"I Am Looking For Imperfection"
The Lucinda Green Clinic

by Sophie Vertigan

"I am looking for imperfection," Lucinda said.  "At last," I thought, "This I can do."

I bought my grey thoroughbred mare 1½ years ago.  We are at the pre-training level and I plan to move up this season.  Like most riders, I am constantly struggling to improve and get it 'right'. Often that search for perfection leads to frustration. (In the world of competition, my core reason for riding gets lost, that reason being, FUN.)

Lucinda Green - all bundled up, and disgusted by our weather, explains her safe riding techniques to the Training group

This is where Lucinda comes in. "I am looking for imperfection," she said, and my black cloud began to lift.

It was a 2-day clinic, 2 hours each day. The first day, stadium work, the second day, over cross-country jumps.

Lucinda gathered us around and proceeded to explain what our job is and what our horse's job is. Our job is to wrap our legs around our horses like saran wrap and when you get to the jump squeeze like your squeezing a pip out of a lemon. With that you also control the Engine Line Balance. THAT'S IT!  You DO NOT pick the spot. That is the Horse's job.  I think some control freaks struggled here.  It was easy for me because I have never learned how to pick the spot.  Ignorance is Bliss.  The basis for this reasoning is that the horse must learn to organize his/her feet so they can get out of a bad situation if you happen to get into one.  If you always control the selection of the take off spot, they will always expect you to choose the spot, leaving you with no help should you get into trouble.  A very dangerous Paradox. 

So we proceeded, with Arrowheads, Skinnys (or really skinnys!) and Angles.  All to work on riding with accuracy but the aim was to get over or though a jump, being pretty didn't count, just to get the job done.  Height was not a concern, all the jumps were small, 2'9" and under.  It was a truly technical experience in which you could not be half asleep; you had to be 100% there. (As I discovered).  To finish up day 1, Lucinda set up a triple bar oxer and a large vertical on opposite long sides of the arena and told us to gallop at an even, rhythmical pace that didn't vary in the corners or, more importantly, before the jump.  Upon my turn, I went into a nice gallop, immediately I heard Lucinda say "Faster" (A woman after my own heart). So faster we went.  As Maddy, my mare, picked her spots over the jumps and I maintained an even contact with her it all seemed to flow so beautifully.  I was grinning and laughing like a crazed woman.  It's a great exercise, amazing really, if you watch someone else ride the exercise and close your eyes and listen, you can actually hear even the slightest change in rhythm.

And so we moved our Engine Line Balanced, Saran wrapped, Pip popping selves on to day 2.

We began with an exercise for coffins in which the horse needs to be 'cat like' in its stride into those jumps and ready for anything.  Again a simple idea, walking up to and jumping small boxes which the horses could not see the other side of.  Then we moved on to drops, ditches and water.

Exercises performed at the walk were designed to test rider control, horse athletics, and helped bring out some of those odd situations - like a big bold leap from Arthur's Corey....

...or a little pop as demonstrated perfectly by Waylon Roberts.

Never Get Ahead of Your Horse, Better to be Behind.

My big flaw rose its ugly head with this exercise. A 2-stride combination going downhill to a drop, to a skinny, then 4 strides with a 45-degree turn to another combination.  I, like so many others, tend to anticipate and jump the fence for the horse, hence throwing her off balance and bringing on refusals, which reiterates the vicious circle.  Lucinda told me to go again and sit way back in the driver's seat; it is OK to be left behind.  So I did, I sat up, Saran wrapped and sat back and waited.  And, I was the driver, not the hopeful passenger.  As I finished the last jump, I burst out laughing and cried, "Now that's riding", with equal glee Lucinda agreed, "You're right".  I used that exercise as a reference point throughout the day, over ditches, through water, down drops and over Training sized jumps and it was truly successful. 

Right now Maddy is getting some well deserved R&R, but Training level is calling, and I am coming, sitting back in my driver's seat, Saran wrapped to my horse. I now have the means.

It was a true pleasure to ride with someone who I had idolized for years.  She is virtually Royalty in England.  She displays incredible verve, drive, honesty and enthusiasm.  I felt she enjoyed everyone's successes as much as we did and I believe every rider in every group had significant success.

Lucinda explains to the Prelim group that xc riders - and more importantly their horses - have to be able to cope with anything from really bad spots to really strange bascules just in case.

I would like to make a comment here though preachy it may seem.  Here in Ontario we have access to an incredible array of talented clinicians from around the world, at reasonable prices or even free to audit at some clinics.  I have attended Lucinda Green, Pat Burgess and Mary Wanless clinics and have received incredible input.  Sometimes it's an intricate change, sometimes a huge one, all have contributed enormously to my skill level and enjoyment of riding.  And yet not many people attend these clinics to ride or watch.  Many people, around the world, would die for an opportunity to ride with the afore mentioned clinicians.  So, in closing I would like to ask only one thing.  Try not to take our good fortune for granted; make the most of it so that we can maintain it.  New input and different perspectives are always good.  Learning and making even the smallest change can have large effects now matter what your riding style.  Don't be afraid of new ideas and change, stir the pot once in a while, and see what it brings.

On behalf of myself, and all the other riders, I would like to thank all those involved in the organization of the clinic.

After all the precision work, the group ended with a big, free gallop over some larger oxers. The idea was to leave the horse completely alone to find the perfect stride. The result was a beautifully natural, but big jump as shown here by Ian Roberts.

Waylon Roberts demonstrates another beautifully big jump from a forward galloping stride.