Philosphy on The Amateur verses Professional Open Jumper
Every horse has its limitations. The job of a professional competitor and trainer is to find out what they are and push past those boundaries just far enough to determine if they are set in stone, training or development issues, or generally a limitation that horse is simply for whatever reason unable to move beyond. These limitations can and usually do change with time. A horse that was struggling over 1.40m and looking like it was lacking scope, after a year of consistent slow but very steady pushes (followed by little backing offs and re training if that professional is smart) will often look completely different around 1.50m a year later, if they actually have the athletic ability.
I recently read an article on a clinic given by McClain Ward and was impressed to hear him explaining the fact that he avoided flying lead changes on Sapphire in the warm up (because she got too hot), and he knew if he tried to attempt shoulder in with Rothchild for a half an hour something along the lines of he probably wouldn’t end up in one piece. And I thought brilliant; this is why this trainer has been so consistent and competitive for so long. He’s willing to give in a bit to a sensitive but talented horse’s needs, rather than having the idea I’ve seen so prevalent in some trainers … ‘every horse must be exactly what I say they must be or they can’t possibly be talented enough to be a true top horse.’
And every horse has a stop. Even Cradilo, who would have literally attempted to go over or plow through a brick wall for both of us if I had asked found his limitations in the black swamp like pool called the Trader’s Point water jump … back in the day. This jump just wasn’t right in Cradilo’s mind … there was no reason on God’s green earth anyone should go near anything that clearly had alligators, unseen depth and god only knows what else lurking in it. I eventually managed to talk and train him in to the idea that we needed to go at (and fly over) this jump as fast as possible, rather than putting the brakes on in front and ending up in the middle of it. But, as a result of that strong and quick weekend show conversation I found myself sitting on Cradilo in the VIP tent rather than crossing the finish line at the end of that difficult Sunday Grand Prix. Though we did negotiate that demonic fence beautifully, I paid the price and by the end of that ride (thanks to ESPN) it was clear to me and most of the world … that push was a little more than Cradilo was mentally ready for at the time (see video under 'Our Horses', Cradilo).
The difference between a professional and amateur open jumper is how much that horse is willing to risk before they are simply done and no longer on board with what their rider seems to be trying to accomplish. A good amateur horse often stops at a bad distance, and protects it’s rider by not allowing them to do anything too stupid that’s going to get both of them in to trouble. I’ve had an extremely intelligent mare stop at a mean looking combination that we weren’t properly set up for and literally lift her head and neck in front of me to protect me from going over the top of her into the fence. And I’ve had horses attempt to jump at nearly impossible distances into a combination, send me flying through a solid piece of wood when things finally didn’t work out, and almost kill me. Trust me, at a bad distance I prefer the former; as though it may look better for a pro to get around, more often than not I would rather not eat a jump for breakfast that day.
A good professional horse handles the fact that when you are really going for it sometimes (no matter how good, accomplished, or experienced you are) you are going to get into trouble. (For example, the winning World Cup rider in the finals in 2015 in Las Vegas won the class by literally missing the distance and crashing through the last huge oxer of that class). A really great professional horse will simply kick the poles out of the way and keep going when something is seriously off (rather than getting tangled up in the jump and going down, or attempting to leap when it is obviously too risky). To be competitive and successful Grand Prix rider professionals need to push the limits, and they need a war horse’s mentality, level of partnership and commitment to get away with it (and to still find themselves with a willing partner in the next days or weeks classes).
Both horses are equally valued, and both horses are doing their jobs of protecting themselves and their riders in their own way. The top professional horse protects it’s rider by understanding that a pro needs to be competitive to succeed and or survive, and always gives everything it’s got to keep going and finish. And a top amateur horse has more the sense that on some level that team’s priority is to have fun and go home in one piece at the end of the day. Success is enjoyable and sought after, but not the key to financial survival.
Nothing teaches you to respect the sport of show jumping and a horse more than a horse simply saying ‘no, that was a bad idea, and I’m here to tell you either I or you, and in effect the team overall, aren’t quite ready for that just yet. I may be attempting to go where you ask me to go, but at the end of the day I’m in charge of keeping us in one piece.’ It is just a part of the work, and a part you need to work through before you move up through to the more dangerous ranks and to the horse that says, ‘I hope you know what you are doing because I am always going to try to go.’
Is the latter a more sophisticated relationship and partnership? Probably … but hey … as pros that depth of relationship is what doing this work day in and day out earns you. And who knows, saying no and embarrassing you publically is a pretty powerful statement as well. I think the real strength of the relationship here comes when a rider and or trainer is willing to admit they were wrong, love that horse completely anyway, and still work to evolve to the highest place possible for both parts of the team regardless of the setbacks or sacrifices that may need to be made to achieve that end.
ACE SPORTHORSES
