Eldhestar has been breeding horses since 2009. Between 5 – 8 foals are born every year at Eldhestar. It brings me much pleasure to be the person who is responsible for breaking them in and training them during the autumn and winter. To this point, the breeding program has been quite successful. To date, we have four First Class mares and many promising geldings that will be used for both our guests and also for competitions.
Our training model focuses on the trust between horse and rider, and a mutual understanding of what commands are being given, both verbally or physically. The trainer must make a great effort to analyse why the horse responds in a certain way and through this analysis, change the commands or exercises. This process and work is accompanied by great satisfaction and creativity. Finding ways to suit each individual horse is such a positive challenge, which pleases both man’s heart and soul!
The trainer needs to focus on keeping the horse calm through the exercises for it to listen and understand the commands. A stressed horse will not listen, just like a stressed trainer will not be able to interpret what the horse is saying. A chain is never stronger than the weakest link and most often that link is the trainer, or to be more precise; the interpretation of the horses´ signals. All work connected to the young horses is about rewarding them at the right moments. Every problem that arises always has two or more different solutions. The right choice made by the horse according to the trainer’s purposes should make the horse feel better and improve his trust in the trainer. Often, small corrections in the way the aids are being placed, the timing of the aids or even the release of the aids can make a huge difference. The rider needs to be aware of where the problem is; i.e. to be able to read the horse correctly.
A good understanding of how the horse learns, how the aids are working, and why, is the key to having a willing and happy horse which responds to the aids without hesitation or tension.
When people attend our riding courses (Tour 30 – Winter Riding Course) here at Eldhestar, our goal is to improve the participant’s feelings, understanding and communication skills with the horses. Often, a smaller signal to the horse is more effective than a bigger one. Every new horse has its demeanor and attitude towards the rider, at the same time they also react differently to the commands. Having the opportunity to test many different horses, will increase the rider’s understanding and feeling for the diversity of the horses. The Winter Riding Program gives all the participants a possibility to ride at least 2-3 different horses during their stay, Our goal is to teach our guests to learn how to approach these different horses, both in general and also more specifically regarding the gait Tölt, will develop a wider perspective among participants. It would be a great pleasure to see as many of you here taking part in this program.