Rider, trainer and business owner, Bex Mason, promotes the virtues of being well organised and methodical with a special sense of awareness to get the most of a horse.
“Every task needs to be thought out and done properly. Not quickly, but properly, by listening and following instructions,” says Bex as she looks out at the stables of her latest business venture.
She has recently moved to establish a new business at Brooklands Farm, near Redditch. With seven horses, two students and her own horse, Vancurtis, to manage, life is already very busy.
“I’ve worked for four Olympians on both sides of the world, riding and gaining valuable insights from the elite of the sport. I’m now looking to build a bespoke and boutique yard that is based on quality not quantity. I want to have nice people surrounding our team – with nice horses that we can take to the best shows,” she says.
She describes a step-by-step process which she has compiled in a bible-like yard manual. It is her lifetime’s experience rolled in to one document.
“When a horse is being trained it’s all about when to apply pressure and when to take it off. The horse needs to know that there is training to do but also needs to have fun,” she says.
While she accepts that no two horses are the same, she believes that there are processes that can work for any horse, so long as there is structure.
“The basics are so important and every fundamental aspect of rideability needs to be instilled one by one, you can’t miss a couple and skip to the horse being able to do one thing before it has learned another. My goal is to help the horse learn about how to use its whole body in every scenario,” she says.
She keeps records, detailing how every horse in her care acts and reacts to different treatment and activity. These diaries include goals for every horse and every rider.
“Horses love routine, and because all the people who work here love horses, we all share the respect for the horses and we are strict with the routine but soft with our expectations so that we don’t put too much pressure on ourselves or the horses,” she says.
Every morning the horses in her care all receive an armful of hay before anything else.
“Horses need something in their gut at any one time. This is why, before we feed grain or start with the horses, we give them some hay. One simple step in good management starts the moment we step on the yard,” she says.
Any changes in behaviour, out of the ordinary or outside of the routine, are reported by Bex and her staff.
“It’s a bit like working with small children – the horses can’t tell you what is wrong or needed so we have to make notes about what affects each horse and what they will respond to best,” she says.
A big proponent of grooming, Bex has developed methods of keeping her horses looking and feeling at their best throughout the year.
“I bathe and clip Vancurtis all year round. We have heat lamps so the horses don’t get cold in the winter. It is so important to keep horses as clean and well groomed as possible. It helps to keep them calm and it gives us the ability to bond with them,” she says.
The horses at Brooklands Farm are bathed at least once a week, with a routine that enables Bex or a member of the team to inspect the horse as they wash.
“Horses like Vancurtis don’t need so much natural grease in their coats as they are stabled and competition ready. So, we are washing to improve skin health and for the aesthetic benefit. I always bathe and clip a horse before a show to make sure it is looking its absolute best,” she says.
The bathing routine is detailed in her yard manual and includes detailed steps to get the right finish.
“In colder conditions I tend to rug up the back end and start with the mane, followed by neck, shoulders, front legs and halfway down the barrel before using a sweat scrape and switching the rug to the front. Always towel dry the legs because horses can get cracked heels if you leave it too long,” she says,
The level of detail is admirable as she works away on every part of the horse to leave the perfect finish. And, all of this is only preparation for the next step.
“Clipping can transform the look of a horse in minutes. Done well, using the right clipper and techniques, it is both an essential part of the grooming effort and a way to make a horse stand out from the crowd,” she says.
Using a Heiniger Xplorer Pro, two speed clipper with a set of fresh blades, she starts on the neck of Vancurtis and quickly makes progress all round the head and shoulders.
“It’s important to have a quiet clipper, especially for working around the head. Keeping blades sharp and replacing them when needed is essential to avoid snagging. I’m not very tall, nor do I have big hands, so finding a handset that suits you is also important to being able to clip for long periods,” she says.
She warns not to clip too close to an international show and to always allow more time for fidgety horses.
“The last thing I want to do is be rushed. The horse picks up on it and becomes fidgety and the whole experience is ruined for us both,” she says.
She suggests her success, on and off horses for over twenty years, has been helped by an approach that was honed by observing some of the best yards in the world.
“From working with Ludo Philippaerts to Vicky Roycroft in Australia, I have been privileged to learn so much. I set up on my own at 24 but continued to travel to learn from others,” she says.
Bex has competed at the highest level for years, winning national and international Grand prixs and was a four time Horse of the Year show finalist on horses she has produced from the very beginning.
“It all comes down to hard work and graft and putting the horse first. I always think that if you treat your horse like a champion, maybe one day they will become one,” she concludes.
