Lost confidence

I went to see George and his girl last night because she asked me to come over because she was disappointed by her lack of progress. What a sensible girl to ask for help, and of course I was delighted with the excuse to see Georgie. I thought we'd do a bit of jumping to perk them both up. I sent her out around the school to warm him up while I put up a couple of jumps and immediately spotted her problem.

They bought new stirrup leathers a month ago. They had stretched and no-one had noticed. Her stirrups were too long, her feet were slipping forwards, her weight had moved backwards in the saddle, she was leaning forward to compensate and George was picking up "go faster" signals. Whilst he was accepting a rein aid to stay slower, no-one was comfortable with the result. He was confused and she was nervous that she wasn't in control.

Easily sorted, up went the stirrups and we got warmed up. I put up a fence at less than a foot high, and George refused it. It wasn't him, of course, he was simply picking up signals from M that she really didn't want to do it. Her confidence in herself was rock bottom. I know what a rock George is, so I put her in a position where she could not help but jump, by lining her up straight in walk and getting her to trot only a few strides off the fence, and standing at the side where she was allowing him to drift out to.

He popped it of course, and within a very short space of time she was calling for higher fences, and jumping two in a row without stopping, and learning how to canter him while she stood up in the stirrups. He was grinning.

It was a hugely successful session, and she finished full of enthusiasm and self-confidence saying she wanted to jump again tomorrow. Good old George :-)

C