Carl Hester

Queenbee

Queenbee

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Just watching H&C, I love watching Carls show, I think the way he cares for his horses is fantastic, to say nothing of his exceptional tallent in the saddle. I love what I see of this man, the fact that he gives his horses a proper holiday, allowing them time off without a bit in their mouth for fun hacking weeks :D, the fact that all his horses have a decent turnout regime... one of the things that he attributes his success to. Today I was so happy to see that he caters for retirement of his horses, even those like Escapado who he sold mid career, he always tries to get them back when they retire so that he can give them a happy and very much deserved retirement. What a bloke :D
 
Very impressed with the turnout and general management and attitude towards his horses. Obviously he does it for a living and as a business, but even so, he puts many amateur riders to shame in looking after his horse's welfare when they can no longer work for him.
 
Mithras said:
Very impressed with the turnout and general management and attitude towards his horses. Obviously he does it for a living and as a business, but even so, he puts many amateur riders to shame in looking after his horse's welfare when they can no longer work for him.
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I agree, watching his programmes always leaves me with a warm fuzzy feeling, pampered horses, allowed equally to be horses and given a great deal of respect and appreciation for the role that they have played in his life. I know its easier to do when you have the money to do it, but its nice to see someone doing it. I know MK has a similar philosophy.
 
Loved this programme just goes to show that despite being high level competition horses they all get to go out and have a good time. It always makes me laugh when people say they dont turn their horses out as they compete and its to risky after watching this.

I wouldnt hesitiate in sending a horse to him after seeing the life they live with him.
 
Ibblebibble said:
he does always come across as lovely , just a shame he bats for the other side as he's not bad looking too:eek:
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He seems to have a fantastic sense of humour too, I also remember seeing one of his friends interviewed from the channel islands, when they were kids they took a donkey down some steep steps to a beach (literally carried the thing down) and gave beach rides... quite the entrepreneur!

dafthoss said:
Loved this programme just goes to show that despite being high level competition horses they all get to go out and have a good time. It always makes me laugh when people say they dont turn their horses out as they compete and its to risky after watching this.

I wouldnt hesitiate in sending a horse to him after seeing the life they live with him.
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Exactly, if I were ever lucky enough to have a horse that had the potential to reach the highest level and he wanted it, id breath a sigh of relief knowing where it was going.
 
I watched the Carl and Charlotte show yesterday evening, they seem to get on so well. Charlotte calls him "Grandad" and tried to steal his 1st podium. They both seem such likeable characters.

Carl and Charlotte wear crash hats rather than top hats and Carl stated that they are setting an example. A very good one too.
 
I have to completely agree, I really enjoying watching their program too. He comes across that he very much an animal person and generally cares about every horse.
 
I watched that too. I think a lot can be attributed to the success of both Uthopia and Valegro by the normal horsey life they give them (compared to most top class dressage horses who are lucky to see grass at all!)

I like Carl Hester too, i think he's got a good sense of humour. And obviously a great rider!
 
I too like him :D

I like what I know of his training methods. Letting horses be horses and guiding them into doing what us humans want, i.e. the introduction to canter being in nice long straight lines, following another horse, rather than trying to zoom a big, unbalanced horse round the average sized school.
 
I spliced your name with the thread title and read "Queen Hester" which would've been a very different thread :eek:

I always think that his attitude to competition horse management is to be commended :)
 
Ditto! I like him more after watching his shows on H&C, he seems to genuinely love and care for the horses, and let's them be horses not just competition machines.

I think it's nice how he's got Escapado back for his retirement too.
 
Also...just wanted to say that I facebooked him about an issue I was having...and he only flippin replied !!! How nice is THAT ??

Billy-no-talent me got a reply from CARL HESTER !! and he was funny, witty and kind too.

Nice guy. I wish him all the success in the world.
 
I agree with all of the above however find Its also sad he is looking to sell (or has already sold) Uthopia. I realise its a business and money needs to be made, but surely he is one of carls horses of a lifetime? :(
 
I love that program, the yard is gorgeous and the horses seem so chilled. Which must attribute to their success.
 
9tails said:
I watched the Carl and Charlotte show yesterday evening, they seem to get on so well. Charlotte calls him "Grandad" and tried to steal his 1st podium. They both seem such likeable characters.

Carl and Charlotte wear crash hats rather than top hats and Carl stated that they are setting an example. A very good one too.
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I agree, I love their 'banter' and they are also really good advocates for both dressage and horse riding/ownership in general
Caol Ila said:
I know, you just want to take him home with you, don't you? LOL!
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yep!
JFTD said:
I spliced your name with the thread title and read "Queen Hester" which would've been a very different thread :eek:
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Hmmm yes, that could have made and interesting thread :D:D

Feathered said:
I think it's nice how he's got Escapado back for his retirement too.
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It very heartwarming to see that he hasnt lost sight of how to treat a horse... many top level riders see their horses merely as vehicles for their own success and once redundant they dont give them a second thought.
 
woodlandswow said:
I agree with all of the above however find Its also sad he is looking to sell (or has already sold) Uthopia. I realise its a business and money needs to be made, but surely he is one of carls horses of a lifetime? :(
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Carl doesn't own him completely does he? He just has the ride until after the Olympics...
 
woodlandswow said:
I agree with all of the above however find Its also sad he is looking to sell (or has already sold) Uthopia. I realise its a business and money needs to be made, but surely he is one of carls horses of a lifetime? :(
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as was escapado, unfortunately its not his horse though its sasha stewarts and it was the plan from what he was saying to sell him after London 2012, but he also says he really hopes that when U's retirement comes up he can have him back, like he did with Escapado, to give him his retirement. Unfortunately it is the way it goes at that level but its nice to see someone with a sense of responsibility and loyalty.


Love that he replied to you on FB Mrussell
 
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Buds_mum said:
Carl doesn't own him completely does he? He just has the ride until after the Olympics...
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That's my understanding there was talk about the horse being sold before the qualifying window closed but Carl managed to hang on to the ride until after the Olympics .
It will be sad if he is sold but you can't blame the owner it will be a turely huge sum of money.
 
Surely selling horses at their peak is the way to go?

Buy cheap, produce well, sell at massive £££'s then get them back when they can no longer work or a have lost their value due to age. It's like they've been leased.

It shows that Carl is not only a careing horseman but also a very shrewd buisnessman.

Love him too.
 
Uthopia is his friends horse - he just has the ride and was agreed that he would keep the ride until after the Olympics. He said on the show that as he was smaller that he'd normally go for he said for his friend to buy him and he'd carry on looking for another - and never found one for himself!
 
Does he do clinics? Honest to god i worhship his riding, one day i may be able to do a minute amount he can do and i would be estatic.
 
Gutted we can't get Horse & Country as we're on Virgin Media for TV.
Does anyone know if you can watch it online pleeeaase?
Love him - he rode a horse called Legal Democrat (I think this was his "breakthrough" horse) which belonged to a lady local to me - she bought Democrat to his first show as a 4 year old and I was the show secretary! My claim to fame (lol)
 
jnb - you must be local to me as legal democrat was local to me too! which was the show?

I loved the program, thoroughly impressed by their standards. What impressed me the most was when one of them threw a shoe in the field the day before travelling to a big competition (can't recall it was possibly Valegro) and made himself foot sore so they couldn't do the show. He was so cool about it that they couldn't go, I should think most people would never let the horse in the field again!
 
That was just before Hagen in Germany this year, and it was Utopia that pulled a shoe, so carl cancelled his round but they still went for charlotte with Valegro, who claimed a new world record score in the Grand Prix Special of 88.022%

JNB... come down to cornwall, I have it all recorded on my sky + box :D
 
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