Bring your A game

Having a horse who’s quick on his feet and adjustable within his paces is a crucial part of showjumping success. While a quality canter is important, if you want to jump quick, clear rounds, you’ll need to ensure your horse has a clean technique and can react quickly to your aids. 

With this exercise, your horse will become stronger through his hindquarters and develop a good awareness of his surroundings, so why not give it a go and see the benefits for yourself?

One for all

This exercise is great for any horse because it’s mentally and physically stimulating. If your horse is laid back, it will naturally encourage him to be more active because he will have to work to make the distance. Equally, it can also help a horse who rushes because the poles on the ground between the fences will make him back off and think carefully about what he has to do and where he has to put his feet. 

Set it up

You’ll need eight 3m poles and four pairs of wings for this exercise. In the middle of your arena, create an X with four poles and then place the wings at the corners to create a box around the X. Make sure the distance between the middle of the X and each outside pole is approximately 3m. If your horse has a particularly large stride, you can increase the distance slightly (to no more than 3.7m) to allow for this. 

Did you know?

Riding over raised poles or the point where two or more poles meet is brilliant for improving your horse’s proprioception (the awareness of the position and movement of the body), which will go a long way towards refining his jump technique.

Top tip

If your horse doesn’t have much jumping experience or he’s just coming back into work following a break, work on this over a few sessions to build his confidence. 

Raise the bar

This exercise can be a little spooky for horses who aren’t familiar with polework because there’s quite a lot going on in a small space, but whether or not that’s the case for you, it’s important to work your way up through the levels gradually. By doing this, you’ll be offering your horse the best chance to understand the task and, therefore, work through it carefully, correctly and confidently.

Move onto the next step only when your horse is working confidently through the level you’re on. 

1. Leave all the poles on the ground and ride through in all directions in walk and trot.
2. Progress to cantering through the poles when your horse is trotting over them without hesitation.
3. Raise one side of each pole. Doing this at opposite ends on parallel poles will help prevent drifting and encourage straightness.
4. Turn the raised poles into small uprights, making sure you ride through in both directions and approach on each rein to work your horse evenly. 

Top tip

This exercise isn’t about jumping big fences –  you want your horse to really use his body to navigate cleanly through the poles, so keep the height low, to a maximum of 50cm.  

Did you know?  

You can ride through this layout in a figure-of-eight pattern or as part of a large circle. 

Rider top tips

You might find the distances are slightly off at first while you walk and trot through the poles, but try not to let this faze you – the poles are set to a comfortable canter stride, so shouldn’t be a problem when you get to step 2. 

Encourage your horse to figure out where he’s putting his feet for himself by allowing with your hand slightly (so he can see where he’s going) and focusing on keeping a consistent rhythm in the pace. 

Some horses will try to jump over the point where the poles meet to keep themselves out of trouble, and if that’s the case for your horse, maintain soft hands and keep approaching quietly. It might take a few goes for him to understand the question and stop jumping the poles, and that’s okay, but just make sure you reward him when he does so.

Once you’ve channelled your horse on a straight approach in canter, pick up a light seat while keeping your upper body tall and leg on so your horse can move freely underneath you. 

The poles will do a large proportion of the work for you in terms of keeping your rhythm, but you do need to be there to support your horse by allowing him to use his body correctly.

Fast paced

If your horse is really rushing away from the second fence, ask for a downward transition to trot two strides after, then pick up canter before coming back to trot and approaching the layout again. Keeping him focused on you and what you’re asking of him will help prevent him from picking up the pace throughout the layout.

Remember, it’s better to keep your leg on with a horse who’s forward. If you take your leg off, then apply it, he’ll get a shock and will be more likely to tense up and go faster. 

In relation

Maintaining a positive, rhythmic canter in your showjumping round is one thing, but being able to adjust it is another – and something just as important to your success. There will be multiple fences on a course that are set at a related distance – sometimes after a double or treble – so being able to ask your horse to change the length of his stride seamlessly is something to work on in your training sessions. 

Adding in a small upright or oxer six strides (25–26m) away from the layout is a great way to get some practice in. Have a go at changing the number of strides between the exercise and your single fence – start by aiming for six, then try shortening to add in an extra one. 

I think it’s so important to teach your horse that if your body comes up after a fence, it means he has to come back to you because, when the fences get bigger, you’re much better off adding in another stride, rather than opening up to a bigger canter and risking a flatter jump and pole down. 

When asking for a shorter, bouncier canter, think about sitting deeper into the saddle, pushing your weight down and using your core to keep your body tall while keeping your leg on to maintain your rhythm – you don’t want the tempo of your canter to change, just the length of each stride. 

If you’re struggling to get seven strides in between the fences, think about your approach to the main part of the exercise. Ask for a more collected canter before making your turn and try to get your horse to land as close to the second fence as you can. 

Enjoy the process

Whether your goal is to jump a Newcomers or just take part in a showjumping competition for the first time, this exercise will be a great tool in your training box. Fun and effective exercises, such as this, will help improve your skills so you can continue to work towards your goals while enjoying yourself along the way.  

Our expert: Yazmin Pinchen-McCulloch has competed for Great Britain since she was 13 years old. In her senior career, she’s been based with Michael Whitaker and the Philappaert family in Belgium, and has competed on the Global Champions Tour circuit.