Here’s the most recent picture I’ve got of my wonderful, amazing, super talented 18 year old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Plato, aka The Gentleman, and myself schooling a jump somewhere in the 3’6 to 3’9ish range. We’re preparing to go out and do a hunter derby or two in the future, though Plato may be headed for a career as someone’s sainted Big Eq ride for a year or two while I start a new career. I know his knees aren’t super tight, but he canters over practically everything up to and sometimes including 3’6. I’ve been struggling with giving him enough release over the jump to get that low, huntery head over the fence and with polishing my position over fences.
Schooling something “bigger” at the farm this spring.
That take-off distance was a little short, yet he still got his knees up nicely. You have plenty of relese here, although your chin is a little close to his neck, as you dropped your elbows down the sides of his shoulders. He looks like a really good jumper to me.
Thanks for the feedback, Rob. He’s a great jumper. I’ve got photos of you hacking and jumping him from the last Georgia clinic, at Blue Skies Riding Academy. We talked then about the possibility of me leasing him out to do the big eq. Any advice or tips?