Katy Green is no stranger to finding future stars of the working hunter circuit and producing them into champions. But how does the Warwickshire-based rider know if a horse has the potential to become a top class worker, and how does she scout out raw talent?
“I’ve been really lucky over the years and I’ve just come across some fantastic horses,” said Katy, when she chatted to H&H’s showing editor Alex Robinson on episode 65 of the Horse & Hound podcast. “I never look for established horses, always three- or four-year-olds.
“Normally, I will look at the Irish sales or on horses for sale websites. I always look for the horses to be backed as I don’t really have the time these days to be starting them myself. I don’t like them to have done too much more than just being sat on as a I like to produce them myself; we can learn from our mistakes together.”
When she has found the horse she wants to see, Katy follows some check boxes to ensure the animal is right for the job.
“Movement is important; they have to move straight,’’ she said. “I can cope with the odd blemish in conformation. Most of all they have to have the right brain and have to want to do the job. I can usually tell this from a three- or four-year-old.
“When I went to try my current young horse, Cruz, he was only four and hadn’t been broken in very long. He had every single fence down when I rode him. But he tried really hard, kept coming and was really keen to a fence. He had a great canter, too, and I thought that if I could get him stronger he’d improve. Now, he’s six and he’s going clear around HOYS qualifiers. It’s all about attitude.’’
You can listen to more from Katy on episode 65 of the Horse & Hound podcast.
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