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LOCAL horse trainers and riders benefitted immensely from the recent Federation Equestrian Internationale (FEI) techniques for retraining ex-racehorses (RTR) course held in Trinidad by certified tutor Anthony Lowry.
The workshop was facilitated at San Antonio Stables (SAS) in Santa Cruz and Sandy Hill Stables in Freeport.
Attending were SAS coaches Sandhya Moll (owner/manager), Amy Costelloe, Anja Taylor, Natalie Rapier and Jessica Morton.
Horses Helping Humans’ coaches, Karen Stollmeyer, Britni Arneaud and Vanda Richardson were also present, in addition to, Patrice Stollmeyer from Sandy Hill Stables.
[caption id="attachment_965674" align="alignnone" width="1024"] FEI instructor Anthony Lowry (C) with coaches at San Antonio Stables in Santa Cruz. - Courtesy TTEA[/caption]
The police mounted branch was also represented by Cpl Maurice Williams and PC Jason Amoroso. Dr Rossi Bridgelal and Johnathan Lyder completed the group.
Some well-known ex-racehorses were part of the programme such as Apocalypse, Cape Canaveral, Spoke in Yuh Wheel, Integrity, Caro’s Legacy, Gus No Fuss, Apache, Central Square among others.
This was Lowry’s second trip to Trinidad and has since worked with over two dozen trainers and riders and about 15 ex-racehorses.
Training sessions started with teaching the ex-racers to lunge and/or long reined to prepare them for staying balanced under the riders, learning the voice commands, the leg aids and how to respond correctly to the rein aids.
Sessions moved on to dressage and its most important basics in rhythm, suppleness and relaxation, contact, straightness, impulsion and collection.
Once the horse was obedient and confident on the flat, the programmes progressed to work over poles, then graduated to jumping through grids and then over courses.
Lowry, a British Horse Society stage five performance coach (BHSI) and FEI level two coach, said the ex-racehorses were kept in good condition and the facilities at both stables were suitable for the course.
[caption id="attachment_965673" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Equestrian coach Sandhya Moll schools Apocalypse in the FEI RTR course. - Courtesy TTEA[/caption]
The Ireland-based tutor told attendees there was a clear improvement in their horses throughout the two courses and that it was evident that coaches and trainers were passionate and proactive about learning.He added that many of the young riders in Trinidad are riding at a good level and are working with good coaches and this should be encouraged more for the equestrian sport to develop further here.
Lowry is general manager at Bachelors Lodge Equestrian Centre; a family-owned business, previously breeding thoroughbreds for racing until it switched to becoming an equestrian centre in 1990.
He is also a tutor for RTR courses, which started in India in 2015 and won the FEI Global Solidarity Award in Uruguay in 2017.
The FEI RTR course has been introduced successfully in many South East Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore and is now being expanded globally.
The third and final session of the RTR course will be held in early 2023.
 
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