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 is: How do you teach riders to ride a combination correctly?
Here are their answers:
“A combination is no different than any other line. Pace, line, distance applies the same. There is no need to override, or under ride. The distance is set for you. Set your pace, ride your line, and the distance is set for you.” – Molly McAdow
“Riding combinations is a fundamental skill in forward riding. Combinations are key for both horse and rider development and education.
Mastery of the elementary level exercise, a trotting in one stride, 18’, between first and second elements, teaches the horse stabilization and correct position and release for the rider. Each element has a ground line. (2’ crossrail to a 2’ vertical).
Trotting approach should come from both directions, with the plan to land and make a gradual downward transition to the walk and halt in a straight line.
At the elementary level, trotting to the X, the rider makes an early release, assuming 2 pt/ half seat, 3-4 steps before take off, with hands in the mane. The rider maintains this position until the flight, landing and departure are complete. This is an excellent exercise for the green rider on an educated horse, as well as an experienced rider on a green horse. The exercise is modified by making the second element an oxer (first square, then gradually ascending). Another modification is to add a third element (21’) from the second element. The obstacles remain low as consistent rhythm and stabilization are maintained throughout.
As proficiency develops, additional types of release are introduced. Rider hands must be independent of the body before moving away from the early release. This is for safety as well as non abuse of the horse’s mouth. The intermediate level uses a crest or short release with hands on the crest at the departure of the first element until the finished landing of the final element.
The height of the elements can be increased with mastery. This includes opening distances to accommodate height change. For rider position and strength, additional modifications include executing the exercise without irons. It can also be executed without reins (tied in a knot with easy access if rein control is needed).
These exercises should be done carefully with rest periods as they are taxing.
Advanced riders learn an automatic release or following arm. Contact with the horses’ mouth is maintained throughout all phases of the jump.
Learning to ride combinations with a gradual progression develops excellent balance, timing, and accuracy.
This fundamental combination exercise is at the heart of over fences education in forward riding.” – Susan Sjolund
“Riding a combination correctly is not simply a matter of counting the strides between fences. The number of strides is the result of the way the horse and rider arrive at the first element, not the primary objective.
For me, teaching a rider to ride a combination correctly begins with developing an understanding of rhythm, balance, preparation, and adjustability.
A combination compresses several important decisions into a very short distance. Once the horse has jumped the first element, there is limited time for the rider to influence what happens next. This is why the quality of the approach—and particularly the quality of the first jump—is so important.
The rider must learn to organize the horse before the combination rather than attempting to reorganize the horse between the elements.
The Approach Creates the Combination.
The combination begins long before the horse reaches the first fence. I want the rider to establish a consistent rhythm, an appropriate pace, and a balanced connection on the approach. The horse should feel available to the rider without becoming restricted. A common mistake is for the rider to become overly focused on the distance to the first fence. The rider sees the combination and immediately starts thinking about the number of strides inside it.
But the more important question is: What can I do before the first fence to give my horse the best possible opportunity to negotiate the entire combination?
If the horse arrives balanced and organized, the first jump is more likely to be efficient. An efficient first jump gives the horse a better landing, and that landing creates the conditions for the next element. In other words, the second fences are often influenced more by what happened before the first fence than by what the rider does between the two.
The First Jump Should Be Allowed to Happen.
Once the rider has established the appropriate approach, the next skill is learning not to interfere with the horse’s jumping effort. The rider needs to maintain enough connection to remain with the horse while allowing the horse to use its neck and body through the jump.
If the rider becomes fixed with the hands, the horse may not have the freedom it needs to balance itself upon landing. If the rider throws the reins away or loses the connection completely, the horse may land without the support and direction necessary for the next element.
The correct feeling is somewhere between these two extremes: support without restriction, and freedom without abandonment. That is an important distinction when teaching a rider.
The Landing Is the Preparation for the Second Fence.
Immediately after the first element, the horse has to reorganize its body. It lands, absorbs the impact, regains its balance, and prepares to jump again. The rider has to be able to stay centered through this process rather than trying to impose a predetermined shape on the horse.
This is where the rider’s position becomes particularly important. The lower leg should remain supportive. The upper body should stay balanced over the horse’s center of gravity. The hands should follow the horse’s movement while maintaining an appropriate connection. The rider should be thinking ahead to the second fence, but should not anticipate the second fence so strongly that the horse’s balance is disturbed after the first.
There is a subtle difference between being prepared and being anticipatory. A prepared rider is ready to influence the horse if necessary. An anticipatory rider often begins influencing before the horse actually needs it.
Strides Are Information, Not the Objective.
Counting strides has its place in teaching combinations. It helps riders understand distances, recognize patterns, and develop an awareness of how different distances affect the horse’s jumping effort. But I do not want a rider to become dependent on the number.
A combination may be designed for a particular number of strides, but the horse does not experience the exercise as a mathematical equation. The horse experiences the distance through rhythm, balance, momentum, and the physical effort required to jump each element.
Therefore, I want the rider to develop the ability to recognize when the horse is on the correct balance and trajectory, rather than simply trying to manufacture a predetermined number of strides.
The rider should be able to think: “Is my horse balanced enough to make the next jump?”
rather than simply: “Do I have my number?”
That difference is fundamental.
Teach Adjustability Before Precision.
A sophisticated rider learns that adjustability does not mean constantly changing the horse’s stride. True adjustability means that the rider can influence the horse’s balance and length of stride while preserving the horse’s rhythm and willingness to move forward. This is particularly important in combinations. If the rider shortens the horse too much before the first element, the horse may lose impulsion and jump vertically rather than efficiently. If the rider allows the horse to become too long and fast, the horse may land too close to the second element. Neither problem is solved simply by adding or taking away a stride. The rider must learn to influence the quality of the stride.
That is why I place so much importance on rhythm and balance. When those two qualities are correct, the distance often becomes much easier to manage.
The Rider Should Not Try to Solve Every Problem.
One of the most important lessons I try to teach is that the rider does not have to solve every problem with an immediate physical correction. The horse is an athlete, and a good horse has an extraordinary ability to make small adjustments. If the rider remains balanced, maintains the appropriate rhythm, and provides a clear direction, the horse can often make the final adjustment necessary to negotiate the combination. This requires trust—but it is not passive riding.
Allowing the horse to adjust is an active skill. The rider must remain sufficiently organized to support the horse without taking over the movement. The more educated the rider becomes, the less they feel the need to interfere with every stride.
Teaching Through Mistakes.
When a combination does not work, I do not want the rider’s first response to be simply, “I missed the distance.” I want to determine why. Was the approach too fast? Did the rider lose the rhythm? Was the horse too long in the body? Did the rider become too restrictive with the hands? Did the rider lose the lower leg? Was the rider too focused on the first fence? Did the first jump create a poor landing for the second? Or did the rider attempt to correct something that the horse could have adjusted for itself? These questions turn a mistake into a teaching opportunity.
The objective is not merely to get the next attempt right. The objective is for the rider to understand what created the mistake and what created the correction. That is how feel is developed.
The Combination as One Exercise.
Ultimately, I want a rider to stop thinking of a combination as two or more fences separated by a number of strides. It is one exercise with several phases:
approach → first jump → landing → adjustment → second jump/jumps.
Each phase influences the next.
The rider’s job is to create the right conditions, stay balanced through the movement, maintain an effective connection, and allow the horse enough freedom to solve the physical demands of the exercise. When this is done correctly, the combination becomes almost seamless. The rider is not chasing the distance, manipulating every stride, or trying to place the horse over each fence. Instead, the rider establishes the rhythm and balance, gives the horse a clear question, and then allows the horse to answer it.
That, to me, is the foundation of riding a combination correctly:
Prepare the horse before the exercise, support the horse through the exercise, and allow the horse to use its natural ability to complete the exercise.” – Simone Besutti
