Saturday, April 9, 2011

Bareback puissance!

Pretty wild, huh? New Zealander Vicki Wilson jumping Showtym Girl, her 15.1H mare.


12 comments:

  1. Wow is all I can say. It is amazing to see such a great rider doing this. I wish that I could canter bareback as well as her.

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  2. Love it....

    "Back in the day," I used to jump bareback myself. My horse had such a smooth jump it was easy to go with him. I didn't quite reach puissance heights, but I was up at 3'6". (Of course, I was a LOT younger then. *lol*)

    At the big area horse show they used to have a "Grooms Bareback Jumpng" class at the end of competition. My friend took my horse in it and at the end she and one other rider were still jumping for first place with the fences getting pretty darn big. Again, my horse was a superstar--even the announcer noted how focused and happy he seemed to be about the jumps. Then after clearing the last fence clean, my friend just kind of slipped off and lost the pot of prize money. She said she just was so exhausted she simply couldn't ride any more. I had been quite a show and the fences had gotten pretty big at that point.

    The Good Old Days!! (When we were young, immortal, and foolish!...so much fun.)

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  3. Wow!!
    I actually forgot she was bareback a few times. I can't even trot bareback, haha.

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  4. just thought i would link you to the Wilson sister's youtube channel. it's really neat to be able to see them training and just having fun at home
    http://www.youtube.com/user/ShowtymHorsesNZ#p/a/u/6/7XZk-3aEGXE

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  5. That looks like so much fun! The horse looks very happy and relaxed. I've felt for a long time that I feel just as secure on a horse bareback as I do with a saddle...if not more if I'm riding in an unfamiliar saddle or one that doesn't fit me right. My worst riding accident happened when I was riding in someone else's western saddle that was too big for me.

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  6. You have to have the absolute right horse to do this kind of thing. Try it on a jaunty horse with an awkward bascule, and I don't care how well you ride it is NOT gonna happen. This is obviously a top notch rider (look at that leg; it doesn't MOVE), but the mare is obviously a class act too. She has a smooth-looking jump to her and really takes care of her rider.

    I used to jump my Friesian x bareback, but only because he is like riding a couch and LOVED jumping. I admit, I didn't go any higher than 3' when doing that b/c I value my neck. ;)

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  7. Wow, it's hard enough to keep a good position in puissance with a saddle on! I always sort of prayed to land in the same state as my horse!

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  8. She's a fab rider, does very well on the show jumping scene in NZ.
    Vicki's sister, Amanda, won Pony of the Year last year on her super little 148cm pinto gelding, Showtym Viking. Then he was reclassified as a hack and took out the 7yr old series (1.30 - 1.40m) at Horse of the Year this year. Pretty versatile!!

    This is the Wilson's website: http://www.showtymhorses.co.nz/pages/home.html

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  9. Vicki really does have an unbelievable bond with this horse.

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  10. What a seat!

    I have a new to blogging question for you - how can I get the Strap One On helmet logo on my blog? My daughter & I are big helmet advocates and would love to have this ad on my blog.

    Thanks!

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  11. I love it!!! What a great horse/rider combination.

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  12. I might give a non-essential organ to be able to ride like that...can anyone say thighs of steel??!

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