Horse Crazy!

Per usual, I taught lessons today at Chastain. However, one of my students was advanced enough to do some jumping exercises, which made the lesson really interesting and even more fun! Jumping adds a whole new level of difficulty to horseback riding. Just think - when you're just riding around, you have to be firm and balanced in the saddle while sending commands to your horses in a clear and effective manner. You have to be in sync with the horses's rhythm, encouraging his movement forward and asking him to engage specific muscles in his body. It takes years to become an accomplished rider on the flat (meaning without jumps). To jump safely and effectively, you have to achieve all these things and then put obstacles in your way. Lol, it's hard! But omigoodness, is it fun.










My student today was working on her position over the fence. When a horse jumps, you raise your seat out of the saddle and slide your hands up his neck, so that he can jump freely. It takes a lot of balance and strength. I set up a "gymnastics" course, which consists of many jumps in a straight line. As soon as you land, you jump again immediately. It really forces you to control your body's movement, because you can't afford to get "disorganized" over a fence. Cuz, you know, you have another jump coming right up! This is similar to what we did today.

And if you're wondering why I like to jump 1200-lb animals over heavy obstacles, you should watch this video. Cuz it's awesome!