combinations

Michel shows us the exercise riding Undiams, an 8 year old gelding who is really willing to jump but who also has a tendency to rush fences.

The idea is that the rider should interfere with the horse as little as possible to let him find the solution. On the way-in to the grid, the rider has to move his hands forward during the take-off stride and keep his horse on a straight line while following the movement over fences. Under no circumstances, should the rider use his legs and hands aids like most riders are used to do, thinking it will help the horse. On the contrary, the horse needs his complete freedom of movement to learn to settle over combinations, pick-up his shoulders, use his back over fences and yet improve his front end speed of reaction.

 rides in the grass paddock with log fences. You can also practise it with some show jumping fences. The bank can be replaced by an oxer, a water jump or even a Liverpool….The height of fences should be adapted to the level of the horse and rider.

This grid encourages the horse to flex and stretch his entire body. The double on the way-in encourages the rider to approach the line with a cadenced canter and sets the correct length of striding prior the water jump. Therefore, the horse is ready to cover the length of the water jumper that is next. The distance between the water-jump and the oxer on the way out reinforce the horse stretching motion.

Michel teaches Alice who spends a few days at the yard for a clinic. During this session, Alice rides Undiams, an eight year old gelding who has been trained for the last few weeks by Michel to reach the top level. Alice has, here, an excellent opportunity to discover new sensations with this horse who she rides for the first time.

Michel has set up a line of jumps that includes a water jump, a combination on the way-in and an oxer on the way-out. The horse has to bring together the quickness of his front legs, the stretching of his top-line over a wide obstacle and the pushing power over a high fence on the way-out. The key elements to be successful on this exercise are relaxation, steadiness of the strides, straightness and the rider’s eyes with a wide angle view.
 This set-up is also a good way to practise water jumps which can be feared by horses and are causing many faults during a course. It is therefore very wise to work this type of obstacle at home without the added stress of the competition.

Undiams has usually a tendency to speed up in combinations. After jumping the line a few times, it appears that the exercise is profitable for his training. The horse is focused and attentive to each single fence and deconstructs each element of the line.

In this session, Michel rides Undiams, a talended 7 year-old gelding out of Diamant de Semilly. He has been training this horse for several months now and making him gain some experience over some 1m35 courses in competition.

Michel warmed up the horse previously with some flat work and then over a few small fences. Going over smaller fences at first allows for all the joints and muscles of the horse to warm up.

When the horse is loosened up and connected with his rider, Michel starts jumping the line of fences. The fences are raised up progressively. With a horse like Undiams, it’s important to channel his energy and his desire to jump. Michel has to keep him under control while making him jump in the centre of the fences. Training on this kind of line encourages the horses to jump in a calmly manner and to apply himself for each jump.

This video gives you also the opportunity to watch Michel’s wonderful position over every single jump, especially his hands that are moving forward during the take-off stride. It gives you the correct mental image to memorise and reproduce.

This thorough exercise encourages the horse to stay calm on combinations and to break down his movements on each jump. The grid is also excellent at improving the horse’s style and his front legs ‘speed of reaction.

Horses who have a tendency in rushing to the rails will find themselves in difficulty over the grid. They will have to analyse the situation and understand that staying calm and reorganising their trajectory will be the correct answer. Riders will have to be in the same state of mind and wait for the jump, up to the take-off stride yet maintaining a straight line going thru the grid.

Heights: between about 40 cm and 1 metre – keep the first fence very small. The heights increase from the first to the last fence. For example: 50 cm - 70 cm - 85 cm - and 1 metre for the last vertical.
Normal short strides

It is crucial to approach the fences and land perpendicularly to the line. There is no point in putting up the fences if the rider is unable to keep his horse straight and in the centre of the exercise. This exercise in particular requires a slow and cadenced working canter while approaching. One must not tolerate any lengthening of the stride. If the horse speeds up 3 strides off the first fence, the rider must circle or halt.

This form of training is effectively totally incompatible with a rider who is out of control or a horse that rushes its fences. Equally, this line cannot in practice be ridden if the rider does not maintain wide-angled vision.

The horse :
This exercise is aimed at improving the horse’s jumping technique, and above all the way it uses its neck allowing it to quickly pull up its knees (only if the rider accompanies the movement with his hands).

The rider :
You must, above all, remain centred on your reference position and keep contact with the horse because these are short distances. The eyes are of course looking towards the end of the line. You should also ensure that the horse is kept well within the axis and at the centre of the line.

The horse :
Having a calm and regular-paced horse is a fundamental condition for correctly approaching the line.

The rider :
It is crucial to remain calm, and to use one’s wide-angle vision. Enter the exercise at a “schooling” canter (or, if you prefer, a working canter) and take care to maintain the same quality in your canter after the line, by imagining that  there is a very large oxer to be jumped further ahead. You must of course remember to ‘go with’ your horse and move your hands forward to follow the jump when approaching the last fence.

Solving a few problems
Riders who tend to turn quickly when landing after the second fence often “twist the horse” over the jump. Oblige your horse to remain on the line’s median axis and to jump in the middle of fences, and above all use your wide-angle vision.

If the strides are irregular, you can improve matters by using distance poles to mark each stride between the two cross-pole fences.

Cutting corners while approaching: place 2 skittles or poles forming a corridor in front of and behind the fence (10 metres before and 10 metres after the end of the line)  to oblige the rider to approach and exit the exercise in a straight line.

Number of times the exercise should be ridden
This line can be jumped between 10 and 15 times in the course of one session, on condition that the horse will not have to work very hard afterwards.