10/11/2026
Once again Lucinda Green MBE @ Loch Moy Farm.
As always, my extreme respect to Lucinda and utmost appreciation to Carolyn for offering Loch Moy farm as an educational venue.
Green MBE
This recap is just that, a general overview of the theory and exercises presented.
For more in depth theory, attend a clinic. You’ll be glad you did!
Body position - Lucinda’s first rule is that a horse can jump anything as long as the rider is back in the driver’s seat. Note this doesn’t mean behind the motion - it means the rider is plugged in to the saddle and not ahead of the horse. On some horses, even one inch of the rider’s body forward will cause problems. When we put our weight on the horse’s shoulder, the horse may feel he can’t jump both himself and the rider up, causing run-outs, stops, etc.
The bit is a direct line to the horses brain, therefore riders needs to have a bit the horse likes. Lucinda does not generally like 2-ring or 3-ring bits - she finds 9 out of 10 horses dislike them.
The rider’s legs are a direct line to the horse’s eyes, so it’s important to keep the horse between both and use the legs to steer. Create a “tube” with the legs. “Cuddle” the horse with your legs - this is different from a “go” leg or a “come up” leg.
With Lucinda, there is no talk of seeing the spot, it is about riding the horse to the fence and creating a “tube” with your eyes, hands and legs and channeling your horse through the course and over each obstacle.
The big NO - is letting your horse run past a missed obstacle. "If you have a refusal, you can't kick if you have a run out you can't ride"
Trotting vs cantering in to fences: in canter, the horse has 2 hind legs on the ground at once, which means he has more power to stop. Trot breaks up this pattern so only one hind is able to stop at a time, meaning less power. If a horse is “green in brain” and having difficulty with a fence, trot in.
Be prepared to widen your hands and “funnel” the horse between them - also your legs - this forms that infamous “tube.” She also said: “there should be 2/3s of the horse in front of you and 1/3 of him behind you” - always ride forward and tell him where to go - she hated passivity in riders.
Lucinda described the seat as a 3-pronged plug. The saddle is the outlet, and the crotch and two seatbones are the prongs of the plug. All 3 need to be firmly plugged in to the saddle to keep the hind legs moving and maintain the rider’s balance up off the horse’s shoulders.
She hates the use of a crop on the shoulder because it brings the horse’s attention away from what’s ahead of him and back to the rider. If you can’t use your crop behind the saddle, just use your leg. If you’re feeling hesitation (into water for example), kick three times per stride.
The horse needs to see the fence to assess distance and lock on to it, and he can only see at a reasonable distance through the lower half of his eyes, so his head carriage needs to allow this on the approach. He cannot see forward if he is on the bit, nor if his head is too high.
She also explained that “the horse’s head needs to be raised on approach, do not ride him ‘on the bit’ to the fences - they need to see the jump, and they see from the bottoms of their eyes.”
The horse’s near vision is through the upper half of his eyes – which is why he’ll drop his head at the last moment to look into that ditch or the water. In this instance, rider (in glued-in defensive seat, not half-way up horse’s neck, of course) may need to slip the reins before the obstacle, then ‘aeroplane’ the arms to resume contact while pushing him vigorously over the fence. Aeroplaning the arms is quicker than gathering the reins, and the rider’s response must be instantaneous to maintain forward momentum and get the horse over/ into the ‘looky’ obstacle. (Lucinda attributed this tip to observation of Andrew Nicholson.)
One of Lucinda’s tenants is that with the approach to each jump, your horse is either asking a question or making a statement. It is our job to make absolutely sure that the horse has a chance to see the jump and that we are clear that we are asking him or her to jump it.
Straight-line halt on completion of each exercise. Lucinda regards this as the final and essential obstacle in an exercise, teaching the horse to listen and to stay straight for the next jumping exercise.
When learning to fly, there comes a moment when you just have to let go. No one can tell you when that moment will be. It has to be your choice to let go any doubts, fears, or anxiety that dwell in your spirit from a previous experience or that were put there from someone’s words.
I want to thank Carolyn Macintosh of Loch Moy Farm for making this event possible and for continuing to work tirelessly with her wonderful support staff of generous volunteers to provide us with not only a top-notch facility and well-run competitions, but for the variety of educational opportunities.
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