F and I training day at Talland

It was a fun and informative day run by the legendary Pammy Hutton. Held at the impressive Talland school of Equitation.

Pammy started the day on her own young horse. She explained that she would like to get us all to encourage young horses to do more lateral work. In particular, to encourage shoulder in and half pass training early on, to gain greater control in difficult situations when the young horses are nervous or overwhelmed. 

Throughout the day we were lucky to have a super selection of both riding school horses (most of which had competed to a high level) and riders that brought their own horses to the training day. They were all very interesting to watch as they all had super personalities and some were easier to get a tune out of than others. However, all the riders finished with a smile on their faces and seemed to have gained a greater insight into their strengths and weaknesses once they had ridden. 

The day finished with Pammy riding the lovely Magnum. She explained the rider position checklist she goes through every time she rides. She does lots of work without stirrups to improve her depth of seat and would encourage us all to do the same on a regular basis. She worked on Magnum’s balance and outline, asking him to be a lot more up and out. She talked about the importance of rhythm and how in test riding you can gain so many marks by just riding the movements in a rhythm.

In this last session, it was super to see how Pammy and her daughter Pippa work together as a team to get the best out of one another’s riding. Pippa took no prisoners when correcting Pammy’s mistakes in the canter pirouettes but was quick to praise when things got better. Little corrections pointed out by Pippa in the contact in both the trot and canter work led to better balance and rhythm. Pammy took the instruction with grace and a smile on her face. 

One of the greatest things about these training days is that you realise everyone is nervous about making mistakes or looking inadequate or foolish. Pammy told us all to be more confident and to try to put your best foot forward, but above all to work hard to try to get better every day. The great thing about Pammy is although she is thought of as tough and a bit ‘shouty’ it’s all done from the heart! She genuinely wants you to get better and loves the horses she works with. She’s been there and done it and has so many stories and experiences to share. 

It was lovely to catch up with old friends and make a few new ones. I would like to thank Jeremy Michaels and Jude Mathews for arranging the day and Pammy Hutton for her time and expertise. Also, I would like to note that the office and helpers at Talland were great too!

Report by Sarah Stewart BHSI