Ambers Echo
Still wittering on
Thoght some poeple might be interested in a report about this.
So she taught a range of riders, but the lessons I watched were kids on PT ponies both aiming for selection onto the Pony Trials team next year, my RI on a 4 year old who had never done XC before and another RI who was on a horse she has evented up to 100. (Rider has evented to 2* but horse less experienced).
I rode with the 4 year old partly as nanny but also did a few lines.
All riders.
Every rider I saw was told to lenghten the rein and let the horse have the neck out more. Every single one. And Lottie too. To slow down or re-balance, the key was body back, engaged core, leg on, connection. NOT shorten up on rein. A lot of riders felt this was totally counter intuitive but it worked really well.
Whizzy kids:
Main advice was to stay connected. Take off point needed to be closer to the fences. Ponies were very experienced and tended to take over, rider still needs to ride or it goes wrong as jumps get bigger. Frequent phrase was half-halt/rev; half-halt/rev. Wanting the kids to come in on a shorted punchier canter. Not on a longer stride. On a combination of 3 big skinnies, look at 3rd element as you enter the first as line needs to be perfect so pony needs to know where they are going in good time. Both kids were told to ride with longer reins.
4 Year old
As he got bouncier and more high-tailed, rider got shorter and shorter in the rein. Nicola said let it out. Shortening just builds the energy up behind and would make the bouncing worse. So a longer, softer rein. Lots of trot popping. Landing in canter then re-balance and slowly back to trot. Lots of turning and keeping him thinking. He visibly gained confidence all the way through. Introduced him to ditches and water with a Lottie lead. Ditch from walk first. Let horse see, look up, leg on. Never use speed to get over. If they come in trot they may jump the first time because of the momentum, but then think 'WTF was that' and refuse after that. So walk up, let them see what they are doing and jump from there till they are hopping over confidently.
Lottie: Longer rein. Control the canter. Don't let her take flyers OR chip in which meant balancing control with power. Less hand and more leg/seat/body positioning. Which felt weird on a very forward horse but worked well. Don't argue with her. Just manage her. Having her voice in my head was so helpful to get moment by moment brief instructions. She did not talk much but the few words she did say were absolutely spot on.
Older 100/Novice horse
Softer rein! (Again!) Look ahead more. Find the lines earlier. And when jumping into water, shorten up more as horse may stumble as they enter water. Eg aim for 3 strides not the more likely 2 for a jump to a jump into water. If horse does stumble she is far more likely to stay on her feet if she comes in on 3 than if she has a longer stride and then has a bit of a stumble in the deeper water.
It was fab. Can't wait for the next one. I'll have a proper lesson next time.
So she taught a range of riders, but the lessons I watched were kids on PT ponies both aiming for selection onto the Pony Trials team next year, my RI on a 4 year old who had never done XC before and another RI who was on a horse she has evented up to 100. (Rider has evented to 2* but horse less experienced).
I rode with the 4 year old partly as nanny but also did a few lines.
All riders.
Every rider I saw was told to lenghten the rein and let the horse have the neck out more. Every single one. And Lottie too. To slow down or re-balance, the key was body back, engaged core, leg on, connection. NOT shorten up on rein. A lot of riders felt this was totally counter intuitive but it worked really well.
Whizzy kids:
Main advice was to stay connected. Take off point needed to be closer to the fences. Ponies were very experienced and tended to take over, rider still needs to ride or it goes wrong as jumps get bigger. Frequent phrase was half-halt/rev; half-halt/rev. Wanting the kids to come in on a shorted punchier canter. Not on a longer stride. On a combination of 3 big skinnies, look at 3rd element as you enter the first as line needs to be perfect so pony needs to know where they are going in good time. Both kids were told to ride with longer reins.
4 Year old
As he got bouncier and more high-tailed, rider got shorter and shorter in the rein. Nicola said let it out. Shortening just builds the energy up behind and would make the bouncing worse. So a longer, softer rein. Lots of trot popping. Landing in canter then re-balance and slowly back to trot. Lots of turning and keeping him thinking. He visibly gained confidence all the way through. Introduced him to ditches and water with a Lottie lead. Ditch from walk first. Let horse see, look up, leg on. Never use speed to get over. If they come in trot they may jump the first time because of the momentum, but then think 'WTF was that' and refuse after that. So walk up, let them see what they are doing and jump from there till they are hopping over confidently.
Lottie: Longer rein. Control the canter. Don't let her take flyers OR chip in which meant balancing control with power. Less hand and more leg/seat/body positioning. Which felt weird on a very forward horse but worked well. Don't argue with her. Just manage her. Having her voice in my head was so helpful to get moment by moment brief instructions. She did not talk much but the few words she did say were absolutely spot on.
Older 100/Novice horse
Softer rein! (Again!) Look ahead more. Find the lines earlier. And when jumping into water, shorten up more as horse may stumble as they enter water. Eg aim for 3 strides not the more likely 2 for a jump to a jump into water. If horse does stumble she is far more likely to stay on her feet if she comes in on 3 than if she has a longer stride and then has a bit of a stumble in the deeper water.
It was fab. Can't wait for the next one. I'll have a proper lesson next time.
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