To the posts on not using hand and leg at the same time - I was taught to only use one aid in many circumstances, not all. If my horse has good pace but I want him to slow a bit I only use a hand half halt. If he is “rushy” but behind my leg I use seat and hand. Jamming your heel down isn’t good, but I like to feel energy go down from my hip to knee to heel and out. I think it’s in Sally Swifts book when she talks about reclaiming energy. And if you’re backing I use just hand with a lightened seat. But to each their own!
You guys look great! I had a friend (also an eventer, though she dabbles in a bit of everything) who rode in the 3’0 group and really enjoyed it!
I think some some riders have trouble with the “conflicting aids” thing because their horses don’t actually accept the contact. Rather than putting their leg on and allowing the horse to move more forward into a following hand you see riders put their leg on and then their horses come off/above the contact and then riders closing their hand to try and get control of the head again, ending up with the conflicting aids. Some horses are tricky, many horse/riders need more dressage training, etc. but that’s been the biggest place I’ve seen where riders feel like they’re not using conflicting aids but actually are…and some of these old school hunter/jumper types really are sticklers for it!
Was your friend in the clinic that I was at? I watched their group to get a feel for his style before getting on.
And I completely agree with your assessment of the conflicting aids, I did see some of that (and I’m sure we’re all a little guilty of it once in a while). I really enjoy Dressage as its own discipline, so incorporating that into the jumping feels fairly natural. Unless, of course, Cottonpickin punk decides to go all dolphin on me after a fence. Then all bets are off :lol:
I wish my hand was more following, more of the time. I can get a little bracey, both on the flat and while jumping. It’s a constant struggle. Always room for improvement!
Yep! She was the tall blonde on a smallish gray paint (but you wouldn’t know the paint part now that he’s turned white) with a breastplate (not a martingale).
And I totally get it–it’s way easier said than done, isn’t that the truth for just about everything with horses though?!
Depends on the mood he is in. He can be an amazing coach, or a complete waste of time. He often plays favorites…so it depends on which side you end up on. Loves to talk about his famous riding days. Seems very nice often, but completely snaps other times. We will personally not be attending anymore of his clinics after seeing the roller coaster personality. Don’t want to waste our time dealing with someone like that. Too bad, as he could be very talented still if he could control himself better. Oh well!
I did not find it valuable. He kept losing track of what we were doing and who had gone and who had not. Lots of time spent marketing his website. On the positive side, it was great to have individual ear pieces to be able to hear him. I won’t spend my money with him again.
