Training Tips

Moving Up - January 11, 2009

One question I am frequently asked is how do you know when it's time to move up to the next level?

First, and most important is that you and your horse are doing the cross country at your current level very easily. Schooling the next level and understanding the cross country questions is also necessary.

Ideally, the other two phases should be the same. Doing them easily and schooling the next height and movements so that when you do move up you are not completely out of your comfort zone.

The Flying Change - December 15, 2009

The Flying change is important nearly at all levels. I don't think it's really ever too early to start changes. If you watch horses in a field they do flying changes on their own naturally.

An exercise I use a lot to start changes is to put a pole on the ground. Start by trotting over the pole. Then canter over the pole and try to shorten your horse's canter stride length as you get closer to the pole. The pole will help keep your canter collected. Then add a slight turn as you are cantering the pole to encourage the other lead. A little extra leg on the outside of your horse will help bring through the new lead. Doing this exercise will help your horse understand the command of the flying change.

Jumping Off a Turn - November 30, 2009

Jumping off of a turn is a big part of our sport now - on the cross country phase as well as the show jumping phase of competition. Practicing this is important for us as riders and also for the training of our horses.

A simple exercise to develop this skill follows:

Set up two verticle jumps on a turn. Put them 20 yards apart (the turn can be up to 90 degrees - the sharper the turn, the more advanced the exercise.) Work on jumping the two verticles and staying out wide between the two jumps, yielding away from your inside leg to help this. You should be able to get 5 strides between each verticle. Aim to get "square" to each verticle. This will instill patience on the turn for the rider and also teach you to ride your turn from your leg. Your horse will understand not to "fall in" on his turns and learn to turn from the inside leg to the outside rein.

Seeing a Distance - November 7, 2009

There is a lot of emphasis put into "seeing your distance" when jumping. Having your horse take off for the jump at a "deep" (or close) distance is important for good, safe and confident jumping.

The best way to improve this in your jumping is to work on your horse’s canter. He needs to be "in front of your leg" or have the feeling of taking you forward, but not in a running away canter. If you can produce this feel in whatever jump approach you need i.e. a forward approach or a coffin canter approach, your eye or ability to see your distance will get better.

An exercise that you can easily do at home to improve your eye is to practice lengthening and shortening your horse’s canter without any jumps.

Once you are comfortable with this, put some poles on the ground six to ten strides apart. Practice adding strides by shortening your horse’s stride and lengthening your horse’s stride by cutting out a stride between the poles. These exercises will help improve your horse’s adjustability and your judgment to the jumps.