TIR: Is your relationship with your dreams stronger than your relationship with fear?

There have been entire books written on this.  Lots and lots of them.  By people with a lot more letters after their names than I have.  But what it comes down to is a significant portion of this sport is psycological.

Have you ever read the $700 Pony?  If not, you should.   Seriously - click the link, buy the book, enjoy it.  Two reasons -- one, it will make you laugh.  Laughing makes you relaxed.  Relaxed riders ride better.  Ergo - it's an enjoyable way to improve your riding.   Two -- cause I'm going to steal a phrase from Ellen and I feel better doing so if I've already plugged her book :)   Namely, that she routinely refers to her "trainer/therapist" -- and honestly, some days I think that is the job description.   Which may be part of why I love it so much, since psychology was definitely the only other option that was a significant alternative to starting the school *g*

So traits of improving riders -- why do kids seem to improve so much faster than adults?  They're fearless!   Seriously people.  That's all there is to it.

Riding is one of those tricky "things we have to learn before we can do, but we learn by doing" (yeah for smuggling in classical references - that'd be Aristotle folks.  Well loosely translated anyways since I never took Greek so have to take what I can get :).  I tell a group of kids to go try something; they go try it.   I tell a group of adults to go try something and they want to know every possible outcome and what to do about it and that's before they start considering what all could go wrong! 

EG - Instructor: "go jump that fence"
Child: goes and jumps fence
Adult: "when should I go in my two point? 
Child: goes and jumps fence 
Adult: where do we take off? 
Child: goes and jumps fence 
Adult: how do I get him to land on the correct lead?
Child: goes and jumps fence 
Adult:  how fast should I be going? 
Child: goes and jumps fence 
Adult: what if he stops?
Child: goes and jumps fence 
Adult: what if he runs out? 

Note how many fences the child has jumped before the adult has even tried it once.  So even if they've made every single mistake the adult can imagine -- they're still ahead.  Because now they *know* they can make the mistake and live through it.  AND they know what mistakes not to make.   Because they just tried it.

Fear and fear of failure are not necessarily the same thing, but they often have the same result.  One rider won't try because they're wondering what on Earth they were thinking and their heart is pounding and they can feel the blood coursing through their veins and they're wondering if it's not too late to change to a safer sport.  Like football.  Or rugby.  The other one is afraid to even try until they know every possible piece of the puzzle intimately so that they won't make a mistake.  Sadly both are seriously detrimental to improving your riding because no matter how long you think about it, the only way to learn to ride is to ride.

The second one's easier to deal with so we'll start with that -- give yourself permission to make mistakes.  "But I want to do it right!" yeah yeah well sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make a cake.   Or so those who can bake have told me anyways >;-P   Not that it's a *great* idea to use analogies involving breaking things with riding, but sometimes they fit :)   AKA it has to be ugly before it can be beautiful (ugly duckling anybody?) because, quite frankly, most of us need to learn the hard way.   You're out there to learn; which means you probably don't already know it all; which means it's totally fair to make mistakes.  And odds are really good your coach has seen them all before -- and probably made many of them! Besides, let's be honest -- mistakes usually lead to the best stories :)   I know none of my favourite stories go "yeah so I did this perfectly and then it was over."  Who would bother reading that?

A sideline to allowing yourself to improve is letting go of the ego -- if you really want to improve, you have to set it aside and let your coach tell you what you don't want to hear so you can be the rider you know you can be.  And sometimes, especially if you've been riding a long time, that's hard to do.   But remember, if you're standing on the edge of a cliff, a step backwards is progress.  It's entirely possible that the reason you haven't improved in the last five years is because you're missing a basic but critical piece.  But unless you are willing to accept that there just might be something wrong, and let your coach take you back to fill in the gaps, there will be very little improvement.  This is one of those things that is way more challenging for re-riders than "real" novice riders.  Real novice riders, having never ridden before, have no ego or expectations -- so as a result they generally learn faster as they don't get frustrated as quickly.   Re-riders often remember how it *should* work but can't quite make it happen.  Or, harder yet, never *really* knew in the first place, but memory has added a rosy hue that makes them think they did.   To improve, to get back to where you used to be -- or better yet surpass it! -- you have to let the past go and work with what you've got today.

And then there's true fear.  One of my favourite lines came from Woffard's gymnastic book -- which suggests using gymnastics to push students out of their comfort zone safely (ie slightly higher etc).  His point is that "it can be difficult to analyse your horse's performance whilst you are also concentrating on not falling off."  hahaha fair enough.  So when trying something that's going to require some bravery on your part -- putting it in a gymnastic and thereby insuring the striding is correct for your horse -- makes your odds of success much greater.

Sometimes it takes bravery just to get on.  Sometimes it's to go faster - canter or gallop.  Sometimes it's to leave the ring.   Sometimes it's to jump.  Sometimes it's to remount after a fall.  Sometimes it's to ride out a spook or buck or just plain unpredictability.   A a rider, you have only a moment to react instinctively to these movements.  And when that doesn't work, you have to respond strategically -- unfurl from the fetal position, loosen the death grip, breathe, and ride forward.   Often this means fighting your most basic impulse: to hold on for dear life and try to stop.  Too often in riding, as in life, falls are the result of holding back when you should be kicking on.   But when every instinct in your mind is screaming STOP THE RIDE, I WANT TO GET OFF -- that can be incredibly hard.   And any time you stop the ride, you stop your improvement.  Managing fear requires two things.  First - leave the ego at home.   Forget that once-upon-a-time this was easy; that just makes it harder.  Pretend it's the first time and savour it as such.  The second thing is to take it in baby steps.  I had one student whose goal for her first lesson was to get on.  It took the entire hour, and she was mounted approximately sixty seconds -- and shaking so hard it was challenging to dismount.  But she did it.  And the next lesson she got on much sooner and sat still for a while and then even braved a few steps at the walk.  And the next lesson she got on right away and started walking right away; by the end of that ride, I was allowed to step a few feet away from the horse.  Anybody starting from scratch and unafraid, the first ten lessons would've been covered in one.   But for this rider, who'd had a very serious fall more than ten years earlier, we had to put aside what she used to be able to do and break down her goal (of eventually going xc) into achievable pieces.   It took about two years - but with bite-sized pieces, she did get to do entry level xc :)   Now what the steps are and how you're going to tackle them depends on your situation.  Almost always it involves adding in the perception of extra control to the scenario.  Could be putting the horse on a lunge line.  Could be "only canter for 3 strides".   Could be "just go for a walk outside".  Whatever it takes -- STAY on that baby step until it gets boring.  Or at least easy :) Then you can be climb, jump or be pushed up onto the next step.  And eventually the item at the top of the ladder won't be quite so far away. 

But the one thing YOU have to decide -- and nobody can do it for you -- is do you want to ride more than you fear?  Because if the fear is strong enough, for a while riding won't be fun.  And almost every rider I know has gone through it at some point; some of us more than once.  If you're a true rider, one for whom the passion is in the blood, you will get through it.  And if you're not, you'll find all sorts of reasons not to ride (see the excuses post below :).   And then soon you'll be finding reasons not to go to the barn...  And eventually riding will be "something you used to do".  And you won't be missing anything, because for you, it wasn't a passion.  And if you don't have the passion, you don't understand the sport.   With the little kids it's almost always really obvious.  Nerves present *often* as tummy aches.  The child will show up several weeks in a row complaining of stomach aches.  It's not that the child is making something up; they do genuinely feel ill.  But what's interesting is the reaction.  There are the kids who come in saying "I have a tummy ache, I can't ride", and then there are the ones who say "I have a tummy ache, but can I ride anyways?"  I'm sure you can figure out for yourself which is the one who will be a life-long rider.

The only two emotions that belong in the saddle are patience and a sense of humour.  If you really want to improve, leave everything else at home.
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TIR - Whatever your excuse is, it is time to stop believing it.

So today's Traits of Improving Riders is both one of the easiest and one of the hardest to apply.  And it makes a HUGE difference.   And that is - take responsibility for your own riding.

Some of this goes with the last post - if you want to ride, find a way to ride.  Take every opportunity to learn.  Etc etc.  I'm not going to repeat that -- you can scroll down if you'd like a review :)   But it goes beyond that.

I'm always amazed when I'm doing an assessment lesson and somebody is doing something horrifically wrong and I ask them about it and without fail "well that's what my coach told me to do".  Ok well why?  "I don't know."   And this whole scenario just makes me want to bang my head against the wall.   Now this is *not* a case of "different people do things differently" -- that is an entirely different scenario.  Different sports teach differently and different trainers may train slightly different aids, and different coaches teach with different focuses.  And for novice riders - coaches will all prioritize skills slightly differently, so students may know things in a different order than how I would choose to teach them.  None of that is wrong or bad.  And that is entirely why we do assessment lessons so I can find out where people are in their knowledge and abilities.  No, the above case is when something is - by any standard - wrong.   A couple examples I've seen a few times - downward transitions by standing up and pulling or jumping by standing straight up in the stirrups and hanging on to either the reins or the mane to stay on.  Oh dear.

Now, were they taught incorrectly?  Very likely.  And if they're truly novice riders, sobeit.  But for those who've been riding 5 or 10 or 20 years -- at some point you need to stop and consider.  If you want to improve, you have to take responsibility for your own riding.  Stop and think.  Ask questions.  Why doesn't your riding look like the pros?  If you're not sure, ask your coach.  They may be able to explain why, but if not maybe it's time for another opinion.  If everything else with your coach is amazing, it could be as simple as a clinic -- pick up the missing piece from another pro.  Whatever it takes, the responsibility is yours.

To ride effectively you need to know not only *how* to ride but *why*.  With just how, you can only really ride carousel horses.  Knowing how the aids are supposed to work is good - in theory.   Say for riding a 20m circle -- inside leg at the girth, outside leg slightly back, shoulders and hips turned the same direction as travel, direct inside rein for flexion, supporting outside rein.  Sounds good right?  Ok but what happens if you have somebody feeding your horse's favourite type of grain on one side of the circle and on the opposite side the neighbour's pet lion having a meltdown.  All of a sudden just knowing how to ride the circle isn't going to work because your circle will be strongly influenced by outside factors.  If you know *why* the aids work, you might have a hope of applying them effectively and pulling off the perfect 20m circle -- despite the lions :)   And trust me - in dressage, there are *often* lions.

Don't know why?  Lots of ways to find out :)  Asking your coach is always a good start.  Reading also a good option. 

So now you know how and why, there's no excuse not to ride well...   What am I saying?  There's *always* an excuse.  hahaha but the riders who improve rapidly are the ones who tend to put them aside.   I kinda wish I had a list of all the excuses I've heard over the years -- sadly I don't remember the most creative ones :)   But there are lots of standards.  The above "well so-and-so told me so," has already been addressed.   "I'm tired/cold/hot/stiff/sore/stressed/frustrated/insert-your-favourite-excuse-here" also pretty standard.  Then there's the option of blaming the horse "he's too green, too old, too spooky, too big, too small, too fast, too slow, too excited, too lazy, not listening, listening to everything *but* me"...  And of course the tack: "it's the wrong saddle/bridle/bit/stirrups/etc".    Let's see...  Some more entertaining ones...  "The arena's too noisy", "the jumps are too colourful", "the sun is too bright", "the horse doesn't like me", "he doesn't like puddles", "my boots are too dirty", "there was a spider in my helmet!", "she was lying down and I didn't want to get her up", "couldn't find the mounting box", "I have an exam tomorrow" (ummm haven't you known that for weeks?), "I saw a mouse in the barn", "I exercised too much yesterday" or the closely related "I have to exercise tomorrow".  And the list goes on...   hmmm so how many of those have *you* said?  :) 

And yes, everybody does it *occasionally* -- and when I hear a really creative excuse I'm usually fairly impressed :)   But the riders who improve the most are those who excuse the least.

But really, even with the best coaches and the most expensive horses in the world, the only person who can ultimately improve your riding is you.  The responsibility is yours.  Choose a coach who can help you, ask intelligent questions, make a point to ride as often as possible, and leave the excuses at home.
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TIR - Take every learning opportunity

Alright so let's go with day two on the traits of *improving riders blog :)   And no, I'm sorry, this is definitely *not* going to be an every day thing!  hahaha tomorrow and Saturday I already know are fully booked.   Only getting this post because my wonderful working student Amy is doing the barn for me in the am so I don't have to be there till 10 :)   And there are only so many traits on my list (although I admit it grows at weird times - like 3am when I'm supposed to be asleep :)

*edited after fb post because I realized as I posted it that this series isn't even really so much traits of GOOD riders as traits of IMPROVING riders. I know lots of excellent riders who are completely stalled in their progress. And lots of more novice riders who improve noticeably every week. This is targeting those who wish to *improve*.

Today we're going with "take every learning opportunity" -- now you'd think this'd be a given, but you'd be amazed at how many people turn down chances to learn.

Again - there's a huge number (arguably the vast majority) of riders who are in it because it's fun and they love the animals and that's the end of it.  Maybe it's stress relief, maybe it's just the best part of your day :)   But whatever the reason, while you'd like to improve it's not necessarily the be-all and end-all of your barn experience.   And that's totally fine.  This post is not directed at you :)

But if *improving* your riding is your primary goal, take every chance you get!   For instance -- if I'm at the barn or riding around and one of my students is riding in the same area, I'll often offer them a mini-lesson.  And I pretty much always remember to ask if they actually *want* one :)   And given that I tend to attract competitive, high-motivated types the vast majority will take me up on it.  But there are several who will say no.  This used to happen often at other schools.  And that's totally cool -- I'm not offended or concerned if they'd rather work on their own or even just not work at all (see yesterday's post :) BUT I have noticed a direct correlation between those people and the ones who are likely to sit at the same level indefinitely.

And of course the follow up on that -- go to any clinics you can.  I'm always puzzled by students who tell me how important improving their riding is who don't sign up for clinics offered at home.  There is something to be learned from everybody!   Now that being said -- to my own students there are some clinicians I would recommend more highly than others, and some I might deem inappropriate based on current abilities of either the rider or the horse.  But for the most part, if somebody who knows their job is willing to teach it to you -- go learn it :)

Another opportunity I see skipped way too often -- observation.  If you're not *riding* in a clinic, why not go watch it?  Most clinics you can audit for a reasonable fee and sometimes learn as much (if different points) as the riders!   Or on a day-to-day at home basis - if you're in a group lesson and waiting your turn for something, actively watch the others go.   Don't just sit there daydreaming or thinking about what you're doing tomorrow (side note - for those with extreme nerves who sit there panicking about your upcoming turn, go FIRST; then you don't have time to stress AND you can learn from watching others after because you're not busy stressing!)   And notice I said "actively watch" the other riders.  As in not just "oh look there goes Suzy..."  But from every ride you watch pick one thing you want to steal (ie that they did beautifully) and be aware of one thing that has room for improvement.   Getting each of those out of one ride can sometimes be more of a challenge than you'd think :)  hahaha  And the more specific you are, the more valuable it'll be.  Ie - "the way she kept her leg glued in exactly the right position over the fence" is significantly more useful than "she had nice eq".  One you can mimic, the other has so many pieces it's hard to translate to your own body.  And it doesn't have to be all rider position "that was the perfect place to turn" is totally useful and valid -- it's why going last on a course makes it significantly easier; everybody else has made the mistakes for you!   Learn from them :)   Then before your turn, visualize all the things you're going to steal from the rides you've already seen and go do it. That way you get two, or three, or four lessons for the price of one.

Look at your photos and videos.   Enjoy them.  Be proud of how far you've come.  And then consider them critically -- what's the next thing you're going to fix?   And again - pick one specific thing.  "It's all horrible" is not constructive.  "I need to release more" gives you something specific to work on.  If you're not sure how to fix it, ask.  If you're not sure what to fix, ask :)   You may find the answer is something you've heard in your lessons a zillion times but never really made the connection to.

There are all sorts of ways to learn that don't involve actually riding.  Be a barn rat -- muck a zillion stalls, wrap thousands of legs, treat minor injuries, deal with high horses on a windy day -- all the behind the scenes work will make you a far better horsewoman (or man :).  And if you can read your horse better on the ground, you'll have a much better chance in the saddle.   Go to shows - any level, any discipline.  Particularly good if it's a discipline that's NOT your style of choice so long as you go with an open mind.   I try to hit Palgrave h/j and dr shows at least once/year even if I'm not showing.  And here's a hint -- if you really want to learn, lurk the w/u rings.   Remember that auditing idea?   Free auditing from a dozen different coaches right there.  And again, watch actively.  Consider what they're telling their students.  What do they focus on?  Why?  Do you agree?  Why?  Why not?   You can learn watching the competitors in the ring as well -- what makes one ride more successful than another?  Why would one rider choose one line while another chooses a different one?  But personally I prefer to lurk the warmups :)   Another way is to volunteer at the horse shows -- our competitors can always use extra hands and jump judges are needed at *every* horse trial.   Great way to learn -- watch an entire division jump the same fence.  Who does it well?  Who makes it look scary?  What was the difference between the two rides?    And lastly, read.  I have both Practical Horseman and Equus available at the barn -- open one of them :)   PH for riding, Equus for horsemanship.   Do I agree with everything that's published?  No, of course not.  But the thing is -- I know enough to know I disagree and why.   Do you?  If not - start educating yourself.

There are so many ways you can learn above and beyond your weekly lesson.   Try them out!  And if you have questions, ask :)
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TIR - If you aren't dying, keep riding

A series I started on the Graduate Riding School page that I thought fit under the "riding theory" so will be included here. It investigates Traits of Improving Riders -- what makes some riders improve faster than others?

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One of the amazing trainers I had the honour of training under a few years ago has recently published a book titled "How Good Riders Get Good" which discusses his views on how the external factors and choices beyond sheer riding ability make the difference between an average rider and a good one.

While his book focuses on the elite of the elite, I've noticed many of the same trends in my riders who are mostly either just starting out on their competitive careers or coming back to riding after some time off.   And over the last six months or so, some of them (Chelsea, Emily - till she moved way far away BOO -, Amy, Brena, Rowan, Kennedy...   To name a few :) have totally skyrocketed in their abilities.  The before and after is SO gratifying to see.  What interests me is what makes some riders progress so much more consistently than others.  One of the obvious factors is time - all of these riders ride at least twice/week, some as many as four or five times.  But lots of riders do that, and they don't all increase at that rate (although given the size of my school - I'm pretty happy with the percentage that do!  ;-)

So I thought I'd take a few blog posts over the next couple weeks to examine the traits that I feel make the difference in these riders.  I know which daemons I fight the most -- and I suspect most of the reriders have a more extreme version of some of the same issues *g*.   But the first step to improving is acknowledging the problem!  So have fun, consider carefully, and - as always, comments very welcome :)

For today's post, the concept is so very simple -- if you want to ride well, RIDE.   Every chance you get.  On any horse that's safe for your abilities; whether you like them or not :)    I was teaching a dressage lesson the other day and the rider was working *really* hard.  So I asked if she was dying (aka did she need a break).  "No, I'm ok."  And my immediate response: "well then, keep riding."  Which got a laugh out of her and then made me think a bit because I wasn't entirely joking.  She's one of my more determined students, so I can say things like that to her, but the idea is totally valid.  If you want to improve, you have to push past your comfort zone -- which means keep going even when it's hard.

And I'll tell you -- as one looking after a barn full of horses, 9 of which are mine -- some days it IS hard.   There are *often* days that I'm too tired or too busy to ride and it's brutal.  But almost always I drag myself into the saddle anyways.   And about %80 of the time I feel better afterwards than I did before.  I'll admit that mid-winter I get slightly less dedicated and will occasionally offer my horse to students to ride instead (and being well-trained and very determined themselves will *always* take the extra ride :) but that goes away pretty fast when show season rolls along.   hahaha Currently my horse is being ridden 6 days/week.  And she's being *ridden* -- not just sat on.  So if it has to be a short ride, that's ok -- because half an hour where Every. Step. Counts.  is always going to be far more effective than a two-hour stroll around the ring.

Now don't get me wrong - if you are *actually* sick or injured - then maybe you need a break.  Riding with one leg in a cast is not going to help anything!  But tired or sore or nqr -- maybe, just maybe, riding will help :)   I usually find it does.


And if it's too cold to ride.  Or too wet.  Or too windy (yes I've heard that!  More on creative excuses in another post :).  Or you're too tired.  Or too busy.  Then that's totally fine.  But realize that it makes you a fair-weather rider, and I've yet to ever hear of that designation being applied to one of the best.   If riding is a fun hobby to do when the world is good, that's totally kewl - and there is a LARGE group of people to whom this applies.  Love it.  Have fun.  The end.   But these are not the people these posts target.


And for those still reading - it's that simple.  If you want to ride, ride.   If you're determined enough, you can make it happen.   Make friends and carpool if you don't have a car.  There are lots of ways to earn extra rides if you lack the finances (my situation forever!)  Don't turn down any offer just because the horse isn't your favourite to ride -- every horse has something to teach every rider; if you're not learning from him, you're not listening to what he's teaching.  Any chance you get, ride.

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Beginner: Where Should I Learn to Ride?

So you (or maybe your child?) wants to learn to ride, but you have no horse experience. What now? How do you find a good place? What should you look for? What should you watch out for? What questions should you ask?


So how do you find a place?

Ask! That seems so obvious, but really it's the best place to start. If you have friends, family, random acquaintances who ride, ask! I've never met a horse person yet who isn't happy to talk to somebody who might be interested in riding. Just have a good excuse ready for when you've heard too much and need to escape!

And/or call your provincial organization -- they can point you in the right direction.

Once you have those lists, google. I put google last because of course you'll get the very good with the very bad. But if you're starting with a list of "potentially good" then you can flip through their sites and see what you think.

Once you have a reasonable number of schools to consider, visit them! And time the visit so you can observe a lesson.

While you're there things to watch for:

- general organization - are things organized? Do people know where to go and what to do? Is there help in the barn for any who don't?

- cleanliness - while barns with a lot of people through them (as lesson barns tend to be) are rarely spotless, it should be clean and in good repair. If there's junk lying all over the place, you have to wonder if they might be as sloppy with care or safety.

- tack - does each horse have their own? Is it clean and in good repair? Tack doesn't need to be fancy, new or expensive, but it does need to be safe! There should be no broken leather parts or fraying elastics. Bits (the part that goes in the horse's mouth) should be clean.

- horses - do they appear to be in good health? A new horse-person won't be able to evaluate on sight, but things to look for: are they alert, do they have some weight and muscle on them (ie not a ton of bones poking out everywhere), is the coat in good condition (soft, thick, shiny, consistent -- obviously when they're growing a winter coat or covered in mud after coming in from the paddock the shininess goes away, but the overall health stays).

- safety - everybody mounted should be wearing helmets. Even the adults. If they're not, run.

- do students tack up themselves? Students should be expected to groom and tack up and taught to safely handle the horses and perform these tasks.

Ask to meet the beginner horses. Beginner horses will probably not be the flashiest ones in the barn -- they're usually older and are chosen because they are kind and patient. Flashy and athletic usually requires more skill to ride! Any horse used to teach beginners should stand quietly while you pat them or move around them. If they're flinch or appear nervous, they're not likely a good match for a new rider. The horse should pick up its feet easily when asked. It shouldn't be particularly concerned about what's going on around them (noise, dogs, kids, etc). It should be at least 5 years old, preferably older. Horses become teenagers somewhere between age three and five -- and new riders should not be dealing with them, no matter how quiet they might've been at two! Be aware that even the quietest horse can have a bad moment -- they're living beings, and no horse shy of a stuffed-toy is absolutely 100% reliable. But you can get to about 99% and that's what you want for a new rider. Young and excitable horses are for experienced riders only.

Find out if the coach is certified. Certification is not mandatory in our industry -- you could hang a shingle out tomorrow claiming to be a coach. If you've watched a couple dvds you might even trick someone into hiring you. And unfortunately there are those who do. Note that certification alone does not a good coach make, but it *does* help weed out some of the bad ones! And until you have some experience in the industry, you won't be able to make that call. About the only time I wouldn't require certification from a coach is if they are currently producing top-level competitive riders. And realistically, that's not who you're going to for beginner lessons!

You will be able to get a list of current certified coaches from your provincial organization (ie in Ontario: www.horse.on.ca). That being said, keeping "current" is a bit of a pita, so don't discount somebody just because their name has dropped off the list. If they're certified, coaching regularly, and producing good riders, that's a good start.

Watch a lesson. Preferably more than one (I'd like to see a beginner lesson and a more advanced lesson as the dynamic can be quite different). Is the coach in control? Does she seem aware of all the horses in the ring and is she able to keep them organized. This requires more skill than you might think -- not everybody has it.

Are the riders mounted on appropriate horses? Do they seem to be under control? Can they stop/go/turn? A horse that won't go is a challenge every beginner faces and not a reason to avoid a facility. A horse that won't stop is inappropriate for a beginner rider. Although keep in mind it *might* be ok if you're watching an upper level lesson; for example, if an advanced student is learning to retrain a race horse.

Are the horses sound? If a horse is limping and still used in the lesson I would consider that a warning sign. There is the odd exception in a beginner lesson -- older horses may be arthritic and a modest amount of movement will actually help them. But if it's an advanced lesson, stay away.

How does the coach teach? Does she treat all the students equally? How does she deal with problems? Is her coaching style one that would work for you? Does she encourage questions? How do her students react to her? Keep in mind that different styles work for different people -- a coach who's great with four and five year olds may have an awful time trying to teach teens and adults - and vise versa.

Talk to the students. Ask what they like and what they don't like. What is a huge issue for one may be a non-issue for another. Every place has its pluses and minuses -- the trick is to find one whose minuses don't matter so much to you. Ie, a barn that has a zillion little kids around is great if you're looking for a place for your own little kid but potentially less good if you're looking for adult lessons.

Ask about the lesson program. Cost? Teacher/student ratio (if it's over 1:6 you're wasting your time). Cancellation policy? Commitment requirements? Extra opportunities available?

When you think you've found the right place, go for a lesson! See if it suits you. And have fun :)
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Intermediate/Advanced: Horse Show Checklist

Ok so I freely acknowledge it’s the wrong time of year for this one, but it’s Nanowrimo this month so we’re going with what I can write quickly, easily, and with no reference material, images, or photoshop work required.

So you want to show next year and need to know what to ask for for Christmas :) There we go, show article in November justified!

Note that if you’re in a riding school, some of this you won’t need to actually purchase (ie, while a saddle is very important if it’s your own horse, if it’s a school horse it probably already has tack!) Also, some tack etc is optional (ie breastplate)

Note two – bringing all this stuff is only half the challenge. The other half is being able to find it once you’re there and stressed cause you’re at a show and the “bomb-proof-might-as-well-be-a-stuffed-pony” horse you loaded on the trailer has suddenly become a fire-breathing monster! We have a rule at GRS that the rider is responsible for packing their own vehicle and nobody else is allowed to touch it once it’s packed! This saves all sorts of blame and stress at the show. Everybody can help toss things back in the vehicle at the end of the day or unpack the trailer at home, but getting ready each rider needs to organize their own stuff in a way that makes sense to them.

Note also that some of this is eventing-specific and/or Ontario-specific. Feel free to alter/add/amend. Obviously if you’re on your way to a dressage show you can probably skip the xc vest and jump saddle >;-P Use some common sense people!

Suggestions very welcome :)

So with all those notes noted, happy packing!

Show Packing list:

Paperwork:
- Memberships (OHTA, OEF, EC)
- Medical armband
- Proof of qualifications
- Passport
- Coggins
- Jr/Am card (if appropriate)
- Copy of entry form
- Chequebook (just-in-case!)

Horse (believe it or not I know one poor girl who packed everything in the trailer and left the horse behind! Never to live it down :) Note that the horse comes after the paperwork; without the paperwork it doesn’t matter whether or not you have a horse!

Tack:
- Jump saddle
- Jump girth
- Dressage saddle (optional)
- Dressage girth
- Extra stirrup leathers (I usually just leave these in the truck)
- Extra girth for each saddle (as above)
- Dressage bridle
- Jump bridle (may be same as dressage bridle)
- Running martingale
- Breastplate
- Jump saddle pad
- Dressage saddle pad
- Horse boots
- Tape to extra-secure Velcro on said horse boots
- Extra halter (this is not optional – consider if either halter or lead break or go missing, how is the rest of your day going to go...? How are you going to get your horse home?)
- Extra leadrope (also not optional – see above :)
- Stud kit (esp if weather/footing is dodgy)
- Any necessary blankets, fly sheet, rain sheet, cooler, etc depending on weather
- Tack cleaning kit (little bucket, saddle soap, sponge, cloth, polish)

Rider Necessities:
- Jacket
- Gloves (black)
- Helmet
- Helmet cover
- Boots
- Breeches
- Belt
- Show shirt
- XC vest
- Medical armband holder
- Pinny holder
- Rain jacket (always. Trust me.)
- Hairnet
- Crop
- Spurs
- Watch (or good friend with watch. When they say you start at 7:53, they mean it. At 7:54 you’re eliminated.)
- Stock tie
- Stock pin
- XC watch (this depends on level and location! In ON it’s currently illegal below T level.)
- Boot pulls
- Boot jack
- Safety pins (you’d be amazed how often you need to pin a number on)

Trailer items:
- Buckets (at very least one for bathing and one for drinking)
- Hay net(s)
- Enough hay/grain/supplements for one day longer than you plan to be there
- Mounting box
- Broom
- Manure fork
- Shipping boots or bandages
- Tail wrap (I personally have never used one, but I have a friend who would disown me if I didn’t put it on the list :)
- Saddle rack
- Bridle hooks
- Duct tape, binder twine and WD40. With these three items, you can fix just about anything!
- Scissors (to aid in above repairs :)
- Horse 1st aid kit
- Water
- Gas in truck
- Bedding (if stabling)

Grooming Kit:
- Hoof pick
- Extra hoof pick (they walk!)
- Curry comb
- Dandy brush
- Soft brush
- Show sheen
- Corn starch/Baby powder (if your horse has white markings)
- Braiding kit (mane comb, string/elastics of appropriate colour, if string also bring: latch hook & stitch ripper)
- Scissors
- Dry swiffer (ok my students and I might be the only ones who do this, but fastest way to get dust of a dark horse after a dusty warm-up ever! Works equally well on boots)
- Sponges (at least one horse-sized for bathing after, good plan to have a small one for grooming touch-ups too)
- Towel
- Sweat scraper
- Fly spray
- Rubber mitt or cactus cloth
- Poultice (and paper to wrap around it)
- Tail comb
- Safety razor
- Hoof polish

Miscellaneous things that have been known to save the day:
- Like minded friend/groom/accomplice...
- Folding chairs
- Hard copy of rule book
- Tim Hortons
- Extra leadline
- People flyspray
- People 1st aid kit
- Umbrella (please be careful where you open it!)
- Drinks (age appropriate please people! And fruit juice or water for all till you’re DONE riding :)
- Food (esp of the light and healthy variety)
- Cash (don’t ever count on being able to use plastic at a horse show)
- Camera
- Change of weather-appropriate clothes for after riding
- Extra socks
- Warmer clothes than you expect to need
- Baseball cap (or some other form of sun-hat)
- Mirror (esp if you’re in a sport where you have to tie a stock tie!)
- Hair brush
- Toilet paper (you can thank me later)
- Sunscreen
- Plastic bags
- Towels/cloths
- Baby wipes
- Deck of cards
- Sense of humour


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Intermediate: Lunging

Lunging (or longing) is the art of standing in the middle of a circle with a long rope that your horse, attached to the other end, goes around the outside of a circle. Nothing to it!

Why would we bother with such an activity?
- to improve the horse's way of going. Rhythm, balance and coordination are all easier to master without a rider!
- to observe the horse from the ground (either checking for soundness or watching movement etc)
- to take relax or warmup a tense horse before riding
- to work the horse without riding
- to teach voice commands
- to start a young horse before backing them
- to strengthen the horse
- to enable a rider to focus solely on their position

Ok so maybe it is a useful tool after all. So what's required to do this?
- rider: should be wearing a helmet and gloves. Must not be wearing spurs (and if you're doing Pony Club/EC exams you will be penalized if you do! Reason being if you trip while lunging things can get very bad very quickly...)
- horse: boots all around. They are more likely to hit themselves on the lungeline, so should be appropriately booted. May be tacked up or not. If they have a saddle, make sure the stirrups are run up and knotted so they don't come loose and bang unfairly against the horse. If they have no saddle, a lunging surcingle is often used (essentially a large girth that goes all the way around the horse and has rings that side reins can be attached to).

Surcingle
Likewise a lunging cavesson (looks like a big halter with a very thick noseband, a throat latch, and some extra rings on it) can go over either a halter or a bridle to attache the lunge line. In most exam scenarios this is preferred.
- lunge line (think extra-long lead line) should be held by the rider and done up to either the cavesson or the bridle.

Lunging Cavesson

Note that there are a lot of lunging gadgets (for lack of a better word) that in the hands of somebody who really knows what they're doing can be used to help train a horse through a variety of issues. However, it is incredibly easy to do a ton of harm with these and not so easy to get the truly good results so use them with great caution and only under the instruction of a qualified coach.

Side reins are the most commonly used. These run straight from bit to the side of the girth (although some people choose to attach them to the d-rings instead). Done correctly this can teach a horse to bring their hind end underneath them, their back up, and to stretch down into the contact very much as we want them to do when we're riding. Similarly by shortening the inside one slightly it can help create the correct bend. Done incorrectly you can have a horse who leans on them (and later your hands) with their hind end trailing way out behind them, or overtucks their chin to their chest to avoid the contact altogether, or in extremely bad cases (ie too tight too fast on a green horse) who'll rear and flip over. So while very useful and often applied, make sure you know what you're doing before you choose to use them! For the PC and EC exams you will be expected to use side reins correctly.

Side reins

A similar idea but one that strives to avoid allowing the horse to lean is the chambon martingale which makes a triangle from between the horse's legs through the bit up to the pole and back again. Note that this should never be ridden in! (There's the Degauge martingale if you need essentially the same effect mounted). There's also a variation out now that involves ropes going around the hocks to get them to tuck their hind end under. The idea's theoretically not half bad but the practical reality is a little dodgy. And definitely not to be attempted by an amateur. To put this in perspective, every classical trainer I know will avoid this entire paragraph (although they do all use sidereins from the above).

One of many gadgets

Ok so how do you attach the lungeline to the horse?
- first option is to use a lunging cavesson and attach the lungeline to one of the rings (either centre or on the inside of your circle). The cavesson must be tight enough that when the horse is lunging it doesn't slip (or the cheekpiece on the outside will go over their eye).
- second option is to attach to the inside bit ring. This is seriously frowned upon in all testing scenarios. Reason being you can, in fact, pull the bit through the horse's mouth with this method. Both unpleasant and ineffective.
- third option is the "Barnum" method where the lungeline goes through the inside bit ring, runs parallel to the cheek piece, over the crown piece, and down the cheek piece on the outside to do up to the outside bit ring. This is my personal favourite as it avoids the bit-through-the-mouth issue entirely, allows you to use both reins together (as you would while riding) and has the added benefit of putting pressure on the pole. The down side to this method is that when you switch direction, which you should do often, it's a pita to unhook and reconnect. Should the horse shy or bolt when you're in the middle of setting it up, this would be very bad. In an exam situation, stick with the cavesson.
- another option is to wrap the lungeline once around the cheekpieces and noseband on the inside, go over the noseband, wrap around the cheekpieces and the noseband on the outside, and do it back up to itself underneath. This has the benefit of not using the bit at all and applying pressure to the nose, but is a serious pita to set up and judging just the right length of lungeline to begin wrapping with is a bit of an art in itself. I have seen this used and done it once or twice to try it, but I don't know anybody who uses it as their primary method.

Alright, all tacked up and ready to go! Now what?
You want to make a triangle, with you at the centre of the circle as the point, the lunge line to the horse's head one side, horse's body the second side, and the lungewhip from you pointing toward the horse's tail as the third point.

Neutral position: Dark blue - lunge line, dotted blue - where your body should point, green - where the whip should point

The lungewhip acts as your leg -- point it to the back of the horse to encourage forward; point it to his girth area to keep him out; lower it (or in extreme cases put it behind you) to chill the horse out. Your shoulders can also seriously impact the horse's performance. Remember the horse is a prey animal and will instinctively go away from you. Your neutral and most frequently used position should have your body facing the horse's shoulder. Angling yourself so you're slightly behind him, with the shoulder on the direction he's going slightly back (so your body is facing almost the direction he's going) and he'll accelerate in that direction. Stand slightly ahead and turn that same shoulder in to him (so you're facing more towards the hind end) and you'll find they slow down. In general though, you want to stand in the middle of the circle with your body pointing at the girth. Simple right? hahaha go try it -- it's usually the hardest thing novice lungers find to master. They generally end up ahead of the horse trying to lead him -- resulting in (as noted above) him stopping. Quite amusing from the sidelines but very frustrating for the person who doesn't understand exactly what's going on!

Oops! One of the most common mistakes from a novice lunger is to get ahead of the horse... This usually results in the horse stopping and/or turning in to the middle. Note also that by this point they are no longer anywhere near the middle of the circle.

Important things while lunging:
- if you're inexperienced, make sure somebody is supervising and avoid lunging a green horse till you've practiced with one who knows its job! Remember, you wouldn't've wanted to ride an TB fresh off the track for your first ever riding lesson, so don't try lunging something challenging until you know what you're doing either.
- make sure all tack fits appropriately
- never put a rider on with sidereins done up (although you can replace them once they're on). Don't lunge a rider till you've got mountains of experience with everything else on here.
- always wear gloves
- it's a good idea to always lunge in an enclosed space. Not always possible, but if you have the option. . .
- never let the lunge line touch the ground (and officially same goes for the whip -- if you're in an exam scenario practice this! It takes a fair amount of skill to change direction on the lunge w/o putting down the whip :)
- likewise never all the lunge line to get wrapped around your hand, arm or leg. This mistake can be fatal should the horse bolt. Take it very seriously.
- keep your lunging sessions short - 20 minutes on a lunge line is close to an hour of riding in a larger ring.
- always keep your eye on the horse. Both to make sure you're with-it when the squirrel darts across the ring and spooks your horse who spins and is suddenly running the wrong direction w/ the lungeline over his neck, AND to pay attention to what he's telling you. They will get tired much faster on the lunge than you'd expect. Keep in mind that muscle tired and adrenaline do not always play well together. A spun horse will keep galloping long after their body should've told them to stop. It's your responsibility to make sure that doesn't happen.
- once you get the hang of lunging, get somebody to teach you to longline. Between the two, you can teach the horse all sorts of cool things :)
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Intermediate/Advanced Aids

So you know by now that your natural aids consist of legs, seat, weight, hand, voice. But how do you use them effectively?

There are five different type of rein aids:

• Direct: this is what you'll be most used to. Your hand comes straight back to your hip, and the horse turns their head in that direction. Used to create flexion, turn, slow down, stop, and reverse.


• Indirect (aka rein of opposition): Your hand comes toward the withers (but should never cross!) Mostly used to help take the weight off of the shoulder on the side you're using. Sometimes used on the outside to make a tight turn at speed.


• Opening: this is when you bring your hand off the neck to one side. Used to encourage the shoulders to move in a particular direction, esp when starting a young horse, introducing lateral work, and jumping. Also sometimes called a "leading" rein or a "guiding" rein.


• Neck: most often used in western riding, the rein lies against the neck on the opposite side of the intended movement (ie, so when you want the horse to go left, the rein lies against the right side of his neck) Usually both reins will go left to turn left, both reins go right to turn right (easily done in western where both reins are in one hand). In english riding you mostly see it being used to facilitate turns while jumping. Also occasionally (ummm mostly only in text-books and random exam questions :) called the bearing rein.


• Pully: an emergency stopping aid, one hand with a short rein gets buried in the withers, while the other the rein comes up and back quite sharply. This aid is very harsh and should only be used if you're being seriously run away with (and are about to go off a cliff or crash into something dangerous! Otherwise remember, you can ride as fast as they can run :) If you use this properly the horse *will* stop -- and often spin the direction of the rein you used, so be sitting back and prepared for that.

Now you never use a rein aid without using a leg aid. And while the leg aids don't usually get names, consider the different ways you can use them:

• one leg at the girth - Active: encourages the horse to move forward and to bend around it. Preventative: stop the horse from cutting that direction


• one leg behind the girth - Active: moves the hindquarters. Preventative: stop hindquarters from swinging.


• two legs together: asks the horse to speed up or move forward


• closing a thigh against the saddle - Active: encourages horse to bend correctly rather than lean. Preventative - helps stop the shoulder from dropping (esp out on a turn)

Now consider the many possible combinations of these:
- One leg says go, opposite rein says "not faster", end result = lengthened stride. - Reins and inside leg say "go straight", Outside leg says "bring hindquarters in", end result = traverse.
- etc etc etc
This is, of course, all very simplified. But then, riding is really simple. It's just not always easy >;-P There are hundreds of "how-to" books if you want more about this... But the best thing to do would be ask your coach :)

Seat? What can I do with my seat? Seat is really a combination of your literal seat with your abs and back muscles (technically the back is controlled by the abs too, but for most of us non-anatomy-specialists it helps to think of the back as a separate entity :). Depending on how you choose to sit, you can shift your horse's balance significantly. Shift your weight forward, and his weight will be on the forehand. Sideways and he'll step sideways under you. Turn your hips left, odds are that's what direction you'll go.

You can use your seat with the motion -- your hips follow the movement and it encourages the horse to move freely, or against the motion - where you tighten your abs and back and tuck your seat under you a little bracing slightly. This has the effect of shifting the horse's weight back and will often slow or stop him.

Is your weight in your heels, your thighs, or your seat? It'll make a difference to your horse. Along with weight - where are you looking? This is important because your head is relatively heavy -- your horse can feel the shift in your weight. Note that in the beginning, the seat is rarely focused on -- beginner riders have enough to worry about figuring out their reins, legs and basic balance. But in the end, the top dressage riders will use their seat as their primary aid. It gets it's power out of its subtlety, but requires a great deal of skill to use.

And what's left? Oh yeah, the voice. Mostly a supplementary aid (and illegal in dressage) a cluck or a growl can be that little extra encouragement necessary to get a hesitating horse over a fence while a quiet "steady" or "woah" might help relocate the brain of a panicked bolting horse.

Now the tricky part to riding is to use only the aids you intend to use and none of the ones you don't! It's very easy to accidentally give the horse conflicting signals which can lead to a confused horse and a frustrated rider. When something's not working the first thing to do is stop and think through your aids -- what *exactly* are you asking him? Did your leg bump his sides (go) at the same time you closed your hand (stop)? Did your reins say turn left while your weight said turn right? Always remember your horse can feel a fly land on him -- he can feel what you're telling him, even if you don't *know* you're telling him something!

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Beginner: Aids

This post started with position and was getting ridiculously long - even by my standards. So it's been divided into several weeks' worth of posts (losing the original topic entirely!) and consequently made much more reasonable :) Enjoy!

Aids are how we communicate with the horse. Much as we'd like to, just giving the horse the course map and saying "go there" usually isn't going to be entirely successful. So we use a variety of aids to communicate. The natural aids are: leg, seat, hand, voice. (sidenote -- sometimes people will add in weight or body to that list -- otherwise those are all lumped in with "seat"). Where and how you combine these things leads to everything from convincing your horse to stop and go, to tempi-changes and pirouettes. When you're first learning to ride you'll rely primarily on your leg and hand, with perhaps a little help from your voice. As you progress, this will change so that you rely mostly on your seat with a little help from the leg and hand.

When you're applying your aids, remember "ask, tell, demand" -- just like you wouldn't want to be shouted at without being asked first, nor is it fair to "yell" at your horse using strong aids before "asking" him first with soft ones. For instance, when you want him to go first give a gentle squeeze with both legs. Then if that doesn't work, a kick. And if that *still* doesn't work you might go to a stronger kick or use of a crop. This escalation has to take place within three seconds for the horse to make the connection and the aids MUST be given in order. If the first time doing an exercise, they don't get it on the softest aid, you should redo the exercise immediately after they've done it until they do get it from the soft aid. (so if the first time you have to kick to make your horse trot. Trot a few strides, then come back to the walk and repeat the transition. If you were quick enough in your aids the first time, the next time you should be able to get it from a squeeze. Most horses learn this very quickly when it's applied consistently.)

Your natural aids (remember: leg, seat, hand, voice) are always in one of three states: active, passive, or preventing.

• An active aid is one that is telling the horse to do something, for instance squeezing your legs to make your horse go faster.


• A passive aid is one that is there, but relaxed, such as a leg that is touching the horse, but not squeezing or telling him to do anything.


• A preventing aid is one that is stopping the horse from doing something they want to do (that you haven't asked them too!). An example of this might be pulling back on the reins when a horse is going to fast.

To supplement the natural aids are artificial aids: a crop (or a dressage whip) or spurs. These are not meant to hurt the horse but to enable the experienced rider to refine and clarify the natural aids. Spurs should never be used by a novice rider since if your leg slips (a normal thing when you're learning), you'll unfairly jab your horse. Also, if you happen to be studying for the EquineCanada exams, note that they consider the martingale (which could be either standing or running - see "tack") to be an artificial aid. Most other examination systems I'm aware of (BHS, PC etc) do not. So if you're writing a test, make sure you know whose book you should be reading!

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Advanced Jumping: XC

So a huge part of the fun of XC is the variety of things you get to see:
you've still got your standard verticals (usually stone walls, fencelines, or something like that) and oxers (esp logs. You will get to jump lots and lots and lots of logs throughout your XC career).


banks: up and down, and of course steps -- which are really multiple banks on a related distances. Up banks tend to be very easy. They require a lot of power on the part of the horse, but for the rider all you have to do is keep your leg on and your upper body out of the way and you're good to go. The key to jumping down is balance. Both for the horse AND the rider. Keep in mind also that young horses will tend to launch out as much as down when going off banks for the first time.




table: essentially a solid oxer that's wide and flat.









corner: this is a table that is super wide on one side and very skinny on the other. The trick to riding this is accuracy -- if you drift too far one way the jump becomes impossibly wide, while if you drift too far the other way it invites an easy runout.





ditches: technically the most easy thing out there. It's literally a canter stride. Nothing to it. Except that ditches house horse-eating monsters. Really scary ones. In the wild, a running horse who steps in a ditch is likely to end up dinner for the lion that's chasing them -- do you see now why your horse might not be overly inclined to jump it when they could so easily go around? As with everything else, this should be introduced gradually and in a non-threatening fashion. Make sure your horse doesn't see a ditch for the first time ever in competition. Or you may very well end up in it! Keep your nose behind the pommel coming into this!


coffins: just the name alone inspires fear. Gotta love xc! A coffin is a combo of fence, ditch, fence on related distances, usually with the ditch down lower than the two jumps (so jump at top of the hill, down two strides to a ditch, up two strides to another fence). The fences are also often both skinny. This is all about technical riding. The horse gets to the first fence, sees the ditch on the landing side and quits. Or jumps that fence and goes around the ditch. Or manages the first two but then runs out of the third. The possibilities are endless. The key to riding coffins successfully is to have all the pieces well schooled to begin with. Is the horse cool with ditches? Jumping up and down hill? Holding a line? Triple combinations? When you can do all that, the coffin will be a non issue. Theoretically >;-P These are usually ridden with a nice bouncy reasonably collected canter (recognizable to all eventers as the "coffin canter" -- creatively named eh?). Flying at something this technical at top speed would be a very bad idea.


ski-jumps: look pretty much like, well, ski jumps :) An angled fence at the top of the hill where you land significantly lower than you took off. These are tricky in that you jump the first part like a normal fence and then you have to bring your body back a bit as per a drop fence to survive the landing. If you jump ahead on these you will, at best, land alone. The trick for the horse is regaining their balance after the drop -- esp as you're usually going downhill at that point.



brush fences: these are good gallop fences. They're sloping and are stuffed with brush which sticks out the top. These can be higher than competition height because theoretically you can go through the brush.







water: horses often don't like jumping into water because they can't judge either the depth or the footing for the landing. As with ditches, introduce the concept easily in a confidence building environment so that by the time they actually have to do it in competition it's all fun :) Keep in mind that the horse will feel the drag of the water when they jump in and be prepared for that as you ride it. At the lower levels you usually get to run in and just jump out. And even that can be exciting some days :) Keeping up the impulsion through the water can be more difficult, so remember that any out jump will ride as though it were bigger than it actually is.


Everything you had to consider while walking stadium, also applies to XC:

• terrain is likely to be far more dramatic on XC and also more likely to change. Uphill, downhill (sometimes both in the same combination!), water (be sure you walk *through* the water yourself so you know what the footing is like), changes between dirt, gravel, wood chips, grass, and anything else!
  
• shadows often play far more of a role on XC, especially when jumping in/out of tree-lines or in the woods. Be aware if the shadows will cast a false groundline or make the landing seem inhospitable -- either of those things can lead to a stop at an otherwise easy fence.
  
• jump judges will be found in the vicinity of every fence. The best ones manage to blend in to their surroundings or be far enough away not to matter, but every once in a while they'll be right before or right after a fence and your horse could well be startled by them so make sure you ride accordingly and keep the horse focused on the fence.
  
• cows and other related monsters. Suffice to say if you have a city horse, cows are equivalent of alien beings; and decidedly unfriendly ones at that. Llamas and sheep are also in that category. So if the farmer next door has any of these turned out, consider how your horse may react to jumping next to the fenceline!
  
• fencelines: we spend all our lives teaching horses to stay inside fences, so asking them to jump one often leads to a very confused pony.
  

Now when you're actually out on course, not only do you have to remember where you're going, how you're going to navigate the various terrain and obstacles, but you also have to be aware of pace. Every course will have an optimum time -- you must come in within 30 seconds of that time. If you are more than 30 seconds earlier than the time, every second is a penalty; slower than the time you have a then .4 penalty for each second. (ie, if the stated time is 5 minutes, you must come in somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00. 4:29 will have 1 penalty added, 5:01 will have .4 of a penalty added -- make sense?) And to make this even more challenging at the low levels (@ least in Canada) you cannot wear a watch. So you need to know, by feel, how fast you are going AND how fast you *should* be going :) The easiest way to learn this is to measure off set distances, and time it. Gallop the distance and figure out how fast you were going. (ie if you're aiming for 400 mpm - meters per minute - and it only takes you 45 seconds to go 400m, you're going too fast! Likewise if it takes you 90 seconds to get there, you're too slow.) Adjust until you get the pace you should be doing. Then practice till it feels normal and you can accurately hit the time regularly. Keep in mind when you're riding the actual course though that there will be places that you'll have to slow down, so that time will have to be made up elsewhere. Always remember though that safety outweighs time -- if it's not safe to go fast enough to meet the time, don't.

And now the fun part -- some of the masters from a couple decades ago. First, just watch it and enjoy! Then watch it again. Look for the different types of fences. Watch which fences they take at speed, and which fences they balance and slow down before they jump. Note also how they change their body positions based on whether they're going up or down hill and how they slip and regain their reins as necessary to allow the horse to jump freely.



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Intermediate Jumping: Stadium

The trick to riding a good stadium round isn't so much the jumps themselves as the flat work inbetween. Dressage with speedbumps. Can you get the "right" quality of canter; that is, the canter that combines the ideal combination of speed (neither too fast nor too slow), balance (rocked back on the hindquarters), and impulsion (power!)? Can you turn? Can you turn without losing your speed, balance or impulsion? (hmmmm tricky I know :), Can you hold a straight line? Can you adjust your stride? And can you do this all while going downhill? Uphill? On an excited horse? Because that's what'll be required in competition! Once you can do all that, then we can consider adding speed-bumps to the equation.

So you have basically two types of jumps in stadium: verticals and oxers.

Verticals have no width (well negligible width, if there was no width you wouldn't be able to see it. Maybe THOSE are what Zel used to jump in dressage w/u?!?!?! hahaha sorry - lightbulb moment. It took me nearly four years, but I finally figured it out! Those of you who knew my last horse @ age 4 will know what I'm talking about :). Ok back to our regularly scheduled program. Verticals -- straight up and down, one set of standards.

Oxers, conversely, have lots of width :) Or @ least some. They can be a variety of styles:

ascending: the friendliest type of oxer, the back rail is slightly higher than the front, which helps the horse to judge where the highest point of his arch should be. Triple-bars are an often seen version of these that use three sets of rails instead of two. A rider fence (as in one that freaks out the rider but not the horse), they often *seem* quite intimidating, but in reality they usually ride really well.


square: these are when the back rail is in line with the front rail (theoretically creating a square with the ground -- or a rectangle depending how wide/tall the jump is :) These are by far the most common in competition. A green horse will tend to way overjump these, putting the highest part of the arch over the back rail rather than the middle, but once they learn to size them up accurately it's all good :)





swedish: this looks like a giant floating X. The top rails are angled, so the front rail has the left side higher and the back rail has the right side higher (or vise versa). These can be intimidating since the "official" height is where the two rails cross -- meaning the sides could actually be higher than competition height. These can be jumped right in the center, in which case they ride like a square oxer (personally I find them slightly easier than a square oxer, but that might be just me :), or slightly off-center to the side where the back rail is higher, creating an ascending oxer. - fan - this has one standard on one side and several (usually three) on the other. The trick to these is to find the line you want to ride and hold it. If you can do that (remember the whole steering thing above?) you're set.

So you're at the show. There are people walking around the course. Maybe you should walk around too? It's a nice day out, what else is there to do? hahaha but why are you walking? Well to memorize the pattern of course! Well yes, that is true. But eventually you get really good at memorizing patterns from the beautiful little sketch posted near the in-gate. My suggestion would be memorize the course BEFORE you walk it. So that you know where you're walking and can focus on other things.

What other things? Ah now there's the question of the day. What things should you be considering while walking the course?

• where you're going: Not just the *order* of the fences. Admittedly that's step one, but not nearly enough. Exactly where are you going to turn, how wide is the turn going to be, where you're going to take off, where you're going to land, where you're going to be looking while doing each of those things. You need to have a plan. Then you need to ride the plan. But if the plan only states "jump fences 1-12 in order" or even "jump fences 1-12 in order, on the first try" you're still not likely to have a brilliant round.
  
• how you're going to get there: what is the correct speed/balance/impulsion to approach that fence. An uphill oxer away from home may require a very different ride from a downhill vertical towards home.
  
• what's the footing like: common sense here. If it's slippery, slow down. Check for any rocks, holes, hazards etc. Does it change throughout the course (esp grass to dirt, hard to soft, etc). Depending on the conditions it might be worth considering putting studs in too (see shoeing)
  
• what spooky items are out there: is there a path just the other side of the ring? Where are the spectators? Where is the judge? Where are the shadows (and keep in mind these can change between when you walk and when you ride!)? Are there any dirt patches that are a strange colour?
  
• what are the "trappy" fences: on angled terrain? oddly spaced related distances? really flat cups on a maxed out vert? optical illusion (esp when combined w/ light/shadows)? skinny fence off a tight turn on a half stride? All things you should be aware of and have a plan to ride.
  
• what's the striding on any combinations: not much to say about this. Know the distance. Know what that means for your horse. Ride accordingly. Ie) short strided horse, away from home, uphill, to a really long two -- you're either going to really gallop or really collect and do it in three. Either could work, but you need to know before you go out which you're going to do. A long strided horse, downhill, towards home, to a short one -- I'd strongly recommend coming in in a reasonably collected and very balanced canter. Triple combinations become even more fun as the distances between each pair of obstacles work together to make it easy or not to clear the combo.
  
• terrain: uphill, downhill, across-hill, flat... How does the land lie? And what are you going to do about it? Remember we want a good combination of speed, balance and impulsion. Going downhill, horses tend to loose their balance (falling on the forehand) and often pick up speed -- your ride needs to account for this. Uphill speed and/or impulsion are more likely to be lost. It does no good to get to the fence if you don't have enough power to jump it!
  
• towards/away from home: not rocket science here -- most horses accelerate towards home (and home is almost always the in-gate) and decelerate away. Keep it in mind as you're planning your ride.
  
• how are you going to enter: gate's open, now what? What gait will you enter in? Are you trying to energize your horse -- if so, power canter it is! If you're trying to chill them out a quiet trot or even a walk might be appropriate (the walk may not be ok if you have to go a long way to the judge because you'll waste everybody's time). Where will you stop to salute? Can you strategically trot by the really scary fence on the way so your horse can see it? Think it through.
  
• how to ride the first fence: the hardest one because you're really not in the zone yet and still have ALL the rest of the course spinning through your mind. How are you going to approach? What gives you the best line? How much time/space do you need to establish your canter before that? Where are the start flags (make sure you go through them!)?
  
• how to finish: you've cleared the last fence AND gone through the finish flags (important!) Now what? Just galloping out the gate is not exactly recommended both because it's incredibly unsafe and because it's poor training. Where can you circle or stop safely?

So now you see why I suggest you memorize the course before walking it? :)

Now lets see how the best in the world do it. Notice him showing his horse a scary fence and some of the spooky things (ummm people :) before he starts. Look at the different types of fences and see how the ride changes -- from sitting way up and balancing to a tall, skinny vertical, to letting the horse get longer and more forward to a wide liverpool or an oxer.



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Review Beginner Jumping: Gymnastics

What's it called when you do gymnastics on horseback?

What are three reasons you might choose to school gymnastics?

What is the standard distance in this gymnastic:

. . . X | ||


Which would you rather jump:
| 21' | 24' ||

OR
| 21' || 24' |

OR

|| 21' | 24' | Why?

My answer to that last question here :)
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