Bob’s Comment


Reaching for the moon is all about self analysis and strategy, says Bob


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BOB MAYHEW IS AN AQHA, APHA, NRHA OF GERMANY, AND WES JUDGE WITH OVER 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE


n my recent extensive travels I remember seeing the quote ‘Aim for the moon because if you miss you will still be in the stars!’ in a friend’s ofce in Sweden and thinking how true it was. It is an important mental philosophy that can be applied to western riding. It made me think how many riders I come across who try to actually convince themselves that they, their horse or both will never be good at the sport. They seem quite ‘content’ to stay at the lower level. I put content in inverted commas because actually they are not


Aim for the Moon


You can have all the necessary information to train your horse Western Style right at your fingertips!!!


Each book is individually numbered and signed by Bob Mayhew along with the illustrator


Only £10 per copy inc. P&P


GREAT PRESENTS!


MAKE THEY


This book faithfully follows the training video released by Bob Mayhew a few years ago (now available on DVD) taking the reader on a journey from the first steps of ‘starting’ a young horse all the way through to perfecting manoeuvres required in Reigning Events.


The text is coupled with cartoon illustrations to give you not only an insight into the techniques used by one of Europes top Western Riding Trainers but also an opportunity to have great fun along the way.


Copies available from Suzanne Saunders 66suzi@googlemail.com 0774 7600 127


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content at all! They enjoy competing at lower levels but yearn to get better and into the higher echelons. Their achievement / desire level is thwarted by a mental block that convinces them that they can’t get there or that the task is too great for the time that they have to put in. This is nonsense as everyone can do it and it starts with something called ‘analysis.’ Set yourself a realistic target and write a game plan of your monthly achievement levels that will take you there – then stick to that plan. In all events each manoeuvre has a start, a middle and an end. It is the sum of all these parts blending together that makes for a good score. This is where analysis comes in. Let’s take trail and the gate for example. There is the approach, the opening, the closing and the departure to consider. So go and do one rst, then analyse which parts caused problems. Take your horse away from the gate and practise the parts with basic exercises until the ‘partnership’ is consistently correct. Then try with the gate again until each part becomes foot perfect. Don’t just


practise the whole manoeuvre and carry on if the manoeuvre itself is of a poor quality. Go back to your ‘build’ programme. Concentrate on one or maybe two elements at a time, at the most. Look how long it took to get to the moon and the extensive build programme that went with it. It’s not about ring off rockets in the general direction hoping that one day one will land! You must take time and analyse.


In our gate scenario, what was the approach like? How did the horse react when you unlatched the gate? All too often you see people unknowingly snatch their rein hand while the free hand is working, or reach too far to the gate and dig the horse in the ribs with their legs. How did the horse turn and walk through? Did you position him right? What was the closing like? What was the departure like?


Practise with self analysis and within 12 months you will be soaring with condence. Tick all the boxes and you can reach the moon. And if you have a glitch? Well you will still be among the stars and not on the crash and burn. Onwards and upwards!


May/June 2012


worldwide


Limited Edition copies


250


ILLUSTRATION SUZANNE SAUNDERS


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