Horse&Rider Magazine - September 2022

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Competition confidence

CHARLOTTE DUJARDIN’S

Grand Prix lessons for

grassroots

How to create a winning routine

riders

14

COST CUTTING

POLEWORK

1 LAYOUT, 3 WAYS AND JUST 6 POLES!

TIPS

Cool, calm & focused

CREATE A

HORSE FRIENDLY n

in 15 minutes

training pla

DJMurphy

Piggy March Issue 636 £4.49

11 August – 7 Sept 2022

IN THE ARENA WITH

Angles • Tricky lines • Skinnies

In this feature. . .

Our expert

As told to Kiera Boyle. Photos: Jon Stroud

Piggy March is an international eventer who’s represented Team GB at several World and European Championships, as well as winning Badminton Horse Trials in 2019.

22 HORSE&RIDER

Our model

Cooley Kan Do (Gin) is an eight-year-old mare owned by Lady Gill Aldous and Ann Tolhurst. She’s currently competing at BE intermediate level.

Improve your technique through an S-bend

In the saddle

Master angled lines

Piggy’s favourite exercises

Hold the

line Want to refine your cross-country skills at home? Piggy March talks lines, skinnies and planning ahead

W

hen you think of cross-country, you probably envision a fast and thrilling ride, flying over fences.

Accuracy may not be the first quality that comes to mind. It’s easy to wing it if you think a fence looks inviting enough, however when it comes to more technical combinations, approaching on a flyer is likely to land you in a sticky situation with no room for adjustment.

The skills required for perfecting your lines out on the cross-country course can easily be practised at home, and doing so will make you feel better prepared for your next outing. Working on seeing a stride, judging accurate lines and creating the perfect canter are the real ingredients behind a successful round. To help, I’ll walk you through one of my staple exercises that you can easily set up yourself at home.

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What’s in the brain

goes down the rein

Our expert

As told to Kiera Boyle. Photos: Peter Nixon

Mark Hallion is an international showjumper and trainer. He’s competed regularly on the European circuit and runs a successful breeding programme that has produced horses who’ve won the four- and six-year-old championships at Hickstead.

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Showjumping success doesn’t all happen in the saddle. Mark Hallion shares his behind-the-scenes advice to help you keep calm on show day

O

n the day of a competition there’s so much to think about – making sure you don’t forget anything, leaving enough time to walk the course, and that’s all before your horse even sets hoof in the ring. On top of that, you need to try and stay relaxed and focused throughout the day as well. The way I deal with the stresses of

competition day is by enlisting a trusted routine that I always follow, every time. By making sure everything’s ready in advance then sticking to the same techniques when I arrive and while I prepare to go into the arena, I know that I’ll be on track and in the right headspace to go out and win. If you struggle to keep your cool at a show, here’s how I do it – why not give it a go?

Mind matters

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