Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect and also probably much more similarity.
This week’s question posed is: How do you prepare a rider to show in an arena that is a different shape than what they’re used to riding in?
Here are their answers:
“We practice at home setting up courses that will be reflective of the types of jumps and the arena size that we will be competing at. If we are going to an indoor show, I will create more of an indoor-style pattern with jumps coming up quickly off the turn and tighter along the rail. Lots of short turns and related distances. I might also try to school indoors somewhere before we compete to get the horses and students acclimated. If we are preparing for a bigger ring, I will set the course with more long lines and unrelated distances to simulate working on a bigger gallop in a big ring. If we are jumping on grass at a show, I will school on grass at home or find a facility to school at to prepare.
Fortunately, I’ve been able to visit lots of venues in my career, so I generally know what types of settings and materials to expect at most show arenas. But if there is a new venue that I’ve not gone to, I try to study videos from that venue and speak with other riders and trainers who have been there to help me with my horses and student’s preparation!” –Michael Tokaruk
Read more from Michael and to listen to him on The Plaidcast here.
“I like to have the rider walk around the ring to see where they should turn to stay on the correct track to the jump and away from the jump. If you happen to ride in the ring in the morning while the course is set, you can also look at all the turns from horseback.” –Keri Kampsen
Read more from Keri and listen to her on The Plaidcast here.
“It’s really uncanny how a differently shaped arena than we are used to can throw us off our A-game. I always remind my riders that corners, and how well you ride them, make or break a course. It helps to keep your eye five strides ahead of where you are, so you can plan for the timing and shape of your turn. Always remind yourself that the tighter the turn (or deeper the corner), the more impulsion you’ll lose coming out of it. So, you have to plan your turn and add your leg accordingly to find your next fence correctly. Practice getting used to how the arena feels during schooling until you’re comfortable.” -Ariel Univer
Read more from Ariel here.
“Most showing arenas are larger than home indoors. My preference, even if a ring is competition size, is to work in 1/3 of the arena and not to use the whole ring very often because this allows the rider to focus on contact. Is the horse thinking forward and listening and responding to the rider’s aides? Can the rider make the horse straight, first in the smaller arenas, to then venture confidently into larger arenas?
Adjustability for horse and rider comes from working at an increased pace, having collection exercises, and then returning to an increased pace. Riders must have confidence that they can manage the horse’s impulsion.
Also, if a rider is going into a large field or arena, be sure the rider has the skill of a subtle pulley rein.
Finally, there is no preparation as good as experience. Find places to gradually move from smaller indoors to outside show facilities. Find a schooling ring to start your ride, and then find progressively larger show rings and still work in corners to introduce the horse to the larger riding space.
Steady progression works best for horses and rider.” –Diane Carney
Read more from Diane and listen to her on The Plaidcast here.
“In this scenario, if the course is walkable, I make sure my students get a feel for the perimeter of the ring from the ground. We will talk about turns, how to line up in the corner, and in general, I find that walking the course before riding it gives them a better feel of the space.
If walking is not an option, we make sure to watch other riders go so I can point out track choices and see how other people ride the corners and shape of the ring.” –Nicole Roach
Read more Trainer Tuesday responses from Nicole here.
