Pearson Equine Pty Ltd

Dressage doesn't have to be complicated! Your seat sets the bend, your legs set the direction and your reins ask for the bend in the neck. Shop all my books at www.elaineheneybooks.com and worldwide on Amazon.

This image probably looks good to many riders, but it is not. Real self carriage is when a horse moves in a relaxed symmetrical "frame" with both the forehand and the hind swinging freely together in centered balance.

In this picture we see the opposite. The cranked down, over flexed poll acts like a cork bottling up the horse's hind energy as it moves. This forced artificial "frame" that is being imposed on the horse holds back the hind's energy and it impedes relaxed hind reach. We see evidence of this restrained hind energy in the distance between footfalls 1 and 2.

There is no frame of self carriage here. If the horse was balanced in true self carriage, the distance between footfalls 1 & 2 would be zero. It is not zero because the restriction of the forced poll flex is creating braced resistance throughout the horse's body. This prevents the hind from engaging softly but powerfully.

By contrast, when we coax a horse into relaxing their poll, the hind naturally wants to push forward to maintain symmetrical balance, and the hind legs then swing forward in reciprocal hind-forehand balanced movement with suspension. In the picture we see some suspension but there could be much more if more freedom of movement was allowed.

The yellow arrows show the direction of the forces applied by the rider that have cranked down the horse's head and neck. Arrow "A" shows how the rider is employing the saddle's thigh blocks to obtain greater leverage on the bit to amplify the force shown by arrow "B". Arrow "C" shows how the force of the pull on the reins has moved the rider's upper body forward. Combined, this is the energy the rider imposes on the horse in order to create the artificially flexed poll that has the head tucked behind the vertical.

For me this is a picture of coercion made possible by a saddle design that gives the rider increased mechanical advantage over the strength of a horse. Instead of the head and neck giving way to the power of a driving hind with natural reach, we see the opposite.

The power determining the movement in this image comes mostly from the rider not the horse. We see the rider tensing their horse's entire body, starting at the mouth and continuing all the way back to the hips.

Restricted hind reach is the first thing we see from a horse controlled by a rider's force. This horse is trying hard to move correctly in spite of the rider blocking the horse's hind power. We see this effort in the horse delivering some suspension. If the rider would relax, the horse's movement would be much lighter.

I always forget to tell people I have a YouTube channel. I don't post there often but it has good info. www.youtube.com/

So it is the end of an era for our horse racing endeavours. It has been a lot of fun, apart from the past 18mths. Feel free to read and share the below post about how it has all come to an end for us. Huge thank to our supporters, and those who have come along for the ride, you are legends. I will do a pictorial of some of our favourite moments - watch this space.

Unethical treatment of trainers and stable owners by Racing NSW

I am writing this to raise serious concerns about the treatment of stable owners, and industry participants at Coffs Harbour Racecourse. While Racing NSW rightly places great importance on the welfare of horses, it appears that the welfare, livelihoods and wellbeing of the people who have invested in and supported the industry have not been afforded the same level of care.
For those who may not be aware, in 2024 Racing NSW advised the CHRC (Coffs Harbour Race Club) that long-standing stable ownership arrangements at Coffs Racecourse were considered null and void. This followed a period in which stable owners had relied on information and contractual arrangements that, in good faith, led them to believe they owned their stable buildings and could deal with them accordingly.
Coffs Harbour’s development as a training centre was made possible because trainers and industry participants built their own stable blocks on racecourse land leased from the Crown. Promotional material referred to these arrangements, and contract clauses stated that stable owners could sell their buildings with the approval of the CHRC. This arrangement operated successfully for more than 40 years and resulted in 12 privately owned stable buildings being held (through sale and purchase) by successive trainers and industry participants. Stable owners pay for an annual lease fee for the land their buildings are on.
In 2024, Racing NSW advised CHRC that due to changes to the Crown Land Act, trainers no longer owned their stables. Racing NSW provided a new ‘agreement’ to CHRC for stable owners to sign, requiring them to pay substantial rent (per box) for buildings they had purchased, maintained and believed they owned. Given that many stable owners have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into these buildings, this announcement has caused significant confusion, distress and financial uncertainty. The mental toll has immeasurable. It has also removed their ability to sell assets they had long understood to be theirs.
Racing NSW implies that the arrangement is between CHRC and stable owners, however it seems to be subject to RNSW approval. All attempts to have open discussion or a meaningful explanation have been unsuccessful. A contract authority has been engaged to assist with negotiations, however Racing NSW and CHRC don’t seem to consider it a priority. Crown Lands have appointed RNSW as Manager of the land occupied for the Racecourse and are not involved
As a result, stable owners at Coffs Harbour — people who have invested in the industry, supported country racing and contributed directly to its infrastructure — have spent the past 18 months under extreme stress. They have been left without certainty, without a practical solution and duped of their investment, which they believed had been lawfully made.
The previous contract signed by participants has since been identified as flawed. A new contract has been prepared with considerable time and effort in an attempt to preserve the continued sale and transfer of stable blocks, consistent with the original intent of the arrangements. However this approach has been rejected.
The atmosphere at Coffs Harbour is now deeply deflated. People are broken, they are walking away from hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of assets, including stables, walkers and fittings, with no compensation or meaningful recognition of their investment. Meanwhile, those who have not contributed to the infrastructure (renters) will ultimately benefit from facilities funded by others. In the coming month or so, there may be as many as four empty stable blocks — a stark contrast to the full barns that existed before these circumstances arose.
The question must be asked: is this a humane, fair and moral way to treat people within the racing industry? Racing Mates has been contacted several times, with the response being to contact a counsellor. The Trainers Association has also been involved, but it has not been able to achieve meaningful progress.
This is a genuine crisis at Coffs Harbour Racecourse, and those affected feel as though no one is prepared to take responsibility or provide a fair resolution. This matter is deeply personal to me. In 2017 we purchased a building with 14 boxes under a contract stating “Purchase of Stables”. We paid stamp duty, and yet the building is now effectively not ours, and worthless to us. An investment we made in good faith has been lost for no acceptable reason. We are devastated.
I wish this ethically offensive treatment of trainers to be widely known throughout the industry. It is heartbreaking and demoralising to treat people with such irreverence. Please feel free to share this information, we need to be heard, it has gone on for too long.
We are not giving up. We are owed fair compensation. This lies fully in the hands of RNSW.
Thankyou for taking time to read