Taking back control

There’s nothing more frustrating than your horse dropping a leg and rolling a pole one fence away from the finish, dashing your hopes of that perfect clear round. But even though not everything that happens in the show ring is under your control, it doesn’t mean you can’t improve your chances through some focused training.

Your horse’s technique over a fence can make all the difference when it comes to leaving poles in their cups on a course and, while some horses may naturally bascule and tuck in their legs neatly, others benefit from some fine-tuning at home. Fortunately, there are plenty of handy exercises you can incorporate into your weekly routine to help your horse find his feet and improve his jumping technique.

Exercise 1: Jump start

First, establish a forward canter by using poles. Riding over a line of poles in all three paces is a great warm-up exercise to regulate rhythm and prepare your horse for jumping. Depending on his natural stride, you can shorten it to make his canter snappier, or lengthen it to open him up.

Set it up

Place 3–5 canter poles along the long side of your arena, each 2.7–3m apart. Have an extra pole and a pair of wings to hand, too.

Warm-up routine

1. Start by establishing an active, bouncy canter, while also checking that your horse is listening carefully to you. Ride around the arena to check the basic aids and that his reactions are sharp.
2. Once you’re happy with the quality of canter, introduce the poles. Ride through them a few times on each rein, noting whether you need to build the canter a little more to make the strides or close it slightly. The poles will regulate his rhythm and prepare him to jump.
3. Next, add in either a cross-pole or a low upright in the middle of the poles. This is a great warm-up exercise because the poles will help him maintain rhythm and you can test your eye for a stride, too.

Did you know?

Training on slightly shorter distances than you would expect at a competition can help your horse to collect and lift, encouraging him to become even more scopey and careful.

Find out more exercises in October Horse&Rider to help improve your horse’s jumping technique. Get your copy today!