Claire McDermott Equestrian | Sport & recreation

Claire McDermott Equestrian

Phone: +61 411 517 391

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24.01.2022 Here’s another little grey for your day emphasis here on the little.. Mushy (Flash) is still pony size, about 14hh, and not looking like he’s going to make it to horse height lucky Diablo has given me plenty of practise riding small! He’s turning 3 in December, so still very much a baby. But he is being such a pest to Hugo in the paddock that I’ve decided he needs some light breaking in. Normally I wouldn’t start mine for another 6 months at least. But he’s really intell...igent and quite bored in the paddock. Hugo is sooooo laidback that he doesn’t play much with Mushy, and instead just gets chased around the paddock I bought Mushy pretty much before he was born as I asked for first option on him when he was still in utero from Shamrock Park. This was based purely on his breeding, as I had just lost my very special Gus and Mushy was the closest relative I could find. Gus was by Daley K out of a Brilliant Invader granddaughter. Mushy is by Blackall Park Twist (by Daley K), out of Koyuna Audrey who was a Brilliant Invader daughter, and she also has Souvenir on the dam line. Twist is also related to many of my horses at home as not only is he by Daley K, but he is out of Balmoral Beauty who in turn is by Balmoral Boy and out of Kilmarnock (who is out of Camelot). My lovely broodmare Glenara Final (Albert, Reva, Squirrel, Hugo’s mum) is by Daley K and out of Balmoral Princess. And she is by Balmoral Boy and out of Camelot. And Glenara Final herself is a full sister to Warlord II. Just a bit of breeding info for those who are interested! So Mushy is very closely related to a lot of my horses and plenty of other very good jumpers! Hopefully he can follow their footsteps, even if he is little I will just play with him over the next couple of months and teaching him the basics of becoming a riding horse. I’m looking forward to it! #kohdale #mushybytwist #breeding #pedigrees #specialyoungster

22.01.2022 Well it’s certainly been a bit quiet here over the last 7 weeks of lockdown.. but I’m tentatively booking people in for lessons from Sept 29 so please contact me if you’re keen I thought I’d introduce a new boy to the property, Seamus He’s a just turned 5yo Irish Sport Horse by Braveheart and out of Klyde’s half sister, Zita he is currently unbroken, but I’ve just started this process this last week. He hasn’t had a lot of handling over his years, but is incredibly f...riendly, and seems to be thoroughly enjoying his job so far. We have just started with simple things of tying up, grooming and picking up feet. He has also started to get the idea of lunging at the walk and will begin trotting shortly. I always find it a little challenge to teach young and friendly horses to lunge in an open arena (without scaring them and just letting them run around you madly) as they don’t want to leave you. But it does set them up better for later on. I look forward to riding him later on, but this will be determined by whatever pace he goes at. I love working with young horses #kohdale #seamus #irishsporthorse #youngster #futureeventer

22.01.2022 We finally made it to a competition NVSJC as usual put on a fantastic event, and I opted for a quiet weekend only taking three horses. Klydey jumped super... in his two classes for the last fence down in the 125 (rider ) and a keen clear in the 130 for 5th. Vinnie was veeeeery fresh as I expected but started with a nice double clear for 6th in the 95. He also jumped really confidently in the 104 and 110, but his exuberance in jumping into doubles gave him a couple of rails when he ran out of room. And lovely Cinny finally headed to his first show. I missed his 65 class when riding Vinnie, so he started in the 75 and was so confident that I also started him in the 85 and 80 on Sunday. Other than one green mistake, he didn’t go near a rail and totally understood what competitions were about by his second round I’m so excited about this young horse. I just love him. All in all it was a great weekend away and I can’t wait to head to Boneo in 2 weeks with 5 horses #kohdale #klydoscope #vindigo #bpcinzano #showjumping #nvsjc #goodboys #sogoodtocompeteagain #tacklet

22.01.2022 We were finally back our eventing on the weekend at Geelong HT and had a wonderful weekend I took Diablo in the 2.5*, Tango in the 65 and Cinny came along for the weekend for his first outing to check out competition life! Diablo was super all weekend; it was our first time riding the new 2020 dressage tests and whilst he made a few mistakes, he had some really good bits and got some 7s for these, and ended on 57%. He then cruised around the cross country course clear wit...h just 6 time, and given it was our first one back since our fall at Wallaby Hill, it was great to both feel so confident and have so much fun then he followed it up with a foot perfect clear SJ round to finish 4th such a champion this pony. Tango was in the 65 and managed to do his first dressage test in a couple of years for mostly success! He did receive a 1 when he decided he couldn’t possibly trot to the right and needed to canter the whole way but other than that he really surprised me with how sweet he was. He then SJ and XC clear and a bit too bold in both (definitely need some bigger jumps!) to finish 9th in his section And Cinny had a great time away. He settled into the routine immediately upon arrival, and had a ride and a couple of lunges to keep him entertained over the weekend. Nice to have such a good attitude! Thanks to mum and Sarah for their help at the event, dad for feeding the horses at home, and Tacklet for their sponsorship We have a weekend off (amazingly!) and then back out eventing again at Tonimbuk. Can’t wait! thanks to Tim Herbert and Tazzie Eggins Photography #kohdale #diablodescarado #eventingpony #tango #exitang #ottb #bpcinzano #eventing #geelonght #tacklet

21.01.2022 So I finally got to head back out for a jump lesson with Klyde on Tuesday He hasn’t had many jump sessions lately, so kept everything around the 120-130 height and worked on fine tuning my ride into fences to help him improve his technique. Klyde does have a lovely history of stopping on me when my ride isn’t perfect, so unfortunately I carry that through to most of my rides on him and protect him too much from the fences. This way I know he’s got that perfect distance a...nd I’m giving him every chance to jump it clearly. Which of course has its benefits in the ring! But it’s not so ideal for training, so I’m learning to allow him to be a bit closer to the fence and teach him to use himself a bit better to jump it. He feels brilliant when I do get that lovely trusting ride, I just need to keep practising to keep improving by Gone Riding Media of Klyde in the Mini Prix at Sale. #kohdale #klydoscope #showjumper #tacklet

21.01.2022 Albert and Klyde were my next to to have a jump session. Similarly they haven’t done much jumping lately. Albert was also veeeery excited to be jumping! He’s a big, strong horse (not in the mouth, he goes in a leather snaffle), but physically he is a strong type. And when he gets excited for jumping he has even more power than usual. Which makes for a fun ride but it takes a lot of core strength to keep him together, and his first jump is generally just to allow him to j...ump! I’ve also been really building his power in his flat work which was really nice to feel it translate to the jumping. Klydey has had the same issue his entire life in very quickly dropping behind my leg, whilst still actually feeling like he’s there! This can be super frustrating he has a big powerful uphill canter that tricks me into thinking he’s working harder than he is! But he’s really becoming more and more connected lately in his dressage and I was really conscious of trying to keep this feeling when we started jumping. After a few warm up jumps I really started to get that feel that I wanted and he felt fantastic into and over a fence. Now to keep training!

21.01.2022 The last weekend we drove up to Shepparton for NVSJC summer show. My horses always jump well at this venue so I was very pleased that the weather was tolerable the whole time. Klyde had his first start of the year, jumping clear in the 135 and then jumping two super 4 fault rounds in the 140 Diablo also jumped really well, only having a couple of rider error rails over the weekend in the 120, 125 and 130 classes. I really need to stop underestimating his stride length! A...lbert had a lovely casual clear in the 100 on the sand, and then had his first start on the main grass arena in the 104 for another lovely round. He was a bit wide-eyed but still very rideable. Vin jumped a super 4 fault round in the 105 on Saturday, but then sadly was a bit lame on the Sunday. He’s a bit sensitive in his feet, and the soil had settled rock hard in his feet overnight. Fortunately he was sound again on Monday. And Tango jumped the 75, 80 and 90 classes and thrilled me with how settled he was. Particular for his last class when he just cruised around. All in all it was a great weekend looking forward to heading to the Ingrid Klimke clinic this Fri/Sat and then off to Lang Lang show jumping on the Sunday. Thanks NVSJC for another great show, to mum for driving Albo and Dabby up in the float, to dad for feeding at home, and to Tacklet for their sponsorship. #kohdale #klydoscope #diablodescarado #albertbybaloudurouet #vindigo #exitang #ottb #jumpingpony #showjumping #goodhorses #nvsjc

20.01.2022 It’s been a busy week for Albert with his second ever jump lesson, and second dressage lesson We had some great exercises set up in the jump lesson for him. Albert has heaps of strength and power, so it was about teaching him to use this power in his jump. He felt like he was just playing the whole time, which is always a nice feeling. I’m really looking forward to getting him back out to shows in Spring (if they’re running!). An Autumn and Winter of schooling is really pr...ogressing him He also really surprised me in his dressage lesson this week (as he did last time!). But finding motivation and energy for flat work has always been hard for him! But he’s relishing the slightly harder work and feels energetic and alive! Such a great feeling. We just worked on the basics with him of improving his paces and the quality of his connection. Can’t wait for the next lesson! #kohdale #royalbalou #albertbybaloudurouet #stallion #dressage #showjumping #tacklet

19.01.2022 Dressage lesson day last week! I’m so thankful that Ron is currently able to come to my place to teach, and I’m certainly making the most of his last few months of living in Melbourne! Whilst I normally have my lessons on a usual few and then translate what I’ve learned across to the other horses, I decided that it was time for Albert to have a lesson of his own. I was a little concerned that I haven’t been strict enough in my training with him as he’s such a casual guy! B...ut I was thrilled with the work he showed in the lesson and how he relished the harder work. We were working on improving the quality in his paces into a better contact. He really started to feel quite fancy! My other lesson was on Russia , and he really had his work stepped up from his lesson two weeks ago. He is getting so much stronger and is really starting to be able to sit and collect much more. This week we played with leg yields to half pass, shoulder in and travers, as well as canter serpentines and simple changes. He is such a lovely horse, he just keeps trying and trying even when he starts to get tired. I may not have been able to sell him, but perhaps him and Klyde can head out to some dressage comps instead! #kohdale #royalbalou #albertbybaloudurouet #stallion #russiapph #ottb #dressageponies #tacklet

19.01.2022 I’m teaching cross country down at PCAV Park this coming Thursday (18th). If anyone else would like a lesson either PM me or text/call 0411517391 can do either private or shared!

18.01.2022 With all my planned major horse events being cancelled due to COVID-19, I have an abundance of extra time to teach or educate horses, including weekend availabilities I’m offering discounted lessons in jumping and dressage at my property in Lilydale until the end of Daylight Savings (April 5). We have a 60x30m geotextile arena with full show jump course with plenty of fill and a liverpool. $50 for a private lesson. ... $80 for 2 person shared (self organised). I compete at 140 Show Jumping and 3* eventing. I am of the philosophy that the horse always comes first, and specialise in building confidence in horse and rider. I teach riders of all ages and abilities, as well as horses and ponies in all shapes and sizes If you’ve been considering trying a different instructor or even having lessons for the first time then please contact me Either PM or call/text 0411 517 391

17.01.2022 We headed up to Shepparton for NVSJC’s March show on the weekend, and this looks like it will have been our last event for quite some time I took 5 horses with me and had a great time Diablo was a little star, feeling back to his normal happy self, jumping on a good grass surface. He only had two starts in the 125 and 130 and cruised around feeling very ready to step up! Albert had his first 110 start, as well as a 95 and 105 round. He jumped super in each round ... Vinnie and Kruis also started in the same classes as Albert and also jumped some pretty great rounds. Kruis managed a 6th in the 110 on Friday And Klyde really didn’t want to play this weekend in his classes he had recently been a bit unwell (though seemed perfectly fine for the week before the event), but I wonder if the travel knocked him around a little. So it was a shame that his season finished with him not jumping so well but he’s been such a good boy stepping up to these heights so far . So unfortunately our season has ended very prematurely, but I’m taking the opportunity to really crack on with my young horses, as well as get some things done on the property. I’m also available for more lessons at home Thanks to mum for driving Albo and Dabs up to Shep for me, and to dad for looking after the horses at home. #kohdale #diablodescarado #jumpingpony #royalbalou #falselyakruised #klydoscope #vindigo #ottb #showjumping #nvsjc

16.01.2022 Lessons After a change of weekend plans, I have a quieter day than initially intended, so I am offering showjumping or dressage lessons at my property in Lilyda...le this Sunday (28th) for a discounted $50 for private or $80 for (self organised) shared As a bonus, the weather is looking lovely!! 60 x 30m Geotextile arena with a full course of show jumps including a Liverpool and a variety of other fill. I compete at 140cm/Grand Prix showjumping and 3* eventing with a variety of horses from off the track thoroughbreds, to warmbloods (including stallions) and ponies. I teach riders and horses of all ages and abilities, and have plenty of experience with quirky/tricky horses! PM me or text/call 0411517391 to book in!

14.01.2022 So I completely forgot to do an update after Boneo Classic we took five horses down for the three day show and I was thrilled with all of them. Unfortunately Klyde came down with a fever the week before, and whilst he was totally fine before the event it wasn’t worth the risk of taking him unless. So instead Tango got to come along for some baby classes for his first outing in a while! He was a little hot the first two days understandably, but really settled by the third a...nd jumped really well. Kruis also had his first outing in two years and was super jumping 3/3 clear rounds in the 90-100 classes. Looking forward to him stepping back up shortly once he builds his fitness. Albert was my star of the weekend he just had two classes, a 100 and 104. But it was his first big show and his first time seeing proper fill so I’m thrilled with how well he jumped around Vinnie had missed a bit of work when he pulled 3 shoes off so he was just in the 90/95 classes to get back into it. He jumped really well too And finally Diablo and I didn’t have our greatest weekend with him chipping into a double (which he never does) in the 120 and me falling off, and then having a few rails in the 120 speed class. But he jumped really well on the sand in the 125. He didn’t have his equipak in his feet for this show so I’m positive he was just feeling the ground more on the grass which would explain him not feeling his usual self. All in all it was a great show. I was very much looking forward to heading back the following week for World Wetlands Day. But I unfortunately got heat exhaustion on the Thursday and wasn’t up to riding Thanks to mum for all her help at the event, and dad for feeding the horses at home. Thanks to Tacklet for their sponsorship and Boneo Park for running another great show! #kohdale #albertbybaloudurouet #falselyakruised #vindigo #exitang #ottb #diablodescarado #jumpingpony #boneoclassic #boneopark #showjumping #tacklet

14.01.2022 So with the ever changing environment surrounding Covid-19, here are the current services I offer: - At this stage I am still available to coach in person at your property/agistment (no travelling your horse to me). This is available to those riders in the Yarra Valley. We will be strictly adhering to all government protocols to minimise the spread. This is $70 per lesson. ... - I can also offer an analysis of your jump rounds/dressage tests. This can either be in a competition situation or training at home. Analysis is provided either by email or Facebook messenger if you want more of a discussion. $20 for two jump rounds or one dressage test (or equivalent time if training). - And lastly I offer Confidence Sessions. The majority of problems I encounter in my coaching is due to a lack of confidence in the rider. This may be for a huge variety of reasons, from performance anxiety, to having had a bad fall or injury, being scared of the horse or simply lacking goals. Whether you ride for pleasure or you’re a competition rider, having a sensible level of confidence is so important to ultimately enjoy what you do. Sometimes all someone needs is a bit of a mentor that they can have an open discussion with, with absolutely zero judgement. Discussions are generally held through Facebook messenger as often it is easier for people to type their situations rather than talking in person, but phone calls, text messages and emails can all be catered for. The most important is having a medium that is easiest for discussions. These sessions involve a 30min initial discussion regarding where you are lacking confidence and exploring some possible reasons as to why confidence is lacking. As well as suggesting some strategies to implement. We then have a follow up session 7-10 days later to discuss where you are at and any follow up plans. These sessions are $50 for the first booking (2 sessions) and $30 for each subsequent follow up session. The first session also includes a free ride analysis video if the participant so desires. It’s amazing how so often feeling good about yourself and your riding translates to feeling good away from the horse. Please PM me or call/text 0411 517 391 for any further info

13.01.2022 Nothing like a lot of rain to ruin a weekend of eventing but all this summer rain is fantastic so I’m definitely not complaining. The organisers of Tonimbuk did a super job trying to allow us to ride all phases in the best conditions possible. My weekend started with getting stuck twice in the truck trying to park fortunately we ended up back down the hill on the gravel. My wheels were only spinning, others got well and truly bogged! Tango had his dressage on Friday whi...ch was moved to the indoor. He had a very quick warm up due to the large amount of horses in a small area, but then was surprisingly good indoors! He may have been last after this phase but he tried really hard, we got a couple of 7s and was a huge improvement from Geelong (we got most of the right trot ). He then SJ in the other indoor on Saturday with again minimal warm up for 4 faults. I decided I would start him Xc but retire after the first water as the bottom section was very boggy. Unfortunately I felt like we were going to fall on landing at jump 1 and 2 as it was deceptively deep there, and then after he slipped with his hind at jump 5 I decided to walk home. Such a shame but there’s always more events! Dabby was really chilled for his dressage surprisingly, I actually had to use my legs far more than usual he also did a much better test than Geelong for 59% and had 7 horses below him on the scoreboard! I think that’s a record Unfortunately he wasn’t his usual self SJ in the indoor and I had one of the worst rounds I’ve ridden on him for 8 faults. I had already decided not to run him xc due to the ground conditions, but with him not feeling great it cemented that decision. Thanks as always to mum and Sarah, and Leigh for coming down to watch me do 1 jump and help pack up. Also to Tacklet for their sponsorship. We are off with the show jumpers to Shepparton this week. Definitely looking forward to less cross country course walking! #kohdale #diablodescarado #eventingpony #tango #exitang #ottb #tonimbukht #eventing #tacklet

13.01.2022 So I thought I could possibly update this page a bit more often, rather than just doing event recaps! Especially given we are unlikely to be back competing any time soon. Given I have 10 horses in work with a couple more to break in over winter, I decided I might do a few training updates on different horses as we go throughout the weeks. So my first training update involves Vinnie and Kruis ... Both boys have been on a similar work schedule since competing at Shepparton 8 weeks ago. They had a few weeks off, and then started light flat work and plenty of hacking. This last couple of weeks I have increased the intensity of their dressage work and they’ve had a couple of very small (80cm) jump sessions. Today was their first proper jump back. I just had some very simple lines and single jumps for us all to get back into it. Vinnie was veeeeery keen to be jumping again! But in a really nice energetic yet totally with me way. I find with Vin that he can sometimes lack a bit of confidence when he hasn’t jumped for a while, but I was so pleased that today I didn’t get any of that feeling. He was confident and eager I absolutely love jumping this horse, he makes me smile every time! Kruis is a bit of an unusual horse in his way of travelling, but I’m becoming more and more comfortable with this. He gets a bit uncomfortable if he’s in a normal horse distance. He likes to take off from further away from the fence, but fortunately he’s got plenty of scope for this to be ok! My first few jumps I got a bit sucked in to giving him that usual distance, but fortunately then got my act together and gave him those more forward slightly longer distances and he was a much happier horse. I was also super pleased that despite the awful wind today they were both totally focussed and on the job. Nice that some of my horses are sensible #kohdale #vindigo #ottb #falselyakruised #showjumpers #tacklet

12.01.2022 I always have people asking for weekend lessons but I can so rarely offer them..

11.01.2022 My more frequent posting certainly went out the window I’ve been incredibly busy which I’m certainly not complaining about! I’ve started teaching some lovely new clients over the last couple of weeks on top of my wonderful regulars I genuinely love teaching and watching everyone and their horses improve. My horses have all been in a similar amount of work of 3-4 days per week. They’re all improving steadily and I’m really happy with how they’re travelling at the momen...t. Here’s a short video or Klyde in some of his dressage and jumping lessons lately #kohdale #klydoscope #showjumping #dressage #tacklet

07.01.2022 I have a client looking to lease out one of their horses. Preferably on property lease in Park Orchards, but a possibility for elsewhere depending on person and property. 16hh 19yo ISH. She has plenty of life about her so don’t be concerned about the age! She has previously competed to 110, but would probably prefer to do some lower stuff now. ... She would suit a confident intermediate rider. No nervous or beginner riders and she is reasonably forward. Lease would be contracted. If interested please PM or text me 0411 517 391 and I will pass on owners details.

06.01.2022 Hacking today I’m lucky in that I have quite a long driveway that I can take the horses down for a hack whilst still being on property. It’s so important to get the horses out of the arena and literally have a casual stroll. I never use a hack as an educational ride. Short of them stopping, going and turning where I want anyway! I allow them to pick the tempo, some horses always march along or want to trot, others prefer a casual stroll. This is technically a day off ...for them whilst giving their minds a total break. All of my horses get a hack at least once, but generally twice a week. I’m also lucky in that when I go out my front gate there are actually horse tracks along our road. One side is all weather gravel, and the other is a lovely hilly grass area so I often do some canters up the hill as well. The only downside to taking them out is that our road is quite busy, and whilst we are separated from the road by trees, I would hate for something to happen. As such I only take out the older/saner horses for safety reasons!

05.01.2022 How wonderful are horses?

01.01.2022 Well this weekend would have been the show jumpers’ last competition for the season down at Boneo Park. Then next weekend we would be off to Ballarat Horse Trials for Diablo’s last start before Melbourne 3DE. How plans have changed! Instead the horses have all kept up a light schooling schedule. I find no need to keep them in full competition work as I personally have written the year off from any big competitions. But they can all get stronger and more supple and improve te...chnique etc. I have been lucky enough to continue with my dressage lessons at home, and I’m really happy with how they’re all coming along! The youngsters have had an increase in work and have started doing some more jumping and are also improving rapidly which is really nice to feel Personally I am still teaching at other people’s properties and it’s very rewarding to see the progress there too I am also clipping my horses and others. So please PM if you’d like a lesson or a clip. Here’s to another couple of months of continuing training