The following article was published in March 2007, California Riding Magazine
Training and Conditioning With the Astride
When Krista Towns invented the Astride, a patented training surcingle that safely
simulates rider weight and feel, she was looking for a solution to use for her own horse’s rehab
conditioning. What she invented was a solution for a whole lot more.
“Now the Astride is being used by top breeding farms and trainers to help start young
horses, condition horses on the longe line or exerciser, and rehab horses coming back from
injuries,” Krista explains.
The Astride is made of high-quality leather, with generous wool-flocked panels and a
wide reinforced gullet, so it fits most horses very comfortably and remains stable during use. Its
quality of design, and manufacturing standards, has helped make it a valued piece of training
equipment for trainers throughout the equine industry.
Starting Young Horses at Iron Spring Farm
At Iron Spring Farm, Mary Alice Malone’s renowned Pennsylvania sport horse breeding
farm, Equine Manager Robert Croteau uses the Astride on the farm’s young Dutch Warmbloods
and Friesians. His fourteen years at Iron Spring Farm, coupled with years in the Thoroughbred
industry, led Robert to develop time-proven protocols for conditioning and training young sport
horses.
The results of Iron Spring Farm’s breeding and training programs speak for themselves.
For 30 years, their numerous stallions have raised the bar of sport horse quality in the U.S., and
this year their late, great stallion Roemer was inducted into the USDF’s Hall of Fame.
Robert’s responsibility is for the farm’s breeding stock and young horses, so his concern
for how each horse is introduced to weight-carrying exercise is critical. “We have established
protocols for our horses’ care and training,” says Robert, “from monitoring the progress of a
broodmare ready to foal, to preparing a youngster for breed shows, and beyond.”
Now one of Robert’s tools for conditioning those youngsters is the Astride. “I liked the
concept,” he recalls of first discovering the Astride, “and after using it on my own horses, I
began using it on the Iron Spring Farm horses.” Now the Astride is used as part of the farm’s
established training and conditioning protocols.
Emphasizing that the effect of using any tool lies in the hands of its user, Robert says,
“As horsemen, we should first do no harm, and the Astride, like any training aid, should be used
responsibly.
“I start a young horse, or one that I’m rehabbing, slowly. First, getting the horse
accustomed to the Astride, using it without any weight. Then, gradually increasing the amount of
time the horse walks, adding walks up and down hills. As the horse becomes stronger and more
fit, I add weight to the Astride gradually, so the horse is never overstressed.”
Whether the horses in his care are hand-walked, longed or use the exercise mill, Robert
uses the Astride appropriately to enhance their conditioning. “You have to see how the horse
comes out of the stall every day,” he points out. “You always tailor the work to the horse’s
needs, not the other way around.”
Many Uses at the Robert O. Mayer Riding Academy
Since establishing his riding academy in the early 1960s, Robert O. Mayer has been
teaching dressage through grand prix and haute ecole, as well as jumping, teaching children and
adults that “riding is only artful when both horse and rider display pleasure.”
Teaching the skills necessary for riding to be a pleasure calls for expertise, and Robert
has the distinction of holding teaching licenses from both the British Horse Society (B.H.S.I.)
and the German Federation Nationale (F.N.).
Robert describes his use of the Astride to bridge the gap between longeing a horse who
has never had a rider on its back, to when the first rider is introduced. “Doing the same ground
training while gradually putting more and more weight on the saddle brings a gradual step up to
a rider’s weight. Horses can now, at their own speed, develop the muscles needed until they can
carry a rider without losing their balance in between.”
He highlights the Astride’s usefulness for even more situations. “You have brought a
design that is easily adaptable in many circumstances, not only ground training, but rehabilitating
a horse that had been injured and had lost the existing muscles.”
Robert uses the Astride both with, and without, a saddle, depending on what each horse
needs. “Congratulations, you made a wonderful design easily usable.”
Astride’s Growing Popularity
Krista’s goal in creating the Astride was to make a real difference in training,
conditioning, and rehabilitating the horses we all love. The Astride’s growing popularity with
trainers throughout the world is making that goal a reality.
To find our more about the Astride, visit www.eponaire.com or call 866-513-7700.
Article courtesy of Eponaire, manufacturer and distributor of the Astride.