PrintThis time we were excited to see the quality of photos we received! All four horse-and-rider combinations are well presented, and the horses look to be in top condition and well cared for. The riders, for the most part, display great examples of cross-country riding position, and as combinations, all three are well kitted-out with fitted tack and no loose, sloppy ends.
This photo is just about perfect. They look to be a professional partnership. The horse is in great condition (and amazingly clean we must add) with a terrific “all business” expression. Some hunter fans may complain that his front end isn’t tighter, but we think it’s just fine. He’s even in front and has his legs well out of the way, and that’s good enough for us. You’d probably find if the photo was taken a few seconds earlier he’d be a bit tighter in front because it looks as if he’s just starting to come out of his jump.
His rider is extremely competent with a good leg position. Note how her lower leg is at the girth with the weight in the heel—also, notice where her foot is in relation to the stirrup. She’s showing us a good example of the automatic release, and her eye is up and looking ahead to the next fence. She also provides a good example of a proper upper body angle. Sometimes event riders like to “fold” too much into more of a show jumping position, but her upper body position is much safer for cross-country riding.
Overall, this isn’t a terrible photo, but there are a few adjustments this pair could make to improve. The photo suggests a bold and enthusiastic pair who look like they may have just come off this drop too aggressively and could have benefited from setting up a bit more before the fence. While we need to foster and encourage this boldness in our event riders and horses, we must make sure it’s not our undoing. If nothing else, an excessively bold leap off a drop makes it difficult to make it to a skinny on a bending line if the course designer throws that your way.
Again, this horse is beautifully conditioned and turned out, and the rider is well dressed. The big problem,
again, most likely due to the over-aggressive leap, is that the rider has far too much of her balance in her hands/the horse’s mouth. Her reins are too short. She needs to slip the reins, allow her upper body to come
further back and give more freedom to her horse’s neck so that he isn’t as restricted as he looks in this photo. Once her upper body comes back, her lower leg can move forward so that she can balance more through the contact of her lower leg. Right now her hands and knees are doing all the gripping. We do like this pair, though, as they look like they’d be good fun to teach.
This photo is just about perfect. They look to be a professional partnership. The horse is in great condition (and amazingly clean we must add) with a terrific “all business” expression. Some hunter fans may complain that his front end isn’t tighter, but we think it’s just fine. He’s even in front and has his legs well out of the way, and that’s good enough for us. You’d probably find if the photo was taken a few seconds earlier he’d be a bit tighter in front because it looks as if he’s just starting to come out of his jump.His rider is extremely competent with a good leg position. Note how her lower leg is at the girth with the weight in the heel—also, notice where her foot is in relation to the stirrup. She’s showing us a good example of the automatic release, and her eye is up and looking ahead to the next fence. She also provides a good example of a proper upper body angle. Sometimes event riders like to “fold” too much into more of a show jumping position, but her upper body position is much safer for cross-country riding.
Overall, this isn’t a terrible photo, but there are a few adjustments this pair could make to improve. The photo suggests a bold and enthusiastic pair who look like they may have just come off this drop too aggressively and could have benefited from setting up a bit more before the fence. While we need to foster and encourage this boldness in our event riders and horses, we must make sure it’s not our undoing. If nothing else, an excessively bold leap off a drop makes it difficult to make it to a skinny on a bending line if the course designer throws that your way.
Again, this horse is beautifully conditioned and turned out, and the rider is well dressed. The big problem,
again, most likely due to the over-aggressive leap, is that the rider has far too much of her balance in her hands/the horse’s mouth. Her reins are too short. She needs to slip the reins, allow her upper body to come
further back and give more freedom to her horse’s neck so that he isn’t as restricted as he looks in this photo. Once her upper body comes back, her lower leg can move forward so that she can balance more through the contact of her lower leg. Right now her hands and knees are doing all the gripping. We do like this pair, though, as they look like they’d be good fun to teach.
