As a first timer to this course, I was a little apprehensive about what to expect, however I was quickly put at ease by all! A lovely welcome indeed! Day 1 Kenneth Clawson our jump trainer for the two days decided to have a theme. “How do we as riders know what contact, feel and…

Having been asked to write the report upon the training I decided rather than report upon my view alone, a more accurate picture would be provided for those unable to attend, if I asked willing participants to summarise their view upon how their experience had benefited them. Responses such as ….. “Great to have fresh…

First of all, thank you to Andrew for organising the day and the coffee on arrival. Carl showed us five horses ranging from 7yrs to 11yrs, he told us that his first important criteria is “has the horse got the ability to go to Grand Prix” – he likes a horse to be quick in…

A good day was enjoyed by the eleven F and I members and their guests at Hickstead on Ladies day. We had use of the BHS member’s box along side the main arena next to the water jump which made excellent viewing for the Queen Elizabeth Cup….. 13 feet of water followed by a 1m…

As BHSII’s with our E and C exams looming, it was with great interest and excitement that we attended the training day at Judy Harvey’s yard. First was Amanda Holloway who was riding a welsh X. Judy’s emphasis was to work on rhythm, keeping the tempo slow enough to improve the quality of the trot…

Walking the course with Nick Turner (previous Badminton competitor, now Brazilian Eventing Team Coach and Snr Selector for British Eventing) was a fantastic way to learn all about the challenges of this true four-star course. The big message of the day from Nick was how critical it is that the rider has absolute understanding and…

As always, Kenneth Clawson delivered an informative series of coaching sessions, encouraging all participants, riders and audience alike, to think and to participate. Emphasis was on awareness of the horses’ regular stride patterns, together with control and accuracy. The Counting of Strides, and in particular the riders being challenged to be consistent in being able…