Kristin Jacob: Ride outside the lines
Ride Outside the Lines; build a strong horse & rider partnership
With the summer months quickly approaching it’s soon to be the days where our barn rats hang out at the barn all day. Guest blogger, Kristin Jacob, was recently approached about what can our young riders do throughout the summer with their horse to build a successful partnership outside of showing and lessons. A great question with a great, passionate response by Horse d’oeuvres sponsored rider, Kristin Jacob! Read below and learn how you can “ride outside the lines” and build a strong horse and rider partnership.
Written by: Kristin Jacob
1) Come up with a goal for each ride.
It would be helpful if the rider can recall her last lesson. I generally will give “homework” or suggestions for things that the riders can work on next time they come out to ride if I know they ride outside of lessons. You had mentioned that the riders cannot jump outside of lessons which is true (it is an insurance thing) but as a rider gets more experience, they realize it is about the flat work. A course has say 7-12 jumps usually, but how many canter steps does it take to jump the course?! It’s about having the right rhythm, pace, straightness, balance, and track to successfully navigate a course – this is all flatwork! So there is plenty for the rider to practice on without jumping. The rider should start each ride with a goal just like I start each lesson with a goal. This goal may change slightly if things come up during the ride/lesson, but I always have a bigger purpose to everything I do whether when I teach or when I ride. I would like the riders to think more on their own and learn to ride with a purpose.
2) Make a mistake and think critically about how to make it better.
Mistakes are a natural and healthy part of learning. If one is not making mistakes, one is not pushing one’s self hard enough! Riding outside of lessons gives the rider time to think and experiment without the pressure of being in a lesson. Everyone, even Olympians make mistakes. Part of growing and maturing as a rider is mentally being able to deal with mistakes – the rider acknowledges what happened, thinks on their own about what will make it better, and applies the knowledge and experience they have gained in their lessons (or from experimenting on their own!).
3) Trot and canter work over poles
While riders can’t jump on their own, they can canter poles on the ground on their own. I think is really good to develop a riders eye for distance and very good especially if the rider has a worry about the jumps coming up not in rhythm and about the horse stopping. The simplest form of a jump is a pole on the ground – this will give the rider good jumping practice without being in a lesson. The girls can get creative and move poles and build anything they want!
4) Watch the more experience riders
So much can be gained by watching. All the girls are welcome to hang out on Saturdays and watch lessons. It’s also good to watch more experienced riders hack their horses. Talk, ask questions, and be involved. All of the girls, plus the adult rider, and even other trainers are very giving with their time. The more a rider hangs around and gets involved, the more they learn and get back!
5) Ride AS MUCH as you can
There is nothing in the world that will make a rider better and more confident than countless hours in the saddle. Ride your horse as much as you can. And its great if you have a second horse – ride that one as much as you can. If the girls hang around enough and are enthusiastic, I’ll start giving them extra horses to ride. Their growth in their riding and confidence is exponential when they get to this point.
6) Ask the other girls for suggestions or challenges
One girl could ride up to another girls and say, “I bet I can get more strides in-between those two poles than you can!” If you can, that’s great! If you can’t, then ask the other rider how to get more stride (just an example). The girls love supportive competition. Again, a rider can shift her mentality to wanting to learn and improve, instead of being so bogged down when things are perfect or don’t win (or bogged down even when things are going really well). This is a great way to watch and learn and practice while having fun.
7) Have fun and get to know your horse
Laugh and enjoy the social scene. I’m not still friends with anyone I went to school with but I’m still friends with the girls I grew up riding with. Take you horse out to graze, go for walks down the road and in the field, find time to laugh, do groundwork with your horse. This should be fun, otherwise it’s not worth it!
About the Author
Kristin Jacob, owner and head trainer of Blue Star Farms, focuses on fostering a willing partnership between horse and rider, with emphasis on good horsemanship and the fundamental elements of the American Forward Riding System. It is Kristin’s goal to methodically build confidence, trust, and communication between horse and rider. Although Kristin’s riders enjoy considerable show ring success, they additionally enjoy rewarding relationships with their horses outside the show ring because of the importance she places on educating her riders in horse care, horse welfare, and horse handling. Kristin has been published in the USHJA In Stride magazine and has riders featured in the Practical Horseman and The Plaid Horse. Kristin and her successful show barn are located in Longmont, Colo.