Charlotte has won everything you can win in the dressage world with her star Valegro, a dutch warmblood gelding born 2002.
Read Charlotte Dujardin's Top 5 (FREE) Secret Techniques She Uses When Riding:
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Alycia Burton - A daredevil Equestrian!
Alycia Burton is an intrepid rider with daredevil skills. She can ride bareback which she has perfected to the level of an art. A few years back, she had posted images of herself posing along with Classic Gold rush (A Palomino Paint horse) which became so popular and viral on YouTube that she became a sensation on the internet. Both Alycia Burton and her horse can jump up to 1.70 meter. She is a full time professional horse trainer who is highly specialized in free riding. Furthermore, she is actively involved in all the major events held in Auckland, New Zealand. Alycia who was born and brought up in New Zealand comes from a small noble family with her parents and three elder brothers. She dropped out from school ealry with no plans on pursuing higher studies. Due to her sheer will and dedication towards her career and horses, she decided to lease a twenty acre property in Karaka where she decided to train horses that no one wanted to convert them into rideable friendly horses. Free Riding of Alycia The free riding of Alycia is very distinctive since she does not follow the basic training principles. She has even released a documentary, which was meant to educate the viewers to highlight the relationship and trust between a rider and a horse. Alycia has recently launched plenty of DVD's and CD's which includes self-made youtube videos. The viewers can enjoy the free riding videos. Back in 2014, Alycia Burton and her horse were focusing on entering Guinness World Record in the category 'Free Jumping'. She commented that 'Extreme riding is a touch of madness'. Growing Up With Horses Alycia Burton grew up amongst horses in her home country New Zealand. However, her interest in horses was kindled much later. Unfortunately, during the interim period, she became a victim to drug abuse and lost all interest in living a full life. Alycia Burton gave up schooling when she was aged fifteen. One fine day, when she was on her way back home passing through the City Impact Church; she uttered the words to God "I'm done. What are you going to do with me now?" It was those vulnerable moments, which turned the course of her life. Alycia Burton frequently attended the events organized by the church, which ultimately inspired her to begin a new career by working with horses. According to Alycia, a sense of excitement stirs up while riding horses. This type of euphoria helps in stimulating the mind, body and soul when compared to alcohol consumption. At present, Alycia focuses on educating young equestrians all over the world about coming from a tough background, and believing in yourself. About Classic Goldrush Classic Gold rush was bred exclusively for the racing industry, which is big in New Zealand. Unlike other horses, Gold rush was extremely difficult to manage. Considering this, he was gelded young. One of the unique characteristics of Classic Gold Rush is that it prefers to stay with people. As a result, it is quite difficult to either stable or yard Gold Rush unless there are people or horses standing besides him, as he suffers from separation anxiety. Alycia said that when she was working with other horses, Classic Gold Rush likes to watch her whole day scanning each moments of her activity. Albeit Classic Gold rush pretends to be a schoolmaster, he is extremely difficult to ride since he is very sensitive and reactive. This horse has a special ability to pick up the behaviour patterns of each rider. Another unique characteristic about Classic Gold rush is that it cannot be either forced or bullied to execute a particular activity, everything needs to be on his terms. Alycia says that her horse is her best friend since he forgives her whenever she makes any mistakes. Goldrush and Alycia are a great team and have both supported each-other through tough times. According to Alycia, there is a special bond between herself and Classic Gold Rush, which is extremely hard to break. She is hoping to send a message to the outside world that nothing is impossible. She has received huge offers from interested buyers of Goldrush that she has turned down as"He doesn't owe her anything". Is Goldrush a 'Palomino' Horse, and what Does it Mean? Yea Goldrush is a gorgeous palomino paint coloured horse. Palomino represents a unique gender color, which is found in horses only. It normally consists of a gold coat along with white mane and a tail. Palomino is produced through a genetic mechanism, as a result it is not one-hundred pure breeding. According to color breed registries, majority of the palomino horses has an equine coat color. Unlike other horses, its unique color stands apart in a ring. It is one of the most sought right after the parade horses. These types of horses were extremely popular and appeared in several television shows and movies during 1940's and 1950's. Most of the people might be quite familiar with one of the most prominent palomino horses named 'Trigger'. It is deemed as one of the 'smartest horses in Hollywood movies'. The second best palomino was Mister Ed who had appeared in his personal TV show during later 60's. Palominos are broadly classified into three namely: 1. A light palomino:- The eyes and skin of this type of palomino is dark even though the horse is not a cremello. 2. The colors of a Classic Palomino are quite similar to that of a gold coin. 3. Darker gold palomino Normally the Palomino horses have either a yellow or a gold coat. It has a light cream color. These horses have a darker skin tone with brown eyes. Alycia Burton & ProHorse Australia We were lucky enough to meet Alycia Burton when she was traveling Australia in 2017. The ProHorse team took a lesson with her, you can read more about her top tips here.
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Jobs in Equestrian Industry
Working with your passion and horses is a lot of horse lovers dream. If you wish to work in the equestrian industry, there are a range of opportunities to educate yourself and work with what you love. We have looked into some of the jobs available for you to consider. The top 15 most popular jobs in the Equestrian Industry are: 1) Horse Groom As a horse groom you are usually hired by a proffessional rider, work duties include grooming the horses, riding, overseeing the horses feed, turnout times and competition schedule. You mat also require a truck license to be able to drive larger horse trucks to and from events. 2) Professional Rider Working as a proffesional rider can be difficult to start as a lot of riders rely on either a second part time job or a sponsor that makes sure they can afford their expensive lifestyle. This is more common in Europe and North America, as the equestrian industry is bigger there than Australia and has more financial backing. 3) Farrier A farrier looks after the horse's feet and make sure they are trimmed and shod correctly and regularly. This is a very common job in the equestrian industry and easy to get started with. Please note, a lot of farriers suffer from back issues after years of bending forward - so make sure you are young and fit before you consider this profession. 4) Vet Studying to become a vet is a minimum of 4-5 years and it is quite challenging. However if you has the passion and drive it can be a very rewarding profession. Working as an equine vet is usually better paid than small animal vet. 5) Horse Photographer A professional equine photographer can specialize in either just event photography (such as dressage competitions, showjumping or eventing days) or target individual horse owners with private photo shoots of their horses. It is generally quite expensive to get started (purchasing all the equipment), but there is usually a lot of business for a good horse photographer as once you build a network in the industry - you have clients for years to come. 6) Horse trainer/Breaker Working as a horse breaker requires a lot of knowledge and a bit of talent and feel for animals in general. Make sure you have years of experience with horses before you try this profession as young horses can be unpredictable and accidents happen, Horse breakers usually focus on one area of equestrian riding - for example horses can be broken in for english riding, western riding or the racing industry. Each breaker will use their own system for this. 7) Saddle fitter A saddle fitter makes sure that the saddle fits perfectly over the horse's back and wither and its not pinching or tilting in either direction. This profession is great for someone who enjoys traveling around in their local town and enjoys dealing with the everyday rider and riding schools. It is a challening yet rewarding job. A lot of saddle brand try to partner up with saddle fitters for them to recommend their specific saddle brand, so their may be extra perks and commission to make as well as a saddle fitter. 8) Horse shop assistant It can be difficult to get a job as a retail assistant in a shop for horse supplies in your area as it is usually a very sought-after job for young equestrians. Don't give up though as working with horse supplies will teach you more about all the different supplies available and meet like-minded people on a daily basis. 9) Equine Sales Agent An equine sales agent is like the real estate agent but for the equestrian industry. You basically put horse buyers together with sellers. There are a number of websites who advertise horses too but some people prefer to go through an agent as they have connections to find the perfect horse for you, and you will feel more secure going through an agent that works in the industry and knows the ins and outs of horse buying and selling. 10) Horse Riding Instructor This is a very common professions for horse riders, and you usually only require a few years experience plus the basic certificates to work at a riding school. Please note working as a horse riding instructor may give you evening and weekend work hours. Make sure you are ok with this before you commit to a full time job as a riding instructor. It is also a plus if you like kids. 11) Stable/Yard Manager Cleaning out stables, sweeping, filling up waters and feeding are all jobs all equestrian centers requires doing. So for a yard worker or stable manager - there are always jobs to find. This can be a great place to start when wanting to get into the equestrian industry. However this job is generally tough on the body and usually not the best pay. 13) Horse Event Organizer Are you a planner and a perfectionist? Then an event planner for equestrian shows may be for you. It is a very challenging profession as there are a number of things that can go wrong at a horse event, catering to the horses, riders, horse owners, audience and the weather is a challenging task. If you do want to go down this path - it can be a great place to study events planning in school and then also try to broaden your connections in the equestrian industry as this is usually not a job that is advertised for, its almost always head hunted. 14) Horse Riding Influencer (Youtuber/Instagrammer) This is a fairly new profession but it is defintely possible in this day and age. Are you competing on a high level, have a unique horse or just love social media? Then why not give it a go. A lot of horse riding youtubers create educational videos, horse instagrammer post funny or inspirational content and make lots of money through sponsored posts. 15) Horse Massage Therapist A horse massage therapist takes a bit of studying first, but it can be a very rewarding job to help individual riders with their horse's issues. A lot of riders can tell a big difference when riding their horse before and after the massage therapist has been out as it can soften the horse's back and neck and release a lot of tension in the body.
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Stock Whip Cracking
Getting the idea and technique for stock whip cracking can be difficult and tiring. We have done the training for you, and broken it down to 3 simple steps. 1) MAKE SURE YOU USE THE RIGHT STOCK WHIP The number 1 most important rule for stock whip cracking is to get a stock whip suitable for you. Make sure you get the right length for your needs. If you are unsure what size to get, read our stock whip sizing guide here. 2) DON'T USE TOO MUCH FORCE IN YOUR CRACK A common beginner mistake is that people try to hit the whip with alot of arm force to the ground. This is not the right way to use a stock whip. Instead start by holding the handle of the whip correctly in your dominant hand, with your feet shoulder widths apart. Once you bring the whip up smoothly, then just let your arm fall instead of jerking it. Let the weight of your arm do the work instead of your muscles. 3) DON'T RUSH THROUGH TO TOO ADVANCED CRACKS Another common mistake is that people advance too quickly to advanced cracking tricks. Make sure you master the basics first. Simply start by practicing the forward crack by bringing the whip to 12 o clock position right above you and then cracking it in front of you with your elbow in a locked position and letting your arm do the work. Looking at training videos of other people performing cracks may also help as you can see what it is suppose to look like.
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