💪 First week of the year? You know what time it is: Hell Week!
We began this annual tradition thanks to the guidance of Jimmy Wofford, who can’t be here with us this week but whose exercises we refer to time and time again.
In these videos we’re using exercises from Jimmy’s Gymnastics for Horses book. The footwork and jumping exercises are useful foundational practice for young and experienced horses (this is my young mare, Jaguar Duende) while we get to work on our balance and position.
Balance matters for obvious reasons, but a big reason I emphasize balance and position so much is that this stability creates confidence. Putting a hand behind the back is the beginning of independence when jumping. You do your part, your horse does their part — the better balanced you are, the better your horse goes, the more you believe in each other. Moving the hand then to your chest, to the top of your head, up in the air, etc. improves your ability to keep your center of gravity while jumping.
More coming from Hell Week — stay tuned!
Posted by Sharon White on Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Each year we look forward to video missives coming out of Sharon White’s Last Frontier Farm. “Hell Week” is a tradition coined by Jim Wofford, a longtime coach and mentor to Sharon, and it’s always certain to yield a few interesting takes on popular exercises.
If you can’t view the video above, click here to watch it on Facebook.
Here’s what Sharon had to say about this exercise, which features several gymnastic exercises from Jimmy’s books (here’s one you can add to your bookshelf):
“In these videos we’re using exercises from Jimmy’s Gymnastics for Horses book. The footwork and jumping exercises are useful foundational practice for young and experienced horses (this is my young mare, Jaguar Duende) while we get to work on our balance and position.
Balance matters for obvious reasons, but a big reason I emphasize balance and position so much is that this stability creates confidence. Putting a hand behind the back is the beginning of independence when jumping. You do your part, your horse does their part — the better balanced you are, the better your horse goes, the more you believe in each other. Moving the hand then to your chest, to the top of your head, up in the air, etc. improves your ability to keep your center of gravity while jumping.”
Read more about Hell Week:
Three Exercises for a Stronger Position from Sharon White’s ‘Hell Week’
