I yesterday arrived home from Kathleen's jumping clinic at Ladycross Lodge, Hampshire, England.

I first met Kathleen when she was working with Mark Rashid, she gave me a couple of jumping lessons on a quarterhorse in the USA, and I learned so much about jumping from this experience that when I heard she is now working independently and was coming to England I rushed to book. I chose the "Jumping clinic" as jumping is my "thing", on the clinic were other experienced jumpers, but also those with less jumping experience, and in fact one person who had never jumped before.

My horse "Charlie" is a lovely affable chap, but we have retired him from eventing as he was not enjoying the days out. Although I know he can jump freely he typically has an economical canter and a careful pop, which is great at lower heights but when the fences get bigger we need more power and it seemed the harder I pushed the more underpowered he felt.

The first day Kathleen watched him jump at the height we were happy with and discussed the way he was going. She noticed that around the course I was not breathing well, and in consequence Charlie was also holding his breath. Charlie was jumping well, but there was a little "recognition spot" in front of the fence where he was momentarily tensing and losing his rhythm, his quarters were trailing and the quality of canter was lost. This is where Kathleen's philosophy differs from what I have been previously taught. Usually I am given some "technique" to "fix" the problem, here Kathleen merely suggested I "blend" with Charlie in the canter and see if I could find where we were becoming "disconnected". I could soon do this, it was in fact all the way around the arena, we were having moments of "disconnection", and when one occurred in front of the fence it was highlighted by the loss of rhythm.

I was soon practicing keeping the connection all the way around, and the approach was smoother. It was not to try to eradicate the recognition point, the feeling that he has seen the fence and has a plan is actually very comforting, it was just to keep connected so the recognition point was between us, as one, smooth and without the power sapping tenseness.

The second day we also started to work on this feeling of being underpowered. I have not carried a whip on Charlie for a long time, I had decided that I did not like the idea, Charlie is for fun only, and I don't see that being whipped can be any fun. This is where looking at the lessons for other clinic participants is good, one of the other horses had a problem with  its forward aid, and there had been a discussion on whips, that they need not be for punishment, they were only an extra aid, or tool in your box. Kathleen had also explained that when we use our legs they tighten around the horse's barrel, effectively stopping the very movement that we are wanting. A whip can be use to make a noise, or to tap tap to get attention, they do not need to be used to cause pain!

So on the second day I carried a whip, and we spent the first 15 minutes "re-installing" a forward aid to Charlie. I was only to use my legs at the strength of 1 on a scale of pressure of 1-10, and after that tap tap tap on his shoulder until he went forwards. I was happy with this, Charlie is not at all whip shy, and even better when at first he did not particularly leap forwards there was a difference in what other people have told me. Kathleen did not want me to INCREASE the pressure with the whip, instead I was to just keep on tap tap tapping until he responded. I think it was the fear that I would have to hit him hard that was keeping me from wanting to carry a whip.

This worked great. Kathleen explained that when we use our leg "nudge nudge" as we are taught we are often actually providing a release before the horse has responded, effectively teaching him that a nudge from the leg means "keep as you are". Plus legs are good to communicate with, other than that they also restrict the barrel if used hard or with a sustained squeeze. The tap tap of a whip can be continued as long as is required to get a result, then ceased. This worked well, and Charlie was soon responding to a light leg aid rather than me feeling like I was carrying him! Kathleen reminded me that when jumping I should not let the pressure from my legs get over a 1.

Next we looked at the underpowered canter. Charlie was using his back end quite well, but it appeared that he was running into his front end. She described that the horse has circles of energy, one in the back end and one in the front, intersecting at around the rider. The circles go in the same direction (forwards) and the rider has a third, also going forwards. Charlie's energy block was from the front circle being small and restricted. Again to fix this was not the normal technique answer. I had to visualise the circles and then visualise the back circle being smaller with more kinetic energy, and the front circle being bigger and more open. We played with this for quite a while, seeing how altering the circles in their size and shape in my mind could alter the canter. It made a huge difference to the feel of the canter, being able to alter it just by a visualisation thought. Wow!

We started to jump a bit bigger, and it became apparent that the breathing was a real issue. I was breathing all the way around, about 5 strides for each inhale and 5 for each exhale, and that is something I have been practicing since I rode with Kathleen last year. I have also been practicing exhaling on an exertion such as an upward transition, downwards transition, or indeed for taking off over a fence. I have found that this works well when all is going well, but when a problem occurs it is all to easy to regress to holding my breath again! This breathing importance was taken to a new level this clinic though. Kathleen had us listen to CHARLIE's breathing, and it would seem that it is not only me who holds their breath around a course of jumps. Even with the better canter it was proved to me time and time again that when Charlie holds his breath he does not make such a good leap.

When jumping I had to concentrate on his breathing and mine, and feel connected with him. I also had to feel him be soft over the fences, and once I had decided on the new feel I had to then keep visualising and "feeling" it even when the first few times Charlie still held his breath. Kathleen said the reason for this was that Charlie and I have been doing this a certain way for so long, we have not been Connected, and he needed time to think "Hey, is something different here?" and to work out what it all means. It would be harder for him to work it all out if I was changing the new information that I was giving him.

Another funny occurrence happened here. Around the corner to the double he was dumping his shoulder, we were disconnected and the take off for the first element was spoiled. I was then feeling it necessary to correct him, causing tension in my legs, and discord. The corrections were not huge, Kathleen described it as me micro managing him, but I was doing it with muscle and technique rather than by thought. I could not see how I could keep the correct line with thought alone, Charlie definitely wanted to cut the corner, and my thought that I did not was just not doing it! Kathleen suggested that just for fun I agree with whatever decision Charlie made (within reason!). Well I did, and y'know, him cutting the cornerjust that bit made the stride pattern to the fence just that bit easier. And if I was not "holding him out" he could make the turn without having to "dump his shoulder" to do that. He also seemed to come more alive, more enthusiastic.

Kathleen explained that Charlie had an idea, and in micro managing his canter with technique I was in effect throwing cold water on him. By allowing his input he felt valued, and part of a partnership rather than master/ servant. Without the discord I could also better keep the connection, breathe and free my mind to be a little stiller, have fewer internal conversations and be more in the flow of the moment.

Soon Charlie could breathe right up to the fences, but would still grunt and hold his breath over the fence, and re commence breathing at the other side. We just kept doing the 2 stride double over and over (pictured the second element) until finally his breathing kept happening right through the line. And when this happened it felt like a real "kick in the backside" as his body stayed softer, allowing true inner power rather than tense muscle effort.

Third day. Today Charlie seemed quite tired, as did quite a few of the clinic horses. Kathleen explained that although Charlie was quite fit he was probably mentally tired from the new information flow between us. She kept the fences lower and we concentrated on thoughts, sharing the plan of a twisting and varied course with the horse, before even turning towards the first fence.

Sounds strange, but time and time again today Charlie responded to my thoughts of what I was going to do, before I thought I had asked him. One time he even hesitated and landed on the "wrong" leg because I was thinking that in two fences time we would be turning the other way, and I would have to be ready. He got the "other leg" bit but missed the "in two fences time" part, horses living only in the moment! We practiced "sharing the plan" on fences where on landing in a 3 stride related distance there were two jumping options and I had to share with Charlie which one we were to do without pulling and tugging. Our turns were smoother, the jumps better.

At the end of this course I have a lot to think about and digest. Not the least of which is the thought of taking Charlie's input and learning from him. Kathleen pointed out that I thought I was teaching Charlie stuff, but Charlie actually has a load to teach me about horses, riding and STUFF if only I could listen. We have started already. the day after the clinic we stayed an extra night and rode out in the New Forest. David, my husband, rode Charlie and Charlie told David where the ground was not safe, and where they should position themselves best to open a narrow gate. It is going to take some time to adjust to the idea that he has best input, when at first it looks like the horse is "disobeying" but on both these occasions Charlie was correct and kept presenting the information even when initially he was "corrected". An eye opener for both of us I think.

I loved the format of the jumping clinic, so much of what Kathleen teaches is highlighted by the jumping, the point was not the jumping, the point was the focus and challenges the jumps gave. It did not matter about the height of jumps or the experience of the participants, the jumps just gave focus and meaning to the exercise. I hope I will be back next year.

 

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