Team chase spectators at kingsclere on Sunday 5th april could not believe their eyes. Surely this veteran team chase rider could not seriously be considering taking his thoroughbred, front-running, hard-pulling ex-racehorse around a team chase in just a headcollar.

“of course not ..” explained Mark Smith “ .. i have a lead rope as well!!!”

Oh well, that makes it fine then.

As one onlooker observed he is either a complete idiot, or one hell of a horseman.

The controlled round, successfully completed too slowly for a place, answered that query.

Mark spends most of his time training riders to ride safely cross country. He has four pony riders who have qualified for the final great Britain pony trial at Withington next month.

It may seem a little obtuse to ride cross country in a head collar to promote safe riding but Mark believes that it brings home to riders that they have other tools in their toolbox to control their horses other than the bits in their mouths. Their body weight, balance, voice, confidence and training are all factors that many riders underestimate and Mark is purely demonstrating that in the most potentially dangerous position, riding at the back of his team, these attributes are more important than strength.

He points out that in Olympic sport only in the equestrian events are women allowed to compete against men – surely proof that strength plays no part in equestrianism – it is all about technique!!! And the wonderful thing about technique is that it must be trainable!!!

He does not advocate that all riders take their horses cross country in headcollars – merely that they acknowledge that if he can do so, control at speed is not merely a matter of stronger and stronger bits!!

Mark captained the team that won the national team chase championships in 2007 under the name of “Bollocks to Blair”.

He is believed to be the first rider ever to ride team chasing in only a headcollar. Last weekend at Kingsclere, Newbury he rode his thoroughbred, ex front-running racehorse, at the back of his team. Bugger a Banker.

Having carefully checked the rules to make sure he was not breaking them – nobody would dream of doing something so daft so there was no need to make a rule – he proceeded not only to do it, but to make it look simple.

He had previously ridden both dressage and show jumping in just the headcollar – he believes that horse-friendly training is the way to control ¾ ton of equine – he decided to take his chance across the wide open Berkshire downs.

British eventing appear to have blocked his desire to compete eventing with this mode of control by carefully wording their rulebook ... a decision that mark finds incredible in this day of public relations – who could possibly object to a horse being ridden in such an obviously horse-friendly way. They are missing the chance of great positive publicity!!

 

march 09