United States Eventing Association

VIDEO: Forward Riding for Successful Jumping with Kim Severson

Five-star eventer Kim Severson taught a show jumping clinic in January at Milestone Sport Horses in Lovettsville, Virginia where she instructed riders on the importance of forward riding for successful jumping. In this exercise, which Severson progressively adds additional pieces to, riders are instructed to focus on the quality of their canter. For one pair, Severson encourages the rider to add more leg to help the horse maintain his impulsion to the fences and focus on riding accurate lines for straightness. For a second pair, Severson instructs the rider to use a half-halt or transition to trot between the fences to reestablish control and balance.

Kim Severson grew up in Arizona where she competed first in pure dressage before switching to eventing. In 1993, she moved to the East Coast to train with Jack LeGoff and Jim Wofford and joined Plain Dealing Farm in 1996. Severson won the Kentucky Three-Day Event three times in 2002, 2004, and 2005 with Winsome Adante, and was also part of the gold medal-winning team at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games and took home individual silver and team bronze at the 2004 Olympics. They also competed together at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games and finished third at Badminton Horse Trials in 2007. Today, Severson continues to ride, train, and teach, and travels to give lessons and clinics.

Thank you to Milestone Sport Horses for hosting the clinic and thank you to Strider for connecting riders and organizers by simplifying the registration and payment processes for equestrian activities. To learn more about Kim Severson, please visit her website.