Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2015 i Practical Horseman

Several years ago, my family owned a horse named Going Places. “Space” (his brain often seemed in a galaxy far, far away) was my brother’s equitation horse, but he occassionally gave a lightning-fast buck in flat classes that sent my brother sailing. So Space needed a new job. At the same time, my quick and catlike jumper had been sidelined with an injury, so we decided that Space and I would ride in the jumper division. The problem was that Space’s flat jumping style did not make him very competitive and we’d usually knock down some rails. Initially I was disappointed, but soon, a funny thing happened: I started to ride better. I learned to ride Space very correctly, paying close attention to flatwork, focusing on his rhythm and making…

Does your horse struggle with trot lengthenings? Does he quicken his tempo or break into canter instead of taking bigger steps? Not all horses are gifted with natural, balanced trot lengthenings. But every horse can learn to produce them, to a certain degree, given thoughtful training, clear, consistent use of the leg aids and patience. One of the first lessons we teach horses is that “leg means go,” which they initially interpret to mean: “Move your feet!” In the next stage of training, we ask them to engage their hind legs—to flex their stifles and hocks more so their hind legs step farther underneath their bellies. This enables them to push off more energetically and take bigger steps without speeding up the tempo. To learn how to do this on…

Q In lessons, my dressage trainer tells me that my 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding’s canter needs more “jump.” What does that mean and how do I develop it? GWEN POULIN A The term “jump” describes the bounce or loft in a horse’s canter stride, which depends on both the amount of time his body is suspended in the air when all four of his feet are off the ground and the spacing between each footfall. Horses naturally gifted with good jump have a great deal of suspension, or “air time,” as well as a very clear, distinct three-beat rhythm. They articulate their footsteps in a way that makes it easy for their riders and bystanders to distinguish each beat. HAVE A QUESTION? Email it to Practical. Horseman@EquiNetwork.com or mail to 656…

Maintaining the rhythm of the paces is the priority of dressage training. Anytime the training creates rhythm problems, the training is incorrect. Vocabulary Confusion is often generated by dressage tests, as the rider thinks the word “rhythm” covers only one thing, for example, when the horse is lame, there is no rhythm. Of course, this is not always the case, and to explain, I need to discuss some different words and their meanings. In the United States, we have a very good judge-training program and were one of the first countries to put a priority on horse biomechanics. The vocabulary taught to American judges is very specific, and oftentimes, judges from other countries are not quite as clear with their words. For example, a foreign judge might just say in…

“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson for my first horse, True Abbey. She taught me how to ride and was the first horse to ever toss me! That mare endured so many shenanigans from a younger me. Haley Macdonald Johnson One of my mother’s favorite songs was “Sundown” by Gordon Lightfoot. I named one horse that, and since I lost mom in 2012, if I ever get another horse, I’ll also name it Sundown for her. My mother was my everything. Fawn Littlesky It’s more of a theme song for my daughter. She tends to overthink in the hunter ring, so her trainer suggested she do a jumper division to help her loosen up. Her theme song is “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins. The strategy worked: She’s a…

Based at Fox Covert Farm, in Upperville, Virginia, Jim Wofford competed in three Olympics and two World Championships and won the U.S. National Championship five times. He is also a highly respected coach. For more on Jim, go to www.jimwoffordblogspot.com. Everyone talks about how each horse is different and how they love dealing with different types of horses—and then they put exactly the same equipment on every horse in the barn. Did I miss something? I must have been out of the room when they passed a rule that suiting your equipment to the horse doesn’t matter. I definitely wasn’t around for the rule change that says everyone has to use a cavesson and flash noseband attachment cranked down tight enough to leave permanent grooves in the cartilage of your…

□ ENJOY world-class show-jumping competition at the HITS Championships, Sept. 2–5, in Saugerties, NY. Against the backdrop of the Catskill Mountains, the show awards $2 million in prize money and features the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix CSI***** and the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final; www.hitsshows.com. □ ROOT for your favorite fourstar riders at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, Sept. 3–6, in Lincolnshire, England. One of just six CCI**** events in the world, this popular competition also features the Burghley Young Event Horse Championships; www.burghley-horse.co.uk. □ FOLLOW show jumpers competing for a spot in the 2016 World Cup Finals in two Longines FEI World Cup Jumping North American League qualifiers. The first is the $200,000 American Gold Cup CSI****–W, Sept. 13, at the American Gold Cup in North…

2015 Pan American Games Results The U.S. dressage and eventing teams earned team Pan American gold medals in Toronto, Canada, in July, which qualified both for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Riders for each team captured individual gold medals as well. U.S. dressage riders finished the competition with a score of 230.002 while the Canadian team finished close behind for silver with 228.867 and the Brazilians took home bronze with 208.395. The U.S. team included Steffen Peters and Legolas, Laura Graves and Verdades, Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo and Kimberly Herslow and Rosmarin. They had to win gold to qualify for the Olympics. Peters and Legolas earned the individual gold medal with a score of 80.075 percent while Graves and Verdades captured silver with 79.825. Canada’s Chris von Martels and Zilverstar took…

Comfort for the Modern Athlete Amerigo’s Cervia Siena Pinerolo dressage saddle is designed to allow the modern sporthorse with longer withers and a slightly uphill topline to move freely. The wool/felt panel system helps the rider communicate precisely with the horse, and the saddle tree’s shape and padded seat encourage the rider to find a comfortable and correct position. Brown or black; 17 inch, 17.5 inch or 18 inch; narrow to wide tree; dual flap or monoflap; $5,500; custom options also available; www.worldequestrianbrands.com. One Coat, Any Discipline Tredstep’s Solo Pro Show Coat is ideal for riders who compete in multiple disciplines because of its traditional, well-tailored classic look with options of custom interchangeable collars. The coat’s machine-washable, four-way stretch fabric is breathable, moisture-wicking and water-repellent, and it features a dual-layer…

Picture the perfect formula for producing a world-class horse-and-rider partnership: The rider is taught correct basics from a young age with access to upper-level coaching and a variety of horses. Her horse is carefully bred to enhance the talents, temperaments and trainability of his parents and is developed from foal to Grand Prix in one consistent training program. Now picture this formula working in Kansas, about 1,500 miles from the dressage meccas on the East and West Coasts. That’s what has happened with 27-year-old Emily Miles (née Wagner) and her 10-year-old American Warmblood Registry stallion, WakeUp, the 2014 Grand Prix reserve champions at the Markel/U.S. Equestrian Federation Young and Developing Dressage National Championships. Here’s how their individual stories combined to build such a successful partnership. Emily’s Story Emily’s dressage roots…

Your horse’s gastrocnemius muscle (it has not only a big job, but a big name) plays a major role in how well he moves on the flat and how he jumps. Tightness in this hind-end muscle—I’ll explain soon what may cause it—can lead to a significant loss of performance. Fortunately, once discovered, simple muscle tightness in the gastroc usually can be relieved using a basic massage technique that I’ll demonstrate. Where Is It? One challenge in working with the gastroc muscle is that so much of it is located underneath other major muscles in your horse’s hind end, so let’s begin by pinpointing its location. Our model for this story is Cupid, who with his owner/rider Kristen Bumpus tied for the Level 5 Jumper Championship on the 2015 HITS Ocala…

As we walked along a trail lined with tall grass and colorful flowers on one side and a manicured lawn complete with a fire pit, Adirondack chairs and a life-sized chess set on the other, I knew I was riding through a special, somewhat eccentric, place. A longtime haven for equestrian pursuits and Washington, D.C.’s elite, Middleburg, Virginia, has a new equestrian resort that allows travelers the chance to ride on a historic sprawling estate in this coveted area for horse lovers—Salamander Resort & Spa. Guests can bring their horse or ride one of Salamander’s horses, who I found to be responsive and fit. There’s a lot to do at the resort, including Yappie Hour, where those traveling with their dogs can convene for drinks on the portico, a zip-line…

HITS Holds Four $100,000 Hunter Derbies HITS will host four U.S. Hunter Jumper Association International Hunter Derbies with total prizes of $100,000 beginning this fall. The derbies will be held at HITS shows throughout the country as part of the 2015–2016 USHJA International Hunter Derby Series. The derbies will be held at the following shows: ■ National Sunshine II (Thermal, California)—Nov. 4–8 ■ Ocala VI (Ocala, Florida)—Feb. 23–28, 2016 ■ Desert Circuit VIII (Thermal, California)—March 15–20, 2016 ■ Saugerties VI (Saugerties, New York)—Aug. 3–7, 2016 For more information, visit www.hitsshows.com. U25 Show-Jumping Championship Launched The U.S. Equestrian Federation recently announced the launch of the inaugural Sleep P Ranch & Deeridge Farm $100,000 USEF U25 Show Jumping National Championship. The event, presented by the Porter, Jacob and Keenan families, will unfold…

*“Scribing was a fantastic learning experience that I look forward to doing again.” I recently had my first experience scribing at a schooling show at Dressage at the Oaks in Hillsborough, North Carolina. True to fellow equestrians’ words, it was fun and informative. As a scribe you cannot watch what is happening during a ride because you are super busy keeping up with the judge’s comments and scores for each movement—and the higher the level, the more there is to write. But even though I could not watch, I was able to pick up on common threads that appeared in the Intro through Fourth Level tests. I applied these threads to my own training and saw where I am lacking. They are also applicable across disciplines, which is helpful because…