Mental checklist for navigating the show jumping course with horses
Question: Since last autumn, I have started participating in hunter classes.
In show jumping classes, I sometimes have trouble with rhythm and distance when approaching the jump.
Is there a kind of checklist that I can mentally review while going through the course?
Answer: Putting together a jumping course may seem complicated and confusing.
However, if you break it down into a few simple and memorable principles, you can analyze how the course is ridden and what you need to do for a good performance.
The following steps will help you both plan and find solutions in case of problems.
However, before jumping a course, it is important to first assess your physical condition and skills to ensure you are ready to tackle jumping courses.
These basic principles allow you to have a positive effect on your horse and help it perform its job over each jump.
Ask yourself these questions: Can you keep your heels down over each jump and maintain a stable foot position?
Do you ride along with the horse every time you jump and grab the horse's mane if needed?
Can you return to the correct position between jumps to guide the horse and adjust its rhythm?
Can you get the horse to the center of the jumps?
Can you adjust the horse's rhythm to slow down or speed up whenever necessary?
If you have weaknesses in any of these skills, spend some time solidifying them.
The first three can be improved with plenty of practice in a two-point position and also without stirrups.
The last two can also be improved by working on ground poles or riding as if you are jumping; that is, going through a line between standards, with or without ground poles, to practice adjusting the horse's stride and your line without extra difficulty in jumping.
Working with a qualified instructor also helps a lot.
Once these aspects are settled, take time before your next jumping course to familiarize yourself with its nuances and set a detailed, step-by-step plan for how to ride it.
Consider what kind of questions will be asked of you and your horse and how your horse will respond to them.
You should not only learn and memorize the line but also understand how your horse will behave on that jumping course that day.
First, where are all the jumps located in the arena?
In what direction are they jumped?
Some jumps have a different feel and type of ride due to their placement in the arena.
For example, a jump at the end of the arena may cause your horse to lose its forward momentum because it is far from the entrance and other horses; therefore, it may need more support from your leg.
Regarding jumps that are at the end of the course and heading towards the entrance, you may need to keep the horse's stride shorter as it approaches "home."
When you set your plan, remember that everything you do affects your next movement.
The way you ride the corner after the starting circle directly impacts how you jump the first jump of a line.
Your jump into a line affects the second jump of that line.
Your turn after exiting a line affects the second half of that turn, which in turn affects your next jump, and so on.
Pay attention to every step; in this way, the competition course becomes smaller and transforms into simpler sections for management that together form a smooth round.
When you enter the course, keep these points in mind: 1.
Keep the horse straight.
Straight means that the horse's croup moves on the same line as its front legs; whether it is in a straight line or bending around a corner.
If the horse is crooked, not only does your line of movement become messy, but you also lose the adjustability you need for each obstacle.
Imagine you are holding a spring.
If you gather the loops of the spring straight, you can compress it completely.
But if this is not done straight, the spring bulges to one side or pops out of your hand.
It's the same with the horse.
Keep the horse between your leg and hand; that is, create the driving force from behind with your leg while simultaneously controlling and directing this energy with your hands.
In this way, you can "guide" the horse towards the obstacles.
This reduces the risk of escaping the obstacle and also helps you adjust the horse for shorter or longer distances by collecting or releasing its step as needed.
2.
Use the ends of the arena.
Corners are the places to regroup.
A correct turn is one that gives you the most space to regain the horse's balance after a jump while allowing you to proceed smoothly towards the next obstacle.
An incorrect turn is when you either turn too late and pass the line, or turn too early and cut the corner.
If you pass the appropriate turning point, you will have to zigzag to correct your path towards the obstacle to straighten out.
Cutting the turn also causes you to approach the obstacle at an angle and forces you to move outward to correct.
The result is that you lose distances because neither you nor your horse will have enough time to accurately assess the take-off point.
This issue can also disrupt the horse's balance and make it more difficult to adjust its step in front of the obstacle.
I like to take turns square; that is, 90-degree angles that are slightly rounded, to ensure I have the straightest approach line for each line.
This gives you more time after each line to adjust the counter hand change and timely correct the horse's rhythm for the next obstacle.
To take the turn square, stay close to the rail while finding the center of the next obstacle.
Start the turn one or two steps before you align with the center of the obstacle.
You need a little practice to achieve the right timing.
Don't rush to reach: you should turn as late as possible and then straighten the horse on the obstacle's path with the outside leg and indirect outside rein.
To practice proper cornering at home, I place buckets or cones in the corners of the arena to create a "corridor" towards the obstacle.
Place two cones; one for inside the turn and one for outside the turn, of course, if the obstacles are away from the rail.
These should be placed at the width of the obstacle bases and about 10 to 15 feet before the end of the arena, in the approach path to the obstacle.
This keeps the path open enough while ensuring that your turn towards the obstacle does not become too wide.
Keep in mind that if you make the turn too sharp, your horse may lose its driving force.
I call this state "pausing" in the corners.
The tighter the curve of the path, the more you need to use your lower leg to maintain the rhythm and balance of the horse and to approach the obstacle correctly.
3.
Do not forget the line and rhythm.
Every distance you take, whether good or bad, is a direct result of the rhythm you maintain — both speed and stride length — as well as the path you choose to reach the obstacle.
When you are not satisfied with the distance you have taken, think about which of these two factors was flawed.
The next time you approach the obstacle, change only that one factor; not both.
Change only one variable at a time, otherwise the correct distance will still not work out.
4.
Avoid excess in rhythm.
When you allow your horse to approach the obstacle with a rhythm that is either too fast or too slow, you eliminate the possibility of adjustment.
If the rhythm is too high, you are already at the end of the stride's capacity for any type of adjustment; there is no room left to lengthen the stride, and it is too late to shorten it.
If your horse is too fast, you are likely eliminating one stride on the way to the obstacle or jumping from a distance that is too far or arriving at a distance that is too close.
When you approach the obstacle with a rhythm that is too slow, lazy, and lacking driving force, you do not have enough horse under you to guide it to a larger distance.
On the other hand, if you need to wait to reach a calmer distance, your horse does not have enough driving force to collect on its hindquarters and shorten its stride while maintaining a balanced counter.
The result is often a broken arrival at the distance — or worse — refusal.
Even if the horse clears the obstacle, its takeoff feels weak, and you are more prone to "single-leg" distances; that is, where the horse hesitates at the takeoff point and launches all four legs simultaneously over the obstacle.
You will also notice that you add strides on the way to each obstacle.
5.
When in doubt, move forward.
Moving forward helps you manage sticky and difficult moments with greater confidence.
To do this, press your lower legs to increase the driving force and rhythm.
When you have the right speed and driving force, it is much harder for the horse to evade or pull back from the obstacle.
If you do not get the desired result, add a cheer or give a light tap with the whip on the back of your lower leg to get it going.
At the same time, maintain a light contact on the reins to prevent the horse from overextending its stride or becoming stretched and losing balance.
Places where you may need to send the horse forward are away from the entrance of the arena, in a shady corner, or on the way to an obstacle that appears frightening to the horse.
Of course, sending it forward does not mean rushing the horse towards the obstacles.
6.
Set only one goal at a time.
Successfully completing a course requires a lot of coordination and careful attention to detail.
There are many points to think about, and it is important to address each one in turn.
Every time you enter the arena to jump a course, set a specific goal for yourself.
For example, if you have trouble getting the horse directly to the jumps, make this your sole focus in the next round.
Or perhaps your horse speeds up when jumping towards the entrance gate of the arena; in this case, make maintaining a steady rhythm the main focus of your work.
Every jump is a foundation for the next round.
Small goals help you see progress and build the necessary infrastructure for better riding.
When you can simplify your work in the arena, your confidence — and your horse's confidence — soars.
Trey Young trains horses at his stable, Clover LLC, in Leesburg, Virginia, and teaches riders at all levels.
His specialty is bridging the gap between local Virginia competitions and USEF-rated events.
Trey grew up competing in equitation and hunters in New Jersey and then worked for several years with dressage trainers, including Landon Gray.
After graduating with a degree in business management from Syracuse University, he went to Germany, where he trained and competed in show jumping, and then returned to the U.S. to establish his stable.
He is an "R" judge with USEF and a certified USHJA trainer.
Source: Practical Horseman – Training