CRISIS ON COURSE:
What to Do When Things Go Wrong.
by Margaret Bennett
Republished
with permission from Horse Sport
A whistle blows; a bell rings;
you're on course. Suddenly the unexpected happens, machinery
backfires, a stirrup leather breaks. In equestrian competition
anything can happen to create a moment of "crisis"
for horse and rider. How should you deal with it? Here's what
experienced show riders and trainers have to say.
Anything Can Happen
Anytime you
go in the ring "something can go awry," acknowledges
Canadian international show jumping star Beth Underhill. "Even
a rail down can distract the horse." Underhill recalls a
World Cup class in heavy rain during which her stirrup broke.
In a split-second decision she chose not to worry about it. Circling
would have cost time and possibly the class. In managing the
unexpected in competition, riders have to weigh options and make
a judgment call - something that gets easier with experience
- says Underhill.
Focus and Analyze
In any crisis
in the ring, the first thing to decide is "Can you rectify
the situation?" advises Underhill. "Keep calm, focus
on solving the problem and getting the horse's attention back
on the job." Clear, analytical thinking works as an effective
tactic confirms Ken Hodges, a BHS Instructor, who has been riding
and teaching in Canada for more than 25 years. "Learn to
focus, even though it's the most difficult thing," states
Hodges. "Keep going, and think, how can I ride this out
in the best possible way?"
Manage Distractions
Christina Rolston,
an A-Circuit amateur hunter rider and seasoned three-day-event
competitor, says at shows where there is environmental interference
such as wind, you must "keep going on your plan" and
"don't allow a distraction to escalate."
Sue McTavish is a partner with Sally Sainsbury in Fleetwood,
a hunter/jumper amateur training facility in Kettleby, ON. During
one of her dressage tests a flowerpot fell over, causing McTavish's
horse to spook and become tense. In that type of situation explains
McTavish, "You have to think to yourself, it's only one
movement, regroup and go on." Kristen Lantier, an amateur
hunter rider showing out of Gimcrack Stable, concurs. "If
you do something in the ring such as missing a lead change, deal
with it, then forget about it. If you dwell on the mistake it'll
just get worse."
Hodges describes the experience of one competitor who faced a
unique, not to mention spectacular, diversion. The rider had
to perform her dressage test in a ring alongside a field containing
a full-size active hot air balloon. "Needless to say, all
the horse's paces were extended going away from the balloon and
collected moving towards it," recalls Hodges with a smile.
But the rider herself remained calm and just kept going, "quietly
riding" gaining the enormous satisfaction of coping successfully
with an extreme situation.
Hone Riding Skills
Underhill is
emphatic that good riding skills are necessary in dealing with
difficult show situations. "Riders must work on getting
more and more proficient with their basics so they become automatic."
Otherwise riders can easily find themselves in jeopardy. "Experience
works for the horse too," confirms Underhill. For young
horses, she recommends recreating at home what they might see
at a show. "Make your jumps look different or ship to a
new barn to school."
"Preparation is key," says Hodges, because learning
to deal with problems in daily schooling pays dividends later
during awkward moments in competition. "In a busy arena,
don't demand everyone clear a path for you, learn to train under
any circumstances. If you're schooling and a dog happens to be
in the arena, ride anyway," advises Hodges. "Judges
have been known to bring dogs to shows."
Speaking of dogs, 1984 Canadian Olympic three-day-event team
member Kelly Plitz owns several, which run freely at her stable
and tend to occasionally "lounge in front the jumps,"
says Plitz. Dreamcrest, the training centre she has operated
with Ian Roberts since 1983, is a busy stable with a big school.
"There is always lots of activity around the barn,"
states Plitz. "Horses and riders get used to tractors and
lawnmowers. The kids who ride with us have to learn to focus
on their riding at home, so by the time they get to a competition,
they already have the training and experience to handle distractions."
"But, you simply can't train for every eventuality, says
Plitz describing a Radnor event in which the horses were scheduled
to run past a pungent emu farm. "There is no way you can
prepare for that," she laughs.
Proprietor/trainer Bev Schinke, who operates The Horse People
in Wendover, ON, takes at-home preparation a step further, recommending
that students gradually learn controlled "falling off"
at all paces so they can dismount safely if necessary in an emergency.
Schinke's riders and students have had to cope with everything
from umbrellas billowing and snapping beside a show ring to a
truck driving dangerously close to a competitor on a cross-country
course. "In the real world anything can and does happen,"
declares Schinke. "The more you practice riding with noise
and distraction; the less likely you are to become undone at
a show," she says. "Prepared riders gain confidence
and the horse learns along with the rider, to go with the flow
and not get distracted."
Quality Schooling
Underhill is
adamant about concentrating on quality schooling time. Unless
a situation proves dangerous, "Don't abort a course when
jumping at home," she says. "So often riders want to
circle, or start again if things aren't perfect. That mindset
simply doesn't work - you don't have that luxury in the ring"
she says. "Deal with schooling problems, ride them through."
Good "homework" provides invaluable experience for
coping with a crisis during competition, confirms Sainsbury.
"When you have a problem during schooling at home, don't
just pull up-work through the problem." "That's how
you learn to keep your competitive cool, by doing it and doing
it, it's a matter of experience. "Train in a variety of
conditions too, such as on windy or rainy days."
Rolston adds, "Riders do need to fall back on a good horse/rider
partnership, one built on trust and years of good practice, because
you can't prepare for every eventuality, or train the spook out
of your horse."
>>>> continued
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