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 would you help a rider who frequently has time faults?
Here are their answers:
“So I ride and train a lot of different types of horses and riders. Some horses and riders are naturally quick and others are not. Time allowed is such a huge part of the jumper discipline and so if you as a Rider are not naturally a quick thinker, or your horse is not naturally a fast Mover you have to be able to make up for that to avoid time faults.
At home, I try to train my students to have a sense of the clock in their head and set courses with moments that they can be mindful of the time allowed and make up those precious seconds whenever possible between the jumps.
At shows, I have to plan our course walk to include turns and tracks intelligently with each Horse and Rider and if you are prone to having a time fall, you need to find places on the course you can shave a turn or pick up some valuable seconds without risking that your horse round comes undone. Sometimes making an inside turn, especially early in the course can help you. But it’s all Horse and Rider specific as to where when and how you would do it!
Finally. paying attention to the first few rounds: watching what turns they make, what strides they do, their reference times and if the judge makes any adjustments to the time allowed can be very valuable information to use for your own ride.”
-Michael Tokaruk
“To help a rider who has time faults, I would practice at home to go faster! I would set up a course of even just rails on the ground and have the rider practice doing it at a gallop. Also, focusing on track is important too because that is an essential part of staying under the time allowed. Adding an inside turn in the first round will help keep the rider under the time allowed. Always remember to come to the first jump at the same pace that you want to finish the course!” -Jodie Camberg
“Riding under the time allowed has always been a strong suit of mine, so this is something I like to teach. When I walk the course with riders, I stress time allowed a lot. There is a balance between rushing and riding the time allowed properly, and planning the turns to be under the time allowed is just as important as planning the numbers in the lines. I will talk to riders about the turns, and when there is a long end, I will tell riders to pick a point to gallop to before reorganizing to work out the next line. Another important piece of riding a time allowed is having a good use of your eyes. If a rider is looking up and using their eyes to plan their ends, it can make the turns far more efficient.” -Ellie Ferrigno
“I think many riders who get time faults are over-controlling the horse on the landing side of the jump, especially going through the turns. They need to land and give, and let their horse gallop away from the distance, and learn to let go while going through the turns. Horses don’t need riders’ hands every stride for balance. Also, riding in two-point position through the turns helps a rider to be comfortable carrying a bigger canter.” -Nona Garson
“The best way to help a rider who frequently struggles with time faults is to focus first and foremost on track and rhythm. Those are truly the two most important pieces. If a rider can become comfortable finding their horse’s proper rhythm and maintaining it throughout the course — meaning a positive, forward canter with consistent impulsion—while also keeping their eyes up and always looking ahead to the next jump, they will realistically stay much closer to the time allowed. I find that many riders who struggle with time faults tend to get stuck ‘looking for a distance.’ As a result, they end up adding strides in the lines, losing impulsion, and going too wide through the turns, all of which adds unnecessary time on the clock. I always tell my clients: ‘Start with more canter than you think you need, and then adjust from there.’ It’s much easier to come back slightly than it is to create impulsion after losing it. Another thing I emphasize is always looking toward the nearest side of the jump. For example, if you’re turning left, keep your eyes on the left side of the fence. That gives you a clear point to ride to and allows you to make adjustments if needed—whether that means moving out for one more stride or staying on the inside track to keep the turn efficient. In long bending lines, especially, riders often get too focused on counting strides from far away. Instead of trying to ‘find a distance’ 8, 9, or 10 strides out, land from the previous jump and move away positively with a forward canter. That allows you to make adjustments naturally as the line develops, rather than pulling, adding, and losing time trying to manufacture a distance too early.” -Jenna Friedman-Lopez
“Usually, chronic time faults mean one of two things: late looking for your track or not starting with enough pace or rhythm to follow your walk plan. Walking the course is a key component of time management, and it leaves less room for “guessing”. It’s important for riders to understand how the time allowed is determined by the course designer and to ride it as close to how it was designed as possible, while still working for that specific horse and rider combination.
Looking for your track to a jump or line late can add seconds of hesitation in decision-making. And in that moment, it affects your pace and rhythm. This typically happens in turns. How I help my riders determine their track and plan is to have a thorough discussion during our course walk and base the plan on their specific needs as a pair.
It’s not about going faster; it’s about efficiency. If my rider has a more loft type with not a lot of blood, I would walk a track with them that will shave off time, such as starting with more pace to fence one to establish a good rhythm to work with, and where they can shave off part of the ring that’s not necessary to use in the course. It’s really about where your horse and rider specifically need more time for the question at hand, and where they’re strong enough that they can let flow a little. This all starts with training at home and then applying it to the plan at the show. At home, we would work on shorter turns and carrying a quality pace as well as keeping their eye always looking for the track.” -Madison Rose
“When a rider is a little “sloth”, I like to put into their ride plan places to speed up and be mindful of the landscape. So whether lessoning at home or walking a course at a show, we will talk about points where we can add in opening the stride and increasing speed. I also think another great approach is getting comfortable cantering a little above a normal tempo, especially in flat work. Time faults can happen for many reasons, but getting comfortable with a bit more forward pace than you think you need can help with a lot of them!” -Denise Finch
“I would suggest that this rider focus on starting their course with a good canter and work to keep a consistent rhythm throughout. Along with this, I would pick points on the course to be mindful of their track, not allowing themselves to get too wide or swung out, as well as checking that they still have a quality canter. Showjumping courses are designed with a specific meters per minute speed that determines the time allowed for the course given.” -Hailey Royce
“To fix time faults, there is often no need for drastic changes. We simply need to become more aware of what we do and make small adjustments. Start by watching videos of yourself and analyzing your rounds. Look at the pace you feel comfortable riding and check whether it is below the standard 350 meters per minute. Before trying to increase the pace, which can become a major issue if forced too quickly, start with these exercises: Twice a week, canter around the track for 5 minutes, then allow 10 minutes of rest, followed by another 5 minutes in the opposite direction. Make sure you never change the speed in the corners or on the short sides of the arena. This exercise teaches consistency, which is essential in competition to better understand where you stand in relation to the optimum time. Over time, you will notice that, without consciously trying, this exercise will naturally increase your tempo just enough to gain valuable seconds in the show ring. Second, focus on turning from the outside rein.
Too many show jumpers rely excessively on the inside rein, causing the horse to overrun the turns and lose precious seconds. Riding even one or two feet inside the track measured by the course designer can easily shave multiple seconds off the course. At home, practice 90-degree turns by opening the inside rein without pulling, while using the outside rein against the neck to guide the turn. Think about turning the horse from the withers with the outside hand, rather than pulling the mouth with the inside hand. A horse that turns from the outside rein stays more balanced, so not only will you have a better jumper, but you will also gain precious seconds throughout the course. Finally, if you are still struggling to stay within the time allowed while walking the course, look for one comfortable inside turn and commit to riding that track. Often, one simple inside turn is enough to offset the small limitations that lead to time faults.” -Angelo Telatin
“In my humble opinion, riding a show jumping course free of time faults starts with our preparation. First, we must begin by getting our horse and rider combination comfortable riding around on a forward, consistent rhythm. This will take a comprehensive training program to achieve this goal, and progress will vary among horses and riders. Then, come up with an organized, efficient strategy when walking the course and follow through with the plan. Most importantly, be patient. In order to better ourselves, we must show discipline and focus on progress, not perfection.”
-Patrick Wilcher
“For a rider who has times faults I would say when you walk the course see where you can be efficient with your turns and where your horse needs help. For instance if they like to go left or right, and if they need to turn early or late and be able to practice some inside turns. You want to keep a good pace to the jumps to make it smooth and stay within the time allowed. You don’t want to be running them off their feet but don’t want to be on a leisurely stroll.” -Mara Kranz
“In my experience, frequent time faults are typically caused by one of two things. One, the rider is way too fast and cannot make an efficient turn (this is what we tend to see in the low level jumpers). Or two, the rider is nervous and way too slow.
Scenario one is actually harder to fix. Usually the rider needs to go back to the basics of controlled riding. And step down a level until they could make controlled efficient turns. (which could take a long time) Scenario two is a little easier to fix. You do not have to go fast to win in jumpers at the lower level levels. You just have to be smart and make efficient turns.
For instance, if there is a bending line with six strides and an inside turn to the next jump. I would have my kids practice slowing down to get seven strides so they could land slow and make the inside turn. The inside turn could save them several seconds while adding one stride only adds a second. However, sometimes the slow nervous kid is all about the mental perception of jumpers. And you have to work on getting your rider to get out of that mental perception. A much harder task!
Jumpers have a lot of strategies. Riders think it’s easier because they’re not being ‘judged’ but it’s actually much harder to win. When I’m coaching riders in the jumpers, there is a lot of conversation about strategies and correct riding. Because you’re not going to win if you’re missing one of those pieces.” -Julie Conner-Daniels
“Some times I’m actually instructing my students to have time faults on purpose, especially if they need to work on slowing down their minds to ride the technical parts of the course correctly. However, when the objective is to be under the time allowed and we are struggling, I time tracks at home and then work on pace and track options to minimize their times. I find training at home so you can show at the horse show is most successful because the nerves and environment isn’t usually a factor at home. If the students understand how time allowed is formulated and how track options impact their time at home, a successful plan while walking the course at the horse show is much less stressful and easier to execute successful times in the show ring! Most often it isn’t about going faster it’s about shortening their track!”
-Courtney Hayden-Fromm
“My advice to this situation would depend from the horse and rider combination. First of all we all need to have a rhythm. I always ask by rider if they don’t know how fast they are going they should count 1-2-3-1-2-3. That usually sets you in a good pace and the next step would be the turns, you need to see where you can make up the time. Usually the beginning of the course is more welcoming so you wanna get that time allowed there so when the end of the course comes and there are more questions ask, you can take your time and not to make a mistake. If you have a slow moving horse and something that’s spends lot of time in the air, you have to look for an inside turn. It’s all depends from rider and horse combination.” -Santa Maspane Ritter
“Time faults are rarely just about going faster. Many riders make the mistake of chasing speed, which causes the horse to flatten, lose balance, and ultimately knock rails. The key is teaching riders how to ride the ring efficiently, maintain rhythm, and create smooth, organized turns.
A good way to help a student with time faults is through pole exercises and learning how to track the ring correctly. I focus on figure eights, bending lines, and practicing tight but clear approaches. As the rider becomes more educated and balanced, the turns can gradually become tighter and more efficient without sacrificing rhythm or jump quality. Riders need to understand that smooth, organized tracks save more time than rushing. A balanced horse that lands prepared for the next turn will naturally make up time while staying careful over fences.
I also encourage students to watch handy hunters and higher-level equitation rounds. Those riders are masters at finding efficient tracks, staying organized, and maintaining pace without looking fast. Studying those rounds teaches riders how the best horse-and-rider combinations move economically around a course.
Start with simple exercises at a lower level and slowly increase difficulty as confidence and understanding improve. Exercises such as:
- Pole turns and rollback exercises
- Figure eights between fences
- Riding lines in a consistent number of strides
- Practicing direct but balanced turns
- Canter poles to improve adjustability
It also helps tremendously to incorporate Level 1 and Level 2 dressage work. Dressage improves balance, responsiveness, adjustability, straightness, and rider effectiveness, all essential for making tighter, cleaner tracks in the jumper or equitation ring. Ultimately, riders need to learn that time comes from efficiency, preparation, and balance, not simply speed.” -Sue Peterson
“I would work with them on utilizing their track more efficiently rather than going faster. Specifically, practicing walking courses at home to show them different paths and how it affects their time as they then get on and school it.” -Brittney Watras
“I have a lot of students who participate in jumper classes alongside the Hunter classes and we talk about how to navigate a ‘tight time allowed’ or how to avoid time faults on a steady moving horse. I always tell them to avoid gluing the horse to the rail (the horses don’t like this most of the time anyway and there is no need to touch the fence) and to shave off corners where they feel comfortable, while making one or two very simple inside turns to avoid time faults. This is a great skill to have and practice separating how you would ride a well executed hunter round from how you would ride a successful jumper round. I am always very clear about how the track is only ridden like this in the jumpers or equitation.” -Alliyah Antoniadis
“I like to tell my riders (and myself) to think about ‘getting away’ from a jump/line instead of telling them to gallop to the jump/line etc. I think it’s less daunting to think about galloping away from a jump than up to a jump and usually this will improve the canter and their eye will naturally work off the bigger/faster canter. Then they end up making decisions off a quicker canter.
I also will walk the track with riders and mention specifically where they should be through the ends of the ring and turns. We may choose to do a soft inside turn in the first round to be sure to stay within the time.” -Serah Vogus Cassells
“For a person that has time faults the only advice is to work on the horse ride ability and adjustability. The faster and easier you can make downward transitions the smoother your ride will be, and as consequence you will not waste time going around the course. The faster you can slow down the faster you will go around.” -JJ Lavieri
“What I try to explain to students is that every time they’re finding one too many strides off the corner, they have to think about making that time up. If your first line is a bending 7 and you did a bending 8, you need to be thinking about where you can make up that stride later on course.” -Mark Bone
“I like to make circles or serpentines over cavalettis counting strides. Then have them make one less stride each time. It’s a fun challenge for a group lesson to see who can make the fewest strides. It’s a fun and gradual way to make tighter turns more comfortable.” -Susan McArdle
“Honestly, I would take that problem over someone who goes so fast I feel my soul leaving my body watching from the in-gate. Usually that comes down to discipline of track, understanding striding, and how each line should be ridden. When a rider goes extra wide is when they don’t know the course. Or the plan has left their head in a moment of anxiety. I don’t mind time faults if my rider just moved up and wants to take their time to get comfortable with the height as long as the rhythm is good and in front of leg. An accurate educated rider I can make a winner if they get neat and let go and let the subconscious training they did at home kick in.” -Nick Latina
“The simple answer is to focus on maintaining a good pace in the ring. Practice this during flatwork so both you and your horse become comfortable carrying a pace and rhythm similar to what you’d use in the show ring. Starting with slightly more canter than necessary before the first jump can also help establish that rhythm early on. It’s equally important that your horse is responsive to your leg aids so that when you land from a jump and turn, your horse reacts quickly and efficiently to your cues.”
-Jordan Melfi
“Most riders, upon completing a clear round, feel motivated themselves, then they look up at the board and see that they are one second over! It’s just the worst! The key is making a plan to keep going in the corners. Some riders want to regain control and collection after every jump and this will lead to slower rounds. Land and keep going, organize on the approach to the next jump.” -Cassie Belmont
“I would first tell any rider that has time faults to start with a good canter and then maintain that canter. The other thing that I teach my students is to always be thinking ahead. If you are making an inside turn from say, jump 3 to jump 4, as you are taking off at jump 3 you should already be thinking about and setting up the track for that inside turn, not waiting until you land to think about what’s coming next. Those seconds saved by thinking ahead and communicating the plan to the horse can be precious and be the difference between being inside of the time allowed or not.” -Lauren Underhill
“Riders with time faults can easily be avoided by walking the course with the rider. Laying clear instructions for an efficient track that can be accomplished for that rider is very important.” -Missy Jo Hollingsworth
“If I had a student who frequently had time faults I would take them out to a field and get them comfortable galloping. Then add galloping and turning. Then jumps. More accidents happen trying to be careful and slow. Get comfortable with the pace and be conservative in your turns. Forward is always the answer.” -Tami Masters
“My advice to someone who gets time faults is always look where you’re going next. Land from your fence and while you are resetting, regrouping what have you, look where you are going next. This keeps you heading the direction you are going. If you are looking straight while performing your post jump tasks you are riding farther and farther away from where you are going and most likely ending up farther away than you need to be. You can continue to organize while heading to your next fence.”
-Maja Lindemann
“First, I would identify the problem as to why they are having time faults. Is it track issues, position problems, riding backwards and pulling, adding strides, or is the rider scared, etc.? Once you have pinned down what is causing the issue (maybe it is several of these) then you can work with your student through studying their video’s and explain how they can be more competitive. Inefficient track can be just awareness of where they are before during and after the jumps. That is easy to point out on video or even when they are walking the course. If there is a position problem and the rider is getting jumped loose or has to regroup too much on the backside, then they need to work in their lessons to improve, strengthen, and learn to control their body. Riding backwards and pulling can come from a multitude of problems, especially feeling over faced or scared. So, it could be that they need to step down a division to regain some confidence or possible work with a sports psychologist. The biggest thing is work with your student to pinpoint their problems and make a checklist of their weaker areas and work on each one individually in lessons and apply it at the show.” -Lainie DeBoer
“Generally, if a rider is consistently getting time faults, I find it often comes down to either a weak position or a rideability issue. More specifically, riders can struggle to recover efficiently after the jump, which naturally slows everything down around the course. Another major contributor to time faults is riders being late with their eyes. As riders, we must always be looking ahead to the next jump.
If you feel your time faults are stemming from a late recovery after the fence, go back to basics. No-stirrup work, gymnastics, and exercises that strengthen your position can make a huge difference.
If you are struggling to get your horse back after the fences, first make sure your position is strong and that you are using your leverage appropriately. For example, if you are laying on your horse’s neck around the turn, you cannot expect the horse to come back to you immediately. If it is truly a rideability issue, I love working over poles. Set a three-stride line with poles and get comfortable doing the three, then gradually work your way up to fitting six strides comfortably and smoothly. Yes the 6 is tight and this may take time to work up towards! Don’t expect it to happen right away.
Last but definitely not least: the rider’s eyes. This is such an important tool that is often overlooked. You MUST look ahead to where you are going. Compare it to driving a vehicle — you should always be looking a few car (or horse) lengths ahead. Otherwise, you can easily put yourself in a poor position.
Something I notice frequently is riders looking with only their eyes instead of actually turning their head. You MUST turn your head. Doing so naturally positions your body to recover quicker on landing and sets both you and your horse up for the turn or next jump much more efficiently.” -Hunter Holloway
“If a rider is struggling with time faults. They need to go back and do more homework. Either the horse is not strong enough to carry themselves through the challenges of a long jumper course or the rider is not strong enough to balance themselves through the course. More grid work at home to strengthen both horse and rider would be beneficial. This will also teach the rider how to connect, where the right distance is and how to ride as a relaxed balanced team. Finding the right rhythm, pace, movement and working together is key!” -Lauren VanderZicht
“1. Pick an upbeat song to keep in your mind to help maintain the correct pace.
2. Walk the entire course, not just the lines, talking about the spots to mentally check your pace.
3. As you go over the course be sure to talk through the numbers in the lines which will also help let the rider know that they are on the correct pace.” -Leslie Janiak
“For a rider that frequently has time faults I would incorporate working on it consistently even when on the flat. For example on the flat, gallop down the long side think ‘time allowed!’ Work on eye control even on the flat. Learn how to ‘cheat the clock’ by staying inside of your track on the way to cavaletti or jumps. Place cones or markers in places around the ring that they need to stay inside of. Encourage them to look ahead and “get over to the next jump”. Over time it will become habit if practiced consistently.” -Julie Pickering
“A rider that has time faults usually needs to ride a better track. I like pole exercises at home so we don’t use up our horses on jumps but the riders can still learn to shorten their track and keep the horse ahead of the leg. “S” shape patterns challenge riders to learn to keep a horse between the leg and not lose time by falling out in the turns.
We happen to have excellent hacking with open fields and hills and we incorporate that into our training in many ways. Getting out of the ring and opening up that canter gives the rider a feel for it. You can also use stride poles and practice taking out a step to get the feel of what canter you need. Stride poles on the broken line are a super way for the rider to ride the inside track to take the stride out.” -Ashley Sinke-McCarthy
“Get going.” -Jane Frizzell
