Dirk puts Sam and Jaybee Calypso put their paces
16 year old Sam Jeffree riding jaybee Calypso was the youngest participant at the Dirk Schrade Masterclass at Equitana but he came in for a lot of praise from the German gold medallist
“I only met Sam yesterday” said Dirk as Sam started the first jumping exercise “But to me this already looks very nice. I like the way he canters around in a light seat, I love to see that because it makes it very easy for the horse to travel and he does it in an economical manner for the rider as well. He basically makes the back of the horse very empty so it’s easy for the horse to travel and this is what riding cross country is all about”
However there were a few small changes that Dirk would like to make to Sam’s position
“He could have a little bit shorter stirrups and I’ve started to realise that here in Australia many people like to ride with short stirrups. But, especially on cross country I find it easier to ride with shorter stirrups because once you are used to it you have a much better balance and are much lighter as a rider. Sam also has very good eyes over the jump looking to where he wants to go”
“But when he wants to open the canter he pushes with his body. Pushing with your body puts your horse out of balance; instead you need the horse to canter away from your leg”
“Another thing I would love is for Sam to have a little longer rein. Every time you go cross country things happen which will put your balance out. If a horse stumbles, which can happen any time, if you are in front with a short rein your chance of falling is higher than if you stayed further back with a longer rein and stayed a little behind the horse”
We caught up with Sam to find what he took away from training with Dirk and how the opportunity to ride in the clinic came about
Sam Jeffree
