Last issue Blyth started the cross-country schooling with a warm up over a couple of vertical logs and worked on developing the riders’ knowledge around control and in particular understanding the difference between a lengthened and lengthening stride.

‘There is a big difference between a lengthening stride and a lengthened stride. A lengthened stride means you have no elasticity left and your momentum has gone; the horse has ‘discombobulated’. A lengthening stride means your horse is gaining in power, the frame has lengthened and your horse could carry on lengthening after the fence, so you have not lost the engagement completely.’

So as they progressed to spread fences and undulating ground the importance of this lengthening and a lengthened stride was going to be vital.

‘Some horses lengthen their stride before a fence to get there whilst others naturally shorten as they approach. For this fence you need to get the horses a little bit more in front of the legs. Today we have been pretty progressive in our schooling and even though some of the horses have been competing at one or two star level we have still started out a little smaller than that, got the horses going and come out with all the horses and riders confident which I am very pleased about. It is very easy to walk in and show them a whole lot of things and walk away having set them back a peg or two but I think from what I have seen today so far these riders have only improved.’

The next exercise was a combination of fences set amongst the trees, which often has horses a little spooked and tentative, backing off too much. It can be deceptive for riders too, as the fences appear dark, wider and bigger coming in from the open space and sunshine.

The line was an uphill approach left hand sweep to a tallish vertical of chunky logs followed by a right hand dogleg up hill approach to a triple bar – basically an L shape ride.

‘It isn’t big, it isn’t big at all, it’s just a nice solid log the horse can see and focus on. I want you to imagine there are four cameras from here to here and you are to look into each of them. That’s all it is. As the triple bar is a spread fence, ideally you want to take it on a lengthening stride. If you do that you will go up and over. On a refusing stride we want big long reins so he can look at all the gremlins in the dirt and they are not going to be in front of the leg.’ (See Diagram 1)

‘All you have got to do is ride to the triple bar; don’t come thundering in like crazy women, you need engagement, impulsion, containing the energy so you can quietly lengthen in an uphill fashion and fly over it like a bird. Don’t look down, don’t look for a stride, make one come up by being positive and lengthening the stride. Sharon – shoulders up when you jump, much better now impulsion, lengthening approach, shoulders, good for you Sharon! Heels down, leg forward, don’t land on your knee, and lengthen away to the next. You were rather deep but you had a forward positive approach. Holly – get off your bum and keep your leg working, leg, leg, and stay in three point, land and ride to the next keeping the momentum as it is uphill.’

The next group of fences included a log pile spread with a forward ride to a trakhener – a 90cm log with ditch underneath.

‘We are going to get out into the open soon and that will make it easy. Come on, build a little impulsion coming into the first flat top. OK Jo, yours leapt over it rather than jumping and good recovery as you realised you were making a bit of a mistake. I want you to think about everything you do by creating and allowing the stride much further back on approach – not forcing things at the last minute. When I watched you jump the log pile you only working the last three strides you have to do something well before and keep the rhythm then you will sail through. I bet if the jump had been another three foot higher and the ditch had been another two foot wider that you would not have had any trouble because the technique was good and it would have got you over no problem.’