Localrider Magazine
PONY CLUB • RIDING CLUB • SHOWJUMPING • EVENTING www.localrider.co.uk
More of your favourite Veterans March 2016 • VOLUME XVI NUMBER 2
Life after Drivetime:
March 2016
Plan your season with our Show Dates Guide
18 pages of listings!
PLUS:
Where to go Cross Country Schooling 03
We talk to Emily Baldwin
£3.00
www.localrider.co.uk
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CROSS COUNTRY GUIDE
Step Plan to CrossCountry Schooling WITH EMILY BALDWIN
With so many fantastic places to go cross-country schooling in the South East, we asked Mayfield-based event rider Emily Baldwin for some top tips to help you make the most of your schooling session.
1 Make a plan
Start with a simple fence to build yours and your horse’s confidence
Make a plan of what you want to achieve in your schooling session, before you start. The first important thing to remember, is to take small steps and build up gradually. If you are taking a young horse to give him experience of the world, it may not be necessary to even jump a fence. If you are planning to take your horse cross-country schooling for the first time, aim to make it a good experience. Keep things simple and start with very plain fences. Perhaps introduce a simple ditch and trot through the water, with the aim of building on these things next time.
2 Warm-up
If you have a young or inexperienced horse, make sure he is happy trotting through the water.
Make sure your horse is warmed-up before you start jumping. Trot and then canter in and around the jumps you are going to be schooling over, this also gives you a chance to check the take-offs and landings. It also allows you to familiarise yourself with the fences, something that looks simple on the take-off side, may not look so simple when viewed from all the other angles. Use the warm-up to allow your horse to familiarise himself with the environment and start to make a plan of which jumps you are going to start with and what you would like to progress to jumping.
3 Start Jumping
Start to introduce some more testing fences, such as steps
Start small to build confidence for you and your horse. Once you have jumped some plain fences, established a rhythm and when your horse feels confident you can start to incorporate some more testing questions, such as: combinations, skinnies, steps, ditches and ditch combinations. Once you feel confident you can put some jumps together and remember to focus on riding in the right gear for the fences you are jumping.
4 Schooling is for Riders too Once you are feeling confident, introduce fences such as corners
Emily says that no matter how experienced a rider is, they can always improve and schooling isn’t just for the horses. Emily says in a normal schooling session she will be thinking: • Could I be in a better balance
• Could I have ridden that fence better • Could my landing position be more secure.
5 Cooling-down Let your horse warm-down properly, with plenty of walking to cool its muscles down. If it is very cold, Emily said she sometimes trots, so that the horses don’t catch a chill. Emily would then wash off her horse, paying particular attention to the areas under the boots and girth, where sand sometimes gets in and can cause rubs. Once the horse has been washed off, put a rug appropriate to the season on to help him dry-off. Once your horse is feeling happy you can combine all the elements of a railditch-rail combination
Rail – Ditch – Rail Whatever level you compete at the first time out schooling it is wise to introduce your horse gradually to the elements, before jumping the rail-ditch-rail combination. Jump the ditch first on its own (you can normally do this in both directions), once your horse is confident with the ditch, you can combine it with a rail on the landing side. Once again if your horse is feeling confident move on to jumping the railditch-rail. If you have any problems, go back to beginning to help recover your horse’s confidence. On some occasions it may be necessary to have a lead from another horse. Make sure your horse is confidently jumping the ditch, before adding in a rail on the way out of a combination
20 Localrider MARCH 2016
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We hope you have a great time going cross country this season! Two acre practice area, with a line of hurdles, small combination, half rounds and Helsinki rails from 1’0” to 3’0” in height, great for novice horses or riders. Main Course set in 80 acres of undulating fields and woodland. Jumps from 1’6” to 1m 10, including water, steps and ditches. Hurstwood Farm • Royal Oak Lane High Hurstwood • East Sussex • TN22 4AN Phone: 01825 732002 • Fax: 01825 733858 Mobile: 07768 364136 Email: info@equestriantrainingcentre.co.uk Website: www.equestriantrainingcentre.co.uk
LODGE FARM
CROSS COUNTRY COURSE MATFIELD, Nr TUNBRIDGE WELLS TN12 7ET
RosehillEquestrian Equestrian Rosehill www.rosehillequestrian.co.uk
Henley on Thames, Berkshire
Open for schooling Wednesdays & Saturdays, March to October (incl.) Over 70 jumps 60cm – 1.15m Tel: 01892 722273 Email lodgefarmxc@btinternet.com
www.lodgefarmcrosscountry.com
The Rockbourne Ride
Main Events for 2016
• Horse Trials • Residential Camps • Hunter Trials • Sponsored Rides • Shows • Teaching Clinics • Endurance Rides • Human Endurance Please see the website for more details
ww.tenantry.co.uk
Extensive Cross Country Extensive Cross Country Course 1'6" to 3'3" including water jump Course 1'6" to 3'3" including water jump 3 Arenas 2 international 1 standard 3 Arenas 2 international 1 standard Show jump hire Livery available Show jump hire Livery available Portable stable hire ( both on and off site, up to 52 stables ) Portable stable hire ( both on and off site, up to 52 stables ) Open all year to individuals and clubs, just 10 mins from M4 and M40 Open all year to individuals and clubs, just 10 mins from M4 and M40 ( camps, dressage, hunter trials and one day events ) ( camps, dressage, hunter trials and one day events ) For more information or bookings please ring Mr & Mrs Stacey For more information or bookings please ring Mr & Mrs Stacey 01628 824078 07860 442042 find us on Facebook Rosehill equestrian 01628 824078 07860 442042 find us on Facebook Rosehill equestrian
OPENING BEGINNING OF MARCH
Many new and exciting jumps to suit all levels coming this summer.
Book online at: www. bonfleurcrosscountrycourse.co.uk bookings@bonfleurcrosscountry.co.uk
07976 138120
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