Francis Whittington Clinic – Cross Country at Longwood

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The one thing that struck me about the cross-country schooling day of the Francis Whittington Clinic at Longwood was how laid-back it all was, and yet everything ran to time and all the riders achieved what they had wanted to, and sometimes more; Francis stayed relaxed all day, and in turn expected the riders, and in turn, their horses, to do the same. Each group, no matter which level, did basically the same exercises, and then added on a bit more depending on their experience. Lots of walking up and down steps, and over ditches, keeping the horse relaxed, quiet and calm and letting him work the question out for himself and figure out how to use his feet. 
Some of Francis’ students out on course, and look out for a cameo by David O’Connor on the ATV selecting fences for the PRO Derby X in Wellington the next day

 
Francis stressed again that in schooling the rein can often be a little longer than in competition, and to take the hands wide if approaching a problem where your horse is backing off or wiggling a bit. The rein length is not to control, but to support when necessary, you want to maintain a light contact with the rein while still having a nice feel of the mouth; try and train yourself and your horse to react more to the body as control. 
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Francis didn’t focus too much on particular rider’s position unless they specifically asked him to, but was more worried about balance,softness and relaxation, and interestingly told a couple of riders to actually not jam their heels down so much. As he pointed out, “We’re trying to train you to do less, but to achieve more, and it’s often harder to adapt to do less.” Putting together little courses, if horses became strong or excited they were asked to walk over small logs before continuing, and in his typical easy-going style, Francis let riders pick their own lines, “If something gets in your way and you feel like jumping it, then go ahead!” Riders chose how much they wanted to do with their horses – one rider moving up asked if she should attempt a particular problem, and Francis shrugged and told her now was as good a time as any, because if something went wrong they could fix it.
 Light-hearted with a cheeky sense of humour, (Catching one rider who had asked about her position and he’d made a couple of changes to her lower leg slipping back into old habits while standing listening on her horse, he chided her laughing, “What you’re doing now  – really naughty, see?” and made everyone giggle) he made everyone feel as if they could face any problem with their horse by simply applying his basic principles – consolidation and repetition, keep building solid foundations one level at a time, and then if something does go wrong, ask yourself why, and move back down a level.  The problems, he told them, are basically the same whatever the level, they still stem from rhythm, balance, control, it’s just the symptoms that change once you begin to progress up the grades. 
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Florida Gator!
A huge thank you to Francis for teaching the clinic in the sun and the rain, and especially to Joe and Betsy Watkins at Longwood Farm South for hosting us at their fabulous facility, check out their website, and their facebook page for more information on boarding or competitions if you’re lucky enough to be nearby. 
Wishing Francis a successful Spring season, and looking forward to hopefully
reporting on a brilliant Badminton for him. Go Cross Country, and Go Eventing! 
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