Taking Charge

By Your Horse

Riding advice

07 February 2011 17:10

Tim adds a filler to the parallel Ed has just jumped and tells Rachel to bring him again. Ed comes charging round the corner, but six or seven stride out he starts to back off and stops in front of the fence.

“That was naughty,” Tim says. “You weren’t asking any more of him, the fence was exactly the same height, it just had a filler added. Give him a kick and tell him off.”

Rachel brings Ed to the fence again. This time he has a good look, before he cat-leaps over it, taking the top rail with him. “Give him a pat, he made an effort for you there,” says Tim. “You need to watch you’re not gripping with your knees. If you don’t keep your weight down in your heels, and your lower leg back, you’ll leave yourself very vulnerable. Even if he were to trip you’d go flying over the handlebars.”

Fence two is a brightly-coloured diamond filler. Rachel presents Ed to the fence in a good canter, but he slams on the brakes and Rachel flies out of the saddle. Rachel’s confidence has clearly taken quite a knock but she quickly regains her composure and re-mounts. She brings Ed round again and this time she’s determined to get him over the fence. She rides him positively in, Ed has a look and thinks about stopping, but Rachel gives him a good kick and he jumps it.

“Good, you did well to catch him there,” Tim praises.