From the beginning Caroline Bradley was bold and brave and rode in a wonderful balance, so horses dared to stand off with her. But the more she asked them, the more they stood off, until she went through a period when her horses started to stop.
I had been to Germany, watching riders like Nelson Pessoa, Kathy Kusner and Benny O’Meara. These riders were bringing their horses in pretty close to the fences, and the horses turned themselves inside out. I suggested that she could try going down some distances on four strides instead of three, and being Caroline, she picked this up immediately.
Her horses started to jump very well, but I introduced to her the idea that she should not use that method all the time, because the horses would get over familiar with it, and then we would get some hang ups with that. She said to me, ‘Oh you mean I have been practising an old favourite one too many times?’
Yes, that was exactly what I had meant.
My father, Lars Sederholm, has been a trainer of riders and horses in many different spheres of equestrianism for over forty years.
Like his mentor, Henri St. Cyr, he was reluctant to write a book.
‘What is right on Monday is not always right on Tuesday’ is one of his favourite sayings. He finds it difficult to put down on paper something that he feels is a “feel”, a particular feel that belongs to that horse on that day.
What he does have is a very clear philosophy, a ‘red thread’ which he imparted to his pupils – the novice ones to give them a standard to judge by, and a clarification for the more experienced competitors, who returned to him when their riding was not going so well.
It is the red thread that is written here, in order to give some tenets for the rider or trainer to establish the elusive feel we are looking for.
His ability to express himself so clearly in a few words is unique, and much of the material in this book comes from actual conversations that he and I have had. It was his habit to start any lesson with an anecdote or a poignant allusion, so in order to give the reader a taste of what it was like to be taught by him, I have put his words in italics. Then you may take the information and with it what you will.
Paperback.