RIDE LIKE A ROCK STAR
When I’m at a horse show where I see a few hundred riders, whether I’m judging or training, I often think that out of all of them, only a few make it look easy. Only a few! What is the problem that so many of the remaining riders have? What is the difficulty they are struggling with? Why are their rounds uneven in pace as well as jumps? Lack of control is something I jot down often on my judge’s card for adult and young rider classes, but why? I believe it is because these riders are obsessed with trying to find or create a good distance. In doing so, they misjudge and make the horse nervous. Abrupt, late decisions can make any horse nervous and strong.
When the person overrides, invariably the horse gets stronger on the backside of the jump. If the rider misjudges and chips to the first jump of the
