IN the latest instalment of the Teagasc Let’s Talk Equine series, Teagasc Equine Specialist Wendy Conlon was joined by Performance Coach Victoria Teuton and stallion owner Joe Burke of Cloonisle Stud.

Wendy, Victoria and Joe discussed producing Connemara Ponies and Irish Draughts for show success and commercial returns with advice from both Victoria and Joe based on their personal experiences and insights.

Victoria kicked off the session by going through the training scale and its benefits when starting young horses: “The training scale is a really valuable tool for me, not only as a producer and a rider but also as a coach. Mainly, it will allow me to bring a little bit of order to the situation and find out where we’re sitting on the scale with each animal or rider.”

This allows Victoria to identify what stages may have been left out or what needs to be addressed.

“Rhythm is the basis to everything with a riding horse. It is about predictability and making everything very calm and confident. With rhythm, we would start in the lunge pen during the breaking process and try to make everything extremely predictable from day one and build from there right the way through to the show ring.

“Once they’re in the show ring obviously the judge is looking for a very calm and even rhythm and a good adequate canter to jump a course of fences,” Victoria explains.

Relaxation

When training, Victoria spends the vast majority of time working on relaxation, “I tend to use the early stages of breaking to take the horses out on the long reins to the beach or to the forest. I don’t tend to stay on the roads or laneways or in the arena when breaking.”

Variety is key for Victoria when breaking, she will even long rein horses over cross country before backing them. All of these steps are targeted towards achieving both relaxation and connection.

“I am not a believer in exposing a horse to as much stress as possible to get them used to it. I’m quite the opposite,” Victoria says.

Victoria builds confidence in young horses by exposing them to as many different calm environments as possible.

This works to her advantage when the horse starts going to shows saying: “When I bring them into a stressed or atmospheric environment they tend to be able to cope a lot better once they have this foundation.

“A lot of people traditionally would have said we need to get out to as much shows as possible to get them used to it, whereas I would be the opposite. Without the correct foundation and going to the beach or the forest, they don’t seem to be able to mentally cope in these environments that we later ask them to go to.”

Each phase of what you do with a horse or pony from day one will shape them into the athlete you want them to be. Working hunter tracks at the likes of the RDS, HOYS and Balmoral ask a lot of questions from both horse and rider.

“If you’ve already taken the pony out to the beach before they’re probably not going to spook at the water tray. If you bring them into a forest they probably won’t be phased by the trees at either side of a jump even if they are to sway or rustle,” Joe says.

All of these small things will add value to the pony itself rather than adding monetary value.

Swimming

Victoria swims her horses and ponies to help with their fitness levels.

“A lot of ponies could live on fresh air so it’s really important to keep a close eye on their waistline. Swimming them allows us to keep them fit without having to run them on hard ground or gallop the legs off them.

“We like to keep things as gentle on the joints as possible and the swimming has been a fantastic tool for me over the years,” Victoria explains.

Marketing

Joe says having good quality horses or ponies to sell is a great position to be in because the demand is there and the market is really strong at the moment, however he says: “Having the right product is key in order to get the best prices.

“As a stallion owner, we feel responsible for what their offspring sell for and from our point of view we like to be able to showcase the stallions in the best way possible so they can then go on to help in the sale of a foal or youngstock.

“When it comes to social media, a good quality photo of a pony standing up correctly, turned out nicely in a nice condition will sell a pony these days.

“A lot of people, particularly the UK market don’t always want to buy horses that have already been broken. I’m finding a lot that they want them well-handled and unbroken.

Joe also has advice for putting together videos of ponies for sale: “When I’m making a video I like to have three sections. Firstly have the pony walking away and trotting up in hand, then just a video walking around the pony itself and finally a video of the pony moving around loose either in the school or small field or somewhere where they are not too far away from the camera. If they are at the age where they are jumping and have experience loose schooling I would include a clip on that too,” Joe says.

Victoria goes on to emphasise the impact a good picture can make: “A good quality photograph is so valuable. If I can see the conformation from the photo and it’s caught my eye I’ll then go on and look at the videos of it moving or jumping.”

If you are not confident or experienced in taking good photographs or videos, Victoria suggests getting a professional in to do this for you.

“It might take 200 photographs to get the right one so take 200 photographs because the right one will sell your animal, probably without someone even having to come and see it.

“Show the pony off as best you can, a bad photo can ruin it for you.”

Final advice

Victoria: “Don’t leave out any steps when it comes to education. Don’t leave out the in-hand phase, you’re sitting there with loads of marks to gain.

“Get out there and enjoy your horses and keep them happy and relaxed. You don’t have to teach them to get used to stress because stress shouldn’t even come into it.”

Joe: “Preparation is key. When you are producing a pony for showing, don’t leave out the small things, whether it be in training or in turnout make sure you have all the boxes ticked.

“When it comes to selling the same goes, make sure you are prepared and have all the information you need to hand. If you’re not tech savvy there’s loads of people who are well-skilled in that department so don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

To watch the full webinar visit teagasc.ie/publications/2021/lets-talk-equine---producing-connemara-ponies-and-irish-draughts-for-show-success--commercial-returns.php.