#SundaySchool: how to develop and nail counter-canter

February 10, 2020

Take a look at this simple exercise, as explained by dressage rider Amy Stovold, to help improve any horse’s counter-canter

HORSE LEGS

Aim

At least some counter-canter is found in most British Dressage tests from novice level upwards, and is used to demonstrate the horse’s balance, suppleness and straightness while still maintaining the natural quality of the canter.

Counter-canter helps to develop a horse’s canter rhythm, improve his balance and ability to carry the weight behind, and is a great exercise to use before starting flying changes. It is also really good for improving a horse’s suppleness.

Using the correct aids and maintaining a straight, central position in the saddle are very important in the counter- canter to ensure that the horse stays balanced.

I teach a horse counter-canter as soon as his canter is balanced and he is carrying the weight on the hindleg.

For this exercise, the horse should be established in canter and the walk-to-canter transition, and be able to stay balanced in counter-canter.

The exercise

1. Start in canter at M on the left rein and turn down the centre line at C.

2. Start heading towards the three-quarter line in the direction of B before making a shallow loop right. Start with fairly shallow loops so that the horse understands what you are asking of him. You can then build up the difficulty by making the loops steeper until you are riding a serpentine in counter-canter.

3 Counter-canter across the diagonal from B to K, then continue in true, left-rein canter. Your aids should always stay the same throughout counter-canter, so on the left rein, your right leg will be behind the girth and your left leg will be by it. Your outside leg will support and maintain the counter-canter. With a younger horse, you may need to support them a bit more with your outside leg and inside rein. There can be a slight neck bend over the leading leg, particularly with young horses, to help them balance. As the horse progresses, the neck should be as straight as possible. The hindquarters should remain straight so the horse is able to push through from behind efficiently. If there is too much swing in or out from the hindquarters, the horse won’t be able to sit and push as well as if it is straight.

4. You can then change the rein and perform the exercise on the right rein. It’s important to ensure that you perform the same exercises on both reins to keep the horse equal and straight through his body.

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Tips and pitfalls

  • Breaking into trot, changing the canter lead and swinging the quarters in or out are all signs that the horse isn’t balanced, so consider a shallower loop or revisiting the exercise when the horse’s balance is more established.
  • Always keep the loops shallow to begin with and build up the difficulty gradually as the horse progresses.
  • The horse should remain up in the poll and straight through their body in the counter-canter.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday.

#SundaySchool: how to improve control with Blyth Tait

The top event rider’s exercise hones jumping with contained power

Blyth Tait makes his return to New Zealand’s senior championship squad aboard Dassett Courage. His last senior championship was 14 years ago at the 2004 Athens Olympics

Aim

Simple exercises are often the most effective. This one involves building two fences — a vertical and a parallel — on a four- or five- stride (20-24m) related distance, ideally down the centre line of the school. The horse is circled in between the two fences.

Many of the horse’s attributes will be tested, from his suppleness and balance to his ability to bend and maintain a rhythm.

The ultimate aim is to achieve greater engagement, impulsion, control, rhythm and smoothness. The horse learns about patience, cantering in different gears and how to jump with contained power rather than speed. For the rider the exercise is all about sitting still, communicating with clarity and thinking ahead.

Exercise

1. Approach the vertical in “first gear” — a controlled, collected canter. Ride as small a circle as possible — ideally 10-12m — in the same collected canter after the vertical. While riding the circle, the rider must maintain the horse’s balance through the hand. They also need to be active with their leg to get the horse’s hindleg underneath it. Focus too on looking ahead and controlling the horse’s shoulder.

2. On completion of the circle, allow the horse to move up to “third gear” and lengthen his stride. The rider’s hand should move forward and soften to “release the beast” as the horse opens up his frame over the parallel.

3. Reverse the process and jump the spread first — a different exercise requiring more control. Start with an open stride for the parallel. On landing, ride a circle in a collected, balanced canter, with the horse bent around the inside leg. Maintain this pace to the vertical, allowing the fence to come to the horse.

4. If you lack room, build the fences against a wall or the side of the school. This makes the exercise harder in that the rider has to be more proactive in ensuring that the horse lands on the correct lead.

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Tips and pitfalls

  • The rider may not always be thinking ahead. It is important to remain proactive throughout to be able to show the horse what to do.
  • The horse must be on the aids and listening to the rider or he will be tempted to rush the fences.
  • On the circle, the rider needs to keep active with their leg because it is all too easy for the horse to fall into “tranter” (trot/canter). If the horse drops behind the leg, he may stop at the parallel as he comes off the circle.
  • If starting the exercise with the parallel, don’t over-ride it or the horse will be unable to perform the circle.
  • Resist performing the exercise too often. For a youngster, six times twice a week is probably ideal.

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#SundaySchool: how to improve your horse’s medium trot

Follow grand prix dressage rider Anna Ross’ (pictured) tips for improving the medium trot in our new regular Sunday evening training feature

Aim

A good medium trot should be uphill and the hindlegs should come under the body to give impulsion.

For horses’ balance and development, it’s essential for them to learn to take the weight back on to the hindlegs.

This exercise uses the half walk pirouette to balance the horse and encourage him to “sit” and flex his hock joints in preparation for medium trot. This is a 180 ̊ turn in which the horse’s hindlegs lift up and down in a small circle. When your horse is learning, you can make the circle larger and half-pass back to the track if necessary, keeping the bend and the engagement.

Exercise

Step 1. Start on the track of the long side, approaching the corner at either the A or C end. As you go past the marker nearest the corner, collect the walk and keep it active. Start the walk pirouette before you reach the corner.

Step 2. Start the walk pirouette in shoulder-fore position, with your
weight slightly to the inside. Keep your outside leg on just behind the girth and encourage the horse to step forwards and sideways. At the start, think of riding a half-pass, and as the horse turns back towards the track, ride travers.

Step 3. When you get back to the track, move up into rising trot and then ask the horse to lengthen into medium trot, for no more than the length of two markers.

Step 4. Quietly bring the horse back to walk before the corner marker and then repeat the walk pirouette the other way.

Step 5. Repeat several times. If the horse is executing a balanced medium trot, then trot around the short side and try without the pirouette.

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Pitfalls

• In the pirouette, maintain the impulsion so the horse turns with even steps.
• Don’t allow the quarters to drift to the outside — keep the outside leg on and your shoulders following the movement.
• Don’t push the horse out of its rhythm and balance in the medium trot. If he starts to run, bring him back into the walk pirouette.

For more great dressage content, don’t miss the current issue of Horse & Hound magazine, out now (dated 7 February 2019), which features our dressage special

#SundaySchool: How can I encourage my horse to lengthen his stride?

Ruth Edge began her equestrian career in eventing with many wins at the highest level, including the Luhmühlen CCI4* (now five-star) in 2007 with Two Thyme. She has always been passionate about dressage and since 2016 has made this her focus. With her sights firmly set on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she already has six national titles to her name. She is based at the Foston Stud, near Uttoxeter, where she trains competition horses and teaches. Here, the eventer turned dressage rider suggests some easy exercises to help develop your horse’s trot

Training the stars

  • I had a dressage horse, Zero, who had a very ordinary trot as a young horse, but I always had the feeling there was a “big trot” in him somewhere. Having developed in strength and suppleness, by the time he was seven he had a medium trot that had so much scope, he felt amazingly powerful and light.
  • One horse I evented, Carnaval Prince II, had a “pony trot”, not helped by the fact he was rather nervous in the arena. As he became more confident, he was able to show off his medium trot, producing consistently high-scoring percentages.

For a horse to be able to lengthen his stride, he needs to be engaged, supple, in front of the leg, straight and have a back-to-front connection maintained by being ridden between the hand and the leg.

Not many horses have an amazing trot by nature, so our job is to train them to be the best they can be. Try these exercises…

Tackling the issue

1. Trot in a figure of eight with straight lines across the diagonal, ensuring the trot feels the same on the half-circle and diagonal. Often, the trot loses rhythm and cadence across the diagonal, so keep your leg on as you would on the circle and ensure you are completely straight.

Pick a point across the arena and head straight for it. Ride your horse from both legs into both reins, concentrate on what you are feeling under you and focus on the rhythm and balance of the trot. This will help with his self-carriage and straightness.

2. Ride a 20-metre circle or on the track. Begin in working trot, riding forwards into medium trot then back to working trot over short distances, using the transitions to help with the engagement.

Repeat this several times so he picks up the exercise, then let him have a walk break.

3. If your horse is further on in his training, a good exercise is to go from shoulder-fore (less angle than shoulder-in) into medium trot and back to shoulder-fore. This will help with the engagement in the transitions as well as the medium trot.

Make sure that you ride forwards into the downward transitions, you are straight for the medium trot and that your horse is supple and engaged in the shoulder-fore.

4. The final exercise is to make small tempo changes within the trot. Aim for a transition every 10 strides. They do not have to be big differences within the trot — the feeling that there is more available energy is important.

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Consider this…

  • The three most important things that people struggle with in these exercises are lack of engagement, suppleness and straightness.
  • Always ride forwards in each exercise, even when you bring your horse back to working trot from medium trot. You should feel he is working through from engaged hindquarters into a consistent contact and is connected between both legs and both reins. His hindleg should directly follow the footprints of the front leg. If you’re crooked in the working trot, the medium is going to be the same.
  • When transitioning up into medium trot, sit up — avoid losing the connection by leaning forwards, hoping your horse will come with you.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine out every Thursday

#buddydontbully: online campaign aims to combat nastiness in the equestrian community

An eventer hopes to combat nastiness and bullying in the equestrian community by spreading positivity and support in a new online campaign.

East Sussex-based Jake Tarrant, a grassroots eventer who works with rehabilliated horses who have suffered psychological issues, created the ‘Good Sport’ initiative which aims to promote positivity among equestrians by using the hashtags #buddydontbully and #equestriansrethink. Jake started the campaign after seeing a post on a Facebook group that he believes incited bullying against an individual.

“The post was put up by an admin of the group and I thought to myself ‘this is wrong’. These groups are supposed to be forums for people to exchange ideas but they’re run by little groups of people who then dictate the morals and the moral compass of the group,” Jake told H&H.

“I thought it’s time for a different way and came up with the concept of the Good Sport initiative. By using hashtags anyone can search and view them so anybody that feels they would like to share their achievements within the equestrian community online can post what they’ve done on their own page with the hashtag, and like-minded individuals who want to see positivity can then encourage people to develop and improve – rather than tearing them down with negativity.”

Jake, who has suffered with depression and anxiety in the past, said social media has given people a place to say negative things without thinking them through.

“I’ve suffered with mental health problems and through those periods you interpret what people say and react to it in ways you wouldn’t necessarily do when you’re healthy,” he said.

“The internet has put this magical screen between people so people can say what they want. They may not mean it nastily but they don’t think about the consequence of what they’re saying and who they might be saying it to. It’s almost become a game of who can be the most shocking and they get more dramatic and offensive in their replies.”

Jake said he has seen an increase in nastiness and negativity in the equestrian community.

“Someone will achieve something fantastic for them, it might be their own personal success – be it getting back on a horse they’ve not been able to ride for the last six months because they’ve been too scared, or winning Badminton. But there will always be someone that wants to tear them down rather than appreciate it with them,” he said.

“If the equestrian world can have more of a social conscience then it can safeguard itself against negativity and bullying. It’s not always just online – you see it at competitions. Often it comes from insecurities or someone wants to achieve something and they can’t but they see someone else achieve it and rather than say well done, they belittle them and make derogatory remarks because that person has proven it is possible. It’s easier to belittle them than praise them.”

Jake says the Good Sport initiative has received a very positive reaction online and to celebrate the launch they have created a competition with Flying Changes Coaching, Equivation and Maxima Equestrian to reward positivity with prizes.

“Companies and social media influencers have been in touch who want to support it the campaign which is great. I get lots of messages from people who are still too embarrassed to post on social media their little achievements but they might send them to me so they’re sharing it with someone and that’s really uplifting. I’ve organised the competition to get more people sharing positive stories and try to keep the momentum moving forward,” he said.

“On Instagram I am also going to be doing a 30-day positivity challenge with Gracie Tyte, of @Pony_Nuts. Gracie has a big following of kids and teenagers who should be encouraged to be proud of what they’re doing rather than feel that they can’t share it. Online bullying is a huge thing for teenagers, you see it on the news on such a regular basis so we want to try and encourage the younger generation as well as adults.”

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Jake said people should be able to enjoy their horses without judgement from others.

“Horses are so emotionally draining – we put so much into them; our health, money, time, everything, and we should be able to enjoy them without worrying what people are thinking of us,“ he said.

“I’m not naïve enough to believe that just because somebody gets irritated seeing negativity on the internet and decides they want to try and change it that it will – it’s not as simple as that, but if we put the effort in and it makes a difference to one person or three people, then it’s still worth the effort.”

People interested in the campaign can follow Jake at Little Bentley Eventing on Facebook and by sharing posts on their own pages with the #buddydontbully and #equestriansrethink.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

#10forTim: Hickstead to host charity run in memory of Tim Stockdale

A charity run to remember showjumper Tim Stockdale, who died of cancer last year at the age of 54, will take place at Hickstead’s Longines Royal International Horse Show.

The event will be held on the Saturday night (27 July) of the fixture to raise money for the Tim Stockdale Foundation.

Teams of up to 10 people are being sought for the new race, 10forTim, which will be run as a relay around the perimeter road of the Longines International Arena.

Each runner will tackle a half-mile lap, which they can sprint, run or amble round at their own speed.

While competitors can opt for a leisurely pace, there will be prizes for the team that crosses the finish line first.

In order to take part, teams must raise a minimum of £2,500 in sponsorship, with the team that raises the most money also being in line for a prize.

Participants will be given the opportunity to race well-known faces from the equestrian world, including Shane and Trevor Breen, William and Pippa Funnell, Philip Judge, commentators Steven Wilde and Nick Brooks-Ward and a team from the All-England jumping course.

Tim Stockdale was one of the most popular figures in show jumping, with an impressive CV that included representing Britain at the Beijing Olympics, as well as numerous appearances on championship and nations cup teams.

Out of a long career, he said one of his proudest moments was his victory in the King George V Gold Cup aboard Fresh Direct Kalico Bay at the Royal International meeting in 2010.

A spokesman for Hickstead said: “Tim was a superb ambassador for his sport, not just as a rider but also as a respected trainer and broadcaster.

“Sadly, Tim died last November aged 54, just a month after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. It was a huge loss to the showjumping world, but his remarkable legacy is living on through The Tim Stockdale Foundation, which was set up to help support causes that were close to Tim’s heart.

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“The Bunn family, with the support of Tim’s wife Laura and their sons Joe and Mark, are inviting as many people as possible to take part in the race or to come along to cheer on the runners.

“The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Great Britain at the Longines Royal International Horse Show always attracts many of the best riders in the world, and it’s hoped plenty will pay tribute to their colleague Tim by taking part in the race. And if you’re an equestrian fan who has dreamed of competing against — or even better, possibly beating — your favourite riders, then now is your chance.”

Teams of 10 who can guarantee to pledge the £2,500 charity donation can contact Hickstead director Lizzie Bunn on lizzie@hickstead.co.uk to apply.

To sponsor the Hickstead team, visit the JustGiving page.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

#SundaySchool: controlling the canter with Jessica Mendoza

The international showjumper uses a canter-on-a-circle exercise to help develop balance and control, which can be used in the ring

Spirit T MENDOZA Jessica

Aim

I do this canter exercise regularly, with horses of all ages and abilities. The older and more experienced the horse, the more difficult you can make it. With younger horses, it can be quite a demanding exercise as they might not have developed any brakes yet. For a green horse, I might start off with two poles, one at three o’clock and one at nine o’clock, then add in the third and fourth when they are ready.

It’s a good way of teaching the horse to be soft and carry himself, while being responsive to the control you are asking for.

This exercise also helps riders with their ring rhythm, which is important because they go from forwards to backwards strides frequently. It also teaches the rider to see a stride while not over-jumping their horse.

Exercise

1. Lay out four poles, one at each quarter of a 20-30m circle. Don’t make the circle too small because you don’t want to make it too difficult for the horse. For young or inexperienced horses, start with one pole at a quarter of the circle and build up to four poles.

2. Next, canter six strides between each pole on the circle. Aim to make the strides between the poles exactly the same, in a consistent rhythm. You want the horse engaged, listening and remaining on the same line. It’s also important that you stay in the centre of each pole and don’t cut across, and that the horse is straight through his body.

3. Then start to change the strides between the poles, so do five between one set and six between the next, so that you are riding five, six, five, six. When asking for longer or shorter strides, you need to be smooth and gradual. For longer strides, use your leg and hand to keep the horse soft, then add a gradual leg aid and allow with the hand. To come back to a working stride, lean back and apply a little pressure with your legs, rather than forcing with the hand.

4. Then ride five strides between each pole, and then six between each pole around the entire circle.

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Tips and pitfalls

  • Always have a plan in your head of what you’re going to do before you do it.
  • If your horse jumps to the left or right over the poles, it will affect the distance to the next pole, so be consistent in where you land after each pole. Having the horse straight means you can set yourself up nicely for the next pole.
  • Horses can become disunited, so if this happens bring them back to trot and re-canter.
  • Build the exercise up gradually so that your horse learns what you want.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday.

#SundaySchool — how to improve style when jumping a working hunter course

Working hunter specialist Rory Gilsenan (pictured) emphasises the importance of riding to a fence in a flowing, forward fashion, without interfering with the horse, to gain top style marks

KENLIS CARRERA exhibited by Rory Gilsenan, winner of the Working Hunter Championship during the Royal Windsor Horse Show private grounds of Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the county of Berkshire, UK on 10th May 2018

Aim

Being a producer of working hunter horses and training a lot of younger jockeys from the working hunter pony world, I know how important it is to jump a clear round. However, unlike in showjumping, working hunter competitors have a valuable style mark to ride for. While with every pole down in the round you can lose 10 marks, style is marked out of 20 marks. Theoretically, it is possible to make up marks if the judge likes the flow of your round and jumping technique of your horse. This exercise is about training the eye, so you can travel to each fence with minimum adjustment while maintaining a forward rhythm.

The exercise

1. Set up a small upright at the end of the arena. Put six poles placed four yards apart after the fence. At the end of the pole line, build an oxer.

2. Approach the upright in a forward, balanced canter. I usually ride five strides before the upright. Jump in, and let the poles do all the work. When riding the line, concentrate on the jump at the end and your position in the saddle. The poles should mean you can ride the line without having to kick or pull.

3. You can also put a V-pole on the oxer to make the horse jump in a rounder shape, helping him to be more careful with his front end.

4. Once mastered, try a single fence in the same forward rhythm. I always start the round by jumping the upright to poles to oxer line, then come to the single fence after.

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Tips and pitfalls

  • Remember, if a horse touches one pole off behind, I would not be as harsh with the style marks as I would be if he crashes a pole out with his front leg — if this was done out hunting, you would have a bad fall. Judging a working hunter is about finding the most valuable hunter in the ring.
  • Don’t add strides that aren’t there — if I saw someone add a stride down a related distance, I would deduct style marks as they clearly don’t trust the horse.
  • It may be a simple exercise, but I find it helpful, both in my own training as well as during lessons.
  • Using placing poles in such a way means you can be more mindful of your own position and how the horse is jumping.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday. Plus the latest issue, out now (dated 28 March 2019), features our showing special

#SundaySchool: Georgie Spence and the benefits of working over bounces on a curve

Event rider Georgie Spence explains how performing bounces on a curve can teach a horse to be quick and neat over a fence

Aim

I have used this exercise — two sets of three bounces on a curved line — a lot over the years. Jumping horses need to be agile, regardless of whether they are showjumpers or event horses, and this exercise teaches them to be tidy over fences.

It’s really important that the rider keeps the horse between hand and leg, and on the line you choose (inside, middle, or outside line of the curve).

The exercise encourages the horse to use his back end and push off from the ground evenly. Being accurate as a rider — staying upright in your body, not tipping forward on to the shoulder and staying in balance — are key to this exercise’s success.

Exercise

1. Set up two sets of three bounce poles on a slight curve. I don’t set out a specific distance between the two sets of bounces, but my arena is 30m wide, so it is normally about five strides.

2. For young and inexperienced horses, you can start with poles on the floor and then progress to small fences. My four-year-olds do poles on the ground to begin with and then I raise the poles gradually, starting with just the middle pole to the first hole on the wings, and progress when they are ready.

3. When the poles are set up as bounce fences, I have the outside of the pole four or five holes higher than the inside of the pole to encourage the horse to use the outside hindleg as much as the inside. The more experienced horses would have it at about 50 to 60cm on the inside and 70 to 80cm on the outside.

4. You want the horse to canter in and over the poles or fences, keeping a good rhythm and jumping smoothly, not launching or rushing. They should give themselves time to assess the exercise and jump quietly. They need to be agile, but not over-jump the first pole and end up getting themselves into trouble.

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Tips and pitfalls

● To make the exercise more difficult, you can practise riding an inside line on four strides, middle line on five and outside line on six strides.
● The rider has to be very accurate to keep the horse on the correct line.
● Don’t let the horse fall out through the shoulder — use your outside leg and rein contact to keep him straight and on the correct line.
● Remember, this exercise is tiring for the horse, so don’t overdo it and give him plenty of breaks.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday. Plus, don’t miss the current issue (dated 21 March 2019), to read our eventing special

#SundaySchool: Billy Twomey on how to prepare for a jump-off

The Irish showjumper on his flexible six-jump course exercise, designed to improve the control of the horse

Billy Twomey on Tinka's Serenade at the King's Cup Jumping Competition during the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Windsor Castle, Berkshire, UK between 13th-17 May 2015

Aim

I use this training for all of my own horses every week and it has proved to be a useful tool for coaching. This flexible six-jump course exercise can be used in numerous ways and at any level, and is an excellent introduction to jumping a course of fences. The exercise also helps with improving the control of a horse, change of lead, bends and also in particular, preparation for jump-offs.

Every fence in this course is designed to be approached from both sides, each vertical has two poles on cups and two ground lines. Each oxer is square (front and back poles equal height) with ground lines either side and has two poles on cups.

The exercise options

The warm-up

This is a very good introduction to jumping at angles or a sound way to improve jumping at angles. Canter down the left- hand side of the arena towards C. Approach fence four at a nice angle, continuing a figure of eight loop to jump eight on an angle as well (see diagram, right). Change rein and repeat the exercise until you can ride smoothly through all angles.

Course A: 1-8

This training exercise is a solid introduction to jumping a course of fences — it encourages good control and correct riding through bends in particular. Canter to number one with a nice four strides to number two, canter through the bend on the left rein and over number three down the distance, bend on the right rein over the number four two-stride double, then over the number five oxer and six vertical.

Ride the tighter bend over vertical number seven, then canter the distance on the left rein nice and straight over the number eight double.

Course B: 1,2,3,6,7,2,8

This exercise can follow on from the warm-up for more experienced horses, or be a helpful introduction to jump-offs. Canter to jump vertical number one, then a nice four strides down to number two.

Concentrate on jumping with good control down the dog-leg line from three to six and straight onto a second dog-leg line seven to two and finishing over the number eight double.

Young horse exercise

For young horses, you can utilise jumps three and seven in both directions (making sure they have a groundline on each side).

Jump the fences on both reins and approaching from both sides, increasing the height incrementally.

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Tips and pitfalls

  • It is really important to keep your horse under control on the approach to the fence and vital to jump in the middle of the fence in these exercises, otherwise it will be harder to alter your distances successfully in preparation for the upcoming fence.
  • Do not be tempted to build a massive course for this exercise. Large fences are not necessary — this exercise is all about improving control and learning to ride nicely through bends.
  • It is crucial that the set-up of this course of fences is correct — all oxers must be square and there must be groundlines on both sides to allow you to jump the fence from either direction in order to train your horse equally on each rein.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday