Page 42 - The Mini Horse Magazine 2023 No 1
P. 42
AN INTERVIEW WITH A HANDLER
My other teachers were every single person that How many hours a day during the season, do
entered in the ring to show a horse. When you you spend on training with horses?
spend time observing, professional or amateur, The horses, about one hour a day per horse.
every handler teaches you something, a detail, Myself? 8 to 9 hours. A horse can understand and
a technique. I start from the principle that no memorise complicated processes easily, however,
one knows everything but everyone knows I need to work my emotions, my reactions, my
something. commands in a way that I can adapt myself to
every horse that I have in training with me. And
What is your training and teaching philosophy? sometimes, the handler need much more time
I try to work my horses the same way that training than the horse.
humans educate their children. Every horse, like
every child, needs love, attention and time, but What do you think is the key to having a good
it needs rules as well. And again, every horse as bond with the horse your handling?
every child, take their own time to understand Understanding the personality and the character
the difference between all of these components of my horse. Without that, no bond can be created.
of education. On the other hand, every trainer He can learn what I’m teaching him, but we won’t
like any parent, should be able to understand create a bond.
and learn from their own horses.
What are the most common reasons horse
So my philosophy as a trainer is that I should owners need your handling expertise?
always try to find the equilibrium between the
two sides. The more available I am to understand There are so many reasons. Inexperience of the
my horse, the more available will my horse be to owner when it comes to handling. Promoting
work with me. their own stables, and for that they send horses
from their breeding program to be trained
What do you think is the key to being a professionally. Lack of knowledge when it comes
successful handler? to feeding, sport and preparation for the shows.
I’m not yet a successful handler. I’m still years In EBF’s specific situation, the way the horses are
trained and the bond created between the trainer
from being such thing. and horse, that will be transferred with time to
the owner.
But if someone wants to be considered as
such, in my opinion, the secret is to not stop the How do you choose which horse and owners you
learning process. Every day, every second, in all handle for? When you have more than one to
kinds of activities that you do at your stables, take into the same class, how do you determine
keep learning the most that you can about these which has first call on your services?
beautiful animals. This is the way to become a
successful handler. First of all, between one my own horses, or one
of EBF client’s horses, the priority goes always to
my client. Then it all goes with results of the day.
EBF SH Tula Superior If a horse has been winning all show, I’ll probably
owned by Cedric Dubroecq show that horse, unless I know that that the horse
in specific will have a better reaction under stress
with another handler. In that case I’ll select the
second best placed during the day and so on.
The most important thing however, will always
be the wellbeing of the horse. If for any reason I
see one of the horses having difficulty accepting
a new handler I’ll take that horse no matter what
result he will do in the class.
42 | Miniature Horse Magazine • Issue 1/2023
