REACH OUT TO THE CONTACT
Of course, every warm up is a chance to loosen up and stretch, but right from the start Nikki is keen for Anna to bear in mind the fundamental scales of training: rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection. These, after all, are a trainer’s mantra, and they form the basis of what the judges look for when they’re marking a test.
How to ride it
■1 If, like Pepsi, your horse needs to reach out a little more to the contact, you must ask for a connection and ride him through into both reins.
■2 Keep gently asking your horse to keep his neck a little lower than he’d like to. You’re aiming for a consistency in the contact as he reaches down and out.
■3 As you move into trot, take note of the tempo, as too much power will make it more difficult for your horse to soften in front.
■4 Bear in mind that the base of the neck at the withers is the bit you need to stretch first; your horse needs to take his nose forwards in front of the vertical, not sit behind it.
■5 As you warm up, ask yourself how does the contact feel? Is it improving and coming together?
■6 How would you judge the weight of the reins in each hand, on a scale of 1-10? Five in each hand? Two in one hand and eight in the other?
■7 As you move into trot, what do you think of the transition? Did he move actively and immediately from your aid? Is the rhythm even?
■8 Can you halt straight? Use two poles on the centre line as a guide and halt between them. Your horse’s head should be straight, not tilted or held to one side.
■9 Simple checks like this will help you assess what’s going on, both with your horse’s way of going and his frame of mind.