“Any Grand Prix horse should absolutely be able to jump a two-meter wall…”
Holsteiner mare Bella Donna 66 (Baldini II x Calido I) with Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, taking off from a longer spot over reverse Liverpool oxer. They won the 2013 AIG $1Million Grand Prix at the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California.
Armand says most trainers today don’t want to deal
with natural obstacles. “The best way is to have the rider train their own horse over ditches or water. Once you have gone through it, and gotten there, you’re very respectful. Again, it’s hard to appreciate that—unless you’ve been to the brink, it’s hard to understand it,” he explains. Going to the brink jumping intimidating obstacles
brings out boldness in horse and rider. Armand recalls that George Morris had the brothers jump Puissance at every show in Europe. “Any Grand Prix horse should absolutely be able to jump a two-meter wall,” he says. “We’ve all ridden in heavy downpours,” Mark adds.
“We’ve ridden on grass fields that are saturated wet. But, guess what—when you’re number 20 in the line, you jump to the side instead of the middle. You have to find a way to manage the horse, to manage the situation.” Riding a muddy course demands a fearless rider.
Instead of slowing, you drive the horse into a turn. “You keep a horse’s feet underneath him in a turn in muddy ground. Don’t pull or you can lose your footing.” Armand explains.
He emphasizes the “natural feel” top riders need to
develop. “By having more people ride, yes, it’s good, but they still need to earn their way up. Nobody likes riding without stirrups. Nobody likes to ride a horse that hangs a leg, or has a really bad drift. But that stuff happens. You need the instinct to reach when unexpected difficulties arise in a triple combination. Michael Whitaker is a great example of being able to reinforce a horse in the middle of a triple, with his stick behind the saddle without miss- ing a beat or disrupting the balance. But it’s an instinc- tual reaction.” Armand doesn’t think horses today are any better or worse than in his day, or that riders are any better or
worse. Jumping is still a difficult sport, but it’s different. “I like a little fire in a horse,” he says. “If the weather is hot or the going is tough and you have to jump on the third day in a championship, I want a fighter.” He names
Eric Lamaze’s stallion Hick- stead as an example of that quality, as compared to some current jumper stars. “With Hickstead, fire comes to mind, and the same with his rider.” Fire in the
Mark Leone instructs Brooke Missall in a jumping clinic, April 2018.
rider means grit. “Those who want to progress, go to Spruce Mead- ows,” says Mark. In North Amer- ica, the Spruce Meadows Masters show demands a bold rider and horse. Competing at “Spruce” proves a rider has the grit required to jump for a medal at the World Champi- onships or the Olympic Games.
Armand Leone, now a practicing equine attorney, has been an international jumper and well-known Grand Prix competitor.
Expand Your Reach “We challenge riders to create growth,” Mark concludes. “We’ve got to, in a nice way, challenge to create growth, and yet stay just enough in our comfort zone that we’re not fearing. That’s the fine line. We want to be progres- sive; we want to be growing. But sometimes you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone and let it happen.”
Warmbloods Today 23 0
Courtesy Armand Leone
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