Ditch the drama

Whatever the reason for his break, if your horse has had some time away from work, you’ll need to think about bringing him back and raising his fitness levels before you plan for that first jump. For professionals, this is par for the course, but it can be intimidating if it’s not something you do every year. The good news? Regardless of your experience – or confidence level – you can implement a step-by-step plan that will allow you to bring your horse back to working over fences, and all without the drama.

Early days

Before you think about scheduling your horse’s first jumping session, put in the time to methodically build his fitness.

My horses have six weeks off at the end of the season and when I bring them back, I spend the first five days walking before introducing a little trot work. At this stage, they have two or three weeks of gentle hacking – the more hills, the better – increasing the time from, say, 20 minutes towards 45 minutes or an hour.

After that, it’s time to start incorporating some schooling, but still with hacking playing a leading role. The first ride in the school might be 15 minutes of light trot work after a 20-minute hack.

Gradually, the time in the school and the intensity of the work is increased, paying attention to the horse’s recovery rate to ensure everything goes at his pace. There’s no such thing as building up too slowly, but rushing can have a negative impact.

TOP TIP

Incorporate plenty of walk breaks into your work, ideally on a long rein and especially in these early stages. Allowing his brain and body to relax for a moment will keep him sounder and happier in the long run.

Pole power

Polework is one of equestrian sport’s great assets, and when you’re bringing your horse back to full work and jumping, you’ll benefit from the scope of its powers. If your horse is prone to being fresh and spooky, it can be helpful to scatter a few poles around and give him something to focus on, even if you’re only walking over them – and as you prepare him to leave the ground for the first time, they’re even more helpful.

For more ways to build your confidence when reintroducing jumping to your routine, pick up a copy of April Horse&Rider!