*Exclusive* ‘If I couldn’t compete it wouldn’t bother me’: Olympian Abi Lyle’s training mantras, including why praise, variety and turnout are key

Top riders often talk about developing their own system, but modest Irish dressage rider Abi Lyle says she’s “still figuring this out”.

“I don’t know how much of a style of my own I have yet. I’m obviously heavily influenced by Carl (Hester) and Gareth (Hughes), but I’m also influenced by being Irish in that I love jumping and doing a bit of everything,” she says.

Perhaps surprisingly for an Olympic rider, it’s not competition that motivates Abi.

“It’s not that I’m not grateful for the success I’ve had competing, but I just really love working with horses, training them and being with them,” she explains.

“I loved the covid lockdown, I thrived so much. For some reason if I couldn’t compete it wouldn’t bother me… I enjoy it when I compete, but it’s not where my motivation lies,” she explains.

“Some people might say I’m not a great sportsperson for that reason, but I think it’s a good mindset to have as an equestrian. I’m more interested in partnership and longevity with horses, than scores.”

What does Abi Lyle look for in a horse?

“I don’t really have a set ‘something’ I look for, and any horses I ride have come to me. But I want horses that seem like they want to do it; they look happy to be tacked up, and interact with me,” she says, adding that a good temperament is key.

“I like to figure them all out and I like to work out what they need in terms of their personality. I’ve never had an established horse to ride, they’ve always been young or green. The oldest horse I’ve ever had was six, and that was Farrell [Abi’s 2023 Europeans ride].

“I don’t really have a preference when it comes to bloodlines, I think they all have something to offer. I have Arty’s half-sister (Olenza) and she’s by Glamourdale and out of Arty’s mum Valenza (by Flemmingh). Temperament comes a lot from the mare; they are the ones giving the foal their first experiences and laying the boundaries, so I think looking at the mare is really important.”

Training for success

When it comes to training Abi believes less is more, and she says having someone on the ground is an important factor for gauging progress.

“I do a lot of riding the horse on both sides; if you’re spiralling in, then spiral out, do left and right shoulder in on the same rein. Moving the horse around a lot is something I always do with all of them, even in the warm-up,” she explains.

Abi believes in variety when it comes to training, and while she enjoys hacking and this is included in most of her horse’s routines, including her Olympic ride Arty, she adds that it isn’t essential for all horses if they don’t enjoy it.

“It depends where you are in terms of roads, and the horse. I have two horses that don’t enjoy it, one that I had a collision with a cyclist with. But both these horses love jumping, so when the others hack they’ll jump that day. Why make them do something they don’t want to?,” she says, adding that being based at showjumper Georgie Round’s yard helps with her jumping training.

“Georgie might have an exercise out, and we have poles out a lot. I absolutely love jumping, and used to compete up to 1.20m in Ireland – though I emphasise poorly! But if I had a horse that could, I’d jump around 1.30m tomorrow.”

Abi applies the “rule of age” when working with young horses.

“Four-year-olds work four days a week, five-year-olds do five days, and if they are six and up they’ll do six days. For the four-year-olds Monday is generally a lunge to get their bodies going, they’ll then do a schooling session, a hack, and another school. If they’re five they might hack again, or school,” she explains.

“Some people might turn a three- or four-year-old away but I prefer to always have a hand on them so mine get a lot more intermittent holidays, and if they’ve just done their first show they might get a week or two after that.”

“I’m a big believer in reward, I train all my horses to stop when I whistle,” says Abi. “It means if I want to quickly walk and give them a break, I whistle, they’ll walk, get a pat, and then do a circle, and then we pick up and go again. But, if it’s something a bit more intense, like training piaffe, the pockets will very much be filled and the treats will be administered.”

And training piaffe is one movement Abi can be particularly proud of.

“The two horses I’ve produced from youngsters to grand prix are Arty and Farrell. Arty’s piaffe isn’t always his best in the actual test because he can get a bit tight, but they’re both very good at piaffe. Carl did say to me once ‘This isn’t a coincidence’ – which was a really nice thing for him to say,” says Abi.

“I also love teaching a flying change. My method has changed over the years, and for me it’s about the shape of the horse and the canter. You need a bouncy canter, the kind that you’d want coming to a big vertical fence. On a line I do a lot of simple changes; I’m not worried about the walk transition, but I want it to be really snappy when I ask them to canter again. From that I put them into a little bit of renvers so their bodies are positioned where they need to change.

“It’s incredibly unglamorous at the start, and I always say with changes you will want to tear your hair out, then all of a sudden they’ll come.”

Turnout is key, says Abi Lyle

One thing you can always expect to find at Abi’s yard is turned out horses.

“I like them to go in the field and move – that’s my biggest thing. They all have buddies and go out as a pair,” she says. “And I don’t like them to be ridden then not leave the stable again, they’ll either go back out, or go for a walk, or on the walker.

“I’m quite old school when it comes to management and I believe less is more. But I do like to use a massage rug, and when I used to be near a water treadmill everyone went every week, but I don’t have one very close now.”

Abi also takes a less is more approach to tack on occasion…

“If I can ride them without a bridle I will. I wouldn’t say I’m doing natural horsemanship or anything like that, but I’ve ridden a few without a bridle, and jumped one. If I can do stuff like that I will,” she says.

“Sometimes I’ll close the doors, let them loose in the school and muck about and have fun. I remember once riding a mare and getting off her thinking ‘This isn’t happening’, so I just ran around the school with her and had a lovely time.

“You can get too regimented in thinking that you’ve got to ride and ‘do this’, and you’ve got to be achieving every time, but spending time with your horse is still achieving.”

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