seche
Well-Known Member
As some of you know my boy is at summer school with JE at the mom.
I arrived early inorder to groom, tack up etc only to a very smartly turned out Choc - his tack polished within an inch of its life, new open fronted tendon boots, fetlock boots and black hoof oil, he was standing relaxed and wasn't over awed to see me (!!!) his stable was immaculate.
Jonty came up and got on him, walked him round the arena and explained how he needs to be ridden more "through" from behind and kept working all the time with lots of short breaks of long reined stretches and pats then to be picked up again and go straight back into his "work outline" trotted him, cantered him and then brought him back to a walk, and walked him over a telegraph pole type log - about 9in circumference and heavy just to get him thinking about where his feet are going and what they should be doing.
Said that at no time should the forward rhythm change but he IS allowed to put his head up and have a look. He has to remain straight as a dye throughout and not quibble or question what he is being asked to do.
Jumped him over some uprights and then got me to get on!
1st thing he said was when I showed him off to him before he started his time there was that he thought my reins were too long and I had to shorten him up abit more in trot and canter but to let him out to normal "your" length in the walk to encourage him to lengthen and engage more behind and that he isn't to do tight circles or turns until he finds everything else easy peasy as he is too easy to loose on tight turns.
Jumped him over a plank upright = we didn't knock it down but I was trying too hard to see a stride, he lowered it to literally 8 inches off the ground and told me to come again - saw it perfectly which proves the point that it doesn't matter if the fence is 4 inches or 4 ft the rhythm and impulsion HAS TO BE THE SAME!
I felt it was a little hairy and not smooth and polished - abit like we were jumping a jump off but he wants to keep him like that until he is more established. Then we can worry about what we look like.
One major thing he pointed out was our lines to our fences. - that we should ride the line rather than at the jump! - This was demonstrated by a 3 strided double, with him sitting on the fence at the end of the arena - for me to focus on him and not the fences - he did this by asking me how many fingers he was holding up - "4", "2", "4", "3", "1" "none" I was shouting down the line but it worked as I stopped making the fence the point of focus - it rode perfectly and hit the strides spot on.
Described Choc as being very intelligent for his level and that he has a very nice jump on him when his approach is 100% perfect.
He then got us to do a more complicated dogleg - on the left rein an oxer land two strides straight but onto the right rein turn 90 degrees straight two strides then over an upright, we managed the 1st part nearly spot on - rode well but then fitted 3 in before the upright so he got me to ride the colour section on the poles one further to the right so I was aiming straight but not in the centre of either fence - for his strides it worked much better and we achieved what we wanted. I think we only crashed though two fences but I would rather this anyday than his "oh hell, I'm in trouble I'm going to slam the breaks on" attitude which has been plaguing us for some while! Fences not overly big - big intro small pre novice height.
He also made the point that its no good getting 27 dressage and not to jump the double clear which is fully capable of - and that he would rather he got a 35 dressage and jumped a double clear instead.
I left him happy as larry (wasnt even allowed to wash him off!) tucking in to his hay, I am now on count down for Purston!!
I arrived early inorder to groom, tack up etc only to a very smartly turned out Choc - his tack polished within an inch of its life, new open fronted tendon boots, fetlock boots and black hoof oil, he was standing relaxed and wasn't over awed to see me (!!!) his stable was immaculate.
Jonty came up and got on him, walked him round the arena and explained how he needs to be ridden more "through" from behind and kept working all the time with lots of short breaks of long reined stretches and pats then to be picked up again and go straight back into his "work outline" trotted him, cantered him and then brought him back to a walk, and walked him over a telegraph pole type log - about 9in circumference and heavy just to get him thinking about where his feet are going and what they should be doing.
Said that at no time should the forward rhythm change but he IS allowed to put his head up and have a look. He has to remain straight as a dye throughout and not quibble or question what he is being asked to do.
Jumped him over some uprights and then got me to get on!
1st thing he said was when I showed him off to him before he started his time there was that he thought my reins were too long and I had to shorten him up abit more in trot and canter but to let him out to normal "your" length in the walk to encourage him to lengthen and engage more behind and that he isn't to do tight circles or turns until he finds everything else easy peasy as he is too easy to loose on tight turns.
Jumped him over a plank upright = we didn't knock it down but I was trying too hard to see a stride, he lowered it to literally 8 inches off the ground and told me to come again - saw it perfectly which proves the point that it doesn't matter if the fence is 4 inches or 4 ft the rhythm and impulsion HAS TO BE THE SAME!
I felt it was a little hairy and not smooth and polished - abit like we were jumping a jump off but he wants to keep him like that until he is more established. Then we can worry about what we look like.
One major thing he pointed out was our lines to our fences. - that we should ride the line rather than at the jump! - This was demonstrated by a 3 strided double, with him sitting on the fence at the end of the arena - for me to focus on him and not the fences - he did this by asking me how many fingers he was holding up - "4", "2", "4", "3", "1" "none" I was shouting down the line but it worked as I stopped making the fence the point of focus - it rode perfectly and hit the strides spot on.
Described Choc as being very intelligent for his level and that he has a very nice jump on him when his approach is 100% perfect.
He then got us to do a more complicated dogleg - on the left rein an oxer land two strides straight but onto the right rein turn 90 degrees straight two strides then over an upright, we managed the 1st part nearly spot on - rode well but then fitted 3 in before the upright so he got me to ride the colour section on the poles one further to the right so I was aiming straight but not in the centre of either fence - for his strides it worked much better and we achieved what we wanted. I think we only crashed though two fences but I would rather this anyday than his "oh hell, I'm in trouble I'm going to slam the breaks on" attitude which has been plaguing us for some while! Fences not overly big - big intro small pre novice height.
He also made the point that its no good getting 27 dressage and not to jump the double clear which is fully capable of - and that he would rather he got a 35 dressage and jumped a double clear instead.
I left him happy as larry (wasnt even allowed to wash him off!) tucking in to his hay, I am now on count down for Purston!!
