Gamebird
Well-Known Member
Seeing as there aren't many eventing reports going on I thought I'd let you see some video of Jerry Jump Jet and I trying to rediscover our mojo. CC welcome, with the emphasis on 'constructive' as we're feeling a little delicate at the moment . I'm never sure about posting when things aren't perfect but hopefully it will be educational for both me and anyone brave/bored enough to watch!
Poor old Jerry. Despite a fairly successful winter BSJAing at 1.10-1.20 somehow the wheels have come off somewhere along the line and he came out at the start of the BE season rather worried and tense leading to me having to retire him XC more than once. I stopped trusting him and he stopped trusting me . He's a worrier and a thinker and something's bothered him somewhere along the line so we've gone back to basics and tried to sort the problem out - it stems from the approach to the fence (he's started shortening and curling behind the contact) and (doesn't it always...) the canter .
With this in mind we've been doing some jumping with my dressage instructor - trying to keep him in a longer, deeper outline on the approach to a fence, trying to stop me flapping if the stride's not obviously there, and trying to make adjustments on the turns so that the last few strides are smooth and un-fiddled with. I think it's improved his jump - it's no longer quite so extravagant - but there's still a long way o go so I'm dropping him back to 1m-1.10 in the ring for a bit until we're both singing from exactly the same hymn sheet.
Forgive the odd circle - if his head comes up and his stride starts to shorten I'm to put him on a circle and sort it out before approaching the fence. I feel a lot more confident in him now than I have for the last few weeks and I think the feeling's mutual . It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than it has been.
Please note a) the sunshine!!!!! and b) the puddles
[youtube]C1Keve8mnY0[/youtube]
Poor old Jerry. Despite a fairly successful winter BSJAing at 1.10-1.20 somehow the wheels have come off somewhere along the line and he came out at the start of the BE season rather worried and tense leading to me having to retire him XC more than once. I stopped trusting him and he stopped trusting me . He's a worrier and a thinker and something's bothered him somewhere along the line so we've gone back to basics and tried to sort the problem out - it stems from the approach to the fence (he's started shortening and curling behind the contact) and (doesn't it always...) the canter .
With this in mind we've been doing some jumping with my dressage instructor - trying to keep him in a longer, deeper outline on the approach to a fence, trying to stop me flapping if the stride's not obviously there, and trying to make adjustments on the turns so that the last few strides are smooth and un-fiddled with. I think it's improved his jump - it's no longer quite so extravagant - but there's still a long way o go so I'm dropping him back to 1m-1.10 in the ring for a bit until we're both singing from exactly the same hymn sheet.
Forgive the odd circle - if his head comes up and his stride starts to shorten I'm to put him on a circle and sort it out before approaching the fence. I feel a lot more confident in him now than I have for the last few weeks and I think the feeling's mutual . It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than it has been.
Please note a) the sunshine!!!!! and b) the puddles
[youtube]C1Keve8mnY0[/youtube]