Horse&Rider Magazine - Winter 2021

As told to Bethany Searby. Photos: Jon Stroud

In this feature. . .

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Teach your horse to jump in a rhythm

In the saddle

Get to the root of rushing

Improve his jumping technique

Curb your

enthusiasm Does your horse enter the showjumping phase with too much go? Nip it in the bud with Alex Hua Tian’s simple method

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f you’ve ever jumped a horse with the need for speed, you’ll know it can be a hair-raising experience. Feeling out of control on a keen horse is frustrating – and sometimes frightening – but the good news is that you can get a handle on his enthusiasm with a few easy adjustments and a simple related distance exercise that introduces some tactical but unusually-placed halt transitions.

Our expert

Alex Hua Tian is an Olympic eventer who was first to represent China in the sport at the Beijing Games. Career milestones include bronze at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and riding in China’s first ever Olympic eventing team at Tokyo 2020.

Our model

Hamlet is a nine-year-old gelding by Chello III VDL and owned by Vivian Gu. With a win at Intermediate and a top 10 CCI3* finish under his belt, it’s hoped he’ll step up to Advanced in the future.

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In this feature. . .

Revisit the aids for travers and half-pass

HAVE A GO AT

half-pass Our expert

As told to Bethany Searby. Photos: Jon Stroud

Based at Pinfold Stables, Cheshire, Sarah Higgins is a Grand Prix dressage rider and trainer.

Our model

Fiddler (Felix) is owned by Sarah Higgins and Richard and Gill Davison. He’s 11 years old and currently competing at Prix St Georges.

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Keen to dip your toe into the world of half-pass, but not sure where to start?

While it’s easy to overcomplicate things, by keeping it simple you’ll make the movement far easier to crack

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earning new dressage skills is a challenge that should always be fun. But with half-pass, it’s easy to get bogged down with the details. The movement is a feature of Medium tests and above, so you might picture dramatic leg crossing that you see in a steep-angled Grand Prix half-pass and feel that you need to replicate it.

Aiming to rival the elites won’t set you up for success but, whether or not you aim to perform a half-pass in competition, you can still unlock the next-level suppleness that half-pass brings by introducing it at home. By stripping back your expectations of half-pass and working towards it in stages, you’ll be sideways stepping in no time – and here’s how.

DID YOU KNOW?

Half-pass is essentially travers, also known as quarters-in, on a diagonal line.

In the saddle

Troubleshoot common problems

Boost his suppleness

Like leg-yield, half-pass is a sideways movement on a diagonal line that involves leg crossing

DID YOU KNOW?

Great for suppling and collecting, half-pass and travers also work wonders for your horse’s paces and self-carriage.

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Don’t be brave

Photos: Jon Stroud

Is bravery the key to better riding, or are there other qualities we should value more? Daisy Smith explains why putting your brave pants back in the drawer could help your state of mind

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Our expert

Daisy Smith is a confidence coach, presenter and writer. She writes award-winning blog How Very Horsey, runs regular rider confidence courses and is an ambassador for Intelligent Horsemanship.

Mind matters

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ho hasn’t heard a clear showjumping round in harmony. horsey friend Bravery’s defined as being say they just ready to face and endure need to danger or pain, which put on certainly doesn’t align TOP TIP their brave pants? We’re with most riders’ The phrase ‘putting on your so often told that bravery goal of having fun brave pants’ has a nice ring to it, is what makes a great with their horse. particularly pre-cross-country when rider, yet what comes to Let’s consider how the nerves might get the better of you. mind when conjuring bravery fits into However, if you’re truly prepared and up images of bravery? our ideal view of well-practised, are they really Soldiers, firefighters, lion equestrianism and needed? tamers, even – not a rider whether it’s really and their horse producing a necessary for having fun flowing test or with your horse.

Risk versus reward

Riding is a risky sport and accidents happen. But, rather than being brave and potentially disregarding safety, it’s much better to focus on being intelligent, thoughtful and proactive to achieve your goals. Being able to accept the risks, take them on board and consciously minimise them where possible will help you enjoy your riding confidently and without fear – eliminating the need for bravery at all.

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