As opposed to the last time I was here, the Cross Country day dawned beautiful, sunny, and breezy. We gathered at the start box (did I mention that David and Laura have made a really wonderful set of jumps, from pre-BN through Intermediate? Well, they have!), and we started out once again by showing Jimmy our galloping positions (only this time, he said "do not 'post' the canter, or you will not like what I will do!"....my guess is that we'd be sans stirrups, so I'm glad none of us did!). One woman was leaning quite a bit to the right, so Jimmy motioned her over and took away her right stirrup, leather and all, then asked her to jump three times over a small tire jump. She got the point. Apparently, this was something she'd been working on.
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When we first started canter work she really raced into it, so we did a lot of "now means NOW" upward transitions. The result now is that she's always expecting the canter, and when I do ask she really explodes into it which has caused me to hang on her mouth. So now I'm focusing on asking quietly and staying off the reins even if she bursts forward. Her reaction is to start to explode, then get confused and fall into a strung out trot.
The second part is her downward transition. We haven't focused on that much so it's even worse; even when she's somewhat balanced at the canter it takes a while to get her trot steady, and when her canter is strung out it's half the arena before she's down to a steady working trot. (Kari)
Hi Kari!
She sounds like she is still quite heavy on the forehand. To help her with her balance issues, I would... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Photo # 26: This is Riese!
(Click on Photo Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this photo)
Do you ask your horse to canter with a subtle, nearly invisible aid? And then sit quietly still while your horse performs the transition? Or do you try to physically make the canter happen with strong aids and an active driving seat? Many riders think they ask for upward transitions quietly, but actually are doing WAY too much driving! Why is this a problem? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Quiz # 13: What causes a horse to drag its feet during the rein back?
What causes a horse to drag its feet during the rein back? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 46: William Fox Pitt and Cool Mountain WEG 2010 Dressage testAs usual William produces a lovely and fluent Dressage test! So relaxed for a horse that is fit enough to run around a 4 star cross country course the next day! William gives one of the best examples that I have seen of how to properly ride *forward* into the halt. Watch how forward his hands stay as he rides into the halt around 2:09. He is truly riding the horse's hind legs up into his hands every step of the way until the halt is complete. Also notice how he uses shoulder fore to prepare for the walk to canter transition around 2:45. And watch how nicely soft and following his arms are as he comes back to collected canter from the extended canter around 3:48. What other things stand out to you in this video? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
No, this is not an article on how to change your marital status! Engagement is a crucial component to successful dressage and jumping. What does it mean? And how can you achieve it? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
We have an event coming up where the stadium jumping is in a hilly "bowl" shaped field. I seem to have issues with knowing what I need in warmup and thinking I achieve it, only to get into the round and discover I didn't... (Briana)
Hi Briana!
Since you know that the terrain will make your stadium round extra challenging, you will want to make sure your horse is really engaged behind and super responsive to your aids to go forward and come back. To achieve this, spend more time in your warm up doing... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
I am a big believer that a positive outlook and positive thinking can transform your riding and your life. If your first reaction to that sentence was to roll your eyes and considering closing the browser, think about it this way: (Click on Blog Title above to read full entry)
Discussion # 43: What causes horses to have front end knockdowns?
If you are fully aware of all of the reasons that horses knock down rails with their front end, you will be more armed to prevent them! So let's discuss: What are some of the causes of front end knockdowns in the show jumping? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Video Discussion # 45: Using poles as a corridor.Using poles or cones in this matter can be a great exercise to test your straightness! You can use it for flatwork - doing transitions between the poles, challenging yourself to keep your horse perfectly straight between the rails as you do so. Or put it between jumps in a line or combination - jumping into a line, and cantering through a narrow corridor on your way to the next. Remember that ultimately it is your legs that keep your horse straight, so don't forget to keep your legs on! Give this exercise a try and tell us how it goes! (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Working with my new 4yo OTTB mare, Lizzie, has truly brought me back to square one. While I was working on perfecting my half pass and flying changes on Trance and repeatedly going through the Advanced test, now I spend my time in the saddle trying to kindly convince Lizzie that she wants to go to a connection, and that she wants to work everyday. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Everyone knows that circles are supposed to be round. But why is it that a perfectly round circle can be so hard to achieve?? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Today we had a XC lesson at Ashland. It was fun. We had some good parts and some not so good parts, but overall it was a big success. I worked on my hands and hugging Fleck again while keeping my shoulders up. I also worked on my "landing gear", although apparently not on every jump.
Egads!! I promise this was the worst one!
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Many riders start shaking in their boots when they see the words "ditch and wall" on their course maps. They are, in fact, one of the most common jumps to strike terror in the hearts of competitors! But this is not necessary!
If your horse is comfortable with ditches, as he should definitely be before ever facing a ditch and wall, this is actually a very easy fence for him! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Beat the Confidence Monster But Took a Stupid Pill
What was I thinking? Seriously.
What on God's Green Earth was going through my head when I set out on XC in the North Carolina heat slash humidity with bare hands? I've done plenty of stupid things in my life (trust me, plenty) but that ranks right on up there. No gloves? Honestly, Jennifer (as my dearly departed mom used to say).
I started to realize I was an ignoramus in warm-up. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry) Discussion # 42: What does this rider need to work on?
What specific exercises should this rider do to improve her jumping form? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Question # 82: So over the last few months I've come to appreciate that we need to practice full SJ courses. We're great over 3-5 fences in a row, but have very rarely gotten over 12 fences without a loss of balance/rhythm and a bad fence somewhere along the way. So yesterday I set up 18 or so fences across the two fields we have to ride in and tried to make up various courses, but the issue is that 3/4 of one of those fields has a fairly steep slope and it's in between the two flatter areas (so the flat portions on either end are quite small (e.g. 20x45 is about the max - so you can have maybe 3 to 4 fences in that area). The slope seems to be too steep for us to confidently canter down or across - across is actually worse than down, Henry almost always slips making the turn no matter how careful and balanced he is going into it. So it seems like we should be able to use this difficult terrain to our advantage somehow, but so far I have not found an exercise where it felt like we were mastering the hill - mostly it just feels like we "survive" it. Do you have any suggestions for exercises where we could use this as a training tool? and suggestions for how to practice courses with flow? (as opposed to just doing 4-5 jumps, cantering up/down to the other field and doing 4-5 fences)? Thanks! (Briana)
Hi Briana!
Since you will likely not ever have to show jump on a slope as steep as you are describing, I don't think I would try to use that hill as a training tool. At least not until you are able to keep your horse well balanced for entire courses without that added challenge. If you can only fit 4 fences in your small flat area, then I would set them all so that you can jump them both ways, and be creative with different approaches, making a full course in that small space if that's all you have available.
As for suggestions for how to improve your ability to do longer courses without the quality falling apart... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Discussion # 41: Which extended trot is more correct?
Which extended trot is more correct and why? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
And God said, "Let there be light: and there was light."
GMHA- back field coming home... neither of my jumps
I so want to keep this as simple as possible but, then... why have a blog? So, we completed GMHA, did not fall off anywhere on or off the course AND for the first time since we hit the tree at Groton House Farm Horse Trials, Sugar and I had fire in our bellies! (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
The horse's tail is connected to its spine. And because of that, it really tells the story of the state of the horse's back. While attempting to judge the true carriage of the horse by looking at his head and neck can be deceptive and difficult to discern, the tail does not lie.
By watching the horses tail, you can tell whether his back muscles are relaxed and swinging with his movement, or if instead they are tight and tense. You can also tell how true the lateral bend is throughout the body.
When you see a horse with what appears to be a correct head and neck "position", and are not sure if what you see is the result of the horse well engaged behind and using his back correctly, or if the horse is being held in this position by the rider's strong hands - look to the horse's tail for the telltale signs. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Video Discussion # 44: What caused this rider to slightly lose her balance on landing?This horse gives the rider a great big jump to stay with over this cross country jump! And while the rider does a good job over the jump, she loses her balance a bit on the landing. Why did she lose her balance? What should she work on to be more ready for her next attempt at a jump like this? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
I'm having a bit of a rough week on the eventing scene.
That's not exactly a new problem, seeing that my entire blog is devoted to how BAD I am at eventing...... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
If you have taken enough dressage lessons, or read enough books, you have probably heard the term "Throughness". But what does it mean exactly? And how do you achieve it? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Discussion # 40: Which horse is showing a better, more uphill gallop for approaching a fence?
Which horse is showing a better, more uphill gallop for approaching a fence? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion) (photo credit to Darren Nolan)
Kristin's Blog post # 1: Introduction!Hi everyone! I am super excited about being a new Adult Amateur blogger for My Virtual Eventing Coach! I was asked to write an introductory post, but when I thought about making a short introduction, I realized it is like trying to sum up an eccentric and complex history in a couple sentence. So, my introduction will be a short history, a little bit of me, but a lot about my horses. They are the ones who make the riders, after all. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry) Are You Going the Right Speed For YOUR Horse in the Show Jumping?
Every horse has a certain "lick" - a speed where they are most comfortable jumping around courses. How can you tell what that is for your horse? Read on to find out! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
He’s an evil, sneaky, beady-eyed beast that lives in every nook and cranny of your mind. He’s 50, 100 years old. He makes the villagers pick up pitchforks and torches and march the square stomping and yelling; “Burn him!” “Tear him from limbto limb!” “Run him to the woods!” (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Video Discussion # 43: Video on improving your position over jumps with Greg Best!What Show Jumper Greg Best describes is another way of saying that you should let your horse open and close your angles as you jump. What are your thoughts on this video? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
No matter what level you compete at, there is a good chance that when you finish your cross country round, your horse's muscles are at least somewhat fatigued. And whenever a horse is running with fatigued muscles, their tendons and ligaments do more work - making them more prone to injury. So you need to be very careful as you pull up from your run, to avoid doing any damage to your horse. Here's how to pull up as safe as possible after crossing the finish line: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article) Discussion # 39: What does this rider need to work on?
This looks like a fairly solid young rider. What should she work on to make her position even more strong, secure, and balanced over jumps? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
At one point or another, you have probably been told that you need to package your horse's stride between jumps. Some of you may even hear this all the time! But what does it mean exactly? And how do you achieve it? Read on to find out! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
This is a very broad question, as the answer will vary greatly from horse to horse, and in different situations. But one thing is almost always true - between fences I want to... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Those antics are never fun, are they? Especially rearing... that can be so dangerous! Here's how I would handle these difficulties: (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Discussion # 38: How would you ride this fence?
What type of canter would you want coming into this "into space" type of fence? And what speed do you think would be appropriate? (Click on Discussion Title above to read this educational discussion)
Discussion # 37: Which of these two riders is in better balance?
Which of these two riders has their center of gravity perfectly lined up over their stirrups? And which horse is better balanced? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Question # 79: My horse spooks at the dumbest things!A common problem is tree lines. In the outdoor ring where we are now (and have been there little over a year) he has issues... sometimes major issues (rearing, spinning around, and taking off) in the far end because it's lined with trees and nothing is there. According to my instructor (and I believe her, just don't know how to fix it), it's my fault because I have anxiety about riding outside and think about what has happened and what could happen. But the reason I have anxiety is from what he's done! I aslo think he's trying to get out of work. I do my best to relax and keep him busy, but have been having more problems again lately. Riding isn't fun for me like it should be, and I hate that. (Michelle)
Hi Michelle!
Oh yes, tree lines can have monsters just waiting to jump out at them! Whenever I have a horse that is giving me a problem in a particular spot in the arena, I like to... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Discussion # 36: What does this rider need to work on?
What does this rider need to work on? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Do you find it easy to keep your horse's attention? Or do distractions like horse eating rocks, cameramen, umbrellas, and flowers waving in the wind impair your performance?
Unlike when working with a human student, you can't say to your horse, "Pay attention to me!". Well you can try... but it probably won't work as well as you would like. Instead you have to... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Video Discussion # 41: Let's watch this Show Jumping round with several rails down.This horse and rider start off nicely, but have quite a few rails down in their show jumping round. Why do you think this horse was knocking down so many fences? If you had a horse that was jumping like this, what would you work on to try to improve him?
Even though we don't have jumpoffs in Eventing, I think this is an important thing to consider for our show jumping phase. So often I see riders thinking about making the time in their show jumping, and going faster to get that done. When it would be smarter to make more economical turns instead of going faster - as increasing your speed can increase your chances of knocking rails down. What are your thoughts on this? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
What makes for a smooth show jumping round? Balance, rhythm, and rideability come to mind. If your horse is rideable, he is responsive, obedient, supple, and in balance at all times. This is, of course, usually a work in progress! As much of our daily training is aimed at developing our horse's rideability, and it can take many years to achieve! Here is a great exercise to help you improve your horse's rideability on course! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
It's not physical, since she'll react the same way to cavalettis, cross rails, or bigger verticals. It's almost like she jumps in and worries that she can't get back out, so she runs out to the side. She is usually eager and confident to fences, but not combinations. She'll back off going into the combinations. I can usually tell we're going to have a problem, but it's hard to just kick her forward since she's got a long stride and she's been known to bounce one strides if she's rolling too much going in. If we've had a bad attempt or two, she'll start skittering sideways as soon as she's presented to the combination, so that's usually our cue that her brain has fried, and we'll break down the combination to get her confidence back. How can I get her more comfortable with combinations? (Catie)
Hi Catie!
This is one of those situations where a video of the problem would help me see exactly what is going on. But I do have a strong suspicion of what is going on! As I have seen this exact problem a few times before! When I tell you what I think is causing your problem, you may think that this is not the case. But please give the corrections a try, as I think you may be surprised! (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
