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: Do you teach students to find distances by counting the number of strides from a jump, counting the rhythm of the canter, or by not counting at all?
Here are their answers:
“When I was taught to jump a pole on the ground in 1960, I was taught to count 1, 2, 3, jump. I remember jumping crossrails; it always seemed to be 1, 2, 3, and jump. As I progressed and jumped my first vertical, I started learning to slow the horse down or lengthen the horse’s stride so I counted 1, 2, 3, jump and the jump came up in rhythm. Then something cool happened, I was taught to stay out (or I finally found my outside rein in both directions) to get a straight line to the jump. My counting turned into 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and the jump.
I started being able to feel the canter and relate it to the jump!
I now teach a continuous count from the start of the straight line from the corner to the jump.
That progressed for me from starting young horses to riding national hunters to grand prix horses. And having just returned from the World Cup in Basel, Switzerland, one witnesses counting being used in many ways around the ends of the ring relating to impulsion and staying under the time allowed.” -Diane Carney
Read more from Diane and listen to her on The Plaidcast here.
“I 100% teach all my clients to count–I think it’s one of the most important things for people to do so they develop a rhythm and know where they are at all times!! For sure #1 on my list of most important things to teach and make sure they do all the time!” –Dana Hart-Callanan
Read more from Dana here.
“The answer (as it often is with riding) is ‘it depends.’ For a student who tends towards inaction or a ‘passenger’ rider, counting the strides to the jump can help encourage them to take a more active role. For a rider who tends to pick at the horse or be a “micromanager,” counting the rhythm of the canter can help prevent them from changing the canter multiple times on the way to the fence.
For a rider who is fearful or timid, I might take the approach of having them sing–recite the alphabet, etc.–until they feel more confident, and then work on improving their eye and counting strides later, once they are more comfortable.” -Allyson Hartenburg
Read more from Allyson here.
“I usually have my students learn to count strides to a jump with their rhythm. In the hunters and equitation, and sometimes in the jumpers, we want to go off of a number, but if they don’t start with a good rhythmic canter, then the numbers don’t matter. Rhythm first!” -Cara Wheeler
Read more from Cara here.
