PONY Magazine – December 2019

E E R F UTE

Piggy's pony club flashback

SUPER-KC Y

STIC NOTES! UK ONLY |

GIFTS MAY

VARY

Canter

clinic

Happy

feet KEEP HIS HOOVES

Ace this pace!

HEALTHY

steps to a

happy

pony

make your

pony

sparkle

Jumping

probs

academy

SORTED!

mega

quiz A photo shoot with your fave pony

1 2 9

770032 425980

23 October – 20 November 2019

PONYMAG.COM

December 2019 £3.99 Issue 858

WIN!

This Esme awesome yard hacks

p m u J

to it!

Easy ways to fix your showjumping probs

I

t’s super-frustrating if your pony regularly stops at fences or knocks them down, but it’s something you can improve with a few simple exercises. Practise them regularly, and you’ll be jumping more clear rounds in no time!

Figure it out

There are loads of reasons why your pony might stop at a fence or knock it down, and often these issues have similar causes, such as... he’s inexperienced or lacks confidence when jumping you didn’t approach the fence with enough energy, or you were going Make sure that pain or too fast discomfort isn’t making your pony less keen to your approach wasn’t straight jump. Ask your vet to check you’re holding the reins too tightly him over, and call out a he feels uncomfy when he jumps qualified saddle fitter to the height’s out of his comfort zone look at his tack, too.

Top tip

Position pointers It’s important not to just focus on your pony, and you should think about how your position could be affecting his jumping. Make sure you... allow him to go forward into the fence, and don’t hold him back because you’re nervous keep your weight central as he jumps, so you’re not putting him out of balance allow with your hands on take-off, so he can stretch his neck out and round his back

6

PONY magazine

Top tip

If you need help with your jumping position, book some extra lessons with your instructor.

Exercise 1 An awesome approach

How to ride it

1.

To clear a fence your pony needs an energetic canter that’ll allow him to spring off the ground and soar up and over the poles. However, you don’t want him to be too speedy, because you’ll lack control and his body will flatten over the fence, rather than making a graceful curve. Using canter poles can help you nail the perfect pace.

2.

3.

Set it up Build an easy, inviting fence, such as a cross-pole or small upright, then place a line of four canter poles in front of it.

The poles should be one stride apart, which is approx 2.7m, but you may need to adjust this depending on your pony’s stride length. The distance from the final pole to the fence will be approx 3m.

4.

Go large and ride your pony forward in a positive canter – you need to feel like he’s really taking you somewhere!

Turn into the line of poles, aiming for the middle of each one. Let the poles do the work and encourage your pony into a rhythm.

Ride through the poles and over the fence two or three times, thinking about the pace the poles are helping you create.

Remove the poles one at a time, starting with the one closest to the fence, until you’ve got one left.

Now try to keep the same rhythm.

Remember, if you started with four poles, you should fit in four strides between the pole and fence.

C

H

M

3m

E

B 2.7m

K

F

A

Top tip

Top tip

If your pony’s long or short striding, you may need to adjust the distances in these exercises.

If your pony rushes, you’ll need to approach the canter poles in a steadier pace, so sit up tall and gently half-halt to get him to focus on you.

C

Exercise 2 Hitting the spot

Sometimes your pony may refuse a fence because you’re asking him to take off too close to it or too far away. If he’s super-brave he may still jump, but it’ll be uncomfy for both of you. Using a placing pole when you’re schooling will help you take off in the right spot, which will give your pony more confidence when you’re at a show.

Set it up Put your placing pole on the ground approx 3m in front of the fence.

How to ride it 1.

2.

H

M

E

3m

K

B

F

A

Create the positive jumping pace you worked on in the canter pole exercise, then turn towards the placing pole and fence. Sit up tall, wrap your legs around your pony’s sides to encourage him forward and keep a soft contact with his mouth.

Canter over the pole, then pop over the fence.

PONY magazine

7

KEEP ON CANTERING Part three in our awesome paces series gives you some brilliant exercises to perfect your fave pony’s canter

T

here are loads of really good reasons why you should spend time working on your pony’s canter. It’ll help improve his balance and rhythm, which are important for dressage, showjumping and eventing, plus it’ll make him more comfortable to ride, too!

Top tip

For some great tips to improve your pony’s walk and trot, see the October and November issues of PONY.

What is it?

Canter’s a three-beat gait and it has a moment of suspension, when all four of your pony’s feet leave the ground at the same time! His outside hindleg takes the first step, followed by his inside hind and outside fore together, and finally the inside fore stretches forward. To have a good quality canter, your pony needs to move forward with impulsion, as well as being in balance and straight. His canter should have a regular rhythm, too, so each stride he takes is the same length.

Sitting pretty

Your position can affect the quality of your pony’s canter. So, before you even think about asking him for a transition, make sure you... sit up tall and pull your shoulders back, to help keep your body strong and upright push your heels down and wrap your legs around his sides, to help maintain his impulsion and straightness have an even, steady contact with his mouth, to help contain his energy

10

PONY magazine

Top tip

Exercise 1: Sit it out

If your find your pony’s trot difficult to sit to, hold onto the front of the saddle or a neckstrap, so you don’t bounce around too much on his back.

Although it may seem odd to perform a trot exercise to improve the canter, sitting trot encourages your pony to work through his back and quarters, which will help create impulsion. It’ll help you develop a more secure position, too.

HOW TO RIDE IT 1.

2.

3.

Take your feet out of your stirrups and cross them in front of your saddle. Go large around the arena in trot.

Look up and ahead and focus on how you’re sitting – push your weight down into your heels to lengthen your legs and roll your shoulders back.

Ride a few strides of sitting trot, then have a rest. You can slowly build up how much you do each time. Don’t forget to change the rein regularly, too.

TakE the lead

A common problem riders experience with canter is getting their pony to strike off on the correct lead. His inside foreleg is known as the leading leg because it stretches the furthest. If his outside foreleg looks like it’s leading instead, he’s on the wrong leg. Don’t panic, though, as it’s easy to fix.

Just work through this checklist before you ask for the transition... your trot Does your pony have an active, energetic trot? If not, ride a few transitions to get him listening to you and encourage him to go forward your bend Is he bending to the inside? Open your inside hand slightly to show him where you want him to look, and always ask for canter in a corner as it’ll help create the right amount of bend your position Are you giving your pony the correct aids for canter? Sit up tall, with your inside leg on the girth to push him into the corner, and your outside leg just behind the girth to stop his hindquarters from falling out

Exercise 2: Feet first If you’re still struggling to get your pony to pick up the correct lead every time, try this easy exercise.

C

H

M

E

B

SET IT UP You need four poles, one in each corner of your arena.

HOW TO RIDE IT 1.

2.

3.

Trot large around the arena, making sure your pony’s moving with lots of energy.

Approach one of the poles Transition and ask for canter as you K ride over it. The pole should encourage him to strike off on the correct leg.

A If he does pick up the correct lead, continue around the arena, then make a downward transition to trot.

Change the rein and have a go the other way. If he picks up the wrong lead, come back to trot and try again at the next pole.

PONY magazine

F

11