PONY Magazine – September 2020

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770032 425973 29 July – 26 August 2020

Sept 2020 £4.99 Issue 868

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OUR EXPERT

JOE STOCKDALE is a young showjumping star who’s already competed for his country on Youth Nations Cup teams. In our photos he’s riding Tornado des Monts (Teddy).

Joe Stockdale shares a brilliant exercise to help you jump more clear rounds

did you know?

This exercise will help boost your confidence, because you’ll be able to feel your pony’s canter rhythm.

did you know?

Working your pony in the correct canter at home will help him develop the muscles he needs for jumping.

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PONY magazine

T

he most important thing you need for a successful showjumping round is rhythm.

Your pony should stay in an even, consistent canter all the way around a course, to help him meet every fence on a perfect stride.

It’ll give you the best chance of leaving all the poles in the cups and achieving an awesome clear round!

While lots of riders practise canter in schooling sessions, they don’t always get it quite right. This means that when they ride into the ring at a show, their pony’s canter is either too slow or too forward for jumping. My exercise will help you develop that all-important jumping canter, and keep it around a course from start to finish!

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Start your session by getting your pony’s muscles warmed up and ready for more intense work by spending 10-15 minutes in walk, trot and canter. Change the rein often, and ride lots of transitions. These are great for helping make sure your pony’s listening to you and is reacting straight away to your instructions.

When you’re ready to have a go at the exercise, start by asking your pony to open up his canter down the long side of the arena.

Soften your rein contact a little and hover in your stirrups so you get off his back and allow him to really stretch out. Do this a couple of times and think about how forward your pony’s pace is – this is his number 10 canter!

Get set for jumping

Top tip

Keep the fences easy and inviting for your pony.

You can even use ground poles or low cross-poles to practise over.

Move on up

sstep tep 3 Bring it back

Now practise bringing the canter back, so your pony’s taking shorter steps. Sit up tall and slow the movement of your body, but keep your legs on so he still has lots of energy and doesn’t break into trot. As before, try to remember how this canter feels – this is your number one canter.

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Meet in the middle

Now you want to create a canter that’s right in the middle, and is not too forward or slow! This is your number five canter, and the one you’ll need for jumping.

When you’ve got it, aim to keep the rhythm going around the arena, on large circles and through turns.

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o w t T R A P

is for neckstrap

of

dressage More awesome facts about this fab discipline

I

n the August issue of PONY mag we took you for a walk through the dressage alphabet from Arena to Markers! Now get set for 13 more fascinating facts about this epic discipline!

For letters

ust issue of see the Aug Y PON mag!

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PONY magazine

It’s a great idea to pop a neckstrap on your pony, because you can hold onto it whenever you need an extra bit of security in the saddle. You can even use one in a dressage test, too, whatever level you’re competing at. Don’t feel embarrassed about needing one, as many top riders wouldn’t get on young horses without a neckstrap!

is for

is for

outline

PLAITS

This is the shape your fave pony’s body makes when you’re riding him. To help achieve a correct outline for dressage, he should push himself forwards with his hindlegs, then you need to capture all that energy by keeping a soft, steady contact with his mouth. This will encourage him to engage his tummy muscles, lift his back and round his neck. When he’s in a correct outline he’ll be able to carry himself – and you – in good balance.

It’s usual for riders to plait up their pony for a dressage competition, although you don’t have to. You won’t get extra marks for turnout, but it’ll make your pony look super smart, will really show off his head and neck and it’ll make a great first impression on the judge.

is for QUEST Quest is a super-fun series aimed at amateur riders – you can compete as an individual or on a team with your friends!

It’s run by British Dressage (BD), and is open to riders of all ages, with a section for unde r 21s.

You can compete at Intro, Prelim or Novi ce level, and there’s an exciting Championship to aim for! This summer you can even take part in Quest online!

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If you’re not sure you’ll remember all of the movements that make up a dressage test, don’t panic! You can ask your instructor, a parent or a friend to read it out for you – Even if someone’s as long as you’re not competing reading the test to you, in a championship. They must it’s still a good idea to read exactly what’s written on the learn it, as it’ll help test sheet, though, and can’t give you ride it better. you any extra hints or tips!

Top tip

is for SADDLE Your usual saddle’s sure to be perfectly fi ne for flatwork and competing, but if you’d love to do more tests and move up the levels, you may want to consider buying a dressage saddle. They’re designed to help support your position, and the saddle flaps have a straighter cut to help show off your pony ’s movement. Dressage saddles also have longer girth straps and a shorter girth, so you can be even closer to your pony.

is for TRANSITIONS Dressage tests involve lots of transitions, so if you want to get the highest marks poss, spend loads of time polishing them! The judge will want to see your pony making smooth changes of pace, and reacting as soon as you ask him to. So, when you’re schooling at home, work on getting him really listening to you and being super-responsive.

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