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 help a rider who struggles to make a decision at the jump?
Here are their answers:
“We spend a lot of time on this in lessons because it is one of those ideas that sounds simple until you are halfway to the fence and everyone has an opinion. For some courses, we use an opening circle to organize the horse and get them listening before the jump, then ride the next round like a handy – quick, tidy, and ready to make a decision.
I tell riders that when the rhythm is right, with the horse in front of the leg, into the hand, and power from behind, even a messy jump can be recovered. It may not be perfect, but it keeps you balanced and ready for the next line. If the canter starts going backwards, especially to jump number 1, the horse will struggle to arrive at the fence correctly and use their knees and shoulders.” – Ryan Petronelli
“Go back to the basics. In my experience, this is where problems are solved, and excellence is elevated. When working with my students competing in the hunter, jumper, and equitation rings, one of the concepts I work on with them is pace.
Pace describes the rate of movement, speed, or energy relative to the horse’s stride. It refers to the tempo and rhythm maintained over a course with measured strides. Helping riders understand this concept and how to achieve and apply it is one of the basics. But even the basics need to be broken down.
We start by learning to recognize the difference between speed and impulsion. One way we do this is by practicing longitudinal exercises. That is, lengthening and shortening the horse’s stride within each gait. Each gait has three speeds: an ordinary, short, and lengthened stride. The rider must demonstrate the ability to recognize and feel the difference between these phases of movement.
Understanding stride is paramount to understanding pace. Practicing longitudinal work over uneven terrain at the walk and trot is an excellent way to teach the rider these concepts. The rider lengthens the stride going uphill and shortens the step going downhill. This exercise strengthens both horse and rider, and makes mastery “easier” when working on a smooth flat surface. Longitudinal agility at the canter is fundamental to learning pace and how to develop and adjust it. Proficiency at the walk and the trot should be definitive before attempting it at the canter.
To establish a good working pace from which to jump, we ask the question, “Does the beginning of the course match the end of the course?” If not, why not?
It is not uncommon to see a rider begin a course under the pace. That is, with a canter which is too slow or too weak. This poor quality of gait leads to missed distances and difficulties getting down the lines. Furthermore, jumping out of stride, in good form, with a smooth, even performance is more difficult to achieve.
There are several basic exercises which can help resolve this issue. Proficiency at the canter is the goal.
- Exercise #1
Practicing cantering poles on the ground is an excellent way to learn to ride a normal 12’ stride and establish a working pace.
Preparation:
- On each long side of the arena, place a set of 3-4 ground poles in a straight line.
- One set should be measured at 12’ between poles. (Ordinary canter)
- One set should be measured at 14’ between poles. (Lengthened canter)
- On the short end of the arena, place another set of 3-4 poles measured at 9’ between poles. (Short or collected canter)
Riders begin by demonstrating an ordinary canter on light contact. Once stabilized, they canter forward and straight on the long side to the center of only the “ordinary canter” poles.
The canter should be a smooth, relaxed rhythm. While riding through the poles, the rider may feel more thrust from the hind end. The gait should not increase in speed. This should be repeated until the canter without the poles has the same balance and impulsion as the canter over the poles.
Once the ordinary canter is mastered, the rider moves to the 9’, short canter pole series. This teaches shortening the canter while maintaining impulsion and efficient movement. The short canter without the poles should remain the same as when moving across the poles.
Alternating riding the ordinary canter to the short canter develops the concept and feel of the longitudinal work of lengthening and shortening. Once the quality of these canter strides is very good, it’s time to introduce the lengthened canter.
The third set of poles, set at 14’ apart, adds the skill of establishing and maintaining a longer, more powerful stride, again, with smooth, efficient rhythm. This may be more challenging as the feeling and balance of more forward movement is distinct. Riders should remain mentally relaxed and physically soft. Often a finger full of mane helps them to stay with the motion of the bigger step.
Practicing a lengthened canter with and without the poles teaches the rider that they are capable of covering more ground with more energy while staying connected and in control.
Modification/increased difficulty:
Throughout the pole exercises, riders should be asked to demonstrate different seats: half seat, light seat, full seat. This develops a more sophisticated weight aid and helps improve the quality of the canter in any given moment.
- Exercise #2
Once the rider has mastered the three sets of poles at different distances, with different seats, they are ready to practice a fan exercise. This is a more advanced exercise and requires an advanced level of control.
A fan of 3-4 poles increases difficulty and technical ability of lengthening and shortening the canter. It includes a slight bend to the inside, while maintaining a forward, relaxed, adjustable canter.
The center of the fan rides at 12’. The inside rides at 9’. The outside rides at 14’.
Application of the Exercises:
Generally speaking, speed is erratic, disconnected, and difficult to regulate. Impulsion is the reserve athletic energy of the natural gates. Pace is the controlled forward energy intended for jumping.
Once the rider can create an adjustable canter and demonstrates the ability to correctly open and close the stride, it’s time to apply these skills to jumping a course.
In consideration of the HUNTER RING and the pace necessary to effectively navigate a course, teach the rider to use their courtesy circle to practice adjustability. It can be ever so slight, but helps both horse and rider establish the correct gear for the job ahead. The horse has been educated to lengthen and shorten the stride from the leg. The rider picks up the canter and creates the working canter they practiced over the poles. The rider then lengthens this canter for a step or two, then returns to the ordinary canter. This reminds both horse and rider that they have a controlled range of energy and step from which to jump.
In cases where a course does not have a dotted line, the rider might “take a tour” using more of the ring to subtly lengthen and shorten the stride to establish the correct pace. (This, for example, can also help the rider’s approach to the first obstacle riding the same forward, straight, efficient, adjustable stride they might normally have upon landing after fence three.)
When riding an EQUITATION COURSE wherein one most often canters directly to the first jump, the walk can be lengthened and shortened for a few steps prior to the canter departure. This is a more sophisticated strategy for establishing pace. Equitation courses ask more technical questions, but the premise of controlled adjustable reserve energy is the same.
JUMPER CLASSES require advanced understanding and proficiency of these skills for traveling at faster speeds, which require extreme accuracy.
Given that people learn differently, I also teach unmounted sessions wherein we watch videos of correct vs incorrect pace, energy, and movement as well as correct design of position. I find this helps riders visualize what they need to feel while in motion.
Of note, correct design of position is essential to the success of these exercises. The rider must be in balance with the motion of the horse’s natural way of going and be comfortable with more ground-covering movement at increased speed.
In summary, longitudinal adjustability is one of the basics in forward riding. It is essential to quality performance over jumps. Exercises to develop these basic, natural abilities are progressive. Establishing the correct pace for the task at hand requires a thoughtful, well-executed plan.
They need not be drilled, but can be periodic reminder moments to keep the concepts fresh. Going back to basics won’t ever be wrong. And the horse will benefit from a consistent, educated program.” – Susan Sjolund
“When I have a rider who tends to be under-paced to the first fence, I have to determine if I’ve done my job to teach them what an on-course canter is and how to establish it in the show ring.
I do a lot of pole exercises with my students at home to help them learn how to feel whether or not their horse is cantering on a 12 ft stride. I set a five-stride line of poles (or cavaletti), 70-72 feet depending on the size of the arena. It’s going to feel long without real jumps, but that’s the point. Before allowing a rider to compete on the real number, or really in any division above the short/long stirrup level, they have to show me that they can canter the poles in five strides routinely on the first try in lessons. This requires them to have their horses in front of the leg, straight, riding a consistent rhythm on a track of their choosing. After they’ve consistently demonstrated that they can do the five correctly, then I have them add in six strides, lengthen for the five again, and so forth until stride awareness becomes second nature. It’s important to note that establishing either the real number or the add doesn’t happen within the line, or even in the turn; it happens in the turn before the turn. If you’re still establishing whether you want to add or do the step in the last few strides before the pole, it’s too late; now this becomes an exercise in damage control. The canter must be established well before the approach to the first fence (or in this case, the first pole). Doing this exercise with poles instead of jumps reduces the impact on the horses, allows riders more practice, and lowers the stakes if mistakes are made.
When you are in a show environment, everyone, horses and riders, tend to green up and can lose focus. But if I’ve laid the foundation of training for both parties and the horses are properly prepared, the chances of the rider being able to establish that on-course canter are greater. I tell my students to get more than you think you need in the opening circle; go past the pace you think is sufficient and then rebalance a little and you’re probably just right. This is where planning is important. The plan doesn’t start at fence one; the plan starts the minute they enter the ring. How are you making your entrance? Where are you going to pick up your canter? Does that plan give you enough space and time to ensure you’ve got enough canter in the turn before the turn? Drawing a rider’s attention to these details helps them focus and gives their brain clear, bite-sized tasks that all add up to the bigger task of establishing and maintaining the same pace start to finish.” – Paige Briddell Cade
“In the jumper ring, if I have a rider who tends to be a little bit underpaced, I always have them start with a gallop (more than they need or want) before they’re on the approach to the jump, and then have them come back to a nice medium canter. In the hunter or equitation ring, we would do the same thing in the schooling area.”
– Cheyenne Sickle
“When I have a rider that tends to be below the pace or under pace to jump one, I really try to establish a forward flat preparation, getting the horse up in front of the rider’s leg while warming up. I get the rider comfortable with a loose, forward hand gallop while on the flat, so as we get ready to jump, they are comfortable above the pace, and being at the medium working canter (allowing them the ability to open or close the step) is more comfortable as they’ve got out of their comfort zone working with a loose hand gallop warming up.
I also find having a placing rail 4 to 5 strides away from the jump in a schooling area helps your horse and rider establish the right stride before putting the whole course together.” – Shane Powell
“Depending on the rider and horse: I would say ‘start with more than you think’. Or ‘gallop to first fence’ or ‘take two huge steps around the turn before you look at the jump’. There are so many factors!” – Alexandra Hird
“In the warm-up I usually try to set a 2 stride take off rail. It tells the rider where their pace is before they enter the ring so they can replicate the feeling of having a proper step.” – Melissa Iskra Collins
“Typically, while we wait for the bell, we try to stay as relaxed as possible for both ourselves and the horse. We might then find we don’t get the rhythm until we’ve jumped the first few fences. In these circumstances, I pick up the canter much earlier, get out of the saddle, and canter across as much of the arena as possible before heading to the first fence. I then find that I can contain the momentum to the first jump, rather than feeling I need to create it.” – Scott Diffey
“To help a rider find a more forward rhythm, I like to practice lines of poles in the flatwork. I have my students start with a certain number of strides, and then pick up the pace and do less gradually. For example, in a line of poles that is a normal 7 strides, I want my riders to be comfortable cantering forward and doing 6, and also collecting and doing 8. Practicing this helps riders feel comfortable at different paces, so when it’s time to compete, I can encourage them to pick up a nice forward canter towards the first fence!” – Wilton Porter
