Why did Franke Sloothaak ask his riders to go down a line of six verticals with no reins, no stirrups…
What’s it all about Franke – you don’t like riders??
“No I do it because I like horses. It’s a very good exercise for both horse and rider. When they don’t take the reins, the horses have to learn to balance on their own. The rider has no reins or stirrups, so they stay very close to the horse. Close contact, move with you horse. Don’t move in front of your horse.”
This was interesting because a lot of the time, we have jumping coaches asking riders to get into a forward, two point seat?
“Keep your body back, that’s the most important thing. Most of the riders are in front of their horse, leaning on the neck. It is always better to keep your position more back and keep the horse in front of you. First of all, you keep more control, because in light seat you cannot keep contact and control the horse very well. When you see riders with short reins, leaning on the horse’s neck, mostly those horses do not make a very nice jump because the horse doesn’t use its body. They have a contact with the mouth, jumping always against the bit, so they don’t have impulsion from behind. So how should they improve the horse’s jumping? My point is that I always try to develop a better shape over the jump. Improve the horse’s technique, improve the horse’s balance, help him to keep his body together, teach him so he gets strong enough to do the job. That’s why we need all these exercises…”
And Franke’s attitude to the way he presents his exercises comes from his experience as a young rider in Holland: “As a kid I had one trainer in Holland who was very good. He made nice exercises for juniors and young riders because he made a game of it. Trotting poles, in and outs, he was playing – everyone enjoyed the lessons and had fun, and by having fun, still learning. It’s not okay to always put pressure on the rider, they have to learn to enjoy it and they make a bigger effort, do it more correct – then afterwards, they get more back.”
“Then I have been so many years in the sport, so many years training with people. I gave my first clinics when I was 15 years old. So you watch and over the years you learn what sort of training sessions really improve the horses and the riders. You are always making two exercises, an exercise for the horse, an exercise for the rider. The two parts can go together at the same time… You can do it with a line of oxers, make them go without reins, try to keep their balance, try to follow the horse… But in the end, the main thing for every rider is their own discipline.”
Want to read the whole article https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2015/04/showjumping-clinic-with-franke-sloothaak/
