Jumping Clinic on Magic! | GoPro + Raws

I was rather pleased with Mr Magic in our arena jumping lesson last week. I haven’t jumped out of canter in four months (our usual instructor likes to do all of our winter technical jumping from trot) and haven’t jumped any courses or combinations on Magic in almost 9 months (or in fact any type of course at all since last summer - feeling rusty doesn’t really cover it!), so I wasn’t sure how the session was going to go, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised!
Magic was very well behaved - nice and off my leg, but still chilled out (a little bit too much in places, as you can see we sent a few poles flying), but I was particularly happy with how quickly he came back to me after the fences for the tight turns, some of which were VERY tight and a little slippy for a big/stiff horse like Magic, hence the trotting.
He seems to have got back into the bad habit of falling in & swerving around the corner after every fence, which is a bit frustrating, but actually even when he did fall in, he was still relatively balanced in the canter, which is better than nothing and doesn’t feel quite so out of control! He’ll never exactly be Valegro, but despite his bad habits I can’t even begin to explain how much more balanced he feels compared to when he arrived 3 years ago!
The less said about our attempt at the fun little Chase me Charlie at the end of the session, the better… I was hoping to get to jump a little bit higher than normal for the first time in years, but Magic’s dangling legs had other plans and we were knocked out at 80cm! 🙈 I won’t lie, I was a little bit jealous watching Maverick, Zubie & Roger carrying on without us 😅 It was great to ride Magic again though and a bonus for him to be so well behaved!
🚨For a bit of balance, I would appreciate it if anyone leaving rude or negative criticism/tips/advice would also donate at least £1 to a charity of their choice 😊
QOTD: Do you prefer uprights or oxers/spreads? I definitely prefer a nice inviting spread over a single big upright!
Ponies/horses:
Magic - 15.3hh piebald gelding
Helmet Cam: GoPro Hero 6
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⬇️ FAQs ⬇️
🔵 DO YOU OWN THE HORSES & PONIES IN YOUR VIDEOS?
No, all the horses & ponies belong to a lovely riding school, or are working liveries at the same yard.
🔵 WILL YOU EVER GET YOUR OWN HORSE?
I would love to own a pony one day, but for now I am more than happy having weekly lessons on the fantastic riding school horses & ponies.
🔵 WHY DO YOU ALWAYS JUMP THE SAME HEIGHT?
These riding school ponies usually jump more than once a week, and sometimes more than once a day, so we don’t jump ‘big’ except on special occasions to ensure the ponies stay sound and live long, happy lives. Fence height has very little to do with jumping technique or experience.
🔵 HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RIDING FOR?
I’ve been having weekly lessons in riding schools for 16 years now!
🔵 IF YOU’VE BEEN RIDING FOR SO LONG, WHY DON’T YOU COMPETE?
I have no personal interest in competing or jumping huge tracks. I ride for fun, simple as that!
🔵 WHY ARE THE HORSES ALREADY TACKED UP WHEN YOU APPROACH THEM?
This is a busy riding school & livery yard and so the lesson horses are tacked up by the staff who work there to ensure they are ready to leave the yard on time and have been tacked up correctly.
🔵 DO THE HORSES STAY TACKED UP 24/7?
No. The horses are only tacked up right before their lessons and spend the rest of their time turned out in grass fields.
🔵 WHO IS ROBIN FROM YOUR VIDEOS?
Robin is my mum and she rides with me in my lesson every week. She's 66 and fearless as ever!