Ask Tess Carmichael : Are your horses similar to each other or are they quite different and how do you learn to work with their individual styles?

Thanks @tesscarmichael ! I love your approach! Best wishes in your upcoming competitions ❤️

Hi Jan

I think horses are complete individuals! Mine are so different in a lot of ways but the main thing they have in common is that they all want to jump and for me that’s hugely important!

I think when you have a horse for a while you learn the best way of managing them for their personality. Some of mine love being in the ring and the atmosphere but a couple of them get a bit nervous and I need to take that into account. It’s the same with the exercises and work they get at home, especially in the run up to a competition. You need to know your horse and know how to get the best out of them. I’m lucky to have some great advice from some really good trainers who have helped me to learn the best approach for each horse.

It comes down to experience and trial and error! For example I only have one mare and she can be quite laid back but also a bit sensitive. Jumping at home once she as a bit too relaxed and I gave her a bit of a kick to get her to go a bit forward but she didn’t like that! If I had done that to one of the other geldings they wouldn’t have really reacted in the same way, she took a lot of offence to it and it took me the next 20 minutes to get her to relax! So that’s something I won’t be doing on her again!

Thanks for your question!
Tess ☺