Cae Newydd Equine Solutions Riding and Training Centre

With respect to the memory of the late Jan Maiburg.

Too little understanding, importance, time and practice these days is given to the development of lateral flexibility in training.
It is the keystone in the construction of the strong, mobile and healthy back essential for production of self-carriage and back-movers in a time when we see so many leg-movers incapable of true collection as opposed to the merely r***d forehand.

"The road to wor
"The road to working self-carriage – i.e., practical self-carriage acquired by dressage – leads out of tension by suppling all the joints of the locomotive apparatus. This suppling is the result of bending the horse on curved and straight l...ines as well as on two tracks when necessary. Bending work includes bending of the torso and flexions of the neck in addition to flexion of the haunches thro...ugh certain movements."
(Sigismund v. Josipovich, 1935)

Here you see Sigismund Josipovich riding in the Prater Parks in Vienna. This drawing is made by the famous equestrian painter Ludwig Koch. Often Josipovich sat with Koch together in the cosy atelier or they drank a glass of “Heuriger” or their “Wiener Mélange” in “Kaffeehaus” Sperl. I was not present at that time, but the conversation between the two men could have been the whole time about horses, art and biomechanics. Ludwig Koch was from 1908 until 1911 the only civilian who taught “Bewegeungslehre “at the Riding teacher training centre at Wiener Neustadt. Both men were also great friend with Ludwig Zeiner (Hofbereiter i.R.). Zeiner was an adept of the great Johann Meixner, like Herold, Nürnberger, Zrust and Velechowsky.

I had the pleasure to meet Herr Zeiner in person many, many years ago. We have been sitting often under the oak tree stable yard of “Reit-Institut” Egon von Neindorff. After he had shown his art in the Piaffe and performed a great Levade. The black/dark-brown Hanoverian mare “Luna” was used later to train Bereiter-Schüler, Uwe Steiner the high school of hold his balance on a horse in the Piaffe. (Without stirrups!)

Sigismund Josipovich was not only a great teacher but he was able to express himself very well in a lot of languages. I have a letter at home a kind discussion between Josipovich and Oberbereiter Herold of the SRS in Vienna, about the changes in the Olympic dressage program.

Astonishing is it to learning more about the backgrounds of the in 1927 promoted General –Inspector of the Hungarian Honvéd Cavalry, that Josipovich Zsigmond possessed unexpected other skills. In 1914 the “Reit-Institut” in the Ungarstrasse was closed and the young riders went to war. Josipovich fought with the cavalry in Russia with the cavalry. During the attacks, and the retreads, the cold and the bizarre circumstance he trained his horse for the 1916 Olympics that took place “cancelled” due to the WWI. I spoke in Hungary with people who have trained under Josipovich. He took up training as a pilot and flew over the fronts in east and west. He crashed in Italy and was imprisoned by the Italian Army at the Iszono front. After he was released he did not went back to Vienna but mixed with his old Hungarian riders friends and former pupils.. He became teacher at the equitation courses at the Ludovika Akademia in and taught at the Franz Josef Barracks. Budapest

He wrote an Army manual that is translated in Hungarian by Major Kémery and Lt. Col Géza von Hazslinszky-Krull

‘Sitzsübung an der Longe OHNE Steigbügel” was always his receipt to become a good rider.

Josipovich died in March 1945, during an allied bombing attack on Vienna. He was killed a few 100 meters from the Hofburg. ( Source: Dr.h.c. Gustav Rau)

Some rather interesting reading for those concerned about the future of equitation from the perspective of "dressage."

It shows the complete egotistical, delusional, cynically twisted and and totally misinformed on one hand, the less rotten in the middle, classed as utterly heroic and the dedicated voices of reason, unequivocal knowledge born out by history and veterinary fact rather than misdircted fantasy apparently remaining as the still small voices crying in the wilderness.

Yet we MUST prevail!

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🐔🐴Job Vacancies 🐴🐔

Looking for two young people who want to work on our small holding in Waunfawr, Caernarfon. We have regular bus service into the village from Caernarfon. The vacancies are for 16-18 year olds and are funded by Working Wales.

💷 30 hours per week at national minimum wage.

Duties to include looking after poultry, help with packing fruit and veg, looking after horses if possible.

There is the opportunity to help with riding and training horses depending on experience.

The positions are for 6 months.

Pleease get in touch if you, or anybody you know might be interested.

We have have a PAID position available on our farm as part of the Jobs Growth Wales Plus Scheme for 16-18 year olds.

We need help😊...

🐔 Looking after 200 chickens
🐴 Looking after horses (ridden work available depending on experience)
🧹 General farm maintenance
🥕 Packing veg for our deliveries

Waunfawr, Caernarfon.
30 hours per week.

Please share if you know anybody that might be interested.

Jobs Growth Wales Plus Jobs Growth Wales Plus

🏇Job vacancy🏇

🐴Looking for part time help, no age restrictions. National minimun wage.
🐴Flexible working hours to be arranged.
🐴Must be able to confidently ride, and be experienced in canter.
🐴Taking small groups of novice and experienced riders out on hacks on private land.
🐴Must be good with customers, both adults and young children.
🐴Leading work on foot.

11 stone weight limit due to available lead horses.

Based in Waunfawr, Caernarfon.

Please get in touch with Emma on 07962 214 314 for more information.

We have a Jobs Growth Wales paid position for 16-18 year olds available.

Variety of duties depending on experience. Looking after poultry and horses. Egg collecting, and vegetable packing. Horse riding if experienced.

Please get in touch for more information.

I wrote this some time ago but it bears repeating, the understanding and importance of "straightening" and the development of lateral flexibility and balance in training for equine health and wellbeing cannot be stressed strongly enough.

So often we hear or read that it is said that there is NO or LITTLE bend through the horse's body - that it is all an illusion coming from the bend of the neck and a little at the sachro-illiac joint where the lumbar vertebrae join and hinge with the sachrum; the fused vertebrae forming the roof to the pelvic ring and thence to the caudal vertebrae of the tail which again of course are extremely mobile.

Here, in this photo-diagram of a "carrot stretch" photographed from above, we see just how, in fact, there is a considerable amount of true lateral bend through the thoracic vertebrae. Indeed, in this case the bend does not follow through the rest of the body the compressed inner ribs simply impinge on the flank giving the impression the bend goes further back than it does - they need that space.
When you add full lumbar bend (this is limited due to the width of the lateral processes of the lumbar vertebrae but they are tapered and a little feathered to maximise it), flexion at the sachro-illiac joint and first few caudal vertebrae, the horse is indeed capable of very considerable lateral bend if we only mobilise it, maximise it and strengthen it.
That way, the five metre circle or classical 'volte' should be within the capability of all but the extremely large or thick set with short backs, who should be allowed the six metre volte if they truly need it in order to be ridden through the exercise with true bend, straightness and in vertical balance; bending around the support of the rider's inside leg.

In practice, few horses are suppled to this degree. Look at the corners of any manege, exercise area or schooling surface,,,,,, in most you will see that the ridden track around the corner in fact will only conform to a radius of 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 metres. Familiar???
That means that the horse is only, at best, conforming to a quadrant of a seven to nine metre circle at the corners. Watch them ridden, and you will probably see the horses banking, centrifugally, like a motor bike so that there is even less bend to the horse.

The horse that is not laterally suppled and flexible, is, by definition weak in the back. He will be strongly one-sided, not light, and probably, on close inspection go short in one hind leg - sometimes to the point of actual lameness, for NO other reason.

It is vitally important to address this issue if you want a strong athletic horse with a back that will carry you with ease, be light, support his forehand and be protected from needless strains and injury. This is a fundamental health issue, much neglected in modern training.

Our indoor area is only a 20m square, as yet. Every inch of side is valuable to us and so we ride deep into those corners and our horses are all the better for it - including our 17-3hh heavyweight Irish Draught!

But, our suppling work, also referred to by many as 'straightness training' goes way beyond simple good riding practice. Naturally weak, abused or poorly schooled backs can be rehabilitated and rebuilt to huge benefits.

Next time you watch dressage, particularly at the higher levels, watch the corners and see how many scoot round with next to no bend, either banked in rather than in vertical balance or with the quarters flying out.

The true worth of paying attention to bending a horse is initially to straighten him, to strengthen him right through his weak side and stretch the stronger, generally contracted side (near side, more often than not) so they become more equally gymnasticised and supple.
This is not merely a flexibility thing, it is the most effective, if not only way to strengthen the back effectively. In repetitive stretching and contracting the muscles of each side, targeting more contraction, laterally to the weaker side and thus more stretch to the stronger, shorter side. We particularly target the longissimus dorsii, the long and important muscles along either side of the dorsal processes of the spine, the big muscles that carry the saddle and rider and plays a major roll in transferring the weight of the rider, his gear and varying degrees off the forehand back to the haunches.

For this sort of work to be effective, it is vitally important to ensure that the inner back on the circle, starts to lift and ultimately become stable in its contraction in order to secure true, deep lateral bend and vertical balance in turns and circles rather than being allowed to fall in, losing bend and returning to a centrifugal way of going which is a huge contributory factor in leg and back lameness.

Still looking for yard assistant. 25 hours full pay on Kick-start scheme so must be 16 - 24 years old. Horse experience a must.

Please share if you know anybody suitable. Kick-start scheme for 16 - 24 year olds.

We have a KickStart position available. 25 hours per week, minimum wage.

Duties include mucking out 5 - 6 horses, filling haynets, and other general duties. Riding and taking out hacks available for the right person, but riding experience is not essential.

Classical riding and ground training for those that are interested.

We also have 200 chickens and chicks of all different varieties that need caring for.
We are a small friendly laid-back yard with only a few other team members.
Please phone Emma on 07962 214 314 for more information.

CAE NEWYDD EQUINE SOLUTIONS RIDING AND TRAINING CENTRE
Yard Assistant