Riding Level 3: Trot Poles and Cross Rails
I have been asked why, in the Cavaliere program, we require our riders learn to jump. After all, it's not a skill you need for mounted sparring or knightly games within our modern, arena-bound context. However, we believe jumping has value and deserves a place in the program for the following reasons.
- Historical Precedent. As far back as 300 BCE Xenophon advises training horses and riders to practise cross country jumping over ditches and walls. Jumping has been a skill taught to cavalry throughout the ages. On and between battlefields, horses and riders would have encountered a variety of natural obstacles, and the best way around these is usually over them. Up until the middle of the last century, the modern sports of show jumping and eventing were populated almost exclusively by cavalry officers and their mounts.
- Adjustability and Athleticism. Jumping trains riders to have an adjustable seat: one that can go from full and deep while steadying their horses through turns, to light on the galloping stretch, to two-point contact in the air. The fast-thinking athleticism involved in doing all of this at 350 metres per minute or more is invaluable training for the mounted warrior.
- Confidence and Stick. It takes a leap of faith in yourself and your horse to allow them to launch through the air beneath you, and riders who have learned to jump are far more confident on the flat as a result. Just like riders who do mounted games, jumpers are far less likely to lose their cool or their seats when their horses perform unexpected sidesteps or aerial manoeuvres.
- Fun. Okay, let's face it; jumping is one of the most fun things you can do on a horse. It's as close to flying as you can get without mechanical help. But it's not just fun for the rider. Some horses truly love jumping, and it can be used either as a fabulous reward at the end of a gruelling session of voltes and concentrated lateral work, or as just something you add to your training regime now and then to keep your horse's mind fresh!
In level 3 we're not asking for power and height. At first all we want to see is:
13. Trot poles to a small jump showing good position and mane or crest release.
and
14. Jump a small (18”) cross-rail course of 2 jumps and 1 or 2 sets of poles.
Next post, I'll take a look at these requirements in more detail. In the meantime, if you want more jumping practice, consider signing up for some of our Friday clinics this summer. In Prix Fiore and Working Equitation we will teach you how to jump with a sword in your hand, and our Cross Country clinic will give you a taste of the open field and natural obstacles.
Horse Day
This Saturday is Horse Day in Canada! Come and join us at Red Colt for a full day of workshops, games and classes.
Intro to Mounted Combat: 10am - 1pm
Mounted Combat Playday: 1pm - 4pm
Beginner Riding & Horsemanship: 4pm - 6pm
Riding & Horsemanship Level 2: 4pm - 6pm
Horsemanship Level 4: 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Riding Level 3+: 6pm - 7pm
Spectators are welcome for the playday, and volunteers greatly appreciated!
Upcoming Classes
Intro to Mounted Combat
Here’s the place to get started in the Mounted Combat Program, whether you’re an experienced swordsman new to horses, a proficient rider new to swordplay, or a complete beginner!
Saturday 6 June, 10am – 1pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
$149 + gst
An opportunity to put your skills to work. Come out for friendly practice and competition with mounted games, combat and archery. Assistants on the ground are needed for these sessions. If you are unable to participate as a rider, come out and be a squire for us to earn credits for future playdays. Spectators welcome!
Saturday 6 June 1pm – 4pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
$15 + $15 for use of school horse
Prerequisites:
Mounted Games: Riding Level 1
Mounted Sparring: Green Spur
Horseback Archery: Beginner Horseback Archery + Riding Level 1
Beginner Riding & Horsemanship
This six-class course is designed to help the beginning rider achieve Horsemanship and Riding Level 1.
Prerequisites: None!
Saturdays 6 June – 11 July, 4:00 – 6:00pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
$300 + gst
Level 2 Riding & Horsemanship
This six-class course is designed to help the riders achieve Horsemanship and Riding Level 2.
Saturdays 6 June – 11 July, 4:00 – 6:00pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
$300 + gst
Prerequisites: Riding and Horsemanship Level 1
Horsemanship Level 4
This 6-week course will cover the material necessary for Horsemanship 4 in both lecture and practical session.
Saturdays 6 June – 11 July, 4:30 – 5:30pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
$130 + gst
Riding Level 3+
A six-class series for riders working on Level 3 and up. Group lessons consist of up to four riders. Additional time slots are added as needed, and riders grouped by level as much as possible. Riders are expected to arrive at least half an hour before class and have their horses groomed, tacked up, and partially warmed up before the lesson starts.
Saturdays 6 June – 11 July, 6:00 – 7:00pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
$200 + gst
Prerequisites: Riding level 2 or permission from instructor.
Cavaliere Assessments
Sunday 5 July, 1:30 – 4:30pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
$50 for partial assessment (Horsemanship, Riding OR Mounted Combat)
$80 for full assessment (2 or 3 of the above elements)
Beginner Horseback Archery
tentative date: Sunday 26 July, 10am – 1pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
$149 +gst
Intermediate Horseback Archery
tentative date: Sunday 26 July, 2pm – 5pm
Red Colt Equestrian Farm Co-op, 12320 No 2 Road, Richmond
$75 + gst
Prerequisites: Beginner Horseback Archery + Riding Level 1
Jennifer Landels heads up Academie Duello's Cavaliere Program. She has been swordfighting since 2008, and riding since before she could walk. She started the program as an excuse to combine those passions. Read more from Jennifer Landels.