Toto the click

I’ve been riding the same horse Pich de Toulven for the last couple of years. Despite his undoubted qualities he’s a complex beast, and he himself has also evolved and matured quite significantly since we first struck up our partnership. As with many things in life one can always justify the mediocre results one might achieve; in the case of Pich things such as the double change of jobs, the arrival of twins, and the lack of sleep are all too easy to call out. However about a month ago, shortly after my last inauspicious show, it seemed like something clicked, I had what I like to call an epiphany moment (my coach Michel prefers to say, “oih, l’irlandais, have you finally understood what I’ve been telling you for two years, or was that just a stroke of luck?”). 

As much as every horse has a different morphology, there seem to be a set of basic principles that have to be applied (in different doses) to all horses; rebound in the canter, a horse balanced on both shoulders coming out of the corner, a little check as you start the final run into the jump, lifting up the horse’s head to lower his hindquarters, the application of a bit of leg pressure in the last few slides, soft hands over the jump, and for me, making sure my legs stay in place as I come down on the other side.  The last month has seen me manage to put all these different elements together on Pich with some pleasing results. However it was only when I rode Toto the trotter earlier today did things really start to sink in. From an equine morphology point of view, Toto is the polar opposite of Pich. However Michel insisted that the same principles applied to both horses, all I had to do was to find the different mix of doses for this new mount. It took me a few minutes but afterwards the lesson was learnt, and indeed this afternoon’s session will undoubtedly help me cement the progress of the last month. Is 2013 the finally going to be the year of Pich de Toulven and Aidan d’Aquitaine?