Never a dull moment. Get back from Aston Le Walls really late, go straight to bed and then up and off the next day to the wonderful place that is LMEQ (Littleton manor) for Jon Pitts combined actual training.
What's combined analysis training you may ask well....
It's video analysis and experts advice from Lucy Thompson and Jon Pitts . Show jumping is first, you do a round of 10 fences as if in a competition, whilst being videoed and watched by Lucy Thomson, then you have a chat with Lucy about what you may have to improve on and you try it again. The cross country you do the same thing, there is a cross country course set out. You go around the course again whilst being filmed and timed and Jon watches you then has a chat with you and he helps and advises ways you may be able to improve. This now explains the title Combined Analysis Training.
Anyways.......
I took Hector along to this ( I was meant to take Arabella too but she lost a shoe). He was a really good boy, it was a great thing to do especially with Tweseldown this weekend. With his showjumping he is super tricky because he tends to put his head up and run through the bridle, when he does this I usually just soften with my hands, but Lucy told be by doing this he was the being lazy in front and knocking fences, he also does a very bouncy canter but isn't travelling anywhere or going into my hand this is when he can run through the bridle. Lucy gave me some fab tips to try and correct this, she said to really ride the canter from behind to make him come up in front and to me in my hand, then, when turning to a fence if he runs to it I should shut my fists.....MAGIC... He picked up in front then after doing that a couple times he stopped running and started jumping big and round, it was honestly like waving a magic wand!
Then cross country time! Hector was great xc even though I didn't ride my first round to my usual standard, he is a xc machine.
I had a chat with Jon after my first round and we both came to the conclusion that it wasn't to my usual standard, but you can't always be on your A game,(feeling a little tired from the day before). I learnt from it and remembered how to ride and did a much better 2nd round remembering how much to set up before different fences. Something that has really stuck in my mind about what Jon said is
' I am now starting to make you think and ride like a 4* rider, you need a process how you ride cross country and need to practice and practice at this level'
This really hit home, since he said that I've been looking on YouTube at all the top riders to try and see what they do, how they set their horses up and the process which they use! I am also going to start asking them when I see them too!
I found this CAT very interesting it definitely gave me a lot to think about, I would fully recommend anyone to do it.
Big thank you to Littleton Manor for hosting this and to Lottie Clay and David Smith for organising. The ground on the XC was fantastic and it ran like clockwork. It was great to meet and talk to Fiona from Local Rider too.
Thursday, 7 March 2013
West Sussex County Times Feature
Had a lovely feature in the West Sussex County Times today. Danny takes a good photo......
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
Whoooo whoop whoop whoop yeahhh get in there...
......THE EVENTING SEASON HAS STARTED!!!!
Photo kindly taken by MDR_Photo
The morning of Aston Le Walls, I was like a little giddy kid at Christmas, I got up an hour before I needed to and just started cleaning Danny to make sure he look gorgeous!
It was one of those days that couldn't have been better, everything just went so smoothly!
My brother even came to watch with his friends (Mum joked that I had my very own medical team on standby but they would only have been useful if I had had a heart attack, since they all specialise in Cardiac) and this was their first introduction to eventing!
The sun was out and it even seemed like summer. Mum and I pinched ourselves as we walked the course. 1st day back eventing, sun was out and I get to ride a horse like Danny.
Danny and I did an average dressage test of a 31.5, he was a little tense to start with but I think we both settled into it a little more by the end of the test, I was surprised at how well he went since he had been a monkey when I was practicing the test at home, but he was a good boy.
Show jumping was great, (I think Danny found it a bit of an insult), I was a little worried he would get a bit strong but he didn't, although he did jump massive and I think he did that on purpose to make a point that he can jump a lot higher, but still we did a beautiful clear together.
Cross country, well it's safe to say I kept the hand break on for the first few fences because on our way back from the dressage he saw the xc and took a hold and started cantering and jumping. Tina and Sam had warned me he can be a bit unruly xc, so I anticipated the worst butttt I was pleasantly suprised he was a real gentleman and by the fifth fence I eased off the hand break and he stayed in a lovely sedate canter which is what I wanted!!
I ended on a 36.70 hitching up quite a few time penalties but that doesn't matter because its all about gaining the feel for him!
It was a great day Michael and Lisa Rogers came along to support me too and Micheal (MDR) took some wonderful photos as per usual, and Lisa did some great filming of me!
Can't wait for Danny and my next appearance which is at Tweseldowm in another BE100!!!
More pictures: http://www.harrietupton.com/aston-le-walls---2nd-march-2013.html
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Arabella you are a Superstar
Arabella the (not quite) 5 year old superstar.
First time in and indoor arena, first time jumping artificial cross country fences, first time with mirrors there is a first time for everything why not at Merrist Wood doing the JAS!!!
She jumped absolutely fantastically, she wasn't spooky and did a foot perfect double clear. To boot we got a zero penalty style mark which was just incredible and then to go and get in the top ten out of 57 starters and qualify for the national finals on Saturday at Bury Farm! Unbelievable.
This young horse is just so incredible and reminds me so much of her mother Estella, lets hope we are just as successful as Stella and I!
So next stop Bury Farm, Buckinghamshire, it would be a big ask to repeat last weeks performance but the experience is going to be really good for her.
(On a PS note Danny also did a double clear in the open with a 0 penalty style mark, he did qualify too but we have decided to save him for another day. A very good day all round).
First time in and indoor arena, first time jumping artificial cross country fences, first time with mirrors there is a first time for everything why not at Merrist Wood doing the JAS!!!
She jumped absolutely fantastically, she wasn't spooky and did a foot perfect double clear. To boot we got a zero penalty style mark which was just incredible and then to go and get in the top ten out of 57 starters and qualify for the national finals on Saturday at Bury Farm! Unbelievable.
This young horse is just so incredible and reminds me so much of her mother Estella, lets hope we are just as successful as Stella and I!
So next stop Bury Farm, Buckinghamshire, it would be a big ask to repeat last weeks performance but the experience is going to be really good for her.
(On a PS note Danny also did a double clear in the open with a 0 penalty style mark, he did qualify too but we have decided to save him for another day. A very good day all round).
Your Horse Magazine article Feb 2013
Fantastic article by Jon Pitts from Fit to Ride about boosting performance. Hector and I were the models, we found it very easy to demonstrate what you shouldn't do!
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Sunday, 20 January 2013
'This is a serious bit of kit'
In the first weeks of getting Danny I found it hard to ride him, unbelievably it was his flat work that I found difficult, he didn't really listen to me, so automatically I thought I couldn't ride, and I didn't feel worthy of a horse like Danny.
So when I had my next Fit to Ride session at Littleton Manor Equestrian Centre (LMEQ) I decided to take Danny along, there was only one person to snap me out of my current mindset.......
JON PITTS!
Well Jon knows me so well and there is a particular way that I respond to and if you have read my blogs you will know it is a general backside kicking! (Tina also does this well)!
'Stop playing and show me how you can ride him'
' You've been given a great opportunity this is the time to fly or fall'
' You need to get your arse in gear'
These are some of the phrases that Jon said in our training, (quick note to all those thinking of training with Jon, this is my own personal technique and not something he uses generally with other people). Mainly I am so self critical that sometimes that holds me back. I realised that I needed to crack on and take full advantage of this wonderful horse....I need to become more authoritative for a start before I could do anything!
Jon had me thinking and (attempting) to ride like Tina. It worked and Danny responded brilliantly, although when asked to mark our movements, I still marked one of my changes as a 5 and Jon, Mum and Lisa gave it a minimum of an 8 and I needed to the see the video evidence to believe it. (I think they were all a little frustrated at this point).
So it turns out that's all I needed to do was become more authoritative and I am with the other horses so there is no reason why I shouldn't be with Danny.
In addition we worked a lot on sharpening my aids so I was being specific when asking for something and he listens to me straight away and not two strides afterwards.
After this session that was it we had clicked and something clicked in my brain and he is going like a dream!
After the session we went and warmed ourselves up in Matt and Kate's kitchen, they are always such amazing hosts and have offered their support again for 2013 which means so much, actually we completely took over their kitchen, whilst guests were arriving for their engagement party! We got all the plans that Lisa had helped me work on and showed Jon, he gave me a few more pointers and we adjusted a few things and we looked at some realistic goals for Danny. We talked about process goals and I just feel I have such a focus now.
Message to Jon, I know he will read this "The teeth are flossed"!!
So when I had my next Fit to Ride session at Littleton Manor Equestrian Centre (LMEQ) I decided to take Danny along, there was only one person to snap me out of my current mindset.......
JON PITTS!
Well Jon knows me so well and there is a particular way that I respond to and if you have read my blogs you will know it is a general backside kicking! (Tina also does this well)!
'Stop playing and show me how you can ride him'
' You've been given a great opportunity this is the time to fly or fall'
' You need to get your arse in gear'
These are some of the phrases that Jon said in our training, (quick note to all those thinking of training with Jon, this is my own personal technique and not something he uses generally with other people). Mainly I am so self critical that sometimes that holds me back. I realised that I needed to crack on and take full advantage of this wonderful horse....I need to become more authoritative for a start before I could do anything!
Jon had me thinking and (attempting) to ride like Tina. It worked and Danny responded brilliantly, although when asked to mark our movements, I still marked one of my changes as a 5 and Jon, Mum and Lisa gave it a minimum of an 8 and I needed to the see the video evidence to believe it. (I think they were all a little frustrated at this point).
So it turns out that's all I needed to do was become more authoritative and I am with the other horses so there is no reason why I shouldn't be with Danny.
In addition we worked a lot on sharpening my aids so I was being specific when asking for something and he listens to me straight away and not two strides afterwards.
After this session that was it we had clicked and something clicked in my brain and he is going like a dream!
After the session we went and warmed ourselves up in Matt and Kate's kitchen, they are always such amazing hosts and have offered their support again for 2013 which means so much, actually we completely took over their kitchen, whilst guests were arriving for their engagement party! We got all the plans that Lisa had helped me work on and showed Jon, he gave me a few more pointers and we adjusted a few things and we looked at some realistic goals for Danny. We talked about process goals and I just feel I have such a focus now.
Message to Jon, I know he will read this "The teeth are flossed"!!
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