Woosh, the winter is zooming by. Weather now consistently in the 80s and still barely a fly in sight. The past few weeks have been exciting.
I'll pick up where I left off:
Jimmy Wofford Clinic: Jimmy is a fantastic guy with a great manner . . generous with his information and is happy to offer his explanation as to Why, in addition to How. He ran his Stadium Jumping lesson in a format which included Warm-Up, Ramp-Up, Own-It, New Ideas, Put it Together . . . He emphasized cantering in balance and used circling before and after each fence as a way to school both horse and rider to "get there" before moving on. Toward the end of the lesson the jumps were lowered to work turns and lead changes, giving horses and riders a little bit less to chew in order to concentrate on other specifics. He referenced his book Training of the Three Day Event Horse and Rider several times, which, in the meantime I have read, and find excellent. During the clinic Jimmy made a strong point about horses that stop at fences: "they must be punished" . . explaining that we must teach our horses that they must jump the fence no matter how little we help them or how wrong we get them in. They must not be dependent upon the perfect ride to get from one side to the other. Now, surely we riders must strive to make as few mistakes as possible, and we need continue our best efforts to do this, but our horses have a responsibility to do their part!
The cross country phase the following day started with galloping practice . . .balanced position with a feel for pace . . .mpm . . know what each gear feels like! He explained his view on jumping from a balanced gallop . .. a slight departure from the ICP approach, which emphasizes a "rebalancing zone" and a bigger change in posture. There were several riders in our group who struggled with the "gallop to the jump and let it come up" method . .the author included. By the end of the clinic, tho , I could see and feel the upshot of this approach, but I would ride only certain fences in this fashion (brush and other natural objects, with ground lines and such. . . )there are too many fences on modern day courses that need be ridden differently I think. . .coffins, corners, skinnies, etc. We also worked thru water, in a sunken road and up and down the mound . .and again, he was very generous with his time, attention, information and explanation. Some of his commentaries and course walks can be found on YouTube if anyone out there is interested. I rode Blu Jay in this clinic and she was aptly called "Pocket Rocket" throughout. Next stop: Training!?
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