BONDING
TOP COMPETITORS’ SUCCESS STORIES
Without a connection, horse and rider can struggle in everything they try to do. Sporting stars from across the disciplines share their bonding success stories with Julie Harding
WOULD CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN and Valegro have broken so many records and clinched so many medals at championships if they hadn’t formed an extraordinary bond? And what about a duo from a different time?
Marion Mould and Stroller. The later was a 14.1hh pony who jumped fences way bigger than his diminutive self, culminating in an individual Olympic silver medal at the 1968 Mexico Games. Back in the 1960s the term ‘bond’ wasn’t bandied about too
often, but it certainly is today, and with good reason. A partnership without a bond is one with a key element missing. Forging one isn’t that difficult and, according to behaviourist Justine Harrison, involves things like spending time together in the stable, ‘grooming’ him by scratching his withers, going for in-hand walks and using positive reinforcement in his training. Successful competitors and leisure riders alike use these methods for happier and more fruitful partnerships, and the former reveal what this has led to in terms of silverware.
KITTY KING & RED ALERT (‘BONZO’)
KITTY KING, 41, is a multi-medalled event rider who has competed on British pony, junior, young rider and senior teams. Last year, aboard Vendredi Biats, she won an individual silver at the eventing European Championships, as well as team gold. Kitty, who is sponsored by LeMieux, is a renowned producer of young horses and is based in Wiltshire.
Bonzo was three when he was purchased, and I was just 12. He was untouched and feral on arrival and was extremely scared of people. He was a real flight animal who just wanted to run away from everything.
I spent hours sitting in his box trying to gain his trust. He was so nervous of touch and seemed to hate eye contact so I used to approach him by walking backwards. When I wanted to catch him in the in field I would walk backwards to his shoulder, touch the top of his leg and then his shoulder, and I would move my hand towards my his head and head and headcollar slowly, rather than just going straight to his head as this made him run.
It took a long time to gain his trust and I never managed to long rein him during rein during the backing process as he would bolt. Slowly but surely I gained his trust and trust and he accepted me and being touche
