"Travelling is something I try to keep as simple as possible. The most important secret to travelling is to leave home with a healthy horse. It sounds easy, but how many are not a little under weight, or have been coughing a bit, working physically very hard and have little reserves for a possible long and eventually stressful trip?

Make sure that the horses stand with their friends. I am sure there are people you wouldn’t want to stand next to for 12 hours! Keep it simple; my horses get four bandages of good quality, bandaged by me or someone I trust, to not make them too tight or too lose. Those that don’t like back bandages don’t get them!

Plan the trip well, leaving in time, trying not to stand in traffic for hours. Make sure to arrive well in time and therefore give the horses enough rest time before competition.

Blankets are the only pain in the ass; know your truck! My horses that stand at the back generally have more blankets than those at the front. I always check the horses if I notice a change in temperature; it is for me vital that they never get to warm or cold."

"I personally have never been a fan of what I call ‘bling bling’ - and that is no offence to anyone as some people do it very well, but I am for simple lines and high quality. There is nothing worse than cleaning cheap leather.

Marcus sponsor has always been Passier which is a traditional high quality saddler. This suits me perfectly; beautiful bridles exactly how Marcus likes them. The saddles I have been riding in since i came to Germany and find my self in the perfect centre of balance. Our horses also greatly appreciate the fact that they always fit without too much fuss.

The same is found in the Veredus boots that carry Marcus’ name. All our horses jump and work in their boots; there is for me nothing else on the market that looks so classy and performs perfectly the job of protecting the legs as these boots."

“As for the turnout for the ring, I wouldn’t be the fussiest. Shiny coats come from inside, plaits need to be evenly spread out and the plait itself tight, manes if open straight and relatively short. I never pull manes, and tails need to be cut short.

I use all cleaning products from Veredus on our horses.

Happy horses stand out in the ring, and should have clean tack, shiny brass and everything on straight - with nothing flapping around. Then I think I am good to go!"
 

"For feeding find a brand you work well with. Listen to your horses; they will always tell you if the feed is good for them or not. Are they sweating a lot, are they shiny, do they need huge amounts to keep weight? There are so many questions that we should never stop asking and searching for the best answers to.

Vitamins are very much individual as to what each horse needs and once they are recognised, then look for the best product on the market for that need - not all companies are good at everything.

Marcus' horses eat Pavo and I couldn’t be happier with how well his horses always feel and look, they make my job easy and as I said before, not everyone has everything, so I often turn to TRM for any additional supplements. With all their years of experience in the racing industry, our horses benefit from their input and expertise.

I also benefit from the amazing people in these companies who have to put up with and answer my never ending questions!!"

- As told to WoSJ by Kay Neatham