United States Eventing Association

The clinic at Morningside Training Farm continued today with work over fences. William Fox-Pitt applied similar concepts to all of the groups that rode today, tailoring the complexity of the footwork and exercises to the experience of the horses. The jumps stayed relatively small throughout the day, with even the Advanced group jumping no more than Training level height most of the time. The exercises were focused on accuracy and footwork, and a large portion of the jumps were skinnies, which Fox-Pitt felt didn’t need to be large in size to educate the horse.

William Wisdom #1: “I think sometimes it’s important to give the older horses just a fun jump. Jump a few fences, don’t worry if they knock them down. Just teach them to be clever. Get them to use their muscles but without always asking questions…Sometimes, just have a jump.”

William had the riders warm up over some simple trot fences – crossrails, small flower boxes, and barrels on their side on the ground. It was essential that the horses were straight to the fence and not rushing it. This concept was taken a step further when he had the riders walk the same fences – something that caught many of the horses off guard. He stressed that when walking fences, the jump needed to be lower than the horse’s knee so he understands that he can just step over it.

William Wisdom #2: “If the horse makes a mistake at walk or trot, he has more time to digest and understand his mistake, than if he just canters away from it.”

Some of the horses took to walking fences very casually – easily rocking back and sitting on their hocks to jump over – and others needed a moment of convincing. Eventually, all of the horses caught on and the exercise really emphasized footwork and relaxation. While the horses figured out how to walk the fences, he stressed that the rider should remain positive but patient. “I don’t want riders today to come to a jump and expect it to happen. I want them to wait for it to happen – to see what happens,” he explained.

William Wisdom #3: “It is important, when training a horse, to know what to make an issue of and what not to make an issue of.”

He suggested riding with a slightly wider hand when schooling a narrow fence. “A wider hand and supporting leg will create a funnel for the horse. If he deviates, the rein will be there.” If a horse glanced off of one of the narrow fences, or stopped in front of it, he suggested backing up a few strides and approaching it again, instead of turning the horse away from the jump.

William Wisdom #4: “With event horses, the better they are with their legs and the more supple they are with their bodies, the less you’d like to see them jump too high. Because then, maybe, it’s because the footwork or understanding isn’t there.”

One of the exercises that he set up was: 2 upright barrels with standards (a skinny), three strides to a bounce of skinny walls without wings, and a left-handed bending four strides to an arrowhead. He had the riders alternate getting four and five strides to the arrowhead to demonstrate how that affects the way they should ride in to the first half of the exercise.

William Wisdom #5: “When the horses trot a fence that is ‘spooky’ to them, it gives them time to look at what they are going to do and figure it out. When a horse is still spooking at a jump in trot, you know you’ve got work to do.”

Fox-Pitt is an exceptional teacher, which, along with being an exceptional rider, is a very impressive gift. He stayed extremely positive, encouraging, and level the entire time, and is very patient with nervous or tense horses. It was very obvious to riders and spectators alike that each horse left the clinic a bit more confident, positive, and properly educated than they came.