Since my last update a while ago, I’ve moved to the Advanced level with Storm. Our first competition at the level was in July at Loch Moy. He was quite green in dressage, and had one down in show jumping, and though not entirely rideable in that phase, he handled the bigger jumps better than he had done at the three-star level. I didn’t really know what to expect for cross-country but started out riding like I always do. Storm was a little green at the leaf pit bank, but handled all the questions really well and was completely on task.
I opted not to go to Millbrook and to do a cross-country school with Phillip at Windurra instead, which was really helpful. Phillip worked on trying to keep Storm a little quiet and understanding the jumps. Sometimes Storm’s deceptive in that he can jump like a warmblood but he’s actually more careful than you’d think. Between Lynn Symansky, myself and Phillip, I’ve been able to really make sure I’m always dotting my i's and crossing my t's and I felt quite prepared for Great Meadow in August.
Storm was fine in dressage at his second Advanced, but got his tongue above the bit, and handled show jumping well even though I had one down. When I went out cross-country he made the jumps feel big, almost hanging up in the air. I first felt that over fence 3, a big square table. I thought to myself, I need to get going! I had a better shot at 4A, 4B was a chevron, and my second thought to myself was, my horse doesn’t hold a line at all. In don’t have a great connection to the bit on the flat yet with Storm, so it’s hard to get a great connection to hold the line on cross-country. I did a good job at the next combination holding that line, but at 9AB I picked the wrong line, which was too direct, and we ended up in a non-jumpable spot. I jumped the middle of jump 9A, tried to veer right to make B work, and Storm listened to me but there was no way for him to jump it and he ran by.
I circled back and jumped the angled B jump straight, went up the hill and got held. I had to go back downhill, start up again and jumped the table and water, which were next, but I never got in a rhythm. When we came to the coffin I got backwards and couldn’t make it work. It was an interesting coffin with the ditch then out at a right angle to the corner. You could ride the combination in two or three strides, so backwards over three make for either option. I tried jumping just the corner, but there wasn’t really a good way to get back there and help Storm understand the question. I was kicking myself because I know our problems were all my fault, just silly riding. But Tom was pragmatic and said to me, I’m so happy that it didn't go quite as planned because the footing was so hard, and you didn't want your horse to get hurt, and there's always another day. Sometimes things work out the way they should.
Right after that Great Meadow I talked to Lynn, and called Phillip and told him what I had felt on cross-country. He words to me were that Storm shouldn’t make the jumps feel big, something must be not quite right. I had to go to Burghley as a Selector, so I sent Storm up to Phillip's that weekend for him to ride so I could come back from England and go cross-country school with him. It was super helpful because I think Phillip came to realize how Storm feels, and suggested he needs to be a running with a little more pace to make him get across the jumps, for where he is with his jumping style right now. He also needed to be better off my leg, so I would give him a little stick off the ground or when I landed. Phillip helped me to feel what that’s like.
I decided to enter our third Advanced at Tryon. Prior to the completion I needed to practice two things, first in the show jump ring. One, I needed to be able to hold a line to a corner, and two, to ride an open distance, such as a four-and-a-half stride line in four, and to hold that canter. So I worked on those things with Lynn a bit and then went to Tryon.
I had forgotten how nice that facility is. It’s a lot to look at but it’s great for developing a horse. The best thing was the footing cross-country and the cross-country course itself, which was amazing, flowed in a progression, and asked all the questions. I had the best dressage test yet, although I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to contain my horse for the first halt and salute! I had two rails in the show jumping, one I got a little quick with my body and the second he got a little flat behind.
I opted not to go to Millbrook and to do a cross-country school with Phillip at Windurra instead, which was really helpful. Phillip worked on trying to keep Storm a little quiet and understanding the jumps. Sometimes Storm’s deceptive in that he can jump like a warmblood but he’s actually more careful than you’d think. Between Lynn Symansky, myself and Phillip, I’ve been able to really make sure I’m always dotting my i's and crossing my t's and I felt quite prepared for Great Meadow in August.
Storm was fine in dressage at his second Advanced, but got his tongue above the bit, and handled show jumping well even though I had one down. When I went out cross-country he made the jumps feel big, almost hanging up in the air. I first felt that over fence 3, a big square table. I thought to myself, I need to get going! I had a better shot at 4A, 4B was a chevron, and my second thought to myself was, my horse doesn’t hold a line at all. In don’t have a great connection to the bit on the flat yet with Storm, so it’s hard to get a great connection to hold the line on cross-country. I did a good job at the next combination holding that line, but at 9AB I picked the wrong line, which was too direct, and we ended up in a non-jumpable spot. I jumped the middle of jump 9A, tried to veer right to make B work, and Storm listened to me but there was no way for him to jump it and he ran by.
I circled back and jumped the angled B jump straight, went up the hill and got held. I had to go back downhill, start up again and jumped the table and water, which were next, but I never got in a rhythm. When we came to the coffin I got backwards and couldn’t make it work. It was an interesting coffin with the ditch then out at a right angle to the corner. You could ride the combination in two or three strides, so backwards over three make for either option. I tried jumping just the corner, but there wasn’t really a good way to get back there and help Storm understand the question. I was kicking myself because I know our problems were all my fault, just silly riding. But Tom was pragmatic and said to me, I’m so happy that it didn't go quite as planned because the footing was so hard, and you didn't want your horse to get hurt, and there's always another day. Sometimes things work out the way they should.
Right after that Great Meadow I talked to Lynn, and called Phillip and told him what I had felt on cross-country. He words to me were that Storm shouldn’t make the jumps feel big, something must be not quite right. I had to go to Burghley as a Selector, so I sent Storm up to Phillip's that weekend for him to ride so I could come back from England and go cross-country school with him. It was super helpful because I think Phillip came to realize how Storm feels, and suggested he needs to be a running with a little more pace to make him get across the jumps, for where he is with his jumping style right now. He also needed to be better off my leg, so I would give him a little stick off the ground or when I landed. Phillip helped me to feel what that’s like.
I decided to enter our third Advanced at Tryon. Prior to the completion I needed to practice two things, first in the show jump ring. One, I needed to be able to hold a line to a corner, and two, to ride an open distance, such as a four-and-a-half stride line in four, and to hold that canter. So I worked on those things with Lynn a bit and then went to Tryon.
I had forgotten how nice that facility is. It’s a lot to look at but it’s great for developing a horse. The best thing was the footing cross-country and the cross-country course itself, which was amazing, flowed in a progression, and asked all the questions. I had the best dressage test yet, although I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to contain my horse for the first halt and salute! I had two rails in the show jumping, one I got a little quick with my body and the second he got a little flat behind.
I started out on cross-country with much more pace than I had been, and Storm was much easier to ride, a little green at 10AB but I think I went up the hill too late so he was feeling restricted. I decided to circle and then jumped right through squirrels, but they gave me a 20 for circling, even though I hadn't intended to present at the jump. In hindsight, I needed to be better at giving him time to get on the right line, rather than acting like he’s experienced at this level.
I always say that you have to keep things quite simple in your head. The basic concepts are always the same, but it doesn't mean they're easy for any of us to execute. Watching Burghley is always inspiring, especially because you get to watch so many world-class riders at once. My next plan is the 4*-short at Morven, and then I'm going to work on trying to be really competitive next year. It's so fun to have such a nice horse again! And, I think it's always important as riders that we have good friends like Phillip and Lynn that help support and coach us, and balance our lives.
As a rider, trainer and coach, just because you’ve dotted all your i’s and crossed all your t’s that doesn’t mean that everything’s going to go right. Being able to hold a line, and have your horse understand coming off your leg, being able to connect your horse from your inside leg to the outside rein at one level, doesn’t mean you can always do it at the next. It takes ten years to train a horse, and working to have the balance and canter you need to keep your horse brave and confident is not always that easy. I always ride cross-country the best when my dressage and show jumping haven’t been that good, because I want to get one phase done well. I’ve learned that the faster the pace helps Storm feel confident. I have to remember how much he’s improved in the last two months, which can be something we take for granted. There’s a huge difference in his form from Loch Moy till now, with much better strength and connection. I can’t wait for Morven!
As a rider, trainer and coach, just because you’ve dotted all your i’s and crossed all your t’s that doesn’t mean that everything’s going to go right. Being able to hold a line, and have your horse understand coming off your leg, being able to connect your horse from your inside leg to the outside rein at one level, doesn’t mean you can always do it at the next. It takes ten years to train a horse, and working to have the balance and canter you need to keep your horse brave and confident is not always that easy. I always ride cross-country the best when my dressage and show jumping haven’t been that good, because I want to get one phase done well. I’ve learned that the faster the pace helps Storm feel confident. I have to remember how much he’s improved in the last two months, which can be something we take for granted. There’s a huge difference in his form from Loch Moy till now, with much better strength and connection. I can’t wait for Morven!
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