Showjumping lesson with Teri England
I have been training with Teri now for about two months. Teri was recommended to me from quite a few friends. Not only is she local to me but has great facilities,
My lesson was organised for 5pm but getting there was a nightmare. People know me as an organised person and especially having horses you have to get pre-prepared for travelling ie route, journey time etc. Having all this in mind I sent off in what I thought was plenty of time only to find road closed signs to two routes of getting to teri's- roadworks!!, parking up and texting teri 'sorry running a bit late' we eventually arrived at her yard at 5.30pm. Quickly tacking up and getting aboard we were a bit flustered but ready to have a good lesson.
From getting a double clear at Frickley Park Teri decided we should go back to doing grid work. Getting those basics that bit better. After warming up Guy making sure to encourage him to relax his neck we started over trotting poles. Even over trotting poles he has improved , a much more balanced trot. He doesnt have the most flashy paces so to improve his trot trotting poles will encourage him into a bigger trot and bringing his hindlegs underneath him Teri widend the trotting poles after going through them a few times. Over the four trotting poles as the poles where widened Guy found it hard work at times to make the wide distance -this will be first part of the homework.
My lesson was organised for 5pm but getting there was a nightmare. People know me as an organised person and especially having horses you have to get pre-prepared for travelling ie route, journey time etc. Having all this in mind I sent off in what I thought was plenty of time only to find road closed signs to two routes of getting to teri's- roadworks!!, parking up and texting teri 'sorry running a bit late' we eventually arrived at her yard at 5.30pm. Quickly tacking up and getting aboard we were a bit flustered but ready to have a good lesson.
From getting a double clear at Frickley Park Teri decided we should go back to doing grid work. Getting those basics that bit better. After warming up Guy making sure to encourage him to relax his neck we started over trotting poles. Even over trotting poles he has improved , a much more balanced trot. He doesnt have the most flashy paces so to improve his trot trotting poles will encourage him into a bigger trot and bringing his hindlegs underneath him Teri widend the trotting poles after going through them a few times. Over the four trotting poles as the poles where widened Guy found it hard work at times to make the wide distance -this will be first part of the homework.
Next Teri put up a small cross pole with a pacing pole in front to be done out of canter. Well, it felt like he jumped all of it!!!! Coming again to it making sure I was confident about what stride I! wanted he jumped it perfectly. Jumping it another three or four times on each rein we then progressed to doing some gridwork. Teri thought doing 'bounces' with a short pacing pole into them would encourage guy to get in a bit deeper to his fences as he was taking them on a bit to much-standing off!! The bounces would also encourage him to be tidier in front as he can at times be 'dangly' with his front legs.
Three bounce fences were put up as a grid (cross poles) Guy has a good canter rythmn so there was no need to change that. My problem is that I cannot see a stride everytime, when you get it right it feels great, but get it wrong I panic and drop my contact, 'dropping' him to sort himself out. My aim then to every jump was to sit up keep the contact even if it did feel strange for a start and keep my leg on..We got better and better so the last fence was put to an upright, keeping the contact, keeping him straight into the fence and afterwards. We also made him stop a few strides after the fence so he didn't always assume he was doing the same thing time after time after the fence.
Three bounce fences were put up as a grid (cross poles) Guy has a good canter rythmn so there was no need to change that. My problem is that I cannot see a stride everytime, when you get it right it feels great, but get it wrong I panic and drop my contact, 'dropping' him to sort himself out. My aim then to every jump was to sit up keep the contact even if it did feel strange for a start and keep my leg on..We got better and better so the last fence was put to an upright, keeping the contact, keeping him straight into the fence and afterwards. We also made him stop a few strides after the fence so he didn't always assume he was doing the same thing time after time after the fence.
Next an oxer replaced the upright. Like the trotting poles the oxer was there to open his shoulder. this grid rode quite well until Teri widened the oxer. going down thought the grid we just didnt get the stride together at all and trashed the oxer. Putting it back to the upright once more to establish hie confidence we went through it again, then back to the oxer. Teri pointed out to look for my stride at the first cross pole and then to look at the oxer- wow it just clicked- the last two times going down the grid were perfect. This was the best place to leave the lesson as Guy had finished on a good note and he was getting rather tired.
After talking over where I am competing next Teri advised me to go for BE100 at Norton disney as Guy has improved greatly and has no trouble with worrying about whether he is fast enough!! The dressage we can work on, the showjumping will keep improving the more we do and we can fly around the xc. This will be after another run hopefully at Oasby doing the BE90.
After talking over where I am competing next Teri advised me to go for BE100 at Norton disney as Guy has improved greatly and has no trouble with worrying about whether he is fast enough!! The dressage we can work on, the showjumping will keep improving the more we do and we can fly around the xc. This will be after another run hopefully at Oasby doing the BE90.