Gail Hunter clinics – July school holidays 2018

Contact Gail on 0419 247 151 to book your place.

Report – Jake Hunter Showjumping Clinic – 18 November 2017

After three years of working and training at Duffy Sport Horses in Ireland, Jake Hunter is back in the Hunter Valley for a 6 week summer visit. Between catching up with his family and breaking in some of his home-bred youngstock, Jake is doing a small series of clinics – the first of which was held on Saturday at his family’s own property Hunter’s Lodge in Glendonbrook.

A lucky group of 10 riders found out it’s not just an Irish accent that Jake has picked up over the last few years. Riding and training with some of Ireland and Europe’s top horse people has given Jake a wealth of knowledge, and the day was full of useful tips and exercises for building the fundamentals of showjumping success.

To begin with, Jake explained the importance of the weight aids, encouraging the riders to drop the stirrups and sit deeply into the saddle. He then had them practice using their weight to slow or halt the horse without using the reins – a useful tool on course. The control of pace and stride was the next topic, using a deceptively simple canter pole exercise to demonstrate the importance of maintaining a forward-going, yet controlled canter rhythm over a given distance. Jake was quick to point out where a lack of discipline on the approach to the exercise would lead to further mistakes in its execution.

The afternoon session over jumps used another exercise to teach riders precision and focus on their line. Seven jumps were set in a circle with five strides in between and cones marked out the outside of the “arena”. Riders followed a set course, practicing roll back corners right and left, riding the line, riding a related distance, focusing on the fence ahead and using the full arena to perfect each approach. Again, there was an emphasis on discipline and the importance of meeting each fence straight, in balance and with a controlled, forward stride.

A huge thanks to Cade’s sponsor Karl Steininger of OTT Next Gen for providing some amazing new jumping equipment. His galvanised jump wings are superb quality and will last several lifetimes! We can highly recommend OTT equipment for training or competition.

Also thanks to Jenny Bright and Ruth Worgan for their help in organisation and catering on the day.

For a limited time, Jake is available for private lessons. Please contact HL Equestrian on 0419 247 151 if you are interested.