JUMPING l SOFT HANDS
A teenager who struggles to soften her hands when jumping receives some timely advice from her showjumping coach PippaAllen
PART THREE
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INTERNATIONAL SHOWJUMPER PIPPA Allen buys a few ponies each year to produce and sell on. “The aim is that they are trained in such a way that a child can get on and they know the job,” says Pippa, who purchased the Connemara Trish, who is being used for today’s lesson, as a foal in Ireland. Trish is being piloted by Izzy Lynan, who has been honing her grooming and riding skills at Pippa’s Leeds yard for the last 18 months.
“I’m teaching Izzy how to produce a young pony. Izzy backed Trish and she’s done a lot of work with her, but the mare is still green to jump,” Pippa explains. “Izzy also has a habit of riding a lot with her hands rather than her legs. In fact, she’s too ‘hooky’ and that’s something we’ve been working on improving, and we’re going to revisit it today.
“Trish is a sensitive pony, but that comes from her greenness and I think she’ll go on to make a nice working hunter or just a general all-rounder as she has a good temperament.”
As Izzy warms up Trish, Pippa points out that her reins are both too long to slow her mount, and also that she is holding her hands too high.
Once the pair has finished their warm up and has trotted over a few poles, Pippa tells Izzy to jump a couple of small fences.
“That was good and the stride was there, but you were pulling, pulling, pulling on those reins,” says Pippa. “You just need to sto
