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Clinic with an Advanced Eventer

5K views 22 replies 9 participants last post by  MIEventer 
#1 ·
Oh my goodness gracious! Nelson and I had a BLAST yesterday. We signed up for specific clinic offered through our Eventing Organization to ride with a local Eventer named Sue Moessner. She is a very talented and educated rider who is climbing the Eventing Ladder very well.

I learnt so much from her, and this specific clinic was focusing on establishing a proper Coffin Canter and how to use it for particular fences while out on the CC course.

Establishing it was very difficult for me, because I wanted to use alot of seat, but with Nelson I cannot do that, because I cut him in 1/2. So Sue worked 1 on 1 with me quite often to help me ride to meet Nelson's particular needs.

We worked on establishing a Coffin Canter for water obsticles because in the water our horses feet slow down, but we as the rider must establish that pop/energy in order to beable to ride through it, jump through it and out of it.

We also worked on the importancies of a Coffin Canter for Ditches and actual Coffin fences, and also for table tops and platforms.

I had a great time! Sue moved Nelson and I up to Training Level because we were riding the Novice fences with ease and excitement.

She was surprised at the end of the clinic to hear that Nelson is 21! She told me that he would of easily gone 4* in his younger days, because he was ALOT of pop/spark and "Go get er" personality. She told me Nelson is the type of horse that many Top Level Eventers look for because he's the horse that would carry them well and successfully.

I was swooning! lol.

Anyways, here are some pictures:







LOVE this picture! This is a Training Level drop into the water. And Sue had us gallop through establishing a Coffin Canter *was very tough for me* without sitting on his back, and then she had us jumping out over a Training Level Log. We failed 3 times, and got it right the 4th time. lol Everytime we failed, she would ask me what I did wrong and what am I going to do to correct it......it was "upstairs" but doing it is another story.




Training Level Ditch:





Listening to Sue discuss importancies of Coffin Canters while doing ditches:










Then some vids:

This one sue was incorporating drop fences. We were just going down it and back up it and repeat..




Then this one, we are incorporating water. Jumping in, Coffin Canter through, Jump out, jump the drop, and come back and repeat. lol



This one is the 3rd attempt through the Training Drop, Coffin Canter through and jump out over a Training Log. I was getting frustrated at this point because I couldn't get the jump out correct.

That's when Sue said to me "You can't sit on this horses back" and I had to go back to my Functional 2 Point, while establishing the Coffin Canter - the 4th time, we got it right. Whew.




This one was alot of fun! Jumping a Training Level Hedge, to a Novice 1/2 Coffin, to a Trianing Level 1/2 Coffin, to the Training Level Platforms *I always forget the name of these blasted things* to a Training Level Trak fence.




I had so much fun! I have OOOBER TONS of homework to do. Lots of flat work establishing controlability through my core and chest, and Coffin Canters. Whew.

Our next HT is August 15th, and were DOING NOVICE! *keeps fingers crossed that Nelson doesn't hurt himself from now and then* lol
 
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#2 ·
Congrats on having so much fun! The 1st pic is absolutely the best horse ever! :lol:
 
#3 ·
lol, Kitten - Nelson SPOOKED at that jump. He actually walked up to it with an arched neck, pawing with his front right leg and snorting.

He sniffed the nostrils of the wooden face, actually thinking it was another horse.

It was quite funny!
 
#8 ·
lol, Kitten - Nelson SPOOKED at that jump. He actually walked up to it with an arched neck, pawing with his front right leg and snorting.

He sniffed the nostrils of the wooden face, actually thinking it was another horse.

It was quite funny!
I can believe THAT! :D Did you ever ride in the arena with mirrors? That was the funniest experience I ever had with my horses - my stupid paint was not persuaded it's not another horse even after I let her sniff the mirror like 5 times (qh was smart enough to realize it's nothing but the image on 1st introduction).

I'm curious too - what is coffin canter?
 
#4 ·
I have to correct myself - the ditches I did were not Training, but were Novice. My mistake. My lil' buddy who rode with me, told me that the one on the left of the ditch I did was Training.

Here's a closer picture of the ditch. This is my 12 year old Eventing Buddy and his 18 year old OTTB gelding. But you can get a better idea of the ditch.



So my appologies! The ditch was not Training, but Novice.
 
#5 ·
WOW! Look at you guys go! I'm glad you learned alot and had fun :)
I've never heard of coffin canter - what is that?

Nelson is for sure my favorite older eventer!! He looks amazing as always :)
Good luck moving up to novice - woohoo!
 
#10 ·
Thanks Ladies!!! The Clinitian was surprised to hear his age too!

A Coffin Canter, is a very very very very very very important gait while out on CC. I thought it was only to be used for Coffins.

What are Coffin Fences? They are 3 jumps with about 1 to 2 strides inbetween. You could jump in over an oxer, 1,2 strides to a Ditch, another 1,2 strides to another oxer out.

That's why it is called a coffin canter, because to do the combination, you have to have a very collected, pop/snappy energy from behind, with your horse giving you the feeling that they are up here *puts hand up at forehead*

It has to be a powerful canter, but controlled and the energy contained on your horses back end.

You need to use it more than one thinks. You need this gait for drops, you need it for jumping up, for all water complexes, combinations, coffin's.

It's like a Stadium Jumping Canter, but more energized, more powerful. If you are compeating at levels from Novice and up, it is very, very important to learn this gait.

Does that make sense?
 
#11 ·
I love your horses attitude on the XC course, it's just how you want them to be. He sees the jump, locks on to it and then attacks it boldly. Well ridden and a lovely explanation of the coffin canter too, sounds easy but can be a difficult ask for all that energy + control when you are jumping XC fences!
 
#12 ·
In the 3rd video, when Nelson and I were approaching the 2nd fence, that's about as close as I've been able to get, to a coffin canter. lol.

HalfPass - THANKS *HUGS* I am SO PROUD of Nelson! I beamed when Sue told me that Nelson would of easily gone 4* in his younger days. Man, that made my day! I'd give anything to make him 10 again. I just love him so much!

It was a very long day. A 3 hour haul to the facility, then he had to wait another 2 hours in a stall in the heat, to wait for our level's lesson. And then he had to ride in that heat for 2 hours, and then another 3 hour haul home.

He was a super trouper, and through all that, he had plenty of pop and snap for our lesson! Sue was very impressed with him <3 *swoon*
 
#13 ·
I love your horses attitude on the XC course, it's just how you want them to be. He sees the jump, locks on to it and then attacks it boldly. Well ridden and a lovely explanation of the coffin canter too, sounds easy but can be a difficult ask for all that energy + control when you are jumping XC fences!
Thank you! The Clinitian said that he can easly go Training Level, even at his age :) *swoon*

He most definately locks onto the fences. Even when we were finished doing a course that the clinitian set up for us, he was still locking onto the next fence, wanting to GO GO GO.

The coffin canter is very tough - oh my gosh! That's where the importancies of Dressage comes into factor, and now that makes even more sense. It amazes me at how much dressage is implimented in Stadium and Cross Country.

Sue told me that I have to go home, and work on obtaining that adjustability. Bringing him back under me, while keeping the snap/pop in his gait, and then letting him go, and then bringing him back, and then letting him go.

Whew...I'm whooped just thinking about it! LOL! I have to do LOTS more 2 point work too, phtpthtpht - my legs are going to hate me.
 
#14 ·
The coffin canter is very tough - oh my gosh! That's where the importancies of Dressage comes into factor, and now that makes even more sense. It amazes me at how much dressage is implimented in Stadium and Cross Country.
It seems that EVERYONE I meet around here wants to get into eventing and they all ask me the same question "what do you think is the most important thing to work on to be an eventer?" I have the same answer every time: "Dressage is the key to eventing, all the other stages are reliant on your dressage training"

....and everyone has the same response to that answer - "Oh" (downcast look)

P.S. Good luck for training level, you guys will do great I am sure!
 
#15 ·
You know, every single Clinitian I've ridden with, all emphasise dressage, dressage, dressage, dressage. Bill Hoos, Buck Davidson, Leslie Law, David O'Connor, and the list goes on. From Advanced Eventers to 4*.

The CC courses have become far more technical than they ever have been, and dressage has become the most important factor to Eventing because of it - so if one wants to gage their 3 phases successfully and safely, they must impliment dressage beyond dressage.

Sue was telling me how she'll go out on the CC course and do mostly dressage between the fences.

I love it!
 
#16 ·
i didnt know there was a name for the gait Petey has lol now i know its called the Coffin Canter haha. He was bred and shown as an eventer and i swear that is the only gait he knows haha
 
#17 ·
The Coffin Canter takes alot of work to obtain. It doesn't happen "naturally". It has to come from the riders aids, asking for it. Of course your horse has to naturally have pop/spark - but it comes from the rider knowing how to ask for it.

Nelson has Evented Prelim, and has alot of pop and spark in his movements and energy while out on the CC course - and it takes me alot of work to get it.
 
#18 ·
it was a joke... ive worked on dressage and eventing w my old eventer trainer and we've gotten the coffin canter- Petey is very good at is bc he has A LOT of energy even when moving in a smaller stride and he has a lot of hindquarter muscle and is very very adjustable
 
#21 ·
I never knew that "type" of canter had a name, hah. It just got to the point where Willie was fit enough that I just needed a half halt and to tighten my core a little more than normal on course to get that out of him especially the last time we showed. He was probably prelim-level fit and just super adjustable and fun to ride.
 
#22 ·
Yeah, I never that canter had a name either!
We pretty much just use the term "rock them back". When approaching certain fences (well, all fences, but there are certain ones we really do this for) we'll sit up/slow our body down, lift the front end and get their hindquarters under them, collect but maintain/increase the impulsion.
Now I know! Coffin canter!
 
#23 ·
Gosh, you guys make it sound so easy. lol. Nelson is super powerful, with alot of pop and spark as the clinitian said - but I keep wanting to revert back to my Dressage Seat. Which would be alright for a horse that needs it, but not Nelson. So I have to make a concious effor to remain off of his back, while using my core, legs, and upper body to get him to come back under me, rock back while keeping that energy and spark.

I love that I learnt how you use the coffin canter in water, drops, platforms, coffins and etc, etc, etc.
 
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