On the last day, the riders put all the pieces they've learned together while jumping a course.
“Right from the first, I want to see a little pace. I don’t like this backwards, restrictive riding we see so much of these days,” Morris said.
Intensive flatwork sessions without stirrups taught the riders about connection, balance and straightness.
“I am constantly aware of bringing the horse under and up. I’m constantly elevating the poll and engaging the hind leg," George Morris said.
The third day of the clinic brings some simple coursework, including the open water jump.
“Unfortunately, our sport doesn’t require correctness on the flat like dressage does. We worry about correctness over the jump but not between the jumps. As I get older, I’m more and more into what happens between the fences because it’s so important,” George Morris said.
The first over-fences sessions focused on gymnastics, the automatic release, and precision.
“It’s much easier to do things sloppy than to do things correct,” George Morris said with impatience. “This country’s the king of sloppy. Sloppy. I don’t like sloppy.”
