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Wednesday, May 17 2017 / Published in General

Show Jumper Brian Walker Answers Your Questions

 

Brian Walker
Photo by Hervé Bonnaud, 1clicphoto.com

Brian Walker, a dual Canadian and American citizen, has trained, worked and ridden alongside the best in the world over the last 25 years. As a junior, Brian won the Maclay Medal Equitation Championship in 2001. Brian has made a name for himself by developing quality horses into successful competitors in both the hunter and jumper arenas, earning accolades for himself and his clients. Do you have a question you want Brian to answer? Send questions to editor@sidelinesnews.com.

 I’ve noticed that my horse is rushing between fences in the course and it’s reflecting poorly on our score. I know this is something that I have to work on because I’m leaning too far forward when I’m too many strides away, but I can’t feel that I’m doing this or why it would affect my horse’s jump. Do you have any suggestions on how I can fix this?

Horses can rush the course as well as riders, and it can also be a combination of both. Rider position can contribute to poor balance of your horse. When a rider is either too far forward or behind the motion, both can make the horse go forward and then they feel like they’re running away from the rider. When you lean forward, you also could be hooking the horse with your lower leg, making them go forward from your leg. As your body goes forward, your legs go back. When a horse is on its front end, it doesn’t have enough time at takeoff to give you a “good” jump. You should practice jumping at home, paying more attention to both body and leg control. You can ride without stirrups to help build your strength. You can ride with your stirrups tied to the girth to develop correct muscle memory. If you try this, please make sure that you use string that can break in an emergency.

My son’s horse tends to land on the right lead after every jump. How can we work on straightening out his jump?
When a horse lands on one lead, it can be a result of many factors: soundness, not being straight, or simply that they’re more dominant with the one lead. If the horse jumps and always lands right, that means its balance is to the left side at takeoff and/or landing from the jump. If the horse isn’t staying straight and it doesn’t stem from a soundness-related issue, then there are some exercises you can do at home to help the issue.

The first thing to try is to do more work on the left lead, as the horse initially is demonstrating that it’s weak on the left lead.

Second, you can try putting poles on the left to keep the horse straight on both the front and behind the jump. Start simple over one fence. Then you can implement this to a simple course.

Another good technique is to make the left side of the jump higher to encourage the horse to go to the right corner, which will get the horse to land left. If the horse has a good lead change and performs well, don’t get too caught up in making the horse land left.

I just bought a young horse. She has a good head on her shoulders, thankfully. When I take her over to the show to do the warm-up, she gets a little nervous when horses come at her. Do you have a suggestion for how I can help her work through her nerves?

Young horses are sensitive to things because they lack experience. Exposing them to more things will, through the natural evolution of show experiences, help with issues like this. When I have a horse that’s funny with oncoming traffic, I try to expose them to more traffic but not to the point where it’s overload. Horses could be scared due to being run into by another horse.

First, make sure the horse is a little extra quiet so you decrease sensitivity to other horses; that way they retain more of their training in traffic. Also, don’t put yourself in a situation to fail; you always should feel like you’re making steps forward. If your horse is really scared, you can use blinders like they use on the racetrack. They tend to make a big difference with traffic. In the end, you must take your time and be patient as your horse needs more exposure to more horses. It will get better!

I compete in the Medal and Maclay regularly. I’m trying to get points towards indoors and I keep ending up in fifth place right out of the points. It’s extremely frustrating. I know you had a lot of success in the equitation. What would you suggest I do to up my game and get into the top ribbons?
It’s sometimes a tedious task to get points required to qualify for indoors. Being out of points can be frustrating but you have to keep your head up and keep trying. Being fifth isn’t all bad — better than being last. You must take everything in perspective, analyze your round with your trainer on video and see what you can do to make it that much better in order to win. If you leave no question unanswered on course, then you’ll be in the top when you need to be.  Sometimes you’ll find it’s your riding that needs work and other times you’ll find your horse needs better training. Often it’s a combination of both.

What was your favorite horse show to compete at as a junior and why?
There were a lot of shows I liked as a junior but I’d say Devon was the most significant. I loved Devon because I always won there, and it’s one of those shows where everyone is watching. It’s the first important show after the winter season and it’s a great time to showcase your talent. It’s also an opportunity to show off the newly honed skills you’ve been working on all winter. The show also has a lot of history and one ring (few classes in second ring) which gives the riders time to watch other riders show. Not to mention the tea sandwiches are a must!

 

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Tagged under: brian walker, q&a, show jumping

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Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses Annette Longenecker wasn’t just born into horses—in a way, she was born into her career. She grew up in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where her parents ran a farm. Her mother taught, and her father had a jump business and then created one of the first horse show software programs: Ryegate Show Services, Inc.

Riding all her life, Annette spent many years as a groom and loved it, but knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do as a career. After she finished college, Annette’s father recruited her to help process entries at Ryegate. Since her father, Lloyd Longenecker, founded it in 1981, Ryegate has provided show management and office staff for some of the largest shows in the country. Now, Annette has taken over from her father and directed the company as it focuses on managing memberships and rankings for organizations such as the North American League, WIHS Championships and Equitation, Rolex/USEF Computer Ranking and National Medal Series (THIS NCM and Ariat NAM). Ryegate also provides scoring software for use with video walls, and production teams for hunter and jumper shows.

“Besides running Ryegate Show Services and its various organizations, I can be found in the show office, running a scoreboard or judging jumpers at most shows,” Annette said. “I love getting to wear a few different hats at the show.”

When she’s not busy at a show, Annette lives in Annville, Pennsylvania, with her “fur-baby,” Maggie Mae, and enjoys spending time with her many godchildren. Though she doesn’t currently own any horses, Annette rides when she can at Rolling Acres Farm with Patty Foster, Ashley Foster-Worthington and Mary Lisa Leffler.

Read this month unbridled with Annette Longenecker by clicking the link in our bio. Never miss a story by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine! 🦄
📸Photo by Sheryl Sutherby

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A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself The spor A column from Liz Halliday-Sharp herself 
The sport of eventing is a demanding and mentally challenging discipline that requires a combination of physical and mental fortitude from both the rider and horse. While having a coach can be incredibly beneficial, self-coaching can also play a crucial role in a rider’s success.

I think that given the opportunity, most riders would like to be coached every day. The reality of life in the horse world, however, is that the majority of us need to absorb as much from the lessons we have on a limited basis and then practice those skills at home to improve.

When I am riding, I try to have a plan for the horses each day and focus on what I’m looking to achieve. It’s important to be aware of the steady improvements rather than trying to solve everything all at once. This is especially important when teaching horses new movements or exercises that they might struggle with, and we need to give them time to learn and understand what we are asking for.

I have a couple of quotes that I use regularly when I’m teaching, and these are mottos that I hold myself to in my daily work as well.

The first is, “If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten.” This is a quote that was said to me many years ago when I was still motor racing and I keep it in the back of my mind each day. It’s easy to get stuck doing the same thing every day with your horse and bad habits are hard to break, from both riders and horses!

This leads me to my next quote, which is, “If what you are doing isn’t working, try something else.” It really is as simple as that! Many riders I see keep asking a horse to do something the same way over and over with an ongoing negative response and they wonder why things don’t get better. In these circumstances, I recommend that the rider change something, even if it’s wrong.

Read the full article by clicking the link in our bio! Don’t forget to keep your eye out for our April subscription!
📸Photo by Alex Banks Photography
The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here and we are so excited to feature three-day eventer Liz Halliday on the cover! Big thanks to photographer Melissa Fuller for the beautiful photo of Liz and Cooley Nutcracker- Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing. Liz and her horses have taken the eventing world by storm - and find out how Liz is at the top of the sport as a female eventer! As the horse world gears up for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 2023, it's the perfect time to enjoy our eventing issue!! We also feature eventer and woman entrepreneur Frankie Thieriot Stutes, who is not only an eventer, but also runs Athletux and FRANKIE CAMERON handbags and accessories. And don't miss our eventing story on Robert "Bobby" Costello, who will be leading the US Eventing team to the 2024 Paris Olympics- and US Equestrian has named Bobby the eventing technical advisor/chef d'equipe!! Liz, Frankie and Bobby all have GREAT stories - don't miss any of them and don't forget to get your tickets for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event! We are also excited to introduce you to hunter-jumper rider Casey Lorusso Smith, who is not only a talented rider but also a psychotherapist and incorporates horses into her career. If you are up for adventure, then read the story on dressage rider Priscilla Baldwin who certainly doesn't let any grass grow under her feet! We also head to the west coast to catch up with hunter-jumper trainer Jim Hagman of Elvenstar Farm, we feature beautiful art by equestrian artist Tammy Tappan, and we get to know Miranda Jones and her family. Miranda is not only an attorney who spends a lot of time in the courthouse, but she's a rider and spends lots of time riding, and is joined by her daughters also! We are excited to feature Stephanie Lightner in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists George Williams, Robert R.L. Jacobs and Margie Sugarman! It's a great issue - and you can read it online, but don't forget to go to the website and order a subscription and get every issue delivered to your mailbox!! Enjoy this issue and enjoy the ride: Link in bio!!
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