Postcard: Day 5, George Morris Horsemastership
Wellington, Fla., January 20, 2007 -- I know the young riders participating in the first George Morris Horsemastership Training Session got a lot out of it. They really were enthusiastic and it was so cute this afternoon when they presented their group photo and candy to George and all the people who helped make the venture such a success this week.
I think, however, that to fully appreciate George's comments, you needed to have a little background in the sport--and be older than 19. George, the U.S. show jumping coach, is a name-dropper, but I mean that in the best possible way. He has anecdotes about so many great riders of the past: Rodney Jenkins; German gold medalist Hans Gunter Winkler, California ace Jimmy Williams, former U.S. Equestrian Team captain Billy Steinkraus, Michael Matz to mention only a few he referenced.
Weaving them into his lessons made the teaching even more interesting to me. George was, briefly, an actor and still knows how to put on a show. He turned out to be entertaining as well as informative, playing both to the kids and the auditors, many of whom were over 40 and had a nodding acquaintanceship, or better, with the folks he mentioned.
Listen: Get a flavor of George's style.
George is simply a gem, a man who is devoted to classical riding and has imparted his wisdom to so many disciples. I could give you chapter, book and verse ad infinitum of the wisdom he dispensed this week, but I'll just offer a few samples and some Georgeisms from today.
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He talked about the five factors of jumping. I like the way he broke it down--you probably never thought of the elements like this--so here they are:
- The rate of speed, or pace.
- The line you take to a fence--straight, angled or curved.
- The distance to a jump (he had the kids practice getting in tight to a skinny fence to make their horse more responsive and varied the striding along today's course to demonstrate lengthening and shortening.)
- Balance.
- Impulsion.
For a horse that is heavy on the forehand and pulling down, he advises lifting the outside rein as often as you need to in order to obtain self-carriage. Oh, and he hates overbending on the inside rein. I don't think he called it the root of all evil, but that's definitely what he was driving at.
For any discipline, George says, a figure eight is good training. He had some of the young riders finish their jumping course with a figure eight to get their horse back in hand and end nicely.
With combinations, just try to jump the first fence correctly, and the rest will follow. (That came from Hans Gunter Winkler, he said.)
Don't see-saw the reins. "That's crude riding," he explained with disdain. Instead, keep a steady hand.
A highly recommended technique for an evasive or fractious horse is counter-bending on a circle (putting the horse's head to the outside.)
There was non-technical advice, too.
He is very anti-iPod when you're riding, calling it "ludicrous and dangerous," noting you can't hear other horses coming. And of course, George believes in totally concentrating on your riding, rather than the soundtrack of your favorite movie.
"The quickest way to lose my respect is to ride with an iPod," he said, so be warned.
He suggested that the young riders learn to deal with sponsor relations, noting that yachting and riding are the two most expensive sports.
"Someone has to pay for it. Our families can help us, but they can't do everything," he pointed out.
You can see why Cheri Van Atta, the instructor from northern Florida who I mentioned the other day, drove 10 hours to get here. I wonder if she's going to write a book with her wonderful, copious notes? Her students are very lucky.
Minnesota trainer Vicki Holst didn't hear about the training session until four days before it started, but she knew right away she had to be here and gathered a flock of four students, flying down to take advantage of a rare opportunity.
"He's my ideal," she said of George.
Her student, Sandy Anderson, really got what George was trying to impart. "You have to work every day on all the little things," she said.
And that sums up George's approach. It's paying attention to the basics and details, no magic, no gimmicks, no shortcuts.
This has been quite an experience. It ended with a luncheon given by the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, one of the many entities that brought this session together, from Bates and Stadium Jumping to Purina and Primedia Equine Network. There were thanks to all who helped, including Connie Sawyer, barn manager Laurie Pitts and the U.S. Equestrian Federation's director of show jumping, Sally Ike.
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