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A wise investment

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 15:23

Walking the course with an experienced coach or rider is probably one of the best investments in safety that you can make. However, it is important that they have seen you ride and know your strengths and weaknesses otherwise, although their advice could be sensible, it may be inappropriate in your situation. The experienced coach will make the course walk ...

Fear of falling

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 15:10

Particularly for the young, the fear of falling off can be greatly reduced by learning how to fall and getting fit enough to fall, under the direction of a qualified gymnastics coach. This strategy will benefit the vast majority of riders, because riders of all levels do have falls at times. Every effort should be made to avoid falls, but ...

Role playing

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 15:08

Role playing and modelling are powerful tools I use to overcome such challenges as fear and a negative attitude. Role playing is more natural to people than many realise because we all do it to some degree in our daily lives. It is almost impossible to go through life without learning from – and copying – those around you. My ...

Being positive

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 15:02

Fear is often connected to a lack of a positive mental attitude. There are two connected aspects of this negativity. The first is when you focus on all the things that are wrong rather than those that are right. I make it a golden rule to work from what my students and their horses can do, rather than what they ...

Get on

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 14:23

Finally, never forget that good preparation allows you to get on again the next day, rather than horse and possibly rider having to stay at home nursing stiffness, wounds or a loss of confidence. Make the training truly progressive and enjoyable, and have a good fittening programme in place. Horses should not be ‘just’ fit enough, they should be more ...

Drop fences

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 14:20

Once you can achieve the exercise in the panel on the previous page, then the next step is to jump down a bank from a slow trot, making this same opening of the angles as your horse jumps off and then closing the angles as he lands. As you open up the knee and hip joints going down a drop, ...

Stick on

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 14:13

Some riders talk about the ability to stick on as though it’s something magical that’s given only to a special few. But stickability can be taught. A balanced position, combined with softness and suppleness that allows you to move with your horse, along with a secure position of the lower leg, will make falling off hard. Softness and suppleness are ...

Kick on

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 14:03

You can get in gear at home by warming up well, with particular emphasis on your horse going forward from the leg with a normal rein contact, until you can lengthen and shorten the canter with ease. Having both you and your horse in gear mentally and physically is a key requirement for cross-country riding,and your ability and confidence to use ...

Take off and landing points

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 13:48

The major things that are different as you go faster are the take-off and landing points. As you go faster the ideal take-off point is a little further away and, with a symmetrical arch, you will also land a little further away. Jumping at 500m/m, it is normal to take off around 2.5m away from the highest point of the ...

Going faster

William Micklem, 16 May 2010 13:43

The work on a horse’s basic jump technique is vital. There is little point going faster over fences until a horse has learnt to take off using both hindlegs together. If you have established a method of show jumping that produces a consistent stride length before and after the fence, and you have a consistent balance with a good lower leg ...

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