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: Can you train a horse to be a better jumper? If so, how?
Here are their answers:
“Jumping style is hard to train (as it is innate), but sometimes possible to improve. Based on the issue, often style can be improved with fitness, balance, or exercises specific to the issue, such as gymnastics, bouncing, or pole exercises.
The quality of the canter reflects in the quality of the jump; sometimes, that’s a good way to visualize it. Taking it back even a step further, we ask, “Is this horse comfortable, fit, sound, happy?” In our program, we start at the feet and go up from there.” -Traci Brooks
Read more from Traci here.
“In my experience, you can improve a horse’s natural jumping technique—but you cannot change it entirely. Training a horse to jump better is really specific to the individual, but my favorite tools are gymnastics, placing poles and landing rails. These tools can help improve a horse’s timing, technique, and arc.” -Lauren Kardel
Read more from Lauren and listen to her on The Plaidcast here.
“If you look at the top of our sport, both jumpers and hunters, it is easy to identify an exceptional group of highly successful riders. Their credentials stand out from the rest, and I believe it is more than just getting good horses with proper jumping talent. I believe great riders can identify each horse and help them maintain their natural talent, as well as help them jump better and learn the task at hand with confidence and trust.
If you have a horse with a good mind who tries to be a good student, I believe you can help them jump better. My experience in teaching young horses to jump taught me that if you start with the proper flat work, teaching your horse to respond to the bridle, thus your hands, and your leg, you can help them jump better. That, along with the proper exercises, can teach a horse to use a good technique for jumping.
Of course, again, a rider with feel and understanding of each horse will be the ultimate difference in the success of that horse!” -Colleen McQuay
“The short answer is yes… and no.
To improve jump technique, a horse’s ability to be careful, aware, and useage of their body properly, there are a lot of different methods of training I use. Firstly, flat work! The balance and strength needed to be educated over fences happens on the flat. Lateral work, collection, and transitions can help a horse learn to use their hind ends properly off the ground, and be more mindful of their distances as well as their rider’s aids. Once you begin actual over-fences training, for me, it’s a mix of placement poles and grids/gymnastics that can greatly improve a horse’s jump ability.
However, I will say this. Like people, horses are usually either naturally “talented” or not. Talent isn’t something you can necessarily change or create, but work ethic can go equally as far. I’ve seen lots of naturally talented horses who lack the motivation or enjoyment and don’t try. And I’ve seen horses that may not have the best style over fences be much more teachable and improve simply because they enjoy it.” -Ariel Univer
Read more from Ariel here.
“For sure, you can usually help a horse become a better jumper. There are so many ways your trainer can help you with this:
The bare minimum is care, then there’s vets and blacksmiths, then there’s the way that you train, and who rides the horse. Balance of a rider has a huge effect on a horse’s style, training exercises can have a huge effect too.
Then there are some horses that you can throw the kitchen sink at, and they will always be what they are!” -Dana Hart-Callanan
Read more from Dana here.
