Chris Burton XC clinic - Coombelands - 09-07-14

Today was the long awaited XC clinic with Chris at Coombelands.  Thought I hadn't done too badly with finding 11 people to fill the 12 slots we had available until they all started dropping like flies at the last minute!  Ended up doing some rather last minute rearranging late last night to slot the remaining baby horses into one group at 2.30pm.  Then just left me and Steph in the bigger group afterwards - more attention for us though and great that Chris knows both the horses so could crack on.  Really enjoyed watching him teach the baby group first - he wants to establish the basic principles from the word go - straightness, go when we say go, stop when we say stop and stay in a straight line unless told otherwise.  He jumped on a couple of them which was great to watch as well.  He is tough when they need to be told and then just sits so quietly and lets them do their job.  Really like the way he wants it like that right from the start.

So, onto our lesson.  Warmed up with some canter to halt, opening him up then getting him back again.  Popped over a couple of logs - saw nice forward strides, no nasty chipping in, feeling nice and positive.

Then moved onto the most innocuous log you've ever seen - totally natural, the sort of thing you'd pop over out hacking without even thinking about it, no flags or anything and he had a complete meltdown.  Leapt up in the air, spun sideways and got his knickers in a right knot.  Chris wanted me to just chill him out, breathe, walk calmly up the log, halt, pat him and then we came again and he was good as gold and jumped it no probs.  I don't understand what goes on in his head sometimes!  Moved on to a couple of hanging logs on 5 strides - put 6 in first time as landed a bit short after first one so had to go again and get a better stride to the first one and then ride forward for 5 which worked fine.

Next was a shaped hanging log that I got in too deep too followed by a brush topped palisade thing which he was looking at and I wasn't really riding great and then round to a skinny going slightly downhill - bit wobbly but managed it ok.

Move onto a couple of shaped brushes which were uphill on 4 strides.  Rode like a backwards muppet and fitted in 6 strides so had to go further away, get up a gallop and attack them and then we fitted 4 in, although it was a bit of a push!

Then onto the quarry complex - steps up, round to a brush, down into the quarry and up over a log.

Over a skinny which he charged at no probs

Then onto the water - splashed in following Steph so no chance for ifs and buts.  Then round in canter, down the step and out over the rolltop.  Rode like a pleb, he backed off going in but did go and then I didn't ride forwards so we climbed over the rolltop.  Kick up the bum, round again and we did it fine and then final time, in and out over the house no probs.

Onto the corners - first had to jump the log which kind of faces towards the trench that runs round the edge of the course and he didn't like that too much - saw a dodgy stride because he was backing off and was thinking he might run left but then did actually jump it - slightly hairy moment!  Then over the open arm of the corner no probs.  Back round for the corner and added a stride I totally didn't need to as by this point he was trying to take control and really taking on the fences.  More what he is like at competition.  Back round again and did it fine then onto the BE100 corner and he flew that no probs.  Just need to watch I get my line right.  Chris said he's really honest - if I get the rhythm and line he will definitely do the job for me.

Then onto the 2nd water. Canter through which he was ok with then some skinnies on a curved line followed by the triple brush.  Made that feel just awesome - attacked the skinnies and then saw a fab stride to the triple brush, he really locked on and flew.  Chris said to focus my eye on the centre line of brush which was interesting 

Then we did canter through the water one way, back round through the other way and out over the house.  Attacked the house and got a super stride.

Popped over a couple of easy fences back towards home then finished with a house, round to the BE100 brush and then on to the Novice corner to finish which quite frankly is horribly upright, skinny and acutely angled and I wasn't going to go any closer as I know what a Novice corner looks like close up and thought I might wuss out!  Well, he aced it, he never wobbled, kept true to his line and pinged it like it was a piece of cake.

He is a funny little horse - it took him till about halfway to kind of really get into it and start dragging me into the fences.  Until then he was feeling looky and unsure and the tantrum about the log was really unneccesary.  He jumped fantastically at the end though - felt like I could have asked him to jump absolutely anything.  Chris said it might be necessary on a course to even use the stick on him over the first couple of fences if he's feeling looky and just really get him taking me forwards.

Watching the videos, I still think I need to change my riding style a bit - I seem to be quite tense in my arms which is not easy to change when he's charging into fences and not listening to me.  Something I still need to discuss with Chris on how to improve.  Talked to him about how difficult I find to get him back to me so often we are still arguing on the way to a fence about him slowing down and he said to set up further away so I can sit and wait for the fence rather than fighting which will lead to a run out.  Does waste time but will just have to live with that for now and it will improve as he listens more.  I daren't put him in a stronger bit as I still have that tendency to hook and he is likely to stop.  We did some halting after fences which he was great at at the beginning and awful at the end so need to work on that as he has to listen when I say whoah.

We didn't practice jumping anything before water or steps or anything so that is still on the list of things to practice. Definitely will go to Coombelands again as such a huge variety of questions there for him and we didn't do half of them today.  Great lesson though - always learn so much with Chris.  So much still to learn!