Ride Straight. Sounds easy right? To any equestrian, staying straight is the key to having successful flat and jump work. If your horse is crooked around the ring as you’re flatting, you’re not balanced and not working your horse’s full range of motion. Having your horse’s head too far to the outside, you pick up your counter lead. Having your horse’s head too far to the inside, you through them off balance and you help them fall in on that shoulder. Loose your horse’s haunches… the possibilities are endless! To ride a horse effectively proper rhythm and bend and straightness all need to be taken into account. You yourself also need to be straight. If you are collapsing into your turns or you sit with more weight in one seat bone than the other, you set yourself up for your horse to also be uneven. Horses pick up on a lot more from their rider than people believe. Your attitude, your confidence, your body’s weight and shift – it all effects them. It’s up to you to be a positive contribution or a hindering influence on your horse.
I know my riding style better than anyone. It has frustrated me and pleasantly surprised me throughout my career. My personality is quite much the perfectionist type. This translated positively and negatively to my riding. It makes me determined and relentless. I will do an exercise over and over again until I am satisfied. I will practice the hard turns, and jump the jump “my horse doesn’t like” because that’s what makes you better. If you continue to practice the skills you’ve mastered, how do you grow? For me, I am PICKY. PICKY PICKY PICKY. I will ride up to a jump and if I don’t love my rhythm or approach I will make any and all attempts to fix it before my horse comes off the ground. Sometimes this is extremely effective. Sometimes you do need to make adjustments right before you jump. Whether it’s a strong half-halt or a little encouragement 2 strides out with the tap of your stick, I think you should set yourself and your horse up to take each jump as best you can.
I run into trouble when my rhythm is good and my path to the jump is good, but I still feel the need to pick. I am not quick to trust that 5 strides out I just need to sit and not interfere and the jump will come to me and it will be good. Sometimes the best riding means doing very little adjusting. It means being still and quiet and allowing the natural flow of rider to horse to jump. This is an extremely MENTAL component of riding in general. TRUST.
My lesson today went well. Straight at some points and not straight at others. Cavalier – who I will be riding for the remainder of the time I’m home on break – is a very talented horse and equally as tolerant. He is beyond sensitive which is a great ride for me – someone who is a little abrasive by nature in life and in the saddle. Cavalier is more than willing to do what you ask and do it correctly with soft effective aids. If you don’t ride him straight after or to the fence, don’t expect him to go straight. If you are hard on his mouth, he’s going to tell you in his way to cut it out. Horses are great teachers, if you are willing to learn. This was my second time jumping Cavalier around and it went as well as you would hope lessons like that to go. Great moments and a miss here or there. No launchers or stops – which is always a good feeling!!!
My goals for the next week: my trainer will be away so this means EXTRA boot camp for me. One day definitely calls for the stirrups to be reluctantly ripped from my saddle. Another day will be adjusting strides between cavalettis and staying STRAIGHT. Rhythm and straightness. A day or two of fun is definitely in order but, I’m excited to put some hard work in the saddle and learn a thing or two.
==> Cavalier and Tara Donohue – past IHSA National Open Flat Rider Champion, extremely accomplished junior and amateur rider. Shot taken this past summer at Lloyd Harbor Equestrian Center.
An Open Opportunity 