Myth No.8: This approach makes the horses wild and unmanageable.

Answer: On the contrary - who wants a wild and unmanageable show horse? It merely teaches them to present themselves correctly in a proud and alert fashion. They soon learn the look that is required, and then the knock-on effect of the 'entertainment' regime is that they become bombproof over other sudden noises or strange sights.

Myth No.9: Saddlebreds are worked very young and ruined as a result.

Answer: Saddlebreds start their education very young - they have such an intelligent enquiring brain that it is best to give them something positive to think about. They enjoy interaction with humans and love to learn.

Photo: Courtesy of Jane A Green

Having said that they start young, it is important to remember that they do not start their education in the same way as is traditional for the hunter type. Their attitude to the show ring, self-confidence and desire to please is established and rewarded in the weanling/yearling stage. They are then taken on further by long-lining. This is not endless walking along the roads with a handler following behind, but active exercise teaching collection and developing muscles and attitude. Almost always carried out in a round pen, this work teaches them to respond to the voice and helps them to develop their powerful motor. They learn about the bit, and listening for voice commands - most importantly 'whoa' . Each day's exercise will last little more than ten minutes.

Once they have gained discipline and understanding in the long-lining work, they are harnessed to a light sulky (weighing no more than 100lbs) and their 'jog' training begins. It can be pretty much guaranteed that all finished show Saddlebreds, whatever their ultimate Division, have done significant amounts of harness work, and most are exercised consistantly this way as part of their training all their lives, with trainers perhaps actually riding them only once a week or even less. The effect of the harness training is that they can now work in straighter lines and at a greater speed than in the long-lines, unhampered by a ground-based handler or a rider. Thus the young horse can work without risk of strain for he is neither carrying a weight, nor pulling much weight. This training is not carried out on the roads or over rough country, but on pre-prepared and surfaced tracks around the barn area, or even inside the stabling barns - most are specially designed to facilitate this.

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