January 2024

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Article 13

RWYM ARTICLE 13 The photograph shows a nineteen year old chestnut thoroughbred mare (who I think would win the prize for the oldest horse shown in this column). She looks extremely well and happy, which is particularly impressive as she is a long backed and long necked horse. This type ‘run up light’ very easily,…

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Article 12

RWYM ARTICLE 12 This photograph shows a six year old Warmblood x Connemara mare, ridden in her first dressage test, which is being held at a local show in Austria. (‘Horse and Rider’ obviously gets around! How I wish that my local show were held within such a beautiful setting!) The young girl riding her…

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Article 11

RWYM ARTICLE 11 This rider has owned her horse for nearly three years. She states in her letter to me that ‘My mare was very green when I bought her as a six year old. Whilst her schooling has improved tremendously I have never been able to achieve true connection from leg to hand and…

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Article 10

RWYM ARTICLE 10 The horse shown in this photograph was owned by a friend of the rider. I do not know the horse’s age, but know that this partnership were only together for a very short time, and that the horse has just been sold. The parting has left her rider feeling the sadness that…

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Article 9

RWYM ARTICLE 9 This sweet little horse is an Irish Draft X Conemmara gelding who is rising six. His present rider has owned him for two years, and feels that whilst he has improved from the ‘upside down’ horse that she bought, he does not yet stretch his topline in the way he ideally should.…

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Article 8

RWYM ARTICLE 8 This nice five year old horse is being warmed up for a competition, and has been photographed in a moment of inattention. (Given the circumstances, it is likely to have been a whole session of inattention, but we can always give our rider the benefit of the doubt!) His ears are pricked,…

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Article 7

RWYM ARTICLE 7 This photograph shows a five and a half year old mare, who is a Dutch Warm Blood X Thoroughbred. She was backed at three, turned away for a year, and started again at four. Her rider states that ‘we have had a few setbacks, with back/muscle problems resulting in some nappyness and…

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Article 6

RWYM ARTICLE 6 This horse is an Irish Draft x (presumably with thoroughbred). He is a nine-year-old gelding who has been with his present owner for eighteen months. She has competed him in preliminary and novice dressage tests, and has also done some elementaries. She does not tell me whether she has affiliated him, or…

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Article 5

RWYM ARTICLE 5 This horse, who bears the apt name of Paddy McDuff, is a 14.3hh Irish Draft x Conemmara gelding. His rider bought him at four, after he had been backed in Ireland and hunted lightly. She tells me that he was then very ‘upside down’, but that over the last three years his…

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Article 4

RWYM ARTICLE 4 This young lad is riding an attractive little mare, who is five years old, and who has done well in coloured horse show classes and in novice jumping.As in the majority of photographs, some things are working well, and others less so. At this phase in the trot stride, it is difficult…

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