I am looking forward to this weekend as it's supposed to be in the 40s and sunny. This forecast = riding! I hope the arenas will be thawed. My plan is to do 1 day of "work", 1 day of stretching and 1 day to hack and trail ride.
Below is a short video of part of our jumping lesson at CAF. (Thanks Amy!) As you can see, Hamps is in a downhill phase of his growth and training right now. Jumping through the grid really helped, but it's something I should probably work on at home. I have not been pushing him to be uphill so far because of his age and because I prefer to let him lower his neck and raise his back. But it's probably time I start to ask for his poll to be a bit higher. Also, it really shocks me how SLOW he is going. To me, it felt like we were going at a nice clip. But watching this video, I see that he needs to have WAY quicker feet - especially for jumping.
(Also, you will hear LAZ comment on how Hampton is really tuned in to my anxiety. You will see me nodding my head in 100% agreement. This was the first time she has ever taught us or really seen us in action. Love her!)
Also ... *sigh* ... yes I'm going to say it. I want a new jumping saddle. I currently have a collegiate close contact, and it's a perfectly good saddle. But as you can see in the video, it puts me in a chair seat. It is difficult for me to find my balance in the saddle and give proper weight aids. I also tend to jam my heels down in this saddle (a bad habit I have broken when in my dressage saddle).
But overall, I was pretty happy that I kept my shoulders (mostly) back over the jumps.
Any other comments/critiques welcome. I have more videos I still need to
What you say about his head is correct. What my coach tells me is that when you are jumping, you should be warming up with your horses head in the position where he would be ready to take a fence if you so chose to. His idea is that people always warm up with a certain head carriage, then go into the ring, shorten their reins and wonder why it all falls apart.
ReplyDeleteIn dressage, you may want to take the time before expecting self carriage, but over fences your horse should be able to balance himself with you having shorter reins quite early. That doesn't necessarily mean you are holding onto the reins all the time either. It's a good idea to allow the horse to find his own way through a gymnastic line you did, but with shorter reins and a more uphill canter.
The only other thing I would suggest is to get over your stirrup, so you don't get left behind, which can cause a lot of problems in your horse in the long run (this is my biggest issue).
I've been jumping since I was bitty, and grids still scare me! My horse feels my anxiety too, and I totally agree with the 'fake it till you make it' statement. I agree that the saddle doesn't seem to fit you all that great... good luck, I hate saddle shopping :(
ReplyDeleteI agree--I don't like the saddle for you. That said, you're riding ok in it and you don't jump a ton, so if you can't afford something else right now, you can probably make do.
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER. Having a saddle that fits me has been huge with helping me ride better and more confidently. I can actually be in balance, which makes for safer riding.
Grids scare me. Izzy not so much.