Kat & Consent making their first debut together at 2020 WEF 6 World
Champion Hunter Spectacular.
to that in their overall scoring. I hope to be consistent to
each jump to win a class. It’s a little thing that can make
the score go up even if you have a great jumping hunter.
When I’m on the long side of the ring I do ask the horse to
go more forward and then when I get to the short side I
collect the stride. I sit into the saddle and have a little more
rein pressure. But I have to make sure I have more leg and
have twice the leg pressure than hand. I don’t want the
horse to think backwards going with too much hand.
It helps me when I’m in the show ring if there is a line that
is forward going or short. I can know how to adjust the
stride to get the correct amount of strides to the jump. If I’m
more forward, I don’t have to add a stride. If the line is
short then that means I need to collect the horse to get less
strides in. The course requires a certain amount of strides
and you’re judged on whether you did that or not.
In both trot and canter, I do a 20 meter circle, spiraling in
and out with the horse being around my inside leg. I incorporate
the leg yielding to the spiral in exercise, with my outside
leg. Then I use my inside leg to spiral out. This teaches
my horses to be able to bend through a tight turn. I use it in
a handy course when you have to do a roll back. This helps
keep the horses in balance and in rhythm. If you just turn
the horse’s head, it could result in a bad jump because you
are not balanced and straight. Again, scores go up if you
prepare your horses to jump well.
At home, USEF Young Horse & Grand Prix Dressage Champion
Jason Canton has been teaching Kat flat work on
her hunters since 2016. He decided Kat should have a
dressage horse and traveled to Holland and found Kat’s
PSG/I-1 champion Dream Girl this past winter. By July 2020,
and after two dressage competitions with scores in the 70s,
including 74% at First Level Three.
Kat was ranked fourth by USEF for the FEI Children’s Dressage
Championship qualifier, qualified for USDF Regional
Championships and earned her USDF bronze medal at
showing first, second & third levels. Kat says, “While some
people think I got my medal in a short time, I have
been riding all my life so it really took more like ten years.
Jason has been teaching me basic dressage for years. He
picked out a super mare for me to show. We are all three
in tune with each other for success.”
My flatwork makes me a better rider with my hunters, AND
my jumping skills make me a very brave dressage rider.
Mainly, the biggest difference is working the horse to be
more collected and uphill in the dressage. The hunters go
more flat but more forward to the jumps. People ask me
all the time how my flatwork helps my hunters, here are a
couple things I’ve learned. Four Key Training Exercises I use.
I go in both trot and canter down the quarter line and leg
yield to the wall or fence line to get the horse off my leg
and make him more responsive to each leg and each
direction. As I’m going to a jump, and if I’m not centered,
I can just leg yield over easily to the middle of the jump.
There are 8-10 jumps in a course. The judges pay attention
www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com 41
Kat & Dream Girl score high point at second level and high
point at third level as a junior against adult amateurs and
professionals with a 71.75% at third at Greater Atlanta
Dressage Southern in Conyers, GA. Photo by Meg McGuire
Talking Kat...
LEG YIELDING
COLLECTING & LENGTHENING
BENDING
Continued...
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