Part 3: Jonathan explains that the first thing that he likes to do when working on banks is to make sure that the horse can walk down and trot up them. He reminds the riders that when they drop off a bank, they must make sure to land into the stirrups and then into the saddle. The group practices the bank at the lower gaits, working on position up and down, and practicing slipping the reins and keeping an appropriate contact throughout the element. As they gain confidence they progress to a canter.
Up Next in Cross-Country
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Warm Up & Banks, Preliminary - Part 2
Part 2: Jonathan demonstrates the line of fences. When his horse makes mistakes he has an opportunity to explain the importance of letting a bad fence go and riding for the next. He shares his visualization of train tracks, and how once he sets his horse on the train track into the fence and puts...
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Warm Up & Banks, Preliminary - Part 1
Part 1: The riders warm up while Jonathan reminds them that every horse will ride differently and it's important to know their individual horse and if they'll perform best on a dead straight line or a slight bend. As they work over some warm up fences, Jonathan challenges a rider to work harder a...
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Warm Up & Banks , Preliminary - Part 4
Part 4: Jonathan creates a new challenging line of fences for the riders to jump, including the bank. He demonstrates first, using the successes and mistakes of his horse as teaching points. He explains his basic philosophy for cross-country is in a very responsible way, making sure riders enter ...
