You are cantering towards the jump… 3… 2… 1… But instead of the ‘Jump’ that should have followed the 1; you get a chip in. A moment where your usually trusty horse decides to test both of you by inserting a little ‘half stride’ in there before takeoff! The result is you do a great Thelwell impression and your horse…
Have you ever experienced popping over a jump with your horse, when he suddenly realises he needs a little ‘more’ if he is going to clear the jump? He stretches, or pushes, a little farther than you expected and suddenly you find yourself very much behind the movement and bracing for the inevitable ‘thud’ that your backside connecting with the…
Think back to the last time you were cantering along on your horse and a change of rein was coming up. You began the task of preparing to drop back a gear into a trot to change the canter lead. “Better than losing rhythm and balance through a flying change…” However before you even got there, your horse (being the…
The bell rings, you set off aiming for the first fence, you pop over it… And suddenly it’s like everything begins to speed up and rather than being the pilot, you have somehow been relegated to passenger status. All the ‘if this then that’ scenarios you have spent months practicing are just gone and you are hoping that somehow, through…
You’ve just popped the fence and, in your mind, it was a success. Mostly because you managed to stay on board for it! However, as soon as your horse lands, you are beginning to think that your ‘upright seat’ is becoming more and more of a fantasy… In fact, every stride your horse takes is literally bumping you further and…
Does your normally relaxed, sane, and rhythmic horse turn into his version of a racehorse each time he rounds a corner and spots anything that resembles a jump when you are riding? Your quiet calm ride turns into a flat-out gallop, resembling the rush for the finish post on the final furlong of Aintree… (minus the cheering crowds!) Unfortunately, horses…
