School’s out
No arena? No problem. We share Bubby Upton’s favourite flatwork-boosting exercises and challenge you to improve your horse’s walk with our top tips
Words: Bethany Searby.
Photos: Lucy Merrell, Jon Stroud
Our expert
Bubby Upton is an international eventer and current under-25 champion. She’s a three-time individual and four-time team European medallist, and she made her Badminton Horse Trials debut in 2022.
Whether it’s because you don’t have a school at home, your horse is easily soured or you’d prefer to embrace the great outdoors, there’s really no better time to improve your flatwork than out on a hack. It breaks up a repetitive schooling routine and allows you to train your horse at his most enthusiastic, which means you can harness his energy to push the boundaries and ride more forward, expressive movements. Plus, if your horse will listen to you in an open field with all manner of sights, sounds and weather conditions to contend with, he’s far more likely to focus on competition day.