Tim Stockdale – Chapter 7, Why a horse rushes, training a youngster not to rush and landing on the correct leads

Slow down!

Tim sets up five poles 3.5m apart. “Work on cantering through the five ground poles over a few days, until your horse is relaxed and soft in the contact. Then you can think about making the last pole into an upright.”

On the turn

The ability to ride good corners and sharp turns is paramount, especially when jumping in a tight arena or against the clock.

‘A‘ turn – This is used for simple turns, and involves bending the hrose around the inside leg, which helps maintain balance, rhythm and engagement behind.

‘B‘ turn – This is a straighter, tighter turn, and involves using the outside leg and outside rein (as in neck reining) to turn.

Leading the Way

Whenever you change direction after a fence, it’s important that your horse lands on the correct leading leg to enable him to make a nice, balanced turn. It effectively means changing leg in mid-air over the jump.