. Never do they think that maybe the horse is mine and that men do ride horses, too. After all, there are plenty of male big-name riders out there competing at a high level, so please don’t forget about us little league guys who enjoy it as a hobby, or are competing at low level. Next time you see a man on the yard, try not to assume he’s there for a partner – we love the company of horses, too!
Connor Darby, via email
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Layla Walker’s Tiger and Henry looking very smart
Gilly Chippendale Bunbury Sandringham
Holly Corall-Brown’s Townend Stardust
Genevra Champion’s Mac
Photos: Massimo Argenziano, Jon Stroud
Jenny Costello’s Casper
MINDFULNESS
There’s no universally agreed definition of equine stress, but it can generally be defined as a real or implied threat that may have a psychological or physiological effect on your horse. When your horse is presented with a stressful situation or experience, his body shifts all its energy towards either fleeing from or fighting off the threat. Because he’s a prey species, his most likely response is flight. For the full story, visit bit.ly/IS_YOUR_HORSE_STRESSED