Equestrian Life September 2016 Edition
The leading regional magazine for the East Midlands and Northern Counties. Aimed at the competition rider at both unaffiliated and affiliated level across a wide range of disciplines.
The leading regional magazine for the East Midlands and Northern Counties. Aimed at the competition rider at both unaffiliated and affiliated level across a wide range of disciplines.
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Make sure to remember which<br />
colour route you are taking<br />
Over jumping may show a lack of confidence and<br />
the horse should not be pushed till it settles<br />
“YOU WILL BE GOING<br />
FASTER AND FOR<br />
LONGER SO MAKE<br />
SURE THAT YOU AND<br />
YOUR HORSE ARE<br />
WELL PREPARED”<br />
eventing show jumping is easy! It is also<br />
great to be training and jumping on the<br />
big arenas with great surfaces that a lot<br />
of the show centres now have. This just<br />
saves miles on the horses’ legs. Fitness is<br />
another consideration before upgrading.<br />
You will be going faster and for longer so<br />
make sure that you and your horse are<br />
well prepared. Also make sure that you<br />
do your homework on the terrain of the<br />
courses that you are thinking of entering.<br />
Gallops<br />
Are they hilly or twisting, as this takes<br />
more out of the horse. There are a lot of<br />
great apps available now that can track<br />
speed and distance via GPS. I use skitracks<br />
and it helps track speed. Also start<br />
to wear your XC stopwatch to make sure<br />
you are doing enough!<br />
Making choices about where to go to<br />
upgrade - ask about as to what courses<br />
are like. Some are more up to height and<br />
straightforward, some are more technical.<br />
Bear in mind that you know your horse<br />
the best! If you can, have a walk of them<br />
at the Spring event, but beware as they<br />
will change the course! We always book a<br />
‘safety run’ after upgrading, both to build<br />
confidence, but also if anything goes<br />
wrong! Some horses can jump amazingly,<br />
but think a bit too much and need a bit of<br />
an ego boost after trying really hard. The<br />
new 105cm classes are a great idea, but<br />
the first one overcooked the idea, and put<br />
a lot of horses off, so these classes need<br />
refining. It will be interesting to watch<br />
how these develop.<br />
Finally, remember that you are supposed<br />
to enjoy your day!! There are plenty of<br />
horse and rider combinations that stay<br />
at the level they are at and have a great<br />
time!<br />
www.equestrianlifemagazine.co.uk 33
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