By Michelle Grimmer
Recently, I e-mailed Mary Gallagher a photo I'd found on Facebook of an amazing grey mare jumping spectacularly over a very large vertical at Spruce Meadows (see below). It is a fantastic example of the shape that we should aspire to create while jumping our horses.We create this shape by designing our training program around teaching the horse to use its body in an elastic manner. Our horse learns to be confident and supple as it approaches the fence. As lift-off happens, the knees and shoulders come up, and as the horse arcs over the fence the back comes up to create a beautiful bascule in the air.
While training our horses, we should all try to find something to aspire to; a vision of what we are trying to create in partnership with our horses. You never know where you'll find that vision, it could even be on Facebook!
(Originally published July 2013)
