Strides for Success

Author: Lorna Leeson

  • Maintaining Balance Between Jumps

    Maintaining Balance Between Jumps

    The bell rings, you set off aiming for the first fence, you pop over it… And suddenly it’s like everything begins to speed up and rather than being the pilot, you have somehow been relegated to passenger status.  All the ‘if this then that’ scenarios you have spent months practicing are just gone and you are hoping that somehow, through the grace of God, you will make it through the two finish flags, still on board!

    [smart_track_player url=” https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/SFA466-Maintaining-Control-Between-Fences.mp3″ title=”Maintaining Balance Between the Fences” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”The most important part of jumping? Successfully riding between each of the fences…” hashtag=”truestory #equestrian” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    Jumping tracks or courses is what many riders aspire to achieve with their horse . However, the majority of riders who love jumping and want to jump spend so much time focusing on the actual jumping part and so little on polishing up their technique between fences, that when they reach their goal of completing a course of jumps, the fact that they are on the ground, navigating from one fence to the next, for about 95% of the round, results in luck (as opposed to planning and skill) that dictates if the poles stay up or not (and if the rider remains mounted!).

    Maintaining Balance between the jumps

    Much of our success jumping tracks or a course of jumps comes from the quality of flatwork preparation we put in before hand, rather than time spent actually jumping.  Maintaining balance, rhythm and control around the track is what makes the difference between consistent clear rounds and having the odd sporadic moment of success amid usually disappointing rounds peppered with poles down and refusals.

    I believe this must be mastered in two parts. Firstly, perfecting your position over a fence (which I have exercises you can use HERE >> ) and then secondly, once you can seamlessly shift in and out of your jumping position, you can begin working on remaining in control for the entire duration of the ride!

    Courses are made up of jumps that are connected together with either straight lines or turns between them.  The problems begin when your horse begins to speed up on the straight lines which can use you, the rider, to become anxious and nervous. This is also what leads to a lot of run-outs and flattening over fences which can bring the poles down. Riding a course of connected jumps also magnifies problems with bending, turning and suppleness. Any issues here will result in your horse losing balance around corners which often results in a loss of overall control while riding the track and you becoming flustered with just too many things to do to bring it all back where you want!

    One of the reasons that jumping is broken up into different phases or parts is to show riders that each separate piece must be mastered in its own right before being put together. The phases are; the approach, the take off, the jumping, the landing and the getaway. When all pieces are ridden correctly the result is an effortless, graceful jump that sets you up perfectly for the next obstacle on your course.

    As mentioned, today we are chatting about the part between the fences. Many riders just focus on maintaining control between the fences, however they go about achieving this the wrong way. Constant pulling on their horse’s mouth will only result in the horse falling onto the forehand and pulling back. By failing to also factor in balance and rhythm, is often leads to a loss of rhythm and impulsion, which results in a loss of balance.

    Here are some exercises you can do to really establish and then maintain that all important balance and rhythm around your tracks.

    I suggest beginning by working over poles on the ground, and once you have gotten the knack of regulating and maintaining your horse over the poles, only then begin to build small jumps. I also recommend beginning each exercise in trot, so you can focus on your position and how you are riding the line or pole, before cantering the exercises. If you encounter any problems, take it back to trot again and work through the problems.

    Sometimes our desire to ride more complicated and challenging work with our horse results in us rushing over basic training issues. These same problems are easily masked when the stakes (or jumps) are low. However, ignoring basic training flaws will inevitably always result in an even bigger problem later down the line, when more difficult questions are being asked.

    Take the time to correct any basic issues early in your horse’s training; focus on building a strong correct foundation to work from

    Begin by setting up a pole or a jump on the centerline approximately 6 to 8 meters before X. As you ride up the centerline toward the pole, focus on maintaining your rhythm and not allowing your horse to speed up or slow down.
    Also pay attention to how straight your horse is on approach and, how easy it is to keep him on that straight line. If he tends to wander or weave left or right, use your legs to bring him back and then continue to ride the line you have chosen.

    Also consider how well you can continue to preserve the rhythm after the pole and around the bend when you reach the top of the arena. There should be no visible difference in your horse’s stride, energy or your level of control throughout the line, both before and after the pole.

    Once you feel comfortable doing this in trot and canter, you can begin to work in more difficult turns and bends. Ride the same pole on the centerline, pop it and continue on straight again until you reach X or just afterwards. Once there, begin tracking right, in a half 10m circle. When you reach the outside track again (the long side of the arena), immediately track right taking you across the centerline on a diagonal line. As you reach the other side of the arena (just before the corner), track left and if you have continued to maintain the rhythm and balance, when you reach the middle of the short side of the arena repeat the exercise again, instead this time on the other side (track left after X).

    Again, begin in trot and only when you can truly maintain the rhythm, balance and control, practice in canter. If you cannot perform a flying change, ask for trot as you cross the diagonal each time and then pick up the opposite canter lead, in preparation for the next corner.

    There are many variations of this exercise you can do while riding, and of course building an actual jump instead of the ground pole is part of adding to this exercise.

    The second exercise I recommend is focused more on controlling your horse while continuing to create impulsion after the fence. Using the same pole or jump, approach in canter and on landing, allow your horse 7 canter strides, before bringing him back to trot. However, you will only keep the trot for 5 strides, before picking up canter again.

    As you become more in tune with controlling your horse while continuing to create energy, you can ask for the trot at 5 canter strides after the fence. What you are looking to do here is regain control of your body as quickly as possible after the fence, so you can correctly ride the getaway and begin building a good approach to the next fence.

    The last exercise I suggest can be built on from this. Once you have tracked left or right at the top of the arena, after popping your pole or jump, ride a 10 or 15 meter circle in the corner. Again, the focus is on maintaining the rhythm and balance. Your horse should not fall in on the circle, or rush around the circle.

    You can then begin to add a 10m circle in the corner before you begin your approach to the fence as well. It should be a fluid progression all the way, around the circle, down the line, over the fence, after the fence and again round the circle. No speeding up, no breaking into a different gait, no falling out through the shoulders, no swinging of the hind quarters, just a correct, forward going, balanced rhythm throughout the exercise.

    Lastly, I feel it is vitally important to understand how courses are built and the flow that the course builder has envisioned happening as different horse and rider combinations navigate the track. Take the time to study courses of jumps. Look at how they ride, the bends, the turns, the opportunities to rebalance the horse. By doing this, you will subconsciously begin to make subtle changes as you ride the jumps that will, if you have that correct foundation, make all the difference between a clear round and 4 penalties.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Maintaining Balance Between the Jumps

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  • Lightening Up on Your Inside Rein

    Lightening Up on Your Inside Rein

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    When we first learn to ride, turning is often explained to us as merely a ‘tug’ or pull on one rein or the other to turn our horse’s head. There’s a general consensus being that where his head turns, his body will go…

    However, anyone who has ridden a determined pony or horse will know that this is very often not the case… You can point the head where you ‘want’ to go. But, very often, your horse will crab along sideways, almost following his hindquarters. This is usually in the opposite direction; which 90% of the time is the same direction as the stable!

    Later as we become more accomplished in the saddle, what started out as a simple instruction in our first lesson, has become an ingrained habit.

    Something that we often feel nervous or anxious about giving up control over!

    Early Riding Lessons

    So why are we thought to turn this way if it is indeed incorrect? And why, later when we get into the nitty-gritty details of riding, are we constantly hearing about softening or lightening our inside rein?

    Lightening Up on the Inside Rein

    I think the reason that we are thought this initially is threefold…

    Firstly, we get a quick win under our belts which then leaves us wanting more (translate into booking more riding lessons!).  Secondly, even the best-coordinated person struggles when they first get into the saddle to use their different limbs and body parts in different ways all at the same time to produce the desired result!  And lastly, it’s a control thing and one that we need to learn to let go of!

    The Importance of the Inside Rein

    However, the inside rein is a vitally important part of riding, for flexion, support and balance.   Today I want you to begin thinking of your inside rein as having more of a supporting role rather than being the lead character in your riding performance

    Often we have become so set in our ways of depending completely on our inside rein, that the only way to get out of this habit is to go cold turkey before we can then begin thinking about and practicing lightening up on it.

    So, let’s think about being on a 20m circle to the right in the walk.  If you were to drop your inside rein, what would happen?  You will notice I said ‘drop’ here…  Yes, cold turkey means that – nothing; letting go; surviving and riding on without it!  You would probably think, well my horse will just begin walking large around the arena again… Or, he may even begin to track left!

    And initially, you may be correct, he might just do that.

    The key to getting over your dependency on the inside rein is to start thinking of all the other aids you have at your disposal to help communicate with your horse that you want him to continue tracking right on the 20m circle.

    A Balance of Your Aids

    Firstly, there is your seat and weight aids.  Think of sliding your inside seat bone forward and, in doing so, the inside seat bone becoming a little more weighted.

    Then, shift your attention to what your inside leg is doing…  This is particularly important and often the key to keeping your horse going in the direction you are looking for.  If you are only now holding your outside rein (which in this case is your left rein) your inside leg or right leg is the aid that will balance that strong or leading outside rein.  We can often see this better in action if you were to drop your inside rein while traveling down the long side of the school.

    Without the inside leg, your horse would completely bend to the outside, however your inside leg regulates the ‘pull’ of the outside rein.

    Then we have your outside leg.  This is probably the most forgotten aid of all in your toolbox.  Use your outside leg to indicate to your horse to move around your inside leg.  Again, using our 20m circle to the right, your outside leg being your left leg, it will literally pick up the slack from your inside rein and keep ‘indicating’ to your horse to continue on around the circle, or more to the point, around your inside leg.

    You may initially find that your horse is just wandering around the school or arena, but I really encourage you to keep continuing to try ride the circle without any use of your inside rein.  

    Your Mind is an Aid Too…

    I also advise having a quick ‘check-up’ with what is going on in your head and translating it to your body…  Are you feeling nervous about the ‘lack of control’?  It could be that you’re feeling a little stiff, wondering what will happen?  Or maybe you are trying to influence your horse with your upper body by leaning or shoving – please don’t!

    Or has your outside rein gone on vacation, across the withers, to the ‘other side’ in an unconscious attempt to neck rein your horse to the right?!

    Keep focusing on just asking correctly with your aids; seat, inside leg, outside leg and outside rein, and slowly you will begin to see that your horse begins to pay attention to what you are asking…  He may even begin to walk on a ‘circle’ (of sorts!).

    Remember to keep verbally rewarding your horse when he makes a move in the correct direction.

     Keep in mind that you have trained him to follow your inside rein and retraining him to rather look for other indicators and signals will take time, consistency and patience from your part as a rider.

    Work in Both Directions

    Once you have begun making progress on the right rein, begin working on the left rein.  Swap your inside for your outside and vice versa and then, letting go of your new inside rein (left rein), ask your horse to now pick up a 20m circle to the left.

    Continue to practice this on both reins until you have begun to believe that you can indeed influence your horse to turn without pulling on your inside rein.  I think believing you can do it, is a big part of overcoming your dependency on it!

    You can also, once you have mastered your circles in walk and if it is safe to do so depending on your level of experience and your particular situation, pick up trot and even canter on the circle.  You may notice that initially things may go a little haywire. They can when you factor more speed and movement into the equation!  But, again, stick with it until you can communicate to both yourself and your horse that the inside rein is not what is turning your horse!!

    Re-Introducing Your Inside Rein

    So, we mentioned at the beginning that your inside rein is a vitally important part of your riding.  Now it is time to invite your inside rein back on stage.  But keep in mind all the time that it merely has a supporting role in your whole performance.

    In riding, just like acting, timing is everything and knowing when and how to use your inside rein to influence and support your horse is vitally important.  A badly timed squeeze or softening of the rein can be the difference between your horse staying balanced and your horse falling onto his forehand. 

    This is due to the fact that the inside rein, when used, will affect the inside hind leg and your horse’s inside hind leg is where most of his forward propulsion and balance stems from.

    I would first suggest beginning to practice ‘timing’ this with a very loose inside rein where you really don’t have any contact.  Practice ‘allowing’ with your arm, more notably your elbow, and then taking it back or resisting.

    However with your inside hand, rather than thinking of resisting, think of ‘indicating’.  It is merely a suggestion rather than a hard and fast order.

    Influencing the Inside Hind Foot

    Your aim is to communicate what needs to be said when your horse’s inside hind foot is on the ground.  When he is lifting his inside back foot off the ground and bringing it forward, any pulling or resisting on your inside rein will result in the hind leg not coming as far forward as you would like. This will result in a loss of balance or impulsion for your horse.

    Said differently, your aim is to be soft or light with your inside rein as your horse’s inside hind leg is in the air and moving forward

    Your horse must be schooled, obedient and responsive to then follow through with that suggestion himself in order for your inside hand to truly be effective.  Again, this comes back to consistency on your part. And, also, saying goodbye to the dependency you may have built up on your inside rein.

    Creating Contact with Your Inside Rein

    Once you feel comfortable with giving and taking the loose inside rein, begin to develop a contact by shortening your inside rein.  Make sure you do this slowly, in gradual little increments, so as to not grab it and undo all the work you have just put in.

    Test your effectiveness while riding up the center line.  Can you flex your horse’s poll one way or the other using your inside rein, without losing any forward momentum or your horse stepping to the inside, which will happen if he feels unbalanced?

    You can also go back to your circle and using your other aids to maintain the circle, just use your inside rein to ask for flexion through the poll to the inside.  You should find that your horse will have a more active gait on the circle, have more balance and just be a happier horse overall!

    Remember your inside rein is only the supporting character and without your other aids, the whole performance is pretty much guaranteed to be a flop!

    If, over time, you feel that you are beginning to pull or depend a little too much on your inside rein again, take it back to riding without it for a few minutes in the arena to reassert your other aids again.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources for Equestrians

    Lightening Up on Your inside Rein

  • Refining Your Walk to Canter Transition

    Refining Your Walk to Canter Transition

    [smart_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/SFA456-Refining-Your-Walk-to-Canter-Transition.mp3″ title=”A Better Walk to Canter Transition” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Using walk to canter to improve all canter transitions” hashtag=”canter #equestrian” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    Do you find that when asking your horse for canter, you tend to ‘over do’ some aspects of your aids?  Perhaps you throw your reins at your horse, or you try to ‘push’ too much with your seat or upper body…  You are shoving and bumping about in the saddle!

    And when your horse eventually ‘strikes’ the canter, you are so far from where you want to be position-wise, that it takes the first 5 to 10 strides just to get your limbs back listening to you. This is before you can even begin to turn your mind to the quality of the canter happening underneath you.

    Why Introduce the Walk to Canter

    Assuming you have a fairly independent seat. And that your horse is schooled and developed enough to understand the aids to canter and then carry himself in the canter… I suggest beginning to improve your canter by introducing walk to canter into your schooling routine.

    Refining your walk to canter is a fantastic exercise for both horse and rider.  It will help you improve the actual canter itself. This is due to the fact that you arrive at the transition more prepared, more organized, and less hurried.

    It helps your horse by strengthening him and helping him to understand more subtle aids, due to you being more organized with giving them!

    Your Horse’s Canter

    Before you begin it is important you understand the canter itself and the aids to ask your horse to canter…  You probably know that your horse ‘leads’ with one of his front legs when he canters.

    Depending on which front leg you want him to lead with, you will ask him to strike off with the opposite back leg.  

    Canter has a three-time beat, so using the left back leg as his ‘striking leg’ he will then move his inside back leg (right back leg) together with his outside front leg (left front leg), meaning the diagonal pair move together.  The third beat comes from the leading front leg (in this case the right front leg). Then there is a short moment of suspension before the outside hind leg touches down again and the sequence begins over.

    Collection in the Walk

    Preparation is everything, so establishing a good quality walk is essential.  Ideally, you want to have a little collection in your walk, which you can achieve by applying lots of half halts throughout the ride.   Think of creating energy with your legs and then containing it or storing it, until needed, with your hands.

    The walk must not lose its forward momentum and your horse must not become ‘sticky’ in the walk, which often happens when riders are trying to collect things up.  Keep in mind that the half halt is only held for a split second; then released.  Rather up the quantity of the half halts, than increasing the length you hold them for.

    Timing Your Aids

    Regarding your aids and applying them… I recommend you begin by becoming aware of what leg is stepping down, onto the ground, at any given time underneath you.

    The reason this is important is that you need to apply your aids to ask for the canter either just before or when the outside hind leg is busy moving forward, coming under the horse, and before he ‘steps down’ onto it.

    When I am teaching in the arena, I ask my riders from very early in their riding journeys to begin identifying the different legs underneath. We do this them by saying ‘Now…’ ‘Now…’ ‘Now…’ ‘Now…’  when a particular leg is ‘touching down’.

    It allows them to become familiar with the rhythm and sequence of the footfalls, so that they can then, while they are still repeating’ Now’, begin noticing how it ‘feels’ when that hind leg is beginning to lift up to moving forward and underneath.

    Next time you are in the saddle, do this exercise.  Feel how, when his inside back leg is moving forward, and this is nice and easy to feel in walk, your corresponding seatbone is ‘down’.  This is due to your horse having to swing his barrel slightly to the other side in order to make room for that leg to come underneath him.

    Your Seat Bones

    So, when the left back leg is coming forwards, your left seatbone will be slightly lower and also moving forwards.  While this is happening your right seat bone will be slightly raised and will feel as though it is ‘sliding’ back.  

    Once your horse puts his right back hoof on the ground, you will feel your right seat bone raise up. It will begin to feel like it is sliding backward, as your horse moves over the right back hoof.  While this is happening, your left seatbone will be lowered slightly. And sliding forwards, as your horse’s left back leg moves underneath him, preparing to bear the weight again.

    You will feel that as your inside seatbone is at its most forward point, your outside seatbone will be ‘back’ slightly and higher that the inside. Then, as the inside hind leg touches the ground, and your horse begins to lift his outside hind leg forward to put down underneath him, your outside seat bone will ‘drop’ and begin to move forward. This is, again, due to the shift in your horse’s barrel to make way for the leg coming underneath him.

    Asking for the Canter

    Now, I personally think the exact time to ask for the transition depends a lot on your horse and how responsive he is to your aids

    If he is a little ‘laid back’, you may have to ask just before your inside seatbone is at its most forward position. So before it begins to move back ‘up’ and back. However, if your horse is a little sensitive, or quite responsive, it may work better for you to ask just as your outside seatbone begins to ‘dip’ and move forward again.

    Knowing exactly when to ask comes down to ‘feel’. And, luckily, this can be learned through time and consistent practice in the saddle. There is a blog post and audio lesson on ‘Improving Your Feel in the Saddle’ HERE >>

    Often, we ask too late. Or at the incorrect time! And the result is either our horse trots, because he cannot get his legs into the sequence for canter. Or he begins to canter with his front legs first, not striking off with the outside hind.  This is not correct, and you will almost feel that your horse skips.  If this happens, bring him back to walk and try again.

    Be Clear About What You Want

    When setting up your first walk to canter transition, have a clear idea in your mind on how you are going to ask for canter.  Focus your attention on establishing a good, active walk with lots of energy.  Become clear on how you are going to apply your aids, and when.

    Your seat is vitally important in asking for the canter.  Often you hear of using your seat to ‘scoop’ your horse up into the canter.  This cannot happen unless you are truly carrying your upper body. And you ask for the transition at the correct time.

    Your inside leg will remain on the girth, your outside leg will ‘swing’ back. This is to indicate to your horse to strike with the outside hind leg and your hands will follow the movement when it happens.

    Using a Circle to Help

    Start riding a 20 meter circle, which will help you initially as your horse will already be positioned with a bend to the inside. This will increase your chance of a clean strike on the correct lead.  You will be working with your horse rather than against it.

    Resist the temptation to lean or push.  The canter is asked for with your seat first and foremost. Your legs and hands must also do their job in both indicating and allowing your  horse to canter

    The transition should be clean.  If your horse begins to rush in the walk, trots or jogs a little when asked, immediately bring him back to walk. From there, work on preparing a good transition all over again. Begin with the walk and half halts.

    Quality of Walk to Canter

    Keep in mind that the quality of the transition can only be as good as the gait leading up to it. So set your intention on an achieving an active, forward walk

    Once you have performed the walk to canter transition, remember to reward your horse with a kind word and a softening of the inside rein.  Let him know that he has indeed carried out what you asked.  If you are late to reward, he may not know for future reference what you are looking for.

    Continue with the canter for 15 to 20 strides. Pay attention to how quickly it takes you to establish a rhythm this time.  Have you managed to keep your upper body light in the saddle?  Is your lower leg where it should be?  Are you following your horse with your pelvis and hands?

    Continue to practice this on both reins and notice if one lead is easier to achieve than the other.  Also, keep your attention on how long it takes you to feel ‘in control’ of the canter.  And, if it happens somewhat sooner than if you canter through trot.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    And, finally, if you would like to go further with your riding I highly suggest you give my free training series a go…Find the Gaps in Your Horses Training using this free audio series available for you to listen to in a private podcast feed – so just as easy as listening to the Daily STrides Podcast :) You can sign up for free HERE or visit https://stridesforsuccess.com/free

    Additional Posts on this Topic

        • Setting Up Better Canter Transitions HERE >>
        • Keeping Canter Work Interesting HERE >>
        • 4 Steps to a More Comfortable Canter HERE >>

    Get Support & Guidance in Your Riding

    Riding a Smooth & Timely Walk to Canter Transition

    Some exercises can have a ripple effect all through our riding when we dedicate some time and energy to making them better.  I believe that the walk to canter is one of those exercises and I am excited to help you master the transition this month with your horse.

    This group of episodes is available for you to begin working with today, inside of Connection. They are suitable for all horses and riders who are able to canter. They will help you both become clearer on the aids, and more focused on timing and its importance.  And more balanced and responsive as well.

    Refining Your Walk to Canter Transitions

  • Maintaining Control After Jumping

    Maintaining Control After Jumping

    You’ve just popped the fence and, in your mind, it was a success. Mostly because you managed to stay on board for it!  However, as soon as your horse lands, you are beginning to think that your ‘upright seat’ is becoming more and more of a fantasy…

    In fact, every stride your horse takes is literally bumping you further and further onto his withers… Your lower leg is coming up and back. And you’re pretty sure that you’re on the verge of losing your stirrups.

    Who knew that jumping meant such an up-close and personal view of your horse’s neck?!  You glance up, and low and behold, you are approaching the corner; fast!!

    Let’s Remove ‘Forward’ From Your Position!

    This is a really common problem. And one that often begins when we first begin jumping and the word ‘forward’ is used to encourage the position.  Couple this with a really strong desire not to ‘catch your horse in the mouth’…

    The result is you diving forward, leaning on your horse’s neck with your hands (which are filled with as much mane as they can physically hold), and just being a heavy passenger both over and after the jump.

    Maintaining Your Position After the Jump

    Jumping…  It is really one of the most fun things to do on a horse, but if you are not in control on the ground, between the fences, things have a terrible habit of going from bad to worse very quickly!

    Things Get Worse As Fences Get Higher!

    What compounds the problem more is that, generally speaking, when we are jumping over smaller fences, this ‘technique’ works quite well.  You manage to get from A to B. And your horse is in possession of all his back teeth at the end of the lesson.

    However, the problems begin to show up when the jumps become a little higher. Or there are a few of them added together to form a track or course of fences.

    Having an independent, balanced seat both over and after the fence is essential for you to efficiently pilot your horse over all the obstacles. And achieve that all important clear round.

    What Your Horse Does When Jumping

    I think the first part of either preventing this from becoming your jumping technique, or correcting an already formed habit, is to fully understand what happens to your horse when he jumps.

    As he approaches the jump, your horse should begin to transfer his weight a little more back onto his hocks and hindquarters, rather than his shoulders.  This is in preparation for lifting his shoulders and front end off the ground when beginning his jumping effort.

    He will then, when at the fence, with his hind legs moving under him, lift his shoulders, head, and neck to begin his jumping effort.  His hind legs will then come under him, push-off the ground, and ‘propel’ him on, up, and over the fence.

    His head and neck will stretch out and down a little, his shoulders will pull his front legs up and his knees should ideally ‘snap’ up to clear the fence.

    His hindquarters will fold up underneath him. There will be a point where he will be suspended in mid-air over the jump.  Once he is ‘over’ the fence, he will get the landing gear out, so to speak.  He will stretch out his front legs. And, to balance himself, raise his head and neck in anticipation for the first getaway stride after the fence.

    With his head and neck raised, his front legs can touch down and then move forward again into the first stride leaving space for his hind legs to land.  And then he will push-off again with the hind legs to continue cantering after the fence.

    How We Can Interfere With Jumping

    There are a number of different times when we riders have a great potential to get in the way. This can cause problems with our horse’s technique.  Here are some of the more common mistakes we can be guilty of:-

        • Getting ahead of the movement, to begin with on the approach
        • Diving too early when we reach the jump, resulting in us ‘jumping before the horse’
        • Using our horses head and neck over the fence for support and balance – leaning on our horse
        • Collapsing on our horse’s neck on landing
        • Tipping forward on the landing stride and continue to tip more forward with every stride thereafter

    So in order to control our position after the fence, we need to first control our position in front the fence. I suggest that wherever you previously used the word ‘Forward’; substitute it with ‘Back and Down’.

    Adjusting Your Jumping Position

    Next time you approach a pole or a fence, imagine trying to create an open space in front of you. Think of from your chin to your horse’s withers. Focus on making this space as big and empty as possible.

    Open your chest wide from the shoulder point to shoulder point. Sit up through your waist (no creases in your tummy). And, finally, open the angle between your thigh and your tummy as much as you can.

    Then begin creating energy with your legs. Keep asking. However, instead of letting the ‘energy’ run out the front end, imagine that energy coming from your horse’s back hoof in a line towards his ears. It is ‘filling’ that space you created earlier in front of you. And as it does, you use your hands, and in particular, your outside rein, to contain it and direct it where you want it to go.

    You will have to continuously check that you are carrying yourself and your hands in order for there to be enough ‘space’ for this energy to come up.

    Keep this ‘space’ in mind as you approach your jump or pole or even better; Your marker…

    Choose ‘Markers’ in Your Arena

    The first thing I would suggest you do when working on improving your jumping technique does not involve jumping at all. Simply pick different places around the arena and pretend there is a jump there.

    I and my sister done this for years when hacking out (on the trail). We used the posts from fences as ‘markers’. Alternatively, we used telephone poles, or trees, shadows, signposts, other jumps that we rode past. The list was and is endless.

    As you ride past your marker each time, try to imagine where your horse would take off if that was an actual real jump.

    Keep in mind that you will only then follow your horse after he has actually begun to lift off… Not throw yourself at the fence. It is often helpful to say, either in your head or out loud “Wait, Wait, Wait – Lift”. (I know you may feel a little silly, but it really does help!)

    Practice Your ‘New’ Jumping Position

    Then shift into your jumping position over the ‘fence’ (your marker).  Work on coming back into your normal, upright seat afterward, just as quickly as you would if you were indeed jumping a fence.

    Begin in walk… And really pay attention that when you are moving into your jumping position, it is a correct position.

        1. Weight into the heels
        2. Lift your bum a little out of the saddle
        3. Make sure your bum ‘reverses‘ – REALLY IMPORTANT!
        4. As your bum goes back, fold your hips bringing your upper body closer to the pommel of the saddle or withers
        5. Make sure your back is straight
        6. Keep your chest open – the point of each shoulder stretched away from each other across your chest
        7. Give with your arms and hand, through your shoulders
        8. Look up!

    Carry Your Upper Body

    What I often see happen is that although people get out of the saddle, heels down, etc, etc… Because they don’t support and carry their upper body (open the chest), they are leaning on the horse’s neck for support. This is REALLY difficult to get up out of after the jump when the horse is moving.

    It also causes the rider to squeeze with their knees. From here, the lower leg pivots, the upper body comes more down, They usually lose the stirrups… And on, and on, and on :(

    Put A Basic Position on Autopilot

    Once you are getting in and out of your jumping position easily in walk and it should become something that you don’t have to think about.  However, at the beginning of each session do a mental checklist that you are doing each of the above parts. Practice the exercise with no poles.  Only your imaginary ‘markers’.

    Work in walk, in trot and, when that is good, move to canter.

    Then begin working over a pole on the ground… Use the same principle… And lastly, you will be well able to hold your own over a fence and support and balance yourself all the way.

    The super thing about being able to do that is that your horse will also be able to jump better because you’re not shifting all your weight onto his shoulders :)

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources for Equestrians

  • Asking Your Horse to Bend

    Asking Your Horse to Bend

    Riding through a bend is something you will have to do every time you get in the saddle, whether it be the 4 corners of your arena or just the route you take to get from point A to point B.  It therefore makes good sense to work on your ability to navigate those bends successfully, without losing balance, rhythm, energy and focus each time you encounter a bend.

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    Riding a bend correctly will result in your horse having an equal bend throughout his body, resulting in the energy continuously being directed where you want it to go; forwards, and not out being lost anywhere along the arc from tail to poll.

    Asking Your Horse To Bend

    A good way of ‘seeing’ this equal bend, so you can visualize using your aids, is to think of a whip or stick being held at each end with your two hands.  Now, imagine closing your hands closer together…  If you use equal pressure from both hands on each side and gently ‘feel’ to make sure you are balancing that pressure and not overexerting the whip, the whip will have an equal bend all the way through.

    Now (without snapping your whip!) imagine what would happen if you pushed too hard or too much with one hand or the other, or try to force or ‘fix’ the bend; the whip would snap, leaving you with two straight lines with a break in the middle.  This is similar to what happens to the line from poll to tail on your horses back; often by applying too much of one or the other aid (usually hand), the result is a straight line from poll to withers and then another straight line from withers to tail, with a ‘break’ at the withers or shoulder where all the energy has fallen out of.

    Riding your horse correctly around a bend requires a balance of aids from you, which will allow your horse to navigate the bend to the best of his ability.  You cannot force him and you cannot fix him.  Your job as the rider to is guide him around the bend so he remains in balance and moving forward.

    When you horse rounds the bend correctly, his inside back hoof will stay on the track created by his inside front hoof, and the same applies to the outside legs, almost like train tracks, remaining parallel to each other around a turn or bend.

    In order for this to happen the horse must lengthen or stretch of one side (the outside) of the body, rather than a shortening of the inside.  Your aids will ask him to do this, however before we can discuss the aids, we must first become clear on the terms Inside and Outside with relation to riding and bending.

    Often when we are learning what is the inside leg or what is the outside rein, the instructor will use the analogy of a circle or the arena wall itself to demonstrate and when you are initially learning to ride, this generally holds true.

    However, as you begin to ride more complex movements, such as counter canter or leg yielding, the issue of inside and outside changes from where you are in the arena or what shape you are riding, to what way your horse is bending.

    This is the true meaning of inside and outside, the inside being the leg, hand and seat on the concave side of the horse, depending on which direction or way he is bent.  The outside being the opposite of the above on the convex side of the horse.

    So once you have decided which way you are going to bend your horse, begin by shifting your inside seat bone slightly more forward than your outside seat bone.  In doing so, you will feel that your inside seatbone is now a little more ‘weighted’ as well.  Make sure you are not leaning towards the inside with your upper body; this will have the opposite effect and ‘push’ your weight to the outside of the saddle.

    Your inside leg is applied on or at the girth.   This will help you continue to create forward energy and gives your horse something to bend around, rather than falling in and sideways.  In fact I have found it helpful to get my riders to think of their inside leg as a pole that their horse must bend around.  It helps visualise the bend, but it also helps to ensure that they are using their outside leg aid as well.

    When riding on a bend, your outside leg will move back slightly in order to control the hind quarters and, in particular, make sure they don’t swing out around the bend.  This is often evident on circles and when it happens the horse is no longer following the ‘train tracks’ that his front legs are creating.

    Your inside hand is used to indicate to your horse that you are asking for the turn, using a combination of arm, hand, wrist and fingers.  Very often riders will use only their inside hand to turn, and just like the whip analogy we spoke of earlier, using too much pressure from one aid will result in the ‘break’ of the arc and the energy falling out.  The use of the inside hand is very subtle and can be thought of as more of an indicator, rather than what actually bends your horse.

    Finally, your outside hand prevents your horse from over bending and helps to hold the forward energy created by your inside leg together.  Unfortunately a lot of riders forget about their outside hand when turning, however it is vitally important in holding everything together as you and your horse navigate a turn or bend.

    I suggest beginning by practicing first in halt.  Adjust your position to where you would if you were to ask for a bend while riding.  Notice how easy it is for you to move in and out of this.  Keep in mind that the movement should be fluid and that if you are having to really struggle to ‘hold’ something, you may in fact be over doing it.  You are only making small subtle movements that your horse will pick up on and respond accordingly.

    Once you are clear about how to ask your horse to bend one way or the other, you can ask for walk and whether you choose to walk large around the arena or begin to ride some different school figures, begin assessing how your horse bends and how you are using your aids to ask him and then ride him through the bend.

    Notice if you are perhaps dropping your inside shoulder?  Or maybe you are completely forgetting about your outside hand or leg.  Keep working on this in walk until it becomes second nature to you to ‘bend’ your horse around each and every turn, rather than use your inside hand to drag him around!

    From there you can begin to work in trot, where you may find that your horse falls in around the corners, or that the hind quarters are more likely to swing out rather than following the front end.  Notice it and then, begin by correcting your position and aids.  See what effect this has on your horse and work from there.

    Keep in mind that your horse may experience some stiffness on one side compared to the other.  If you experience this, create a plan for your ride that will incorporate a slight increase of work on that side, however slight is the key word here.  This will, with correct training, be corrected over time with consistent, correct riding and work.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

     

     

  • Riding Haunches In or Travers

    Riding Haunches In or Travers

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    Do you find that when you ask your horse to perform haunches in or travers, the forward movement tends to get a little ‘stuck’?  It feels as though he is on his tippy toes, pottering along with no inclination to get to the other end of the arena?!

    The Benefits of Haunches In

    Haunches in is a lateral movement that is fantastic for suppling your horse and it also opens the door to performing a half pass later in training.

    It requires an engagement of the hindquarters, due to the outside hind leg having to move over and almost in front of the inside hind leg, and so incorporating this movement into your schooling will, in turn, help strengthen your horses’ hindquarters.

    Riding Haunches In or Travers

     

    I find that haunches in is also a great exercise to improve the rider’s coordination, both physically and in their head. It also helps to take the confusion out of riding lateral movements on their horses.

    What is Travers (or Haunches In)?

    You ride this movement by asking your horse to move his hindquarters or haunches in off the track. So, towards the inside of the arena if you are on the outside track.  As he continues to move forward, his shoulders remain on the track.

    He does this by bending around your inside leg at an approximately 30-degree angle to the track.  

    How Much Bend Off the Track?

    If you looked at your horse moving down the arena, from the front, you would see either 3 or 4 distinct tracks created by your horse’s hooves.  I say 3 or 4 because this depends on what level in his training your horse is at. It can also depend on how he is put together.

    A simple way of imagining how haunches in should look when being ridden is to think the ‘last stride’ of a circle or bend, just before your horse straightens up again.  

    Now imagine holding this position as you ride down the long side of the arena.   Your horse’s shoulders would be on the track. However, the hindquarters or haunches would be slightly in off the track as he bends around your inside leg.

    Getting Started…

    Haunches in or travers can be performed in walk, trot or canter and, as always, I suggest first asking for the movement in walk before building up to faster gaits.  This will give both you and your horse the opportunity to figure out what to do when it is being ridden.

    Start in a walk on a 10-meter circle in the corner before the long side of your arena.  Focus on establishing and maintaining a correct bend while on the circle. Do this by applying the half halt as necessary to re-balance your horse, and let him know something is happening.

    Your Aids for Haunches In

    As you come out of the corner on the circle, use your outside leg to keep your horse’s hindquarters off the track. They will be closer to the inside of the school.  Do this by bringing it back and maintaining the bend around your inside leg.

    Make sure the shoulders remain on the track by using your inside leg on the girth.  

    Your inside leg will also help create the bend and continue to create the forward energy that is essential to prevent you and your horse from becoming ‘sticky’ while riding the haunches in.

    Work towards maintaining the bend around your inside leg and ask your horse to move down the long side with his hindquarters to the inside and off the track.  Continue to half halt throughout the movement to re-balance. Also, pay attention that your horse is not over-bent,

    Only ask for a few strides of travers initially, working up to longer periods as your horse becomes stronger and grows his confidence in his ability.

    The Balance of Aids…

    Make sure your inside leg is continuing to create forward impulsion as you perform the movement.  Also, continue to check that you are not applying too much inside rein. This will result in you ‘pulling’ his head and neck around.

    Over-bending through the front end will prevent your horse from stepping out correctly. This will ultimately lead to the short, choppy, sticky steps that we often achieve when riding haunches in.

    Don’t worry too much about the angle initially.  Rather focus that your horse is listening to your aids and responding. Even if that response is not as ‘active’ or expressive as you would like it to be.  As he becomes more supple, you can ask more difficult questions of him and work on ‘polishing’ the movement up.

    Alignment Through Your Position

    All the while, both before, during, and afterward, make sure your body and position are correct.  Also, that you are applying and using your aids as clearly for your horse to understand as possible.

    Often when we are not getting the desired result, riders can ‘fight’ with their horse; pulling, pushing, and shoving in frustration.  Rather realize that if what you are doing is not working, go back a step or two, perhaps to leg yielding, and after re-establishing a solid foundation, ask again.

    Try not twist or slouch your body while riding.  It is tempting to ‘look’ your horses hind quarters to see if you are achieving what you are setting out to do; rather use your seat to ‘feel’ what is going in and ‘glance’ with your eyes that the shoulders are remaining on the track.

    Also, think about your seat aids as you prepare and ride the haunches in movement.  Don’t try to influence your horse to ‘go sideways’ by swinging your seat around in the saddle.  Simply make sure your inside seat-bone is slightly more forward than your outside.  A little like when you are asking for a bend. Also, pay attention that you are not collapsing through the inside hip and shifting all the weight onto your outside seat-bone.

    Developing the Movement

    Once you and your horse have successfully performed the movement in the walk, you can begin to add trot. You can also later add canter into your schooling time.

    Pay attention that your horse is truly bending around your inside leg, otherwise he may just be leg yielding!

    Another exercise you can ride is a 20-meter circle, which using haunches in, you can spiral smaller into a 15 meter or even 10 meters if your horse is balanced enough.

    From there you can use shoulder in to move your horse back out to the original 20-meter circle.  

    This can be ridden on both reins in all three gaits and is a simple way of incorporating this movement into your daily schooling routines.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources for Equestrians

    Riding Haunches In