I Still Look at the Ground Before I Look at the Fence

I started in eventing.
Walk a cross-country course and you soon discover how much there is to look at before the fence itself.

What does the ground do on the approach? Where can you turn without arriving in a hurry? And once you’ve landed, where are you going?

I still recognise that way of looking when I’m working in a dressage arena.

Take a corner before a diagonal. From the middle of the arena, you see a horse turn and cross from one letter to another. From the saddle, you can feel when that diagonal was already decided several strides earlier. A horse who comes out of the corner in balance gives you somewhere to go. If you’re still organising the turn when it’s time to cross, you’ve got a lot to do in a very short space.

I enjoy showing a rider that difference.

We can walk the line on foot first. Where do you want to be looking as you come out of the corner? At what point can you see the letter you’re riding towards? Then get back on and ride the same line. Often the rider notices something the moment they know where to look.

The sport I compete in changed.

I still like to walk into an arena and see what I can learn from the ground.

Enquire about rider training at Hof Marabunta.

Silvia