Bringing On

This is Lee (riding) and Hank, who we visited today after an invitation to see their new home. Lee, his wife Kat and Lee's brother and father have set up a business bringing on racehorses before they go to a training yard prior to racing. Hank is just two years old and this time last month had never been ridden. They have brought him on so that Lee can walk, trot and canter him around the training pen. Hank will continue to be built up over the coming months, building muscle, filling out and learning the ropes before a possible life as a National Hunt racehorse.

I'd rather call this bringing on, rather than the term breaking in (a horse), because the care taken to encourage the horse was clear to see.  This was not about breaking the will of the horse, subjugating it to the rider's will. Rather it is a partnership where the horse accepts and enjoys the process. In the extra you can see one of the earlier training methods where Lee's brother just leads the horse around carrying Lee's weight across the saddle.

Before we got there, we'd visited Worcester on yet another very hot day.