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<\/a><\/p>\nThis month Colleen Brook<\/strong> talks to us about rider position, and here she studies one of the best riders in the world. Colleen discusses WEG star Beezie Madden, and her position, and helps us understand what makes her great. <\/em><\/p>\n Winners will always be copied, in an attempt to replicate the result.\u2028An extreme style is always hard to copy usually because of the brilliance of the person. For example riders like Australia\u2019s Kevin Bacon or the 2013 World Champion, Roger Yves Bost.\u2028There were people who copied Kevin, but now we hardly see anyone ride like that in Australia.<\/p>\n Euro Champion in 2013, Roger Yves Bost<\/em><\/p>\n more on style follows<\/p>\n In our training efforts we should always be thinking of how to make it easier for the horses to carry out what we ask of them to the best of their ability. That means riders have the responsibility to be balanced and light. A classic position is simply the best.\u2028You cannot help but be influenced by those who surround you, be they top level or the reverse, and so we should make every effort to look at the top riders, and these days with television coverage of top shows all over the world, that is possible for all of us here in Australia.<\/p>\n From a coaching perspective, I love George Morris for his work ethic and observations. He does not condone secret inventions or fashions: just hard work, good classic riding and horse management. Good habits are easy to learn but it takes discipline to maintain them.<\/p>\n Our first rider to observe is George\u2019s long term pupil, Beezie Madden and Simon in a jump off on the Florida circuit.<\/p>\n When I looked first I thought this was a liverpool as Beezie was so far off the wings.\u2028She must have been flying to be able to take off so far away.\u2028Most rider positions would look similar but Beezie isn’t pulling on the horse\u2019s mouth or standing in the stirrups. She is doing her utmost to keep up with the horse. The horse is really concentrating on what he is about to do.<\/p>\n Now we see the fence is an oxer, some effort to jump it, a horse needs big scope to take off from there. Beezie would know she had the horsepower to ask for such an attempt. By the look on her face she knows it is a challenge.<\/p>\n She has quickly rebalanced herself over the top of the fence to her usual flawless position.\u2028The effort from the horse is showing in his back legs, he is keeping them close to his body trying to keep his balance.<\/p>\n There is another fence close by from the look on their faces and Beezie has brought her shoulders up in preparation for the landing. The horse has his ears pricked ready figuring out how to work his body for the next stage and still he needs to keep his back legs tight to get over the back rail.\u2028 Very big effort from both of them.<\/p>\n sometimes things go wrong, read on…<\/p>\n This pic shows Via Volo at London 2012 stopping,\u2028I did see this happen on TV. Amazing the angles the horse\u2019s legs show in the pictures. The rider is doing her best to stay in the middle.\u2028 When the mare jumped into the combination, she didn’t look\u00a0to get up to the jump: she\u00a0wavered and was a long way off the jump and refused.. The same thing happened\u00a0 twice and\u00a0 elimination was the result.<\/p>\n To their absolute credit,\u00a0Beezie came out and jumped two 4\u00a0 penalty rounds in the final of the Nations Cup later in the Games. Individually she could not go further, same as Doda de Miranda and Bogeno recently at the World\u2019s. So anything can happen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cortes \u2013 Randel Z out of a Darco mare –\u00a0 jumped 9 rounds with only one fence down during the worlds to finish the best horse.<\/p>\n Performances like that aren’t luck. It comes from super horse management and wonderful riding.<\/p>\n The first pic, makes me think it is coming out of a combination because of the pot plants behind the horse. I mention that because riders\u00a0need to respond to how the horse\u00a0feels as they\u00a0 jump and what comes next, same as\u00a0transitions in dressage,<\/p>\n Beezie looks very balanced, with a release that\u00a0is feather light in the air.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nCortes C at the WEG.<\/h2>\n
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