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HOW TO WIN YOUR NEXT JUMPING COMP
MINI JUMP S!
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December 2016 £3.49 Issue 819
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I read my PONY magazine in the field with my pony, Willow. Madge Send us your pics to pony@djmurphy.co.uk
Oliver Townend wins!
Oliver Townend has claimed champion position in the first year of the Event Rider Masters series, which took place over six events across the UK, attracting top riders from 17 nations. After his win, Oliver said: “I was a slow starter in the series at the beginning of the season, as I was chasing the Olympic dream. Next year, I intend to compete in as many legs of the series as I can and retain my title.” The action was watched live online by more than 160,000 people over the year. Catch up on all the thrills and spills at eventridermasters.tv
Photos: Eventridermasters.tv / BEF / Jon Stroud Media
The misadventures of Charlie! C’mon, Charlene, let’s get up really close to the fire!
It’ll be very hot next to the fire, Charlie. I’m going to stand back and watch the fireworks.
This is great! I’m right near all the action!
Are you okay, Charlie?
It was so hot by the fire, I’ve got to get this scarf off!
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Paralympic glory
Team GB’s Paralympic equestrian athletes brought home a whopping 11 medals from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games – seven of them gold! Natasha Baker MBE, Sophie Christiansen OBE, Anne Dunham MBE, Lee Pearson CBE and Sophie Wells MBE, were chosen to represent the British team in Rio. As well as fantastic individual performances, they successfully defended Britain’s team gold medal title, remaining undefeated since the introduction of the sport 20 years ago! Summing up their effort, ParaEquestrian Dressage Performance Manager, Sarah Armstrong, said: “I’m
Saddle up! A brand new live-action horsey series called Ride is set to start on 7 November at 7pm on Nickelodeon. The series follows Kit Bridges, an American girl who moves to England when her father accepts a job at the Covington Academy – an elite equestrian boarding school. What seems like a dream come true becomes far more complicated when Kit realises that more than just her nationality and fear of riding separate her from her peers at Covington. An instant connection to TK, the most stubborn and difficult horse at the academy, opens a door to a new world of adventures for Kit with friends, frenemies, crushes, hidden secrets and the chance to uncover her true identity. Ride will air weekdays at 7pm on Nickelodeon.
SPOTTED!
We’ve been keeping an eye on all the latest celeb gossip over on social media – what have your fave riders been up to?
beyond thrilled and delighted with the incredible performances the whole squad has been able to deliver this week. “Their dedication and commitment to delivering their best is humbling, and for them to come out here and deliver more than they did in London 2012 is amazing.”
Moor for horses
A four-day project took place in September, rounding up 160 ponies on Bodmin Moor for microchipping and passporting. Developed by Redwings, in collaboration with lots of other horsey charities, the Moor for Horses scheme aims to improve the ponies’ future welfare and prevent overcrowding on the moor. Sixteen ponies of the 160 who were rounded up were unclaimed by owners or in too poor a condition to survive the winter, so homes were offered by a number of equine charities. Find out more about the Moor for Horses scheme at redwings.org.uk
Cute!
bit.ly/dreaming_foal VIRAL VID!
Four-week-old Elmo is an adorable Shetland foal – and he’s even cuter when he’s dreaming of galloping like the grown-up ponies! Send in your funny pony-related videos to pony@djmurphy.co.uk
Harry Meade’s horses look content behind the scenes at Blenheim! @Harry_Meade Away Cruising and Orlando are settled in ahead of the CCI***. It’s all very quiet, waiting for the mad rush of arrivals.
Bertram Allen and John Whitaker lead their team to victory! @GCL_Official What a combination these four are, winning the Global Champions League in Vienna!
Even top riders need to have some fun, with Emily King getting in some bareback practice! @EmilyKingEventing Last home ride before Euros! PONY magazine
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umping is great fun, but it’s easy to get in a muddle when you’re jumping a whole course. We show you how to build up to jumping a course confidently – you’ll be out competing before you know it!
Walking the course
Top tip
Whether you’re at a Remember to warm up your competition pony properly before jumping. or just setting Walk, trot and canter on both up a practice reins, using lots of shapes and course at transitions. Then pop over a simple home, it’s a cross-pole on both reins to get really good both of you focused before you idea to walk the step up the challenge. course on foot before you ride it. Remember, your pony doesn’t know what he’s about to jump next or where he should go, so it’s important to plan in advance exactly how you want to ride the course. Walk the corners as you’ll ride them, so you know where you need to turn to meet the middle of each fence. If you’re jumping a double or a related distance, pace out the distance so you know exactly how many strides your pony will need to take.
Simple striding
You can judge the distance between fences by converting your own paces into pony strides. Three large paces are roughly one canter stride. Leave one-and-a-half paces for take off and the same for landing – so if you’re building a one-stride double, there should be six of your paces between the fences.
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Plan ahead
The key to jumping a course is good preparation. Look for your next fence as soon as you land over the fence before – this gives you enough time to plan your approach and make any adjustments. What kind of fence is coming up next? If it’s a vertical, you’ll need to collect your pony so he can clear it carefully. If it’s an oxer, you’ll need a slightly bigger canter stride to allow him to open up and stretch over the extra width. Once you’ve prepared a rhythmical, balanced canter, ride confidently to meet the fence. Look up and ahead – don’t look down to the ground or at the poles, as you could unbalance your pony.
Top tip
As tempting as it might be, never look back at a previous fence to check if you knocked a pole down! Keep focused and think ahead to the rest of your course.
Canter or trot?
If you’re starting out or jumping smaller fences, it’s fine to ride a course in trot as it gives you and your pony time to prepare for the next fence, and to ride your corners and lines accurately. As the fences get a bit bigger, you’ll both find it easier to canter a course in a good rhythm, but you’ll also have to think about whether you’re on the correct canter lead. Because you’re looking to the next fence as you land, your pony’s likely to automatically strike off on the correct lead as your position will be preparing him for the bend. If he doesn’t, or becomes disunited, bring him back to trot before asking him to canter again on the correct lead.
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PONY magazine
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2 1 Approach your pony from the left, holding the pommel with your left hand and the cantle with your right. Make sure the numnah is attached to the saddle.
Make sure you’ve groomed your pony well before tacking up – there shouldn’t be any mud, grime or loose hair where his saddle will sit, and his coat should be lying flat.
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Gently place the saddle on your pony’s withers, a bit further forwards than it’ll sit when you’re riding.
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Slide the saddle back into position, so the flaps sit just behind his shoulders.
6 5 Check that his numnah or saddle pad is lying evenly under his saddle without any folds, and pull it up high into the gullet.
Move to your pony’s right side and buckle the girth to the saddle, checking that the buckle guards are lying flat. Leave the girth hanging down and move back to his left side.
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Carefully reach under your pony’s belly for the girth and fasten it. If he wears a martingale or breastplate, remember to slide the loop over the girth at this point.
Putting your hands behind your pony’s knee, carefully pull his front legs forward, one at a time, to make sure there’s no folds of skin trapped under his girth.
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Buckle the girth just tight enough to stop the saddle slipping back, then gently tighten it on alternate sides before you mount. The girth buckles should be roughly the same height on both sides when you’re finished.
10 Check your girth is tight enough before you mount – you should be able to just fit your hand, flat, between the girth and your pony’s side.
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