Gary Lung and GB Winchester.
© EQ Life
By Equestrian Life
Queensland based dressage rider and coach Gary Lung first laid eyes on GB Winchester as a six-month-old foal at Glennis Barrey’s property south of Sydney. By the famous movement maker Weltmeyer out of Glennis’ Grand Prix mare GB Saffron (Elfanglanz), Gary felt he was destined for Grand Prix.
“When I first saw Chester with his mother, he stood proud and confident as if he knew I was there to see him. There was something about that first meeting that I knew was right so the deal was done,” recalls Gary.
Once weaned, Chester made his way to Queensland where he began his life as a dressage horse. Gary and Chester progressed through the grades, and in 2012 the pair were selected to take part in a masterclass with US Olympian Steffen Peters. Chester, nine years old at the time, greatly impressed Steffen and what followed was a life changing moment for Gary.
“Steffen initially liked Chester but it wasn’t until he got to sit on him in the presentation that he LOVED Chester. He loved the feeling that he got when working with him and after the event, he offered for both of us to come to San Diego to train with him and his team,” explains Gary.
Gary took up the offer, however he explains that putting Chester on the plane was incredibly difficult. “It was like sending your child to boarding school for the first time. You spend the last eight years with this horse in your constant care and then to send him away and to hand over his care to someone else did not sit well with me.”
However, Chester was a good traveller and all went well. He began training with Steffen at Arroyo Del Mar, San Diego, with Gary travelling between Australia and the US balancing training with working to fund the trip! It was all worth the effort and both Gary and Chester learnt a lot in their time with Steffen.
Chester and Steffen.
Supplied by Gary Lung.
Returning to Australia, Gary continued working towards Grand Prix with Chester — and this goal was achieved. In 2016, they contested their first CDI at Equitana CDI-W in Melbourne, followed by Boneo CDI3* in 2017 and the Sydney CDI3* in 2019 — as well as numerous national level Grand Prix classes in between. It was an amazing effort for Gary, who previously balanced full time work with riding at the elite level, before opting to switch to coaching and training full time.
Chester, now 16, has been carefully managed by Gary to promote longevity at Grand Prix. It took six years to get Chester to Grand Prix level and then another four years to develop and strengthen him, and Gary explains it’s important to take young horses quietly to ensure longevity in body and mind.
These days, Chester is the first horse in the barn to be ridden. “I ride him up to 45 mins Monday to Friday and he gets the weekend off when I’m away coaching. Depending on the time of the year, I work a lot on keeping him supple and fit in his body and mind using a lot of gymnastic exercises. Some days, I do loads of stretching exercises and there are days when I concentrate on elements of the Grand Prix,” says Gary. “To keep a horse fit and sound, I believe in keeping them moving. I prefer not to let them have long extended periods of holiday unless they are recovering from an injury but rather give them ‘mental health days’ where you work them lightly stretching or a hack around the property.”
Gary and Chester share a special bond.
Supplied by Gary Lung.
A Mitavite ambassador, Gary explains that good nutrition is also very important when it comes to caring for the Grand Prix horse. “For Chester, my horses and others that come for training, I feed Hygain ICE, Mitavite Xtracool, Mitavite Cool Crusada or Mitavite Breeda as a base feed, with Hygain Micrbeet and chaff for roughage. If a horse requires additional energy, I add Mitavite Munga and/or their Proforma Oil. In addition, I also add in Hygain Regain and Rosehip Vital.”
Surrounding yourself with expert help is also at the top of Gary’s list. “Line yourself up with a team of excellent vets, farriers and experts in the field of body work (massage, physio, chiropractor, acupuncture etc.). These horses do physical work and require regular maintenance. For example, Chester has a fortnightly Emmett treatment — a gentle and simple internationally recognised muscle release therapy — that he loves. “Select, nurture and work with these professionals, ask questions and gain more knowledge through them,” he says.
The partnership between Gary and Chester is clear, and Gary is full of praise for a horse he describes as having an amazing temperament and trainability, and “a confident, no nonsense attitude and work ethic”. He really is a very special horse. We look forward to seeing Gary and Chester out and about competing in 2020, and no doubt for many more years to come!
You can read our full story about Gary Lung and GB Winchester in the January/February 2020 issue of Equestrian Life magazine. On sale January!
This article was written in conjunction with Hygain Group.
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