Aiken, S.C.—Feb. 27

There’s lots of communication occuring during a USEF High Performance Training Session with David O’Connor. There’s O’Connor communicating with the person he’s teaching—and with the auditors a little, too—but the most important communication occurs between the riders and their horses, even if they sometimes stutter a bit as they learn new languages together. 

Today’s riders for the morning sessions at Stable View Farm (Doug Payne on Crown Talisman, Erin Sylvester on No Boundaries, Susan Beebee on Wolf, Emily Beshear on Here’s To You and Will Faudree on Andromaque) all faced minor communications issues with their horses at one point or another. But with O’Connor serving as translator, the pairs found their various ways to success.

Doug Payne and Crown Talisman started the day—which turned out much more pleasant, weather-wise, with the absence of cold rain—with a dressage lesson. For “Tali,” the session was all about increasing strength, and that concept involved a few discussions. Like many of yesterday’s sessions, O’Connor had Payne alternate between a bigger trot and smaller trot, only holding the more collected gait for as long as was fair.

“Do this on a good day,” said O’Connor. “Don’t start this on a not-so-good day. This is his strength exercise, and you want to get the feeling that he’s right here, sitting, and that you can create more with your inside leg just by focusing on his inside hind leg.”

When Tali grew slightly frustrated with the harder work at the canter, especially during counter-canter, O’Connor reminded Payne to back off if necessary.

“Don’t get after him. Don’t expect that he’ll hold it very long,” said O’Connor. “If he gives you a few strides then you give. He has to believe he can go there.”

Listen to Doug Payne talk about his training session experience:

“I’m teaching him that the first thing I want him to do is move his hind legs,” said O’Connor. “I’m trying to get him straight, so I’m bending him a little to the outside. His hind leg gets in the wrong place, so if you kick him you’re just making him crooked faster.”

When Sylvester got back on her mount, she played with some of the improvements O’Connor had made.

“Don’t take back with your inside rein,” O’Connor reminded her. “The inside rein comes open but not back.”

The pair then schooled extended canter to flying changes. The horse sometimes jumped sideways in the change or ran through Sylvester’s aids, but O’Connor was quick to help Sylvester find a solution.

“When you have this level of communication and he gets nervous in the ring, then you have tools,” said O’Connor. 

Now For Some Jumping

The third lesson of the day was a group jumping session with Beebee, Faudree and Beshear. The riders started out by cantering a low vertical, and then O’Connor raised it up a few holes.

When Faudree got to a deep spot with “Missy” and had the rail down, O’Connor said, “It’s not that the distance was horrible, but you didn’t have the canter to deal with it. Try and activate the hindquarters from eight to five strides out. It’s about having the canter for whatever distance you get.” 

The riders then moved on to a combination O’Connor had set: a wide square oxer two strides to a vertical and then one stride to another oxer.

Watch Will Faudree and Andromaque navigate the exercise: 

When Beebee’s mount Wolf jumped in a little underpowered the first time, O’Connor said, “It’s your responsibility to make sure you give him enough footwork to handle the questions. The slower he goes, the faster he has to move his feet.”

Watch Wolf jump through the combination:

Watch Here’s To You jump through the same exercise:

The afternoon riders (Allison Springer on Copycat Chloe, Phillip Dutton on Mighty Nice and Fernhill Eagle, Boyd Martin on Master Frisky and Trading Aces and Jennie Brannigan on Cambalda) at Stable View Farm all opted for dressage lessons again today.

Read all about the previous day’s session at Adjustability Is Key At USEF High Performance Eventing Training Sessions.