"We had thousands of entries to our At Home With Carl Hester competition to win a trip to his fabulous yard in Gloucestershire, but there could only be one winner and the lucky lady was Tina Dyke from Shropshire. Tina brought along Gavin Edwards as her lucky guest for a morning of learning Carl's training techniques and the management of his horses, and H&C gatecrashed the party.

Carl's answer to excessive energy

The morning began with a nice cup of tea, and the introduction of Scaramouche, a five-year-old horse with a chequered history that Carl bought as a three-year-old. Scaramouche had been left in a stable for months and consequently arrived at Carl's yard with some stiffness issues. He was ridden by Carl's stable jockey, Charlotte Dujardin - a lovely, tidy and effective rider. Charlotte had been teaching Scaramouche to trot and when she took a contact, the difference in the horse was incredible. 

Carl's answer to stiffness or excessive energy in young horses is simple: Let them live out. It was refreshing to hear that despite the clear value of his horses, Carl treats them as horses - they hack, go to the gallops and enjoy plenty of turn out in groups. As he  said himself, "What am I meant to do, say to the horse that now he's worth a few quid he can't go in his field?"

Amazing Negro gelding

The second horse was a six-year-old dark bay by Negro called Amazing. The Ferro bloodline is one Carl is fond of, and Negro is a son of Ferro. Amazing bears a strong Negro stamp - he's very active behind with snappy hocks. Carl shared his expectations of a six-year-old that he has had from a youngster. They will be able to half pass, demonstrate an extended trot and show changes. Of course, they wouldn't be expected to maintain an extended trot for hours, but the work will have started by six-years-old. 

Another tip shared was the use of whips. Carl's horses are not ridden with a whip as a matter of course. If one is needed, it is picked up, the horse is taught to, for example, push through more from behind, and then the whip is dropped. The horses must learn to work without being nagged and better that they're tuned to work off the leg without the threat of a whip. He also advocates rising trot on younger horses to help with their rhythm. 

Sharp and bright

The third horse was a seven-year-old Carl bought as a yearling. He was very sharp and at the Nationals went like a rocket when the crowd clapped. Though he has calmed down a little, his sensitivity means he anticipates his rider's next request.

The fourth horse, a ten-year-old by Ferro called Tatler, is out competing at PSG and is a little spooky and suspicious. Indeed, he had a good look at a flowerpot that he passes every day in case gremlins had decided to camp behind it, but Charlotte demonstrated her tactful riding as Carl asked her to show us his paces before introducing a completely different type of horse to us.

The fifth horse was Nemo, a ten-year-old Holsteiner who had been a young riders' horse. Entirely different to the large warmbloods, Nemo is significantly smaller, shortbacked and strong. His ability to sit was incredible and we look forward to seeing him at Grand Prix in the Autumn.

The new Totilas?

The final horse was the great Valegro, another son of Negro and who made his Grand Prix debut this year... And won. He also made his International Grand Prix debut this year... And won. In his first GP, he scored almost 75% - not bad for a nine-year-old former head shaker that Carl almost sold twice. Watching this great horse only a few feet in front of us was incredible; his paces and ability in the GP movements was remarkable and although he is still a little green at this level, he could well be knocking on Totilas' door soon and asking him to please vacate the number one spot. 

To finish the morning, Carl took us on a tour of his yard to become better acquainted with the horses, all of whom seemed happy, relaxed and comfortable just as we were. All seemed very happy to be At Home With Carl Hester.

Of her day, Tina said: "I thought  that the prize was superb. It was incredible to have the opportunity to witness Carl's horses being put through their paces at such close quarters. The riding was elegant and effective and Carl demonstrated that dressage is not all about purchasing the perfect horse although his tips on what to look for in the different paces will prove very valuable when I  eventually take the plunge and buy my own!

"I loved his clear explanations of how he progressively trains the  horses through the basics to Grand Prix and to see how the horses reponded to the training was inspirational. Especially memorable was Scaramouche's change from his normal trot to his 'special' trot at the start of the day and seeing the gorgeous talented Valegro who finished off the demonstration.

"It was also special to be able to stroll around Carl's yard with its beautifully maintained and relaxed stable area designed with the horses wellbeing in mind. In fact what was very clear from the day was Carl's commitment to giving the horses happy healthy lives, including lots of opportunities to relax and be social with other horses. Even before the day started I watched from the car park as two of his horses turned out in adjacent paddocks had great fun cantering and frollicking gayly in unison as if doing a syncronised display all of their own! 

"I feel very lucky to have won the competition would like to thank Carl Hester, his team and his horses for such a memorable and informative day and of course big thank you to Horse & Country TV for inviting me."

Enter an H&C competition by visiting www.horseandcountry.tv/win.