'Trust the process': starting unknown horses from scratch in 75 mins a day

Starting a horse correctly is a steady, methodical process. But the contestants of Equitana's renowned competition, The Way Of The Horse, had just 75 minutes each day to work with an unhandled two-year-old.

While the clock ticked, they also had the added pressure of performing in front of a panel of judges - and a buzzing crowd.

The horses were supplied by Victorian breeder Pam Jones of Clairveaux Quarter Horses.

None of the contestants had laid eyes on their horses prior to the event, and allocations carried out by a random draw.

Each horse had its own personality, and therefore strengths and weaknesses. The competition was judged on aspects such as the training process, communication, and safety between the horse and trainer.

The judges were Will Rogers, now based in Germany, Tom Curtain, Katherine, NT, and the 2022 winner, Skye Liikanen, Biddaddaba, Qld.

They crowned South Australia's Matt Bleby, alongside his long-term mentor and 2012 winner, Ken Faulkner, the 2024 The Way Of The Horse champion.

He placed ahead of Queensland's Amber Scriven, mentored by another TWOTH winner in Adam Sutton, and Victoria's Flinders Greentree, partnered with The Man From Snowy River Trainers Challenge winner, Priscilla Oberreiner.

Mr Bleby was partnered with You Bet I'm Reddy, or Turbo, by Clairveaux's imported sire Better Be Reddy and out of RQH My Kinda Angel.

Mr Greentree drew Clairveaux Made Hot, by the imported KJ American Made and from Winderadeen Sumhotpeppy, while Ms Scriven worked with Potentially a Goodbar, by Potentially Lazy (IMP) out of Good Bar Dolly (IMP).

Mr Bleby said Turbo was very sensitive.

"The first thing I found was he was a really kind soul, he was really kind, he's gentle, but he's extremely nervous," he said.

"He wants to cuddle all the time and if he's in your pocket he's alright, but as soon as you say to step over there he'd get real bothered.

"He's got a whole riding career ahead of him - I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to fry him, or push him, or do anything that was going to upset him because he was struggling in the setting."

Turbo was particularly reactive to the girth, but Mr Bleby said his process remained the same and he had no expectations on what ought to be achieved during a session.

And although appearing unfazed himself, Mr Bleby said it did take some effort to block out the crowd.

"Once you get working you can go with the flow but it is hard," he acknowledged.

"The hardest thing is the clock, you feel like we're just starting to get somewhere and just starting to get some real quality, they'd yell out, 'two minutes!'"

The Way Of The Horse 2024

Pictures by Rebecca Nadge

In the final component, trainers showcased their horses individually in a larger arena while explaining their process.

Mr Bleby delivered a methodical, thoughtful commentary - interspersed with plenty of encouragement for Turbo.

He also allowed Turbo plenty of time to adjust to the girth.

"We bring trust, we build trust, we build relationship, then we add the saddle," he said.

"Once we've got the saddle added, then we add the passenger.

"Once we add the passenger, then we add the rider.

"If he gets too bothered at any time, I want to let him know he can always come back and trust me as much as he needs."

Mr Rogers, speaking on behalf of the judges, praised all the competitors.

"For you guys at home it's an entertaining event, but the most important thing for us is the process," he said.

"This is why Matt was our winner - the process and the foundation, and the safety of the horse and rider, the way the horse experienced the process, the clear communication.

"These are the sort of factors that are important to us."

Turbo, along with the other two horses, will now be offered for sale.

"He's a great horse and I really hope whoever goes on and finishes starting him does a really good job with him," Mr Bleby said.

"I've put my heart and soul into earning his trust so I hope he can trust the next person just as much - he's a great horse."

Mr Bleby said the opportunity to learn and share with other trainers was one of the best parts of the event.

"Flinders and Amber have done such a good job - they're fantastic horse people in their own right," he said.

The win also validated his work.

As a mentor, Mr Faulkner was able to offer feedback until the final component. He admitted he was "nervous as hell" while watching from afar.

The duo have worked together for more than a decade and spend several weeks each year starting horses together in Victoria, South Australia and Queensland.

Mr Faulkner said after starting horses solo for about 40 years, he had come to realise the benefits of working as a team.

"I was starting to think that I was getting stale, and then when Matt came along, 12, 15 years ago, it sort of reinvigorated me," he said.

"Working as a team, we're safer, the horse is better, we turn off a nicer product."

The pair first met when Mr Bleby was a 16-year-old student. He credited his mentor for pushing him out of his comfort zone.

"One day I was pouting and feeling sorry for myself because he told me off again and he came over at the end of the day and said, 'listen, I only yell at you because I know you're better than that and I want to see it'," Mr Bleby said.

"He's the godfather of horsemanship in Australia - I'm the luckiest horseman in the world to be able to work with him so closely."

Mr Faulkner noted training horses was about more than just on-ground application.

"You've got to become the person that lets you get the horse you want," he said.

"There's a fair bit of self internalising that happens. It's something that happens that's a bit deeper than just the practical horsemanship.

"Every day there's that little bit of self doubt. That'll either hobble you or make you get better.

"I think both of us are real happy with where we're at in our horsemanship, but neither are satisfied yet."