Although I have ridden for a few years now it is only recently I have had lessons on how to jump. My ‘training’ years ago was undertaken on the hunting field and its there I learnt to hang on. This rudimentary introduction to getting airborne has proved wholly inadequate to the kind of jumping I try to do these days. Eighteen years of trying to get the white boy (my anglo arab) over any kind of jump has produced a defensive style of riding ready for stops and run outs. The white boy’s approach to jumping was to rush up to jumps then stop which tipped me forwards and put me in front of the movement. I seem to have adopted this position as a permanent fixture as one trainer after another screams ‘sit up’ or ‘sit back’ and comments likening me to a ‘monkey up a pole’ confirm that this position of mine is a favourite. Knowing I do this, watching videos that offer further proof of this and trying my hardest to sit back and not be pulled forward seem to have little or no effect. I will just have to keep trying.
The other issue I am struggling with is to establish a good working canter that will help me see a stride. This sort of canter needs to look as if it’s going somewhere and could produce a good lift off. It needs some impulsion as well as collection. It needs to look a bit more uphill and Frank needs to engage his hind legs. Frank’s gait has been developed for the show ring and it’s a bit airy fairy. Being quite long he also likes to take a loping stride and flatten out. He needs to work a bit harder and I need to work a lot harder to achieve this. Good exercises are cantering slowly on small circles transitioning to walk and then back to canter. Throwing in the odd pirouette is also good to practise at home. The lesson I had yesterday with Louise Harwood was a tough one as she insisted on Frank upping his game – lots of walk to canter transitions and, much more difficult, canter to walk transitions – until the canter had a lot more energy and impulsion. Once Louise was satisfied with the canter we then started to jump stuff with lots of twists and turns. Having given Frank a bit more ooomph I thought I was off the hook – but no…. Louise then homed in on my tipping forward – ‘sit up’ she shouted over and over again as Frank managed to pull me forward each time he landed. By now we were both sweating and puffing a bit. Right then, lets go and jump some XC jumps in the other arena. To get to the other arena involved going up, across and off a small bank. Frank wouldn’t jump off until Louise hopped down and gave him a lead – ‘don’t tip forward’ Louise reminded me again. It’s really hard not to tip forward when the thing you are sitting on suddenly stops – its physics I reasoned – where do I find the power to defy physics? The same thing happened jumping out of the arena which involved a jump over a ditch – again, Frank looked down, dithered a bit then lept across like it was the grand canyon. ‘Sit back… don’t get in front of the movement’. Eventually, my position changed and approach to the water tray was better… Frank stopped but I managed to defy physics, sit back and get him over it. By the end of the lesson we were both boiling in the bag and in need of a good hose down.
I don’t know if my position has improved. I don’t know if I will be able to defy physics next time Frank tries to pull me forwards – but at least I know I have a problem, I kind of know too what I need to do but its just not easy.
The lesson I’d had with Jonathan Pett the day before also began with trying to establish a good canter – one with shorter strides and greater impulsion. One exercise involved trying to get six strides in between two fences where five strides would be the norm. This is a very difficult exercise. On one attempt the striding got so awkward I’m not sure what happened but Frank got in very close. He should’ve stopped really but due to laws of physics he somehow carried on causing me to tip forward with such force that I punched myself in the face with my own hand so hard I saw stars. Then as Frank flipped over the jump my heels came up behind me and my spurs clicked together – the ultimate in tipping forward I would say.
Last weekend Frank and I went up to Beacons Equestrian centre for BRC Area showjumping and were part of the 90 cm team. Although I tried really hard we didn’t manage to go clear – four faults each round (fence 8 and 5) . Given issues described earlier I can see what went wrong and watching these rounds I can see where improvements need to be made – sit up in between fences, aim for a shorter stride in canter and a bit more impulsion, shorter reins, and keep hands still.
Only Joolz and Horses 