approach strides jumping

Preparing for speed events and jump-offs

Droits d'accès:

Abonné

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Résumé listing:

This 2 difficult exercise develops the horse’s concentration, obliges the rider to be in harmony with his horse and anticipate each of its reactions. It’s a good way to prepare for speed events and jump-offs.

Niveau de difficulté:

Confirmé

Goal:

This difficult exercise develops the horse’s concentration, obliges the rider to be in harmony with his horse and anticipate each of its reactions. It’s a good way to prepare for speed events and jump-offs.

Progress:

After a good warm-up on the flat to verify the responsiveness of the horse and his ability to respect a precise speed and track, start by jumping a couple of times with a straight approach, the oxer or central vertical according to the set-up. The horse has to stay perfectly under control and straight on his 4 feet on the approach and on the landing of the fence.

For the next step, jump the two lines of verticals, staying focused on your track and particularly on the quality of the canter during the turns. You can start with some cross-rails and set up a 6-stride distance between the two verticals. Also jump 2 or 3 times the verticals or the cross-rails as, a single, on an angle.

Next, practice the final exercise, first, with some cross-rails or small verticals. Stay exact in your track and the control of your speed. Stay alert to avoid a run out since some horses may be surprised by the exercise at first.

When the exercise has been well understood, and all the parameters of speed and control of the path are well established, you can raise the fences. The distances and heights can be modified according to the horse’s stride length, his level of experience, as well as the rider’s experience

Variant / Progression:

You can also combine the 2 exercises by replacing the central vertical in the exercise of 5 verticals by an oxer. Or you can put two verticals on an angle and 2 other verticals straight.

Théma:

Keywords:

approach strides jumping

Gaining confidence in combinations

Droits d'accès:

Abonné

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Résumé listing:

This is an exercise for providing inexperienced horses and riders with confidence, allowing them to jump a number of fences knowing they are on a good stride.

Niveau de difficulté:

Intermédiaire

Goal:

This is an exercise for providing inexperienced horses and riders with confidence, allowing them to jump a number of fences knowing they are on a good stride.

Progress:

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

Théma:

Keywords:

approach strides jumping

In control of the horse

Preparing to jump lines and combinations

Droits d'accès:

Abonné

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Résumé listing:

Preparation for combinations with three or four fences providing horse and rider with experience without jumping excessively large fences.

Niveau de difficulté:

Intermédiaire

Goal:

Preparation for combinations with three or four fences providing horse and rider with experience without jumping excessively large fences.

Théma:

Keywords:

approach strides jumping

In control of the horse

Cours associés

Cours associés:

Preparing to jump combinations

Miniature cours associés:

Improve the jump trajectory

Droits d'accès:

Abonné

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Résumé listing:

For horses with a tendency to jump too “big”, this exercise allows one to transform a long jumping trajectory into height.

Niveau de difficulté:

Débutant

Goal:

For horses with a tendency to jump too “big”, this exercise allows one to transform a long jumping trajectory into height.

Progress:

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.

Théma:

Keywords:

approach strides jumping

In control of the horse

Improve the horse’s technique

Droits d'accès:

Abonné

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Résumé listing:

It is a very good exercise for improving the horse’s jumping technique, especially for those that tend to jump with their knees beneath them. If I were obliged to choose only one exercise this would be it. I have tested it for decades and always obtained excellent results, especially with young horses, although the exercise is also useful for horses at all levels.

Niveau de difficulté:

Intermédiaire

Goal:

It is a very good exercise for improving the horse’s jumping technique, especially for those that tend to jump with their knees beneath them. If I were obliged to choose only one exercise this would be it. I have tested it for decades and always obtained excellent results, especially with young horses, although the exercise is also useful for horses at all levels. The aim is to allow the horse to improve its jumping technique. If the jump over the first fence is not very good, you will notice that the next jumps will improve as you repeat the exercise.

Progress:

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.

Variant / Progression:

Repeat 3 or 4 times and then, for example, add a filler (or a liverpool) under the second or the last vertical to get the horse used to “strange” fences”. Since the distances within this exercise are ‘correct’, it is easy to progressively raise the fences, while maintaining heights that increase from the first to the third fence.

Number of times the exercise should be ridden :
Repeat this exercise 4 or 5 times at heights you are accustomed to.
Should you decide to raise the fences a little, raise the last fence. Stop and pat your horse as soon as he has jumped correctly.

Théma:

Keywords:

approach strides jumping

In control of the horse

jumping lines

Preparing to jump combinations

Droits d'accès:

Abonné

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Résumé listing:

This exercise allows one to approach combinations with confidence; therefore, I strongly recommend it for preparing young horses and riders with little experience.

Niveau de difficulté:

Débutant

Goal:

This exercise allows one to approach combinations with confidence; therefore, I strongly recommend it for preparing young horses and riders with little experience.

The 50 centimetre cross-poles regulate the horse’s stride and allow the following fences to be approached always in the same rhythm and with the same quality canter. The oxer will be easy to raise, because the problem of the distances involved are solved: in fact, there is no other choice except to put in one stride between the first and the second fence, and 2 strides between the second and the third.
With less experienced riders it is advisable to place a distance pole (at 2.50 metres or 3 metres) in front of the exercise.

Progress:

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.

Variant / Progression:

The cross-poles placed at the entrance of the exercise can be kept and
easily put up to a height of about 1 m.
The height of the vertical will depend on the level of the horse and the rider.
The oxer, on the other hand, can be raised because it never usually presents a problem, especially when placed at the end of a line. All this on condition that the fences are raised progressively and that the horse is well rewarded every time it jumps the line correctly.

Number of times the exercise should be ridden :
Repeat a maximum of 3 or 4 times

Théma:

Keywords:

approach strides jumping

In control of the horse

Cours associés

Cours associés:

Control in combinations

Preparing for lines and combinations

Miniature cours associés:

Control the quality of the horse canter

Droits d'accès:

Abonné

Image Miniature:

Résumé listing:

What is important here is to be capable of maintaining a regular working canter while approaching, in between fences and after landing (...)

Niveau de difficulté:

Débutant

Goal:

This exercise allows the rider to control the quality of the horse’s canter:
. In 5 strides, he is cantering correctly
. In 6 strides, the canter is too collected
. In 4 strides, the strides are too long: work again on controlling the pace on the flat.

Young horses, of course, find it more difficult to shorten their canter.
In this case the rider must be less demanding and should initially establish 4 strides as his objective.

The horse
In all jumping exercises, the more the horse’s canter is round, elevated and obedient, the better the jump will be.

The rider
What is important here is to be capable of maintaining a regular working canter while approaching, in between fences and after landing. To succeed in this, ride from a distance “as if” preparing to halt after the first fence. Thus, the horse will understand that the distance is a short one. When within the line, keep your basic seat and maintain the same pace at all costs. Certain horses tend to lengthen their stride when landing after the first cross-pole, and shorten when approaching the second one. Others will do the opposite. It is up to you to keep the canter regular at all times, obtaining stride lengths that are as constant as possible.
Ride the exercise in both directions with a minimum of 3 strides in a straight line before the first fence and after landing after the second one. Once again remember your centred position!

Progress:

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.

Variant / Progression:

There is no progression in the height of the fences. One searches above all for progression in the quality of the canter and pace control.

Théma:

Keywords:

approach strides jumping

In control of the horse

Cours associés