The roll-back turn jumping exercise over three angled verticals also presented us with a challenge because compressing and lengthening our canter stride was then coupled with turning. Here, instead of over-doing or hauling the horse through the bending line, John encouraged us to think about "humming" the turns between the fences in order to produce a smoother arc through line, pace, and adjustability.

Cross Country schooling day began with a very novel and valuable lesson in judging speed during the Cross Country phase. With an old manual silver stopwatch in-hand, John had each of us try to approximate novice and, subsequently, training-level cross-country speed over a pre-measured mini-cross country course while factoring in ground conditions, hilly terrain, and a jump or two! Being aware of where time may be lost and gained back while riding cross country emphasized the old adage that, "timing is everything". Sadly the soggy conditions of last summer prevented us from utilizing many of the great fences and water combination on the grounds now maintained by the Bath Pony Club. However, we were able to incorporate schooling ditches, a coffin combination and downhill jumps. Many of these obstacles were Zephyr’s first such encounters which he tackled happily, always a great feeling at the end of the day!

John is an excellent, patient, and enthusiastic teacher with a keen eye for recognizing where communication between horse and rider can be improved both on the flat and while jumping. At the close of a fun and successful clinic, Zephyr and I absorbed many new skills for the future (as mirrored by John’s response in the photo below to Zephyr’s one-tired pony expression). Thank you, John!