One for all

When you’re short on time and space, the last thing you want to be doing is resetting fences in your arena before you ride. That’s when all-in-one exercises come in handy, because you can leave them up all day – or for several days – and every horse and rider who tries them will benefit, whether they’re learning to put courses together or preparing for a five-star.

Setting up

You’ll need four sets of poles and wings, which you’ll use as small uprights on each quarter of a large circle. This exercise is all about rideability, so the size of the fences should be well within your comfort zone to allow you to focus your attention on how you ride between them. Once you’ve perfected it, you can then build them up for an additional challenge.

Step one

Before you even think about leaving the ground, your horse must have a basic level of manoeuvrability. The whole point of the exercises in this set-up is improving rideability, so we’re not looking for perfection from your warm-up, but you must be able to steer in each direction and your horse must move off your leg and come back easily when you ask him. So, use plenty of transitions in your warm-up, as well as changes of rein.

To start using the fences, pick up working trot and ride on a circle outside the jumps. Then, ride 15m circles to the inside around each individual jump. Repeat on the other rein.

Increase the challenge by beginning on a smaller circle inside the jumps and changing both the bend and your diagonal in order to ride 15m circles around each fence.

Once you’ve mastered that in trot on each rein, move into canter. This time, you’ll only ride the first version of the exercise, turning to the inside to circle each fence.

Make sure you sit tall and look where you’re going, as this will subtly shift your weight in the saddle and help guide your horse. A still and stable outside rein will stop your horse from falling in on the turns, while your outside leg pushes his body around your inside leg, which will sit firmly at the girth.

Top tip

If your horse is keen and lands cantering from a trot fence, that’s okay – use the smaller circle to get him back to trot, even if you need to ride it a few times.

Creating collection

When riding small, balanced circles – especially when jumping is involved – you’ll need to have a shorter-strided canter that’s active, energetic and engaged.

To create this, first establish the energy. Canter around your school in a light seat to allow your horse to move forward freely, before sitting deeper and engaging your core to encourage him to shift his weight onto his back end. Your leg should still be encouraging him forward into your hand, but without any kicking or pulling.

Practise the transition between the two canters by moving back and forth between a contained, engaged core with a steady contact and a more open, active hip motion with a forward hand. The more you ride that transition, the clearer, cleaner and easier it’ll become. Ultimately, you want it to feel it’s coming from a change in your seat and core, rather than from your hand.

Our expert: Susie Berry has represented Ireland in the European and World Championships, and was in the Irish team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Discover more of Susie’s jumping tips in February Horse&Rider – out now!