Please tell the readers where you grew up and how’d you get into horses?
I don’t remember a time in my life where I haven’t been completely obsessed with horses. I started out just being a horse crazy kid and read as many books as I could, including all of the ones that explain the process of breaking in your own horse. I convinced my parents to let me buy an unbroken yearling from a local pony breeder with my Birthday and Christmas money when I was 11 years old and broke her in myself when I was 13 years old, being very specific with what I had learned from all of my book reading! It kind of went well but I became too tall for her a couple of years after that and she fetched a really nice price for me when I sold her to another Pony Club home, which allowed me to get my next horse, which was an off the track Thoroughbred. I started out just riding around and enjoying being with the horses and then moved into Pony Club. In my local area, we did a bit of everything, such as Mounted Games, Horse Trials, Flat Teams, Dressage Days and Showing. I was drawn to Showing in the beginning because off the track Thoroughbreds were what we had the most exposure to, and there weren’t all that many Warmbloods around at the time. Once I got the Dressage bug, the obsession and interest just flourished.
What is it currently like in Victoria with lockdown?
Lockdown in Victoria was a little bit different for everyone. I know that some people weren’t able to see their horses, or were only able to visit on particular days, on a timed schedule, and there was no riding at all for some. I guess it depended on what type of agistment you kept your horse at, and the associated rules that had to be implemented for each situation or if you had them at home with you. I was really lucky because I was able to work from home and my horses were at home with me at the time but that certainly wasn’t without its challenges as well. We are currently in a position in Victoria where restrictions are easing and competitions are starting up again with strict protocols in place, it’s such a good feeling for things to be looking positive and my riding horses are currently staying at a really beautiful and professional establishment, so we are very spoilt!
Whilst being in lockdown you have been very active on the social media platform, Instagram, educating the general public about the Training Scale. What were your general findings, and what’s your opinion on the general public’s knowledge?
There are definitely some gaps in knowledge when it comes to the theory side of Dressage sport, but I can also appreciate that Instagram as a Social Media Platform has a very broad audience and is made up of lots of different people of different ages, different levels of experience, different levels of interest and so forth. What I found to be really great was the amount of fellow Dressage Nerds and even riders from different disciplines out there, and the number of people who are genuinely interested in furthering their knowledge and learning more about the sport. It’s so refreshing that there is so much thirst for knowledge, and that’s what makes it really enjoyable to deliver.
Whilst you have been using Instagram, have you learnt anything yourself that has furthered your education in general?
Instagram is a really great space for people to share content, and I love being able to see riders who I really respect, sharing their daily training. Personally, I like to share a mix of both good and also the challenging parts of my training with horses. I like to keep a bit more of a balance, mostly because it gives me more reason to be excited when I look back and can see the improvement and a little more of the background story behind a particular horse and what they are working on.
Ally you’re also a Dressage Judge, can you tell us how you got into judging, and was this something you were interested in whilst growing up?
I first started having an interest in Judging when I was helping a lot at my local Adult Riding Club many moons ago. There was always a shortage of helpers, so I would put my hand up to help, and sometimes scribe for the whole weekend. I never got sick of watching and learning, as well as listening to the Judge’s comments and marks. I started the process to become a HRCAV Judge and worked my way up the levels over a few years. From there some years later, I was encouraged by my Mentors Linda Goller Moulds and Adam Riess, who were both EA Judges, to become an EA Judge and apply for a Fast Track. At the time, I was competing FEI, so I could use my scores to apply to Fast Track as a Judge to either Elementary or Medium Level. The process was definitely a challenge although I was able to fall back on the basic fundamentals that I had learnt from my early education in the HRCAV Judging Program with high level EA Judges, and I passed my Exams and went straight to through to judging at Medium Level. From there, I have continued to work my way up and am in the process of working towards my A Level, which means I will be qualified to Judge all the way up to Grand Prix. If I pass the exams of course!
Can you tell the readers, what is the Training Scale, and why is it so important to implement?
The overall aim of the Training Scale is to provide systematic basic training, which has been developed over the centuries as a method to train horses harmoniously and to keep the horses sound for the long term. The Training Scale will never change and is the measure of the quality of a performance and the guideline for the judges when judging in competition. As a rider, knowing the Training Scale will bridge the gap between having an understanding, or not, on what the judges are actually looking for and marking you on when you are competing, as well as making sure that you are setting yourself up for success, and not left wondering where you might have gone wrong, or are going wrong. Although it might be thought that the theory side of training in comparison to the actual riding is not so important or not relevant to today’s sport, personally I have found knowledge to be a very powerful tool in both training, and also test presentation when competing.
You have a wonderful coach Adam, could you tell us when you met him, and what’s a message or saying you that you won’t forget?
I first met Adam at Silverdene Stud in Victoria when he was giving a lesson there, and I was a little intimidated at first by his very precise demeanour and direct way of teaching. I knew the horse and rider combination that he was coaching and was really astounded at the improvement he made in them both. I was also fortunate enough to witness the process of Adam training a young horse not long after that time when I first saw him coaching, and he turned a very ordinary horse with what I would call ‘normal’ paces into something that looked really special in what seemed like a really short time. There were no tricks or hundreds of movements ridden during training, just very specific exercises and good basic training. I was mesmerised by the way he rode with such attention to detail and discipline, and thought to myself, “I want to ride like that, I want to learn to train horses like that.. everything looks so fluent and loose, so easy, and I cant believe how much better he has the horse moving under him.. WOW!!” I have been training with Adam for a very long time now, and one thing he always says that “If you don’t get the basics right, it will always come back and bite you”. I really believe this!
You have a wonderful black horse named Obi B, can you please tell us more about him, and what’s his funniest quirk?
I bought Obi as a 5 week old foal after a very long search specifically for a youngster by DeNiro. I looked at a few DeNiro offspring while I was in Europe but didn’t find anything that really made me stop and think, “That’s the one!” until I met Obi, and on home soil in Australia! He was bred by Jane Bruce from Neversfelde Stud in NSW and has always been a very interesting character, right from the very beginning! He has always been really cheeky and playful, and has presented me with some real challenges as a young horse. Probably his biggest quirk is pulling really ugly faces and pretending he is going to bite you. He doesn’t bite at all, he is just very cheeky. He touches everything, and is like a really annoying little brother.
Do you have a job outside horses?
Yes I do! I work in Vet Pharmaceuticals, so I am involved in an industry that I am very passionate about and that allows me to be constantly learning. I really love it, especially because so many of the people I work with are passionate about animals and animal health, which includes many horsey people as well. Although I enjoyed riding and coaching professionally at one time, Vet Pharmaceuticals is a wonderful industry to be a part of for my outside of horses career. I really love my job.
You have years being in the saddle, what’s your one requirement when introducing people to horses? (Riding or just generally on the ground).
Great question! I usually introduce the horses by their individual characteristics so that it is a little bit easier for pretty much anyone to get an idea of what they are like. It seems to work!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
The next ten years for me should look pretty exciting actually! I have a small group of horses currently that I am really happy with, and have plans to breed a couple more for myself who could be really exciting prospects for the future, so in ten years time my team of horses should look really promising and all be a little older and further along in their training! I also hope to be riding better, on some really nice horses, and see what the future holds from there. Anything is possible really! I imagine Adam will still be by my side, always supervising my riding and training, keeping my training honest, and I hope to have progressed towards becoming an International Dressage Judge.
Random 10 facts about yourself or your horses?
1. On the first day I arrived in Germany to ride, I met Totilas, who was based in our stables for the week for training with the German Team! It was pretty surreal.
2. I am a Cat magnet! I don’t own a cat, and that’s why I think they are so attracted to me, its actually quite hilarious!
3. I once crashed into the back of a marked Police Car.. major faux pas, do not recommend!
4. I have a Bachelor of Business and Major in Marketing although I quit my marketing job and rode full time for almost two years. My parent went nuts, but I feel like I wouldn’t change a thing and I have a really beautiful balance in my life.
5. For quite some time while I was studying, I was a model, with Chadwick Models. It was great to get out of horsey clothes and be exposed to an industry that was way outside of my comfort zone.
6. My FEI pony Roseglen Toytown, had an almost career ending injury three years ago which he fully recovered from and then progressed two levels with great success. He really is a miracle and I am so proud of him.
7. It took me over five years to commit to choosing a stallion to breed with over one of my mares.. I’m very non-committal!
8. I am really passionate about rider’s posture and position.
9. I secretly want to buy a showjumper. I did some jumping earlier this year with my friend Amanda Ross and it reignited some kind of spark.. I love it!
10. I like to collect full siblings! I have two full sibling Tenterfield Terrier dogs called Minnie and Mojo (they are from different litters) and I also have full sibling horses, Obi and his sister Dee Dee.
5 facts or things you think anyone should do with their animals?
1. It’s best to be proactive rather than reactive, this goes for everything! Don’t wait until its broken and have to ‘fix things’, stay in front and be proactive with the care of your animals. It can be saddle fit, body work, shoeing, you name it…
2. Knowledge is power, and generally doesn’t cost a lot if you are willing to put in the effort.
3. The long way is the short way when it comes to training.
4. Do the best you can with what you’ve got.
5. If you are not attached to an outcome, you are less likely to suffer from disappointment, and more likely to enjoy the moments with your animals.
Feature Image and Article Images courtesy of Ally O’Neill ©.
– Guest Blogger Amylie May Hines.