HOLD YOUR HORSES CLINICS

(as featured in Horse and Rider and Horse Magazines)

For Details of clinics aimed at BE competitors

For Details of PONY Club clinics

For Details of Riding Club clinics

HOLD YOUR HORSES
The safest, most logical solution to riding successfully cross country

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Dates for Clinics

A few dates are still available for clinics during the summer holidays

Private clinics always available

Organise a clinic for your Pony Club/Riding Club/livery yard/group of competitors

“... he is particularly good with young or difficult horses.”
Yogi Breisner FBHS

The Programme is designed to be appropriate, relevant and helpful to

RIDER POSITION

RIDER POSITION FOR ACCELERATING

RIDER POSITION FOR CRUISING

RIDER POSITION FOR SLOWING

In pursuance of these aims the programme is divided into four phases.  It would obviously be completely inappropriate to allow a combination to proceed to phase 2  if they have not completely mastered phase 1.

Riders must accept that it is for the safety of the combination that this program is embarked on and must realize that very few horses cannot be trained to go SAFELY cross-country at novice event speed (520 metres per minute), any more than few horses cannot be trained to SAFELY  do a novice dressage test.

Phase 1
Horse and Rider should be able to canter around an open enviroment  in a settled, even rhythm.

Phase 2
Rider learns to be able to recognise the different speeds at which they will be required to travel at for various cross country standards. E.g. for BE 90 events 450 metres/ minute, BE 100 events 475metres/minute. Horses do not have a speedo between their ears and riders only learn what 450 metres/minute feels like by experiencing it. This needs to be done, again, in an open field environment.

Phase 3
Rider  learns the techniques to be able to move smoothly up and down through the gears to arrive at the stipulated speed to simulate the fact that cross country courses will incorporate some sections where the appropriate speed will be considerably less than the average, and correspondingly some sections will involve travelling at speeds faster than the overall average speed.

Phase 4
Rider learns the appropriate speed for each type of jump, taking into consideration gradient, complexity of combinations, narrowness of fences and types of fences. They are only then properly prepared to incorporate jumps into the equation.

At the trainers discretion any part of the programme may be omitted but this will ONLY happen if the trainer is satisfied that safety requirements have been met

It seems unconceivable to me that any rider would want to go cross country competitively without having mastered these skills – sadly I see so many riders with shattered confidence because they have not been through such a programme; so many horses labelled ‘strong’ or ‘lunatic’.  I prefer the term ‘uneducated’ – if a horse does not understand us, then we, as the more intelligent species, have to improve our communication skills – he will not learn to understand English!!!
Any rider astride an animal 10 times their size and strength needs the confidence in their technical ability to control such power ... now such specialist training is available !

Safer cross country riding (Competitive or not) starts here.
We all know there are risks involved – Let’s work together to minimise them!
Train away all of your horse problems – visit MSJUMP.CO.UK for details of training in all disciplines, solutions to horse problems and forthcoming events.
“He is a teacher of confidence, for both horse and rider.” Simon Barnes, The Times
For further information please contact:
Mark Smith on 07930151562
Or email on markismsjump@ btinternet.com.

“This will help riders to ride cross country better.” Yogi Breisner

A Health and safety assessment has been done for all activities engaged in by Mark Smith
He holds BHS certification and has a current  First Aid at Work

! ATTENTION !

ALL PONY CLUB MUMS

RIDING CLUB SPOUSES

EVENTERS / PT-TO-PTERS / CROSS COUNTRY RIDERS / HAPPY HACKERS

HOLD YOUR HORSES

HOW OFTEN DO YOU HEAR RIDERS COMPLAIN THAT THEY CANNOT HOLD THEIR HORSES CROSS COUNTRY?

WHEN THESE SAME PEOPLE HAVE TROUBLE WITH THEIR DRESSAGE THEY GO TO A DRESSAGE EXPERT AND HAVE THE PROBLEM SORTED OUT.

IF THEIR SHOWJUMPING IS LETTING THEM DOWN THEY GO TO A SHOWJUMPING GURU, WHO CAN WORK MIRACLES FOR THEM.

NOW YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SOLVE YOUR CROSS COUNTRY BRAKING PROBLEMS IN THE SAME LOGICAL MANNER.

BRING YOUR HORSE TO ME AND I WILL SHOW HIM THAT GOING AT AN APPROPRIATE SPEED FOR THE CLASS AND TYPE OF OBSTACLE IS AN OPTION - IT MAY NEVER HAVE OCCURRED TO HIM THAT SLOW WAS AN OPTION!

I DO NOT HAVE A MAGIC WAND ...BUT NEITHER DOES YOUR DRESSAGE WIZARD OR SHOW JUMPING MAESTRO.  WE ALL DO HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF HOW HORSES WORK AND THE EXPERIENCE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER!!!

GIVE ME A CALL AND TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS BECOMING ONE OF THOSE WHO LOOK FORWARD EAGERLY TO THE CROSS COUNTRY PHASE

IF YOU HAVE A GROUP OF BETWEEN 2 AND 20 (RIDING CLUB, PONY CLUB OR JUST LIKE-MINDED RIDERS) I CAN DO A CLINIC TAILORED TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.

NEXT OPEN SESSION -

PHONE MARK on 07930151562 or Email

Private sessions also available

LOOK

In a short space of time your horse can be changed from this

to this

Horse is still jumping willingly but note is now in a happy mouth snaffle , is relaxed, jumping more roundly and not set fiercely against the rider.

Alternatively, when you get really confident, you may ask

me if you are ready to join these 15 year olds, team chasing in headcollars !!