Bumper Crowd Hails Paul Hayler
Friday, February 18, 2005
Bumper Crowd Hails Paul Hayler!
Essex-based international dressage rider Paul Hayler wowed a bumper crowd at ILPH Hall Farm, Norfolk with an enthralling lecture demonstration on Friday 11th February.
An audience of over 150 dressage enthusiasts were treated to a superb display of sympathetic riding as Paul brought out three completely different horses and demonstrated his unquestionable equestrian talent.
Starting with a five-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Wolkentanz, Paul explained the importance of keeping a young horse fresh and happy so that he is willing to move forward by himself. “A lecture demonstration such as this provides an excellent opportunity for a young horse to see a crowd and learn to cope with unusual sights such as a flash camera,” Paul explained.
Throughout the evening, Paul reminded the spectators of the value of praising and patting your horse regularly, and showed a real empathy with all of his horses. The second horse Paul brought out was a 10-year-old bay mare who will be aimed at Advanced Medium classes this year. Paul explained that mares can often take longer to relax, but are worth persevering with because if you find a good mare they can be very, very good!
The final horse to entertain the crowd after the interval was Mrs Dorothy Taylor’s established campaigner My Dundee, who has been with Paul since a novice. Dundee certainly revelled in the limelight as Paul donned top hat and tails for an awe-inspiring Grand Prix freestyle display to music including the theme to BBC’s “Grandstand”. My Dundee was clearly playing to the crowd, showing off expressive tempi changes and established piaffe work which provided a spectacular climax to a superb evening’s entertainment.
