Working Hunters - With Louise Bell       

Louise Bell is a prolific winner of working and show hunter competitions, including prestigious major championship titles. The husband/wife team of Robert and Louise Bell is recognised as one of the most successful producers in the country.  Having won on no less than 64 occasions in 2008 alone, she wrapped the season up by claiming the Working Hunter Champion title at Horse of the Year Show on Mrs Sarah Gallagher's Out of Sight.  Her other top horses include the multiple winning Cruise Control, Man on Fire, Rock Star and Cracker.


Q: Please can you tell me what you look for in a typical working hunter horse?  Do you go for any particular breed or age?

Louise: "I always look for what I describe as a 'nice stamp of a horse' with good limbs, straight movement and a really good eye. Something that is saying 'look at me'. I breed quite a few of my own. I personally like Irish horses that are true to type for their class and I don't tend to go for foreign horses. In terms of age, I like three year olds, rising four, just broken and being ridden. For less experienced riders, I would recommend a minimum of a six to seven year olds who have seen the world a bit."


Q: I have been riding for a while but I'm keen to start competing in working hunters, hopefully this summer. Obviously I am a novice so I would really like your advice on how to get started?

Louise: "I would suggest initially you go to a few local shows to get a feel for what is required.  Once you are comfortable with this, get in touch with Sport Horse Breeding of GB, the governing body for working hunter competitions, and get yourself registered. As a member, you receive a full set of rules and regulations and a list of all the shows. You can then start off in Novice and Amateur Workers at county shows and if you are still keen, then progress to Open competitions."


Q:  How big are the fences in working hunter competitions? They seem to vary and I'm not sure how the system works.

Louise: "The fences and difficulty of the courses vary depending on the level. Novice competitions are 3ft 3ins, Amateur 3ft 3ins to 3ft 6ins and Opens 3ft 9ins. At the major Championship events, such as The Royal International Horse Show and The Horse of the Year Show, the jumps can be even bigger 3ft 9ins to 4ft. In working hunter competitions you not only have to try and jump a clear round, your style of jumping is judged too. In short you need to go clear and look stylish too."


Q:  I'm concerned my horse won't behave in the judges ridden section. Do you have any advice and what exactly will the judge be looking for in the ridden element?

Louise: "It is important to do as much training at home to ensure your horse has good manners and behaves for the judges. I realise life is not always as perfect as this so if your horse really does misbehave with the judge, you should offer to take it out of the ring. I'm afraid it really is then back to the drawing board in terms of discipline. The judges are looking for a horse that they can picture themselves riding out hunting with hounds and going across country. I suppose I always look at it, that it is the horse they would most like to take home for this purpose."


Q: What is the secret to getting noticed by the judges?  

Louise: "There is no quick-fix solution to this but by being very good at what you do. Consistency really does prevail so keep persevering.  Make sure your turnout for both you and your horse is immaculate. Do everything you can to the best of your ability and the judges cannot fail to notice you."


Q: How should your turnout look ready for the ring?

Louise: "Your horse's mane should be plaited, heels and whiskers should be trimmed and tails should be pulled. Your horse's coat should look clean and shiny. Plaiting can be used to enhance the neck by using large or small plaits. If your horse has a skinny neck, then opt for big plaits and for large necked horses, go for small plaits. I use Groomers products and cannot recommend their Plait 'n' Go enough for keeping plaits tidy."


Q: Can I use a martingale in the ring?

Louise: "I always use a breastplate martingale and even a standing martingale on the younger horses. These are allowed. However, don't be using a five point breastplate as these cover up the horse's conformation and if your saddle fits correctly, then you shouldn't need to anyway."  


Q: Are there any bits that cannot be used when competing in working hunters?

Louise: "You are free to use anything that your horse is comfortable in and one that you can control your horse with. Nothing is forbidden but you should consider the bit you use and what it is saying to the judge!"


Q: My horse's conformation is very correct. However, the old fashioned show saddles just move all over the place due to his big front and movement. The judges hate my jump saddles but it's the only one I have that fits him properly - any suggestions?  

Louise: "A problem I hear time and time again. I recommend you try the Amerigo show saddle. Their design makes them comfortable for the horse and rider, and what's more the judges love them too. The way they are made makes them fit into the shape of the horse's back and encourages the rider to sit correctly. Their design gives horses freedom of movement in the shoulder too."    



Q: I've been told my five year old working hunter needs to improve his topline. What would you recommend?

Louise: "This requires work at home in terms of exercise and feeding. You need to make sure you are working him in the correct outline when schooling at home. Feed plays an important role here too, and I would recommend Bluechip Original. I'm also a big believer in 'strapping'. This is quite an old fashioned technique that is not taught so much these days but is a great tip. You do this after exercising over the neck and hindquarters, where the thick muscles are, to keep your horse's muscles toned using a strapping pad. You basically work on the muscle groups with the pad with a firm action and there are various instructions on how to do this that can be found either by the web or in print if you are unsure."


Q: How much training do you do at home?

Louise: "This really depends on the age and experience of the horse in question. It's crucial to build up the fitness levels before we start any heavy schooling. To build up fitness, we hack out doing quite a lot of walking and trotting up hills - keeping the horse's head carriage very low while trotting up hills helps them to use their shoulders and stretch under the saddle. I like to keep variety in the work we do for all of our horses. We hack out, hunt and school at home. When schooling, we make them understand that this is the serious part of their training and introduce a variety of exercises and jumps according to their level. The older horses have far less schooling at home and spend more time hacking out."


For further information about Louise Bell, visit www.louisebell.co.uk