AUS SJ CHAMPS GET READY!! Loxley & I have been tuning up our inner showjumper, in prep for this weekends Australian Showjumping Champs at Werribee! Id heard last years show was one if the best events ever held, with fantastic organization, course design, trade stands, & big screens for amazing spectator enjoyment... So we thought wed better join in! So, what does an eventer do to prepare for a pure SJ comp? Im only doing 1.10m & 1.20m classes as Ive been busy coaching, so my main aim is to ride well - good position, rhythm, line. 1. Ive lunged Forest over trot & canter poles, to develop his own rhythm & sense of awareness/responsibility. 2. Then weve ridden various distances between two 5-stride poles, to improve my eye & recognition of the right canter. I havent visited my guru coaches the Comans, for enough training, so Ive resorted to watching FEI TV coverage of the WEG SJ rounds in an effort to train myself (?!?!), & in particular, the final 4 riders riding each others horses. I am actually finding this learn by absorption method really helpful!! 3. Travel to the fences & let the horse jump. This is sometimes tricky when youre riding a horse who isnt naturally so careful! I noticed the real SJers can just roll on down in a semi-gallop, & give the fence some serious air, no probs! An eventer would probably get too flat & tap the rails out, so we automatically adopt the create round/manufacture bascule/find perfect distance ride, which invariably makes us do too much & the horse do less! My fav exercises this week: 1. Bounces - 4 in a row, or 3 on a curve. 2. One stride doubles with placing poles 7 yards before, after, & one in the middle. Both doubles of vertices & doubles of oxers. Keeps my position tall.. No flopping!! 3. Figure 8s - practicing turns both ways, turning up to an angled fence with the horses shoulders coming off the ground straight, & not drifting. Also looking forward to seeing what the SJs are wearing, & checking out the trade village!! Woop woop might become a SJer...?!?!
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 03:57:24 +0000
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