tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58387502876753352802024-02-07T00:50:27.286-08:00Jimmy Wofford ClinicBecky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-86605489362840145652010-11-07T22:13:00.000-08:002010-11-12T19:04:53.216-08:00Cross Country and the Learning Curve<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnZ6Fgm0nRqVG914oQjY-RquZskgUtNHUMopsh5NKMhW-AG6fKND60iIVPy7MUcH76legRt3Tih-2koNCxxFuU4fqH4q2d1hFLcqOtyYSVkckHn-RZRckAoKc0nLXH1276LgtK3B1bLXr/s1600/jimmypettingpaddy.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnZ6Fgm0nRqVG914oQjY-RquZskgUtNHUMopsh5NKMhW-AG6fKND60iIVPy7MUcH76legRt3Tih-2koNCxxFuU4fqH4q2d1hFLcqOtyYSVkckHn-RZRckAoKc0nLXH1276LgtK3B1bLXr/s320/jimmypettingpaddy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538797013321610338" border="0" /></a><br />As opposed to the last time I was here, the Cross Country day dawned beautiful, sunny, and breezy. We gathered at the start box (did I mention that David and Laura have made a really wonderful set of jumps, from pre-BN through Intermediate? Well, they have!), and we started out once again by showing Jimmy our galloping positions (only this time, he said "do not 'post' the canter, or you will not like what I will do!"....my guess is that we'd be sans stirrups, so I'm glad none of us did!). One woman was leaning quite a bit to the right, so Jimmy motioned her over and took away her right stirrup, leather and all, then asked her to jump three times over a small tire jump. She got the point. Apparently, this was something she'd been working on.<br /><br />Several folks were nervous, and to one Jimmy shouted "You're so worried he's not going to be perfect that you're not letting him do his job! You're making it worse!"<br /><br />He commented that riders needed to be "relaxed and through" in all three phases. If I could understand/achieve that, I think I'd be in nirvana!<br /><br />He reminded to make sure they put their weight into the turn to help the horse balance.<br /><br />We started out with a single jump, but soon were jumping a small, three jump combination. Jimmy was watching to see if we balanced the horse before the jump, and then kept that balance over the jump clear through to the landing.<br /><br />"Before you do the exercise, run it through in your mind!"<br /><br />When it was my group's turn, I once again got to be "lead off hitter". That's pretty exciting, but scary, too. I got one direction wrong in our opening canter (I trotted on the wrong side of a clump of trees), and he chided me for it when I returned. "Are you nervous? You're not allowed to be nervous! You be nervous when I tell you to!"<br /><br />We jumped over all the jumps in the first field well, including a related difference (three short strides) roll top combo. I was feeling pretty good, and then he had us do a small then medium ditch, cantering over the small then the medium. We had a stutter step over the larger one because I looked down (ARRRGGGHH), but it was all right. One participant had real trouble over it, and I got to give her a lead until we did it perfectly. :)<br /><br />We did some up/down banks, and I got a little unbalanced; I love what Kathleen Zins taught me to do ("scruntch" into the saddle, then follow), but Jimmy asked us to let our hips go forward. Ultimately, I think they were saying the same thing, but of course I started thinking about my hips, and everything else sort of got lost, which wasn't good. Still, we weren't bad...just not as good as I would have liked.<br /><br />Then, however, I found that David had some new jumps--including a lovely, Greenwood-clone ditch and brush.<br /><br />I wasn't quite expecting that, and I was caught off guard. That's the only fence that scares me. Kathleen and I worked out our issues at Greenwood, until we thought it was a blast...but I really didn't expect to see one like this UNTIL Greenwood.<br /><br />My heart raced, and of course, I started thinking bad thoughts. It was right after a down hill approach, and then about four bending strides to a three plank smallish jump.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EWgDBVBn4sR_akF9Da_ZheiNHyx1PMUVqBU5h2Q_3t5xIZntZzFMlJmnIte7YdRCfMLN9Xysk7JU-lVHgxpbwZ-KiVPSzRUQ8AjXsf6mZiuxuUAwhFays_vYUKKE_8D8ddqPMH35N7L_/s1600/stopditchandbrush.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EWgDBVBn4sR_akF9Da_ZheiNHyx1PMUVqBU5h2Q_3t5xIZntZzFMlJmnIte7YdRCfMLN9Xysk7JU-lVHgxpbwZ-KiVPSzRUQ8AjXsf6mZiuxuUAwhFays_vYUKKE_8D8ddqPMH35N7L_/s320/stopditchandbrush.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538792257754617522" border="0" /></a>I was first to go.<br /><br />I don't know exactly what happened (well, on the approach there was a big chunk of ground missing, so we had to alter our stride, and then my mind wasn't in the game so I'm sure I stopped my hips/took my leg off), but we stopped. It wasn't pretty, but I stayed on. I got to try it again (Jimmy said we all get three tries, then we go on, because we can't waste other peoples' time). I admit to one more faulty try, and then I took his advice from yesterday: I hit his lazy Irish ass. :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQ4uQF54YSzw6DC9MDA7r0i4MN9CSwFZm_FGtJaxSP1ebPpM1MvbpeKyvCY8vk6YBevu9FE0qctGViYqXK5AmdoFpig7LJVknirELGXVh-TABTx68cw1kDrLlyWmLACInpkJa9ohwcM1e/s1600/overditchandbrush.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglQ4uQF54YSzw6DC9MDA7r0i4MN9CSwFZm_FGtJaxSP1ebPpM1MvbpeKyvCY8vk6YBevu9FE0qctGViYqXK5AmdoFpig7LJVknirELGXVh-TABTx68cw1kDrLlyWmLACInpkJa9ohwcM1e/s320/overditchandbrush.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538793021132939042" border="0" /></a><br />It worked!<br /><br />I tried to explain that we had a bad experience over a jump like that, and he brushed me off, saying I was in a "no whining zone". Jim said "Think about it: He got behind your leg yesterday, you whacked him, and he got better. He was being an idiot today, you whacked him, he got better. YOU do the math!"<br /><br />Towards then end of the XC schooling, Paddy once again got ticked off with the stop/start business (he started doing little Irish bucks between the various water exercises). I knew he was fed up, but it's nice to know he can be a "model" for Jimmy Wofford when need be.<br /><br />I learned that when things aren't going right, and I'm feeling frustrated, I need to change something. If changing one thing isn't working, I need to go through a list, and that list might well include giving Paddy a little "tap of encouragement". I remember watching WEG and Rolex, amazed that everyone seemed to be using their whips quite effectively, and I realized I don't know how/when to use it. I'm learning how to use spurs, but I need to include the whip into my arsenal of tools!<br /><br />A couple other "gems" from the man himself:<br /><br />"If you think you can't, you're right."<br /><br />"Panic, and you produce bad jumping. I'll tell you when to panic, goddamn it!"<br /><br />"Yeah, he was crappy. But you rode him."<br /><br />I'm depending on the kindness of strangers...er, friends from the clinic...to finish this blog. I had to stop taking notes and leave so that I could be back by midnight (actually, 12:30), so I didn't get to watch the final group go.<br /><br />Still, what a wonderful clinic! Thanks, David and Laura, and THANK YOU to James C. Wofford for sharing his experience, his wit, and his wisdom with us. Here's to a third coming!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Special thanks to Linda Earley for the fine photos!</span>Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-57074953593040364742010-11-07T09:59:00.000-08:002010-11-12T19:01:39.292-08:00Day 2 Talk/Q&A: It's all about the BalanceOnce again, the day began with an hour long lecture/question and answer session, and at leas initially, folks hadn't had their starbucks again, save yours truly.<br /><br />I asked several questions I'd been thinking about: Why use a figure 8 noseband? (other than the fact that SO MANY folks do it).....some people think it gives more control, but basically it's for a horse that opens his mouth both open and sideways. If your horse doesn't do that, you don't need it.<br /><br />I also asked about the position of stud holes, given that my new farrier places them differently than my old one. At first, Jimmy said I should ask my vet, because he wasn't sure, but he also noted that he thought the "point" of the heel would be best.<br /><br />One of the participants stepped up then and asked about studs (Jimmy called them something different....not clips, but something....). "When do you start using them?" I KNEW the response to this question, since I asked it last year: "When you get tired of slipping!" He went on to say that most Novice riders should know how/when to use them.<br /><br />Tricia asked about wraps: standing wraps? When? How long?<br /><br />Jimmy doesn't do standing wraps on a regular basis. If the horse is doing "extreme" work, he'll do it overnight, but he's talking 3 and 4 star work. His philosophy? Turn out, hacking, linament, and standing in the creek on his farm for hours at a time. :)<br /><br />He talked about his program to get horses "fit" yesterday, but David asked today about prepping for a 1/2 star or other long formats. Jimmy nodded, saying that this preparation would need to be a bit more intense.<br /><br />He said to follow the information in his book, but basically you'd need to add 30/40 minutes of hacking to it. You build your horse up to these levels BEFORE competing.<br /><br />5 " @ 220 X 2 with 2" L<br />4 " @ 400 X 3 with 2" L<br /><br />I loved this one: when someone asked how we can figure out what 350-400 mpm is, he said "350 is the speed at which you don't feel stupid for standing up in two point"...!<br /><br />You should be able to slow canter twice the distance of your cross country. Given that cross country may be 10-15 minutes for the big guys, that's almost half an hour!<br /><br />This schedule is for N and T.<br /><br />For P, we'd do the same trot set (5" @ 220), but we'd do<br /><br />6" @ 400 X 3 with 2" L<br /><br />For I and A, we'd do<br /><br />8" @ 400 X 3 with 2" L<br /><br />Specifically for a Training Three Day Event (which several of us were shooting for), he suggested:<br /><br />5" @ 220 X 3<br />4" @ 350-400<br />4" @ 350-400<br />4" @ 350-400<br /><br />By easing up and then easing back, you help the horse become more elastic and responsive. Plus, you don't stress him too much. He gets used to listening to you.<br /><br />You can also shorten your stirrups to help with YOUR fitness!<br /><br />For a 1 star, he suggests:<br /><br />6" @ 400-450<br />6" @ 400-500<br />6" @ 400-520<br /><br />For a 2 star, you go up to 600.<br /><br />Make sure you pull up before the horse comes "out of the bridle". Psychologically, the horse believes he could have done more, and that's what you want.<br /><br />There are some horses who don't seem to be able to come out of the bridle--he described The Optimist, and talked about how he had a big, 6/10 of a mile very steep hill, and he would say "Ok, you knuckleheaded Irish sonofabitch, DO IT!". He always did.<br /><br />Keep meticulous records of your program. And you should start NOW to prepare for the long format in spring. Horses are slower to peak than humans, but they stay fitter longer, too.<br /><br />He talked to us a bit about our position over the jumps, and where our leg and body should be. Basically, like he said in his book, if you removed the horse, the rider should be able to stand.<br /><br />He asked what the "two points" were in two point (two knees), and what the "three points" were in the three point seat (two seat bones and pubic bone). You can hold a three point without reins/stirrups. Harder to hold a two point.<br /><br />We use a two point for<br /><ul><li>jumping</li><li>galloping</li><li>to keep weight off the horse's back</li><li>at the top of the posting trot</li></ul>Most riders put too much weight on the horses forehand. If we load the forehand, we hinder the horse's balance, and therefore we're likely to have a bad, unbalanced jump (and likely rails). Similarly, if we sit too soon, we're likely to unbalance the horse's hind end, and we'll have rails.<br /><br />When sitting, we should have a 90 degree angle in our knee for SJ. When we're in two point, it's 110 degrees.<br /><br />He described how this position will change when we add uphill/downhill terrain. If we remain forward downhill, we're likely to topple. We need to be poised above the saddle, sitting but not down, and reins slipping going downhill.<br /><br />He likes for riders to gallop in two point, come back to three point before fences (that will be a signal to your horse that something is coming that he needs to be "under himself" for). Jimmy doesn't believe in "zones"....except, perhaps, for the "no whining zone"!Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-38727047359285059862010-11-06T17:32:00.000-07:002010-11-11T20:59:41.867-08:00Stadium Exercises: Listening to our HorsesAs usual, Jimmy asked each rider for his/her name and one sentence about the horse. Ironically, no one (including me) could limit their introduction to their horse to a sentence. :)<br /><br />The first thing each person had to do was to adjust their stirrup length, making sure as they let their legs hang the stirrup bar hit them at or slightly above the ankle bone. The ball of the foot should rest on the tread. With weight on the outside branch, each rider was told to stretch their calves.<br /><br />Then they were ready to go.<br /><br />He had each participant post at the trot over a 2 foot vertical, remind folks to "keep posting" and not to stop. "Don't try to guess when he'll take it! When we do that, we usually guess wrong!" Boy, if I could but remember ONE THING.....<br /><br />Several of the riders were hunters, and Jimmy made sure they were looking at the right place: "Look at the jump, not the sky! Right through his ears. When it disappears, THEN look up."<br /><br />One rider was threatened that if she didn't start using her right leg, she'd be stirrupless. "Hey! I saw your right ankle come to life just now! Maybe we can do this sport after all!"<br /><br />Riders were encouraged to have "soft arms". He told one rider who was concentrating on that "That was the best jump of your life!"<br /><br />"Make sure your horse can ALWAYS use his head and neck! Give more in the air!"<br /><br />One rider who had a "fresh" horse, and Jimmy told her to grip with her knees so that she didn't confuse him by using her lower leg.<br /><br />Once again, Jimmy had us count before the jumps--AND after the jumps (with "Land! One! Two! Three!....). He said riders that can't do that type of counting aren't ready for related distances.<br /><br />For a rider whose horse wasn't adjustable: "It's called dressage!"<br /><br />MORE than one rider heard "wait with your upper body"<br /><br />We had a series of jumps in a circle of sorts, with two jumps in a row for a straight line, or a bending line. Jimmy had us do circles after one pair before we did the next set. "This helps to balance your horse. If you need multiple circles, TAKE THEM. Make sure your horse is balanced before you attempt the second line!" By doing circles, your horse lands knowing he'll have to rebalance, and he's likely to do it on his own.<br /><br />I noticed a lot of the riders who were tense make their horses tense. DUH. I wish I could tatto "RELAX" on my psyche!<br /><br />"Don't distract your horse before the jump!"<br /><br />"Soften your fingers--then open the door!"<br /><br />"Don't pull as much on landing...the horse needs to be soft after a jump"<br /><br />To one rider, Jimmy noted: "You want so badly to be a good rider you don't allow your horse to be a good horse!"<br /><br />(That's another tatoo I need!)<br /><br />"You aren't lazy enough! You are working too hard! You need to be lazier to rider this horse well!" (this was to a tense, eager rider on a tense, eager horse)<br /><br />Make sure your shoulder is above your knee!<br /><br />This one I loved:<br /><br />"Don't look on the ground! All that money is mine!"<br /><br />Several riders heard "You can't jump without your horse!" It's nice to know I'm not the only one who jumps ahead. I heard that one a lot.<br /><br />He told one rider to make her "reins shorter, and her arms longer"<br /><br />"Land in your ankles!" Jimmy was BIG on making sure the horse was comfortable. Helping the horse be balanced was one of his major efforts.<br /><br />Another favorite line: "Just because you had a knock down doesn't mean you can Forrest Gump your way to the next fence!"<br /><br />When a rider tried to explain WHY she "Forrest Gumped" Jimmy said "Am I wearing my 'I give a shit' shirt?"<br /><br />During my ride, Paddy got tired of the "stop, start, stop, start" business of waiting our turn, and he got further and further behind my leg. I was getting frustrated, kicking and probably flapping my legs, but to no avail. Finally, underpowered, he crashed over an oxer and I popped off. I wasn't hurt, and got back on, but I was frustrated: "what do I do? He's behind my leg!" Jimmy said "I'm going to turn my back. When I do, hit that lazy Irish sonofabitch so I don't see you!"<br /><br />So I popped him once with the crop....and we were suddenly "powered" again. The rest of the time, I was the "Model" (we were, in Jimmy's words, "on fire"). Sigh. Wish my I could hear my "wake up" calls before they hit me over the head.<br /><br />To another woman who didn't want to hit her horse, Jimmy said "Ever housebroken a puppy? You rub his nose in it. Then it's over. You don't carry a grudge. That's what this is like."<br /><br />Some other gems:<br /><br />"I'm laughing at you, I'm not laughing with you!"<br /><br />"Don't flap your arms; use your spurs!"<br /><br />"Experience is what you get right after you needed it!" (DEFINITELY true in my case)<br /><br />I need to learn that when I get frustrated, something needs to change.<br /><br />Later in the evening, several of the participants went to the Red Earth Feed and Tack Store. What a cool place! Everyone came home with more than they really needed. Later that evening, we gathered what food we had and brought it to Laura and David's house, where we had a magnificent "pot luck" dinner. Good food, good conversation, and yes, some good wine. But an early enough evening so that we were ready for the 8:00 talk the next morning!Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-87198055757829157342010-11-06T12:54:00.000-07:002010-11-11T17:31:31.142-08:00Day 1 Talk/ Q&A: Who Had Their Starbucks?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> 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mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">As usual, I had my very strong starbucks coffee before I fed, cleaned the stall, and hightailed it to the 8:00 am lecture with Jimmy Wofford.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once again, he started the “lecture” by asking for questions.<span style=""> </span>Though a huge crowd had gathered in the large living room of David and Laura’s home, to the point of people spilling into the kitchen,<span style=""> </span>no one seemed to have a question.<span style=""> </span>“What’s wrong?” Jimmy chided us.<span style=""> </span>“No one had their starbucks?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I couldn’t let that pass, and of course, I’d come prepared with several questions, so I started out with one that Sally Buffington asked me to ask:<span style=""> </span>“What do you mean when you say in your book “Jump little but often?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jimmy started right in:<span style=""> </span>you’ll wear/break your horses down if you jump all the time at the height you’re competing at.<span style=""> </span>But you CAN jump frequently at a lower level.<span style=""> </span>So jump often, but jump 3-12 inches lower than you are competing.<span style=""> </span>You might have one jump that’s close to height.<span style=""> </span>And before a competition, you can raise the jumps so your horse knows what’s coming.<span style=""> </span>But you’ll save your horse a lot of wear and tear if you practice jumping frequently, but at a lower level than you compete at.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">He quoted Bill Steinkraus, from Reflections on Riding and Jumping:<span style=""> </span>“Horses should be exposed to fences by kind rather than degree”.<span style=""> </span>It’s important to expose horses to all the types of fences they’ll see (verticals, oxers, Swedish oxers, liverpools, etc.), as well as XC jumps, but NOT necessarily at the height they will be doing in competition.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I then asked “How do you learn the right pace/speed/balance to jump various jumps?”<span style=""> </span>I described how I often felt I was going well, and a coach would tell me I needed MORE impulsion, speed, bounce, etc.<span style=""> </span>Or sometimes I went TOO fast, but at the wrong balance.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have to say, I loved Jim’s answer: <span style=""> </span>“That’s what you get with experience.<span style=""> </span>Just think of the fun you’ll have figuring it out!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Wingdings;"><span style="">:)</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">He recounted an experience he had with Bert DeNemathy, who was watching a rider land from a jump and clucked.<span style=""> </span>The rider didn’t “hear” the cluck, and he had a bad fence.<span style=""> </span>The point was that Bert was so experienced that he could tell from the landing the rider didn’t have the right speed/impulsion, and he was trying to help him fix it before they got to the fence.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">A rider asked about warming a “hot” horse up, and Jimmy said that we eventers don’t jump as much as H/J folks, so there’s nothing wrong with trotting the horse around, then trotting over a cross rail—in other words, warming the horse up over jumps.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jimmy was asked about the relationship of dressage to jumping, and he said that some riders, like Becky Holder and Michael Jung (the WEG winner) cross train every day—they might do 30 min. of dressage, then hack out, popping over a couple jumps.<span style=""> </span>The thing is, these riders are professionals; they can jump in their dressage saddle and be very safe, very comfortable.<span style=""> </span>Amateurs, however, get confused if you ask them to do dressage in a forward seat, or to jump in a dressage saddle, so he likes to keep the practice separate.<span style=""> </span>It WILL bleed over, but it’s good to work on them separately.<span style=""> </span>It helps the amateurs to focus, and most amateurs NEED focus.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">He described a typical training process he uses for Novice, Training, and low Prelim:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 1)<span style=""> </span>Dressage</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 2) SJ</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 3) Dressage</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 4)<span style=""> </span>Canter</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 5)<span style=""> </span>Day 1</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">He calls it a four day rotation.<span style=""> </span>For Prelim and above, he does this:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 1) Dressage and hack</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 2) SJ and hack</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 3) Dressage and hack</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 4) Canter/Gallop</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 5) Long hack</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Day 6) Day 1</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">This, of course, is the five day rotation.<span style=""> </span>The hack is a marching walk on the buckle. He used to do trot sets, but replaced them with the hack because of hard ground. Where he lives, in VA, there are only about 60 days a year where the ground is good to trot; otherwise, he feels the horse gets more out of walking.<span style=""> </span>Why?<span style=""> </span>Both the gallop and the walk are four beat gaits….so the muscles the horse uses to walk are the same he uses to gallop.<span style=""> </span>Makes sense!<span style=""> </span>For one stars, he walks 1 hour; two stars = 1.5 hours; three and four stars = 2 hours.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">As for guidelines?<span style=""> </span>“Your horse will tell you”.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“we must probe anaerobic conditioning.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Two ways to do this:<span style=""> </span>Speed (galloping), and inclines.<span style=""> </span>He prefers the latter, because speed, esp. unsupervised speed, breaks horses down.<span style=""> </span>But you need one if you don’t have the other….so us poor flatlanders are SOL, and we need to gallop!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Someone asked about heart monitors, etc.<span style=""> </span>Jimmy said he didn’t use them because they used to be so klunky…but nowadays he’s sure they are helpful and easy to use.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ellen asked about trotting on pavement, which is something I’ve heard others talk about.<span style=""> </span>Jimmy was wary; he said it CAN be good, but the owner needs to be careful.<span style=""> </span>He quoted a farrier who said “A horse’s foot needs judicious abuse to improve”.<span style=""> </span>There you go.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Another participant asked about “rider” coaches vs. “horse” coaches.<span style=""> </span>Jimmy said if one’s not working, perhaps you need to look into the other!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Someone asked about a horse who won’t listen to her leg, and Jimmy suggested a lose cavesson and rubber “hot dog” bit.<span style=""> </span>If the horse is leaning on them, most people think they need more bit—but often the horse needs LESS bit.<span style=""> </span>Don’t use tack because someone else does; use it because your horse needs it.<span style=""> </span>Just as “the eyes are the mirror of the soul” for humans, Walter Zettl said that “the horse’s mouth is the mirror of his soul”.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“What do you do with a horse that jigs?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Cut feed/increase roughage</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Walk/halt</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Leg yield</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style="">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Shoulder in</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The horse needs to be trained to accept the leg, and these exercises will help.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">I asked about the video “If Horses Could Speak” and wondered how eventers should work to make sure the horse uses his back correctly.<span style=""> </span>Jimmy said that most of the problems we see come from tension.<span style=""> </span>As the horse engages more, the back is stressed more.<span style=""> </span>If there is tension, the horse cannot engage.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">He asked “did you ever hear an instructor say, ‘did you feel him grow in front?’” Of course horses do NOT grow in front…what they do is engage from behind.<span style=""> </span>The feeling of “growing” in front is a reflection of what’s going on behind.<span style=""> </span>But to do this, the horse MUST be relaxed.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>That doesn’t mean use gadgets!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The horse’s abs and gluts need to be fit for the back to engage, too:<span style=""> </span>hillwork, cavelletis, and gymnastics will all help.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Also—upper level riders appear to be leaning back, but they really aren’t—they are upright, but the horse’s hind end is engaged, thus lower.<span style=""> </span>However, when you see a second level rider leaning back, it’s not the same thing.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“Tie your head to your knees, then have someone stand on your shoulders”.<span style=""> </span>That’s akin to using gadgets and asking a horse to do something.<span style=""> </span>Tension is BAD.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jimmy quoted from the 1921 Army Manual of Equitation:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">“Any system of equitation which disturbs the tranquility of the horse is flawed.”</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Rock on!</p>Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-75645570867314935452010-11-05T16:52:00.000-07:002010-11-11T16:53:54.367-08:00Getting ThereAs some of you know, I have a new truck. It’s a Dodge Dually 3500, and it’s my first dually. I’m THRILLED with how it pulls my trailer (first time out, I had to keep checking to see if the trailer was still there!). I needed a larger truck because of my new and improved trailer with a tiny slide out (which is WONDERFUL); my Ford F250 was simply overloaded.<br /><br />WELL....<br /><br />I got pretty darn good at maintaining (and changing!) truck tires with my Ford, so I assumed the Dodge would be a piece of cake.<br /><br />WRONG.<br /><br />En route to Edmond Oklahoma and the Woodlands Equestrian center, I noticed that horrifyingly consistent “bump, bump, bump” which usually means a bad (or underinflated) tire. So I stopped for gas and prepared to check the pressure and fill the tire….except that for some reason, they put the stem on the INSIDE of the dually tire…which means, short of taking the damn tire off, I couldn’t check the pressure, let alone fill it. Believe me, I tried. For about 30 minutes.<br /><br />Finally, I saw a man at a pump with a truck just like mine, and I asked him about it. “Well,” he said, “you can get an extender, but I ended up pulling the stem out of my tire with it. Your best bet is to go to a tire store and have them fix it.”<br /><br />SIGH.<br /><br />The good news is that no light was coming on telling me my tire pressure was low. And it only started bumping over 65 mph. So I simply drove 60 the whole way, adding about 45 minutes to my trip.<br /><br />The good news is that when I arrived, David and Laura were very kind, and I was able to find a really nice stall and to park the trailer nearly level , next to my San Angelo friends from the KOC clinic, Trish New and her daughters Tori and Elli, and their trainer Ellen Doughtey from Willow Draw. What great people eventers are!<br /><br />Tori and I went for a walk with our horses in the dimming light, enjoying the cool air and changing colors of the trees and the skyline. I had planned a quiet evening home, but I was convinced to go to eat with the News, and we ended up at Old Chicago Pizza where we had a lovely dinner and I sampled my first Smithicks beer (an Irish beer, of course, suggested by Ellen who was a bartender in Ireland for a time!).<br /><br />It was COLD tonight! I tested the heater in the trailer (it works! Yea!), and brought out the down comforter. We need to make sure to get a good night’s sleep for tomorrow!Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-76286846714737467962010-11-03T20:00:00.000-07:002010-11-03T20:19:17.515-07:00The Second Coming!God....aka, Jimmy Wofford....is once again coming within 500 miles of me! That means that this Friday I'll be hightailing it up to Edmond, OK to once more sit at the feet of the master. I'm sooooooo thrilled!<br /><br />Of course, it's a crappy time of the semester, and a certain university committee is kicking my butt, so I COULD be in better shape both mentally and physically....but it's <br /><br />JIMMY <br />FRIGGIN' <br />WOFFORD!!!!<br /><br />So I will pull out the best I can do, and perhaps a bit more, and let my horse show THE MAN how much he (both "he"s) have taught me!<br /><br />Here's a quote from JW to show what I'm talking about:<br /><br />"Adopt a classical position, resist all fads and gadgets, and ride the horse quietly and softly between the two straight lines of the stirrup leather and the elbow to the horse's mouth," he explains in the book <span style="font-style:italic;">Training the Three Day Event Horse and Rider</span>. "It's simple. It's just not easy."<br /><br />Amen.<br /><br />More as I can post. Until then, dear readers, pleasant dreams!Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-24958842320518964552009-04-12T23:24:00.000-07:002009-04-14T09:15:11.222-07:00Day Two: Slip-Slidin' Away Cross CountryDid I mention that it thunderstormed ALL NIGHT Saturday night? And that the trailer rocked all night, and that Lucy (one of Jennifer’s cute dogs) paced and worried all night? Well, it did, she did, and we weren’t perhaps quite as rested as we might have been in other circumstances. But Jimmy Wofford does NOT accept whining/excuses, so on we went.<br /><br />Neither Jennifer nor I had ever ridden cross country in the rain before…remember, we’re from Lubbock, where it’s sunny, arid, and flat. I had warmed up at Coconino in a light drizzle sheltered by the tall trees last fall, but the rain stopped and the sun came out before my ride.<br /><br />The sun did nothing of the sort this Easter Sunday.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I walked all over the XC course with Jennifer, and she with me. Given our 7.5 hour drive home, however, neither of us braved the final group, and I’m sad about that; I learn so much when watching other groups go.<br /><br />The cross country lesson definitely built on the stadium jumping, and I was able to “see” the results given that we had more room to achieve—or muck up—the consistent pace before and after our fences.<br /><br />He started us out by asking us to stay in galloping position at a trot down a hill, post at the foot, then canter up in galloping position. Once again, he emphasized that our stirrup leathers MUST be perpendicular to the ground, and that meant that if the ground went downhill, our stirrup leather needed to “follow” it to be perpendicular; same thing for going uphill.<br /><br />Jim noted that he hated to see riders “post the canter”…and I’m afraid I’ve been doing that! I need to make sure that my “following” seat comes more from my legs and less from my waist. Something more to work on at home!<br /><br />He started us out with a tiny log on the ground, trotting over it then turning around and cantering over it. Like the rails before, he wanted to make sure that we were balanced and consistent and NOT making the horse unbalanced by shifting our positions.<br /><br />Of course, PC was a bit wonky about it all: cold, rain, mud the color of blood (which freaked us both out!), and he decided to “look” at the first three or four fences, including the tiny log. NOTE TO SELF: He’s going to do that. I need to recognize it and sit quietly, waiting for him to get over himself and get into the groove. If I flop and make a big deal about it, I’m simply feeding into his “wonkiness”. If I’m quiet, it will feed into making him quiet. If we pump with our elbows, upper body, the horse thinks we’re going to hit him in the mouth, and he’ll continue to be upset; if we’re quiet, the horse will settle.<br /><br />He showed us a single bridge for galloping, and showed us how to wrap rubber reins around two of our fingers to keep them from slipping once our gloves have gotten totally soaked in the rain (so we could reign with our reins in the rain)…!<br /><br />We soon put several fences together, and we practiced galloping position, sitting up/getting into three point, then jumping in rhythm. I was amazed at how smoothly horses jumped (even when they got close to the jump or took off long) when they were in rhythm! I know what PC and I have to do in the next couple horse trials. And yet again I’m saddened that we don’t have a hunt close by; I can see the benefit of doing that on a regular basis.<br /><br />Going up and down hills, a lot of the riders (uh, including me) were in balance, but then we “let down” when we were done. We MUST find balance when we’re done! Hips over knees!<br /><br />Riders also need to be careful that they don’t sit so tall—even back—that they don’t lean forward enough, then plop back too early (I think George Morris calls sitting down on the horse’s back before he lands the “cardinal sin” of riding). I fear I have been doing that in my attempt NOT to lean too far forward when jumping. I guess the latter is better than the former!<br /><br />Jennifer needed to “let go” before and during the fence. She (and many others!) was concerned about the footing, and wanted to make sure they “controlled” the horse before the fence…but by doing that, the rhythm was lost, and the horse was MORE likely to slip/have a bad jump. He encouraged her to grab mane before the jump, then hold on until several strides out. I think it’s good for ALL of us do to that—after all, doesn’t William Fox-Pitt ride with a neck strap on some horses, even at the highest levels? I think it’s a great “recall” of how to balance WITH the horse, and I’m going to do it more. I’d started feeling proud of myself that I didn’t “need” to, but I think I’ve started to “separate” from my horse, and I want to be with him, to help him balance….and if grabbing mane helps, I’m THERE.<br /><br />I think learning to event is like learning music, or even grammar: Some people do really well learning the mechanics: the notes, the parts of speech, and so forth. Others learn better by ear/immersion. Jimmy seems to teach the latter way—sort of a Suzuki method for eventing—but he continues to talk about the mechanics WHILE teaching us the “feel”. That way, when we’re ready, we can understand the mechanics, and “name” them—but only after we’ve felt them. When I learned to play piano, I wasn’t very good at the notes…but I could figure out the notes because I knew what the song was. So I’d memorize it by playing by ear first, then impress the instructor. That only worked, however, when I knew the song!<br /><br />I do think that Jim’s approach won’t work for everyone, but it certainly resonates with me, in part because that’s how I learn. It’s like the theory/practice split as well; I “hear” theory, and it makes sense after I see how it works with practice—but at least initially, the practice comes first. Only after the practice is comfortable can I see the theory—and then, eventually, I can read the theory, contextualize it in my “feel” of practice, and apply it before I feel it. But I had to be comfortable in my practice first.<br /><br />My History and Theory of College Composition students struggled with these concepts in their blogs, too, last fall. They couldn’t understand why we had to deal with all the theory and history as context for their teaching; they wanted to know what to do on Monday in their classes! I think I need to give them a better mix next time. For I really do believe that some of them need the comfort of the practice before they can understand theory. Feel before understanding.<br /><br />One of the things I LOVE about this man (besides the fact that he can ride/write/teach) is that he reads, he remembers what he reads, and he can cite vital insights of others at opportune times. It's like clinic-ing with 20 people rather than just one. Talk about more bang for your buck!<br /><br />Thanks again to David and Laura, Woodland Equestrian, and especially to James C. Wofford. I hope I have the opportunity to ride with you all again in the future.Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-91459097174987856822009-04-12T21:11:00.000-07:002009-04-14T07:08:28.441-07:00Day Two Lecture: Positioning Ourselves for SuccessThe second 8:00 am lecture began much as the first, with Jimmy asking for questions (though he’d prompted at least one upper level rider to ask a particular question!). Jennifer asked about the “Light Three Point” seat.<br /><br />So Jim asked us back: “What does the ‘3’ refer to? What are the three points?<br /><br />Several guesses: “knees and seat”; “feet and seat”; and so on. Nada.<br /><br />“Pubic bone and seat bones.” Jim informed us.<br /><br />We need to be able to hold that position through balance only, without reins and stirrups—we need an independent seat. Ahh, I KNEW he’d come to that freakin’ ride w/o stirrups in this clinic!<br /><br />Other people refer to this as a “half seat” in which the point of your shoulder is slightly in front of your hip.<br /><br />“Why do we ride in this position?” Jimmy asked.<br /><br />“Because DeNemethy said so.” He answered, laughing. But he added that we have more communication, more influence over the horse in this position.<br /><br />As our stirrups lengthen, we have more weight in our seats, and a more upright posture. Jimmy quoted LaGoff saying that a dressage rider sits above his seat. A jockey, however, is way above the seat.<br /><br />As our speed increases, our inclination forward increases as well. But at ALL TIMES the stirrup leather should be perpendicular to the ground.<br /><br />So in stadium jumping, we’re in a light three point all the time.<br /><br />In cross country, we’re in galloping position/two point until some point before the jump—say 8-10 strides out—at which time we “enter the horse’s back” (a Blythe Tait expression). We’re not looking for a change in speed, but a change in the shape of the horse before the fence.<br /><br />“You need to start to feel poised at speed.” Jimmy noted. Too many people equate increasing speed with loss of balance—what we’re after is a consistent, balanced speed.<br /><br />Jimmy warned us that there is a twenty year learning curve. Sigh. I wish I’d started all of this earlier!<br /><br />I asked how often we should be jumping/doing gymnastics, and Jim said in the winter, 2-3 months before we start competing, we should do them twice a week, including curved gymnastics (which our group didn’t get to).<br /><br />To feel that balance, we need to do exercises like lifting our legs away from the horse’s side while still maintaining our balance, and spending five minutes every day sitting “into” the saddle (as if you were on a lunge line).<br /><br />He talked about getting a horse fit, and while all this information is in his book, he gave us a guideline: For Novice and Training level riders, we need:<br /><br />5 “ (minutes) at 220 mpm (trotting) 3 times, with a 2” (minute) walk (Lt) between “sets”<br />then <br />4” @ 400 mpm x 3 w/ 2” Lt<br />Every five days<br /><br />So we might do dressage twice a week, hacking once a week, jumping once a week, and these sets once a week.<br /><br />For Prelim, it would be:<br /><br />5” @ 220 x 3 W/ 2” Lt<br />6” @ 400 x 3 w/ 2” Lt<br /><br />He quoted the calvalry:<br /><br />Walk for muscle<br />Trot for balance<br />Gallop for wind<br /><br />Now that we’re “fit”, it’s on to cross country!Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-46726835033854103882009-04-11T21:04:00.000-07:002009-04-14T06:07:08.861-07:00Day One: Grid/IronsJim began each session by asking each rider for his/her name, and then ONE SENTENCE ONLY about our horses. I thought it interesting that he didn’t ask us about our goals, but only about what we’d done.<br /><br />He began the BN and N groups both by talking about where our foot should be in the stirrup for Stadium Jumping: the ball of our foot needs to be on the tread of our stirrup, with our little toe on the outside branch. The knees should be about at a 90 degree angle, and we test this by making sure when our legs “dangle” our stirrup tread hits right at or slightly above our ankle bone.<br /><br />The stirrup leather should always be perpendicular to the ground, no matter what position our horse is in. That means if we’re doing flat work, our leg is under us. If we’re jumping up, it’s going to be behind the girth (“forget George Morris!”). And so forth.<br /><br />Think about it this way: If our horse was removed suddenly, our feet should be on the ground.<br /><br />We DO need to grip with our knees, but the inside part of our knees. We also need to grip with our lower legs, about ½ way down the calf. DON’T grip with heels. DO THIS until it’s muscle memory.<br /><br />The rider should look where the horse looks—between the horse’s ears. Look at the jump until it disappears, then look where you’ll be landing. Focus on something—a knot, a crack, a discoloration—on the rail, and it’ll help you concentrate.<br /><br />When horses and riders make different mistakes, there’s a separation. When they make mistakes TOGETHER, there’s harmony, even if it’s not perfect. Jimmy gets angry when a rider says “well, we brought the rail down because my horse chipped.” Because usually the idiot on the horse’s back jumped ahead, CAUSING the chip.<br /><br />Great quote: “If you make the same mistake as the horse, it’s not a mistake….it’s an adjustment.” Reminds me of the old software talk: “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature!”<br /><br />The point being, if we stay WITH our horses in balance—not getting left, and not jumping ahead—then they will be better jumpers EVEN IF THE STRIDING ISN’T PERFECT. Wow. <br /><br />There are five types of jumps:<br /><br />I Vertical<br />II Parallel<br />iIi Pyramid (hogsback)<br />iII Staircase (triple bar)<br />\___/ Ditch/Spread<br /><br />Where we look depends on the type of jump it is. For the vertical and parallel, we look at the first/top rail. For the hogsback, we look at the center (highest) rail. For the stairstep and the ditch, we look at the back rail/back of the ditch.<br /><br />For those of us who are learning new things, it takes 10-15 THOUSAND repetitions to “get” something….and twice that many to UNLEARN a bad habit. Dang.<br /><br />He began all the SJ sessions by walking a horse over two rails on the ground on a loose rein. Then the horses trotted over it. His goal was for riders and horses to stay in rhythm…and it was AMAZING how many RIDERS mucked up the rhythm by stopping/hesitating in their posting! He encouraged riders to let the horse lower his head/neck to “use” his body. Riders weren’t to change posting motion or position; they were to help the horse with his balance and rhythm.<br /><br />He eventually created a very small one-stride bounce using the ground rails, less than 2 feet high, asking the riders to trot in, canter out.<br /><br />Jim reinforced that the jump position was merely the “up” part of the posting trot. Several people were, as he said, “jumping a 3’6” fence over a 1’6” fence!” meaning, of course, that we were bending our bodies too much and placing our chins on our horse’s manes, thus throwing the horse off rhythm.<br /><br />“Think about being taller in the air.”<br /><br />When the horse lands, we “follow” with our elbows. I was reminded of Karen O’Connor’s adamant statement: “There are no crest releases in cross country!” For Jimmy, our balance needed to be fluid enough so that we could follow our horse’s motion, staying in balance with him.<br /><br />Several riders had trouble with their horses speeding up. “Don’t chase your horse to the fence,” Jim warned. “Squeeze at the base of the jump.”<br /><br />“You don’t have to MAKE this happen. You have to LET it happen.” The horse is responsible for take off, landing, and staying poised and balanced. WE need to stay in rhythm and stay “with” our horses, and then let the jump come to us.<br /><br />Jim insisted on a “light three point” for all of stadium jumping. Two point is good for galloping, he maintained, but we have more “influence” in our light three point. Two point: only have legs and hand; Three point: have legs, hand, AND body/weight. The key for me is to remember that it’s a LIGHT three point; I still need to have weight in my stirrups, close with my knee/lower leg, and NOT “plop” down into the seat at ANY time.<br /><br />When Paycheck wanted to play after the jump (I had obviously “let down”, telling him he didn’t have to listen anymore), Jim had me give him something to do—a 90 degree turn as though going to another fence. Amazing how giving him something to do/think about kept him under control!<br /><br />Once we’d done several grids, he had riders do a figure 8 over a single vertical, asking the horse for the correct lead over the fence. As the horse takes off, the rider looks in the new direction, leads a bit with the rein in that direction, places the outside leg back, and very slightly leans into the landing shoulder. Amazing how we could SEE when riders were doing these things…and when they weren’t. When they did, their horses ALWAYS took the correct lead. Jimmy warned that only landing on one lead—a “favorite” lead—would break a horse down early. So we needed to practice lead changes over fences often.<br /><br />Several people (uh, including me!) were put in “bike reins”—that is, we had to hold our reins like we were holding the handlebars of a bicycle. It felt TOTALLY weird—and that was the point. It made us aware of how we were using our reins.<br /><br />Jim talked about the desire to “ride deep” into the jumps, “yet we don’t want to chip”. What’s the difference?<br /><br />It’s all about power. A chip is a powerless jump where the horse “throws up” at the base of the jump, and they land slower than they took off. They’re likely to have rails, and what Jimmy calls a “hinky” jump.<br /><br />Riding deep to the base of a jump means that the horse is in front of the rider’s leg, and the rhythm on take off and landing is going to be the same/similar. IF the rider is with the horse, it’s likely NOT to bring down rails.Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-9107683429740594712009-04-11T19:23:00.000-07:002009-04-13T19:28:08.113-07:00Day One Lecture: At the Feet of the MasterThank goodness I left in plenty of time to find the <a href="http://www.jump4fun.us/">Woodlands Equestrian Center</a>! Thankfully, Mapquest’s directions were fine…but I wasn’t expecting such a, uh, scenic backwoods drive (with a large trailer/truck). But, because it was light and because we drove slowly (as no stranger to dirt/gravel roads; I live on one!), we were able to find the place and settle in before dark.<br /><br />I say “we” because while Jennifer taught Friday morning, she was still able to travel the last third of the drive. How? Joyce and Miles flew her, and we texted when they took off, deciding that Elk City would be the closest airport to meet. I drove the couple miles out of the way, picked up Jennifer and her dogs, and away we went. With the extra time to find the airport, it took me about 8 hours from home to my designated spot. Eight hours is nothing when it comes to meeting and riding with one’s hero, though!<br /><br />We gathered in David and Laura’s house (the owners of this fine facility) at 8 am Saturday for a scheduled “lecture” with Jim Wofford. The man entered the kitchen promptly at 7:55 with a cup of tea in hand, and he quickly greeted us all, asking for questions. Most of the people gathered there had been to his clinic before, and the room became frighteningly quiet. So…of course I had to ask a question!<br /><br />I asked about the idea of a “fifth leg”: should the horse figure it out? Or should we “teach” him?<br /><br />“Our job,” Jim began, “is to find an appropriate rhythm and to retain it. It’s the horse’s job to figure out where to take off, how to navigate—but we need to “hear” the rhythm, and “feel” the balance.”<br /><br />He then illustrated by asking us to imagine a cantering horse: ta-da-dump, ta-da-dump, ta-da-dump, jump, ta-da-dump….was that a good jump? Then he gave us alternatives: ta-da-dump, ta-da-dump, tadadmpJUMP, taaaa-da-dump (etc.). His point was simply that when a horse is in rhythm, he’s more likely to take a jump smoothly.<br /><br />“What’s a perfect jump?” Jim asked. We all fidgeted; no one wanted to stick our necks out! A few people offered ideas: “good bascule” “scope” “even” and so forth. “I don’t know what it is either!” Jim said. His point was this: It’s going to depend on the balance of the horse, they terrain, the jump, the rider, etc. So a good jump is one that leaves the rails up, that has the same rhythm before and after the jump, that the horse and rider are balanced over, and one that has an appropriate pace/balance.<br /><br />“Let me digress for a moment” Jim would say. He asked in prelim dressage, what’s the difference between a working canter and a regular canter? The answer? Only lengthening of the stride; the rhythm MUST stay the same. The horse must stay in the same balance. Same thing before a jump: the horse must stay in the same balance, the same rhythm, even if he chips….because then he will land in balance/rhythm and be able to go on more effectively.<br /><br />He asked if anyone had ever seen a horse free jump. Most of us nodded our heads “yes”, and he asked us to describe it. The horse USES his head and neck; he’s not afraid of his mouth. We need to try to achieve that type of balance…and we cannot do it by trying to control our horse’s heads and necks via their mouths.<br /><br />“What do we mean by ‘classical’ riding?” Jim asked us. After a few feeble attempts, he told us his definition: Don’t ask horses to do anything that they don’t do in nature, that’s “part of the horse’s natural range of motion.” Our job is to try to duplicate what occurs in nature. We shouldn’t have to teach a horse to do that; instead, we teach him that we will allow him to do it. He quoted extensively from the book Riding Logic by Wilhelm Museler (“Lucinda Williams’ favorite book”).<br /><br />We let the horse find his stride; after all, he’s got to pack his weight AND ours over these fences. That doesn’t mean, however, that we don’t walk the course! We need to help the horse by giving him the best rhythm and balance for the fence. The horse eventually learns to take advice because you’ve helped him. As jumps get bigger—say, Prelim on up—horses need more “timing”, and more help with that timing. But THEY need to be figuring things out at the lower levels, with help from you.<br /><br />“But how do you learn to help them?” I asked.<br /><br />“You learn by jumping.” Jim said simply.<br /><br />Before we went out to prepare for the day’s clinic, he left us with one last bit of advice:<br /><br />“Don’t listen to what I say” Jim said. “Watch what horses do.”Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5838750287675335280.post-49275616021638550242009-04-09T19:21:00.000-07:002009-04-09T20:12:49.585-07:00WOW!!!I can't believe that in just a few short hours I'm going to meet/clinic with my all-time hero: James C. Wofford.<br /><br />I'm sure everyone in eventing knows this icon--he's DA MAN. I've read his blogs (love those), read his articles, read his books....even watched his dvd. From my somewhat novice perspective, he seems like he has...well, wisdom, plain and simple. Good basics, astute observations, uncanny ability to synthesize what's going on in the context of these basics/astute observations....AND, to top it all off, he's a good writer. Talk about a great package. I'm reminded of Charlotte's web, and Wilbur's reminiscence of Charlotte: "It's not often you find a good friend who's also a good writer. Charlotte was both."<br /><br />Perhaps after this clinic I can say that I know Jimmy Wofford, who's a good coach AND a good writer...just like Charlotte. <br /><br />:-)<br /><br />I'll be riding Paycheck, my competition horse who's recovering from EPM. Jennifer will be riding Dylan, who's been the "go to" guy while PC was sick. I hope they both are on their best behavior!<br /><br />Keep your fingers crossed that we have good weather. Right now it's supposed to storm Saturday night and Sunday. Gulp.Becky/Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12499537112902386627noreply@blogger.com0