Horse&Rider Magazine – December 2020

In this feature. . .

➤ Develop

a safer position over fences

Getting

technical with Gemma Tattersall

Our expert

Gemma Tattersall is a British eventer who represented Team GB at the 2016 Olympic Games. Her top rides include Quicklook V, with whom she competed at Rio, and Arctic Soul, the ex-racehorse she’s campaigned up to CCI5*.

She now splits her time between eventing and showjumping.

As told to Rebecca Philpot. Photos: Lucy Merrell

Our model

Hannah Lavender is Gemma Tattersall’s second rider. A long-term and staple team member, she rides nine-year-old warmblood Hot Air, an established showjumperturned-eventer who, Gemma says, is showing a great amount of potential on the cross-country course.

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Eventing from the safety of an arena won’t make the questions you’re asked any less complex. This month, Gemma helps you get your head around the more technical elements

T

he perfect place to build you and your horse’s confidence over fixed fences, arena eventing helps you get your cross-country fix when ground conditions aren’t ideal and provides a safe space to practise the elements you’d find out in the open. However, just because you won’t be getting fully immersed on course doesn’t mean you won’t meet a whole host of tough questions designed to challenge your horse’s bravery and training. From corners and skinnies to steps and ditches, an arena eventing course has everything on-hand to put you and your horse to the test – making it the ultimate place to step up your training and prepare for the real thing. So, get your thinking cap on and you’ll soon learn the invaluable cross-country riding skills that arena eventing can provide.

In the saddle

➤ Learn

to jump corners ➤ Build confidence over ditches

In the corner

Really, corners are just a distant relative of oxers, and by thinking of them in this way, they shouldn’t feel too scary as you start to step up the technicality. Start with the smallest corner you can find to keep the questions simple and straightforward for your horse. While the height’s low, introduce him to the corner the same way you’d ride an oxer – with a powerful pace behind you, ride head-on to the corner so that your horse has a square groundline to work with. This won’t be the most effective way to jump the obstacle as the height and width increase, but it’s the most straightforward starting point.

As your horse’s confidence grows and you want to start drawing out the width, you can work on approaching it at an angle. Think of the corner as having a small point on the narrow side, from which two arms branch out to create a wide edge on the other. You’ll need to visualise an imaginary line from this point to the middle of the wide side. Bisect this line by 90° to find your ideal approach. Ultimately, you’ll aim to jump the narrowest part you confidently can, but while the height’s low, it’s fine to jump more centrally to reduce the risk of run-outs.

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THE RIDER ROUND-TABLE:

A solid foundation

As told to: Tilly Berendt. Photos: Bob Atkins, Tilly Berendt

Competitive jumping rounds and plans to move up the levels are all well and good – but if you struggle with a swinging, unstable lower leg, staying in balance might be your biggest goal right now. Our experts help you find security in the saddle

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In the saddle

A

textbook position isn’t just about looking great in show-day photos.

The fundamentals of a correct position are all closely related to the mechanics of your body and the shape of your horse’s jump. A balanced position, which has a centre of gravity over a secure, shock-absorbing lower leg, will be able to follow your horse’s movement easily, while a swinging

lower leg will set off a domino effect that makes it twice as hard to stay with his jump.

If you plan to do any kind of cross-country riding the stakes are even higher, because staying secure and balanced on your horse as you tackle solid fences is a matter of safety. Fortunately, a great position is something that’s made with practice and patience – and as our experts point out, you can commit just a few minutes a day to fixing it.

Our experts

Lucinda Green remains at the forefront of the eventing industry after a career that saw her win a record six Badminton titles and become World Champion. These days she continues to compete, coaches riders around the world, and is involved with equestrian media as a writer and commentator.

Michael Jung is eventing’s most medalled rider. The seven-time CCI5* winner is the only rider ever to hold the European, World, and Olympic titles at the same time. Michael won double gold at the London Olympics, followed by individual gold and team silver at Rio. He also showjumps at Grand Prix.

Australian eventer Kevin McNab isn’t just a prolific five-star competitor, he’s also the man behind some of the southern hemisphere’s biggest names, including Chris Burton and Jock Paget. He competes and trains from his base near Guildford, Surrey.

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➤

Photos: Bob Atkins. With thanks to the Pilatology Team for this feature, hbcpsychology.co.uk

Rider

health: Part 1: back to basics

Find out how improving the connection between your mind and body could revolutionise your riding Our experts

F

eelings are an incredibly complex subject – the way we experience them, how they affect our body and help us form our reactions are all unique to us.

While your mind and body are seamlessly interdependent, they’ll work together to influence how you perform. But how can this connection make a difference to your riding?

A good connection Dr. Hannah Butler-Coyne is a HCPC Registered and BPS Chartered Clinical Psychologist who works privately with athletes and sportspeople and in the NHS with children and adolescents.

Tracy Coyne is a Pilates instructor who specialises in sports yoga, functional anatomy and injury prevention and is a range of movement assessor.

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Recognising and nurturing the mind-body connection is essential for anyone wanting to reach their full potential in the saddle. Your horse’s performance relies on clear communication and, as we know, this is influenced by both your mind and your body. Your ability to control your emotions will improve the clarity of instruction to your horse and, in return, boost his confidence in your aids.

We’ll begin by integrating simple psychological strategies and Pilates exercises that can work together to help structure your mind and body connections, prioritise and reinforce those that are important to you and, with TOP TIP perseverance and practice, develop Physical activity is the key to and improve both your physical and a healthy lifestyle but if you’re in mental health. any doubt about your capabilities in undertaking any of the following exercises, it’s best to speak with your doctor first.

Mind matters

Recognising patterns

Your physical and mental wellbeing requires your basic needs to be met. This involves everything you eat and drink, the quality and quantity of sleep, time you allow yourself to relax, your relationships with others and, of course, keeping physically active.

These aspects of life are essential if we want to perform at our best, mentally and physically.

However, busy lives can get in the way of looking after yourself. Grabbing something quick to eat a little too often, staying up an extra couple of hours to finish some work, skipping that ride or putting off a meet-up with friends because there’s something else that needs to be done – sound familiar?

Similarly, what might appear to be a quick and easy way of coping with stress and emotions – another beer, an extra glass of wine or a chocolate bar – allows you to disconnect from a situation or the stress of the day. While this is something we can all relate to and these techniques may feel effective in moderation, they’re not necessarily healthy or helpful in the long run and can lead to negative coping strategies.

Over time, difficulties for both mind – such as struggling to think clearly, memory difficulties, feeling guilty, low or anxious – and body – feeling sluggish, tense or experiencing headaches – can be detrimental to both your health and performance in and out of the saddle.

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