what it is to go cross country. They went galloping— at speed, up and down hills, jumping little fences. That teaches people how to analyze a situation and have fun.” In Peter’s book, Peter Leone’s Show Jumping Clinic, he
teaches how to plan a strategy to ride the questions a course asks. At the water jump, he advises arriving close to the takeoff and jumping close to clear the span. Banks and ditches are even rarer than water jumps on
course today—and they are important. They test horse- manship tactics, along with courage. “With natural obsta- cles, there are places you don’t want to be. You don’t want to be long to a bank, or the horse will slide,” Armand adds. “It’s like walking on ice. When you walk on ice, go flat- footed and don’t push off.”
Drive Forward into the Override Jumper courses at all levels expect the rider to adjust the horse’s stride, to make the time. That means increasing stride length and speed for fewer strides, which means going forward and the aggressive override. “A lot of it has to do with breaking horses to saddle. At some point with a young horse, you teach him to go forward. At some point they will buck or stand up or trip,” Armand says. The rider learns to urge the horse to respond to legs, spur and stick. The increased pace of the override can give the horse fortitude on the approach to a scary water or ditch. In her book, Anne Kursinski’s Riding and Jumping Clinic, Anne describes how the override schools the horse to clear water. With a takeoff close to the edge, the horse jumps across the tape on the far side. “Some horses jump water better than others,” Mark
says. “It’s a bravery jump to get the horse down to it. If they’re not brave then they want to step on the tape. You ride with intensity.” “If he stops five strides ahead, it’s not dangerous. The
horse that gets there and jumps half-hearted, that is dangerous,” Armand says. The rider, he adds, can make the horse brave at water.
“It’s the intention at the takeoff, in the air and the land- ing to get to the other side. It’s not jump, and pose. Ride with one hand with the other holding the stick behind the saddle, so the horse has to jump—because you don’t want him to get hurt,” he explains. The Liverpool jump is a staple of course design. In his
book, Peter calls the Liverpool “a small water jump.” Like the open water, he recommends approaching for a close takeoff. Courses now include the reverse Liverpool fence, with the water placed after the fence rails. “Jump it like a big vertical,” Armand says. “Don’t look
down at it. It’s just a vertical. Keep your eyes up. You can train for that. If the first time your horse sees a reverse Liverpool is a meter 50, it might be a little surprise.” Course designers might also add a double Liverpool
combination. A horse can lose courage at the second Liverpool, so the rider must be ready to override.
22 July/August 2018
The famous Sapphire (Liostro x Roman), a Holsteiner mare, ridden by Mark Watring, jumping a reverse Liverpool oxer. They earned individual gold medal at the 2003 Pan-American Games, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Stuck in the Comfort Zone “Easy Street” might be the safest place for a lot of riders. “If you’re scared to show, stay in the pool and don’t go surf- ing,” says Armand. A rider with ambition learns to cope with horses’
evasions and with increased risk. Armand names two riders as examples of learning skills on difficult horses. “Todd Minikus—he can ride the hide off some horses. He’s got feel, talent, and is remarkable.” Armand also praises Will Simpson who began as a self-taught rider. As a teen- ager, Will rode a hot 15.3 Thoroughbred in Grand Prix and over a Puissance wall of 7’5”. “These are riders who were not brought up on Easy
Street,” says Armand. “They rode difficult horses, made their way, and ride good horses now. That’s very different than most riders today.” Anyone who aspires to the elite level—to compete
internationally and wear the U.S. flag on their saddle pad—must dare to excel. That rider overcomes fear through determination.
Casanova is a Swedish Warmblood (Cortez x Alpen Fürst) jumping a wide Liverpool oxer with Alison Robitaille at the 2004 USEF Selection Trials in San Juan Capistrano, California.
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