Ride Forward, Think 'Wait'

When riding down to a fence there are two interplaying momentums that create an effective jump. The first is riding the horse forward. We need the horse in front of our leg, carrying energy down to the fence. The second is waiting. Patience coming down to the fence is often difficult but essential to not rush the jump. Let’s work on creating the feeling of our horse moving forward but our bodies feeling ‘wait.’

The first step is getting the horse in front of the leg. We often hear this phrase ‘in front of your leg’- how do you know when you have accomplished this? The goal is to feel that you are not pushing your horse, but that he is carrying you. You know that you have your horse in front of the leg when you do not have to work to keep your horse going. Sometimes this is a matter of fitness, often it is a training issue. Your horse must be respectful of your leg aid and respond when it is applied. If your horse is dull to the leg, flatwork in an intentional warm up can be useful. Work on transitions between gaits, walk to trot, and within gaits, lengthening and collecting the trot. When you have your horse sharp to your leg, begin your course by directing your focus on your horses stride and energy. Take the time to create impulsion before you head down to your first fence.

Quite common to see at shows, is a horse who has been standing at the in-gate in the sun for 20 min suddenly be spurred forward and headed down to their first fence. It is advisable to wake your horse up first- jumping one practice fence when you are on deck. Make use of the opening circle in the hunter ring or your time before the whistle in the jumpers to pick up a pace and create good energy. Make it your goal to get the round going in that circle, not after you chip in to your first fence.

An important part of getting the horse forward, is to school the ‘back’ or the collection as well. We as riders need the ability to feel when the horse is in front of your leg versus when he is sucking back. More difficult is developing the feel for when the horse is steady in front of the leg versus when he is running- ignoring the half halt in the corners and lacking the steady feel down to the fence. The test in either case is to see if you have control of the adjustability of his stride. For both quick and sluggish horses, it is important for the rider to be able to monitor the step and put the horse on the length of stride of her choosing.

To work on the adjustability, try lengthening down the long side of the arena in two-point and then sitting on the short ends and collecting your horse on a big circle. When you go into two-point, demand that the horse goes forward from your leg. Maintain the pace all the way into the circle. Be conscious that you do not let the forward canter fizzle out as you proceed down the rail. Maintain the same energy down the whole long side. Then as you begin your circle, make a marked change back to a shorter canter sitting. But don’t you dare let your horse break! For quicker horses, pick a forward step for the long side and don’t let your horse increase from there. As you circle, really sit deep and practice making him settle into a smaller step. When you can ride this exercise comfortably, try the reverse: make a big circle on the short end and energize your horse sending him forward, then come out on the long side, assume two-point and make your horse settle. Switching the exercise helps not only to prevent your horse from anticipating and encourage listening to your aids, but also creating energy in the circle and then riding steady down the line is preparing you for how to ride your courses.

Here is another exercise to practice managing energy and the length of stride. Set up two rails approximately 72’ apart. Pick up a forward working pace and canter the line in 5 strides. Then make a circle sitting and come again on a smaller length step. Fit in the 6 strides. Make it a challenge to see how many steps you can fit between those rails. If you have other riders to practice with, those who break to the trot are eliminated. Finish your practice with a final forward ride in 5.

First we prepare the pace in the corner and create impulsion; then we can ride steady forward down to the fence with our horse carrying us, instead of us pushing at him. Once we have the horse carrying us comfortably in front of the leg, it is our job to settle our mind and wait for the fence to come to us. All too often we get excited (or nervous!) and anticipate the jump too early. To avoid problems of jumping ahead or throwing away our contact at the base, we must discipline ourselves tobe patient. Develop your pace in the circle, line your horse up for the fence, and wait. It is helpful to think not about getting to the jump, but allowing the jump to come to you.

Focusing on the pace and your breath is an excellent way to not get in a hurry and enjoy the ride. Counting out loud is helpful because it forces you to breathe. If you are good at this, now try consciously connecting the breath to the rhythm you feel in your seat and hands. For everyone, try keeping your shoulders tall at the base and exhaling your breath as the horse leaves the ground. Try not to forget the backside too. Some horses like to rush off, others like to die out. It’s your challenge to keep the same pace, monitoring it with counting or your breath.

Ideally, we want to ride our horses to the base of the fence on this even step. For most horses, a slightly deeper distance allows them to jump more up and round verses distances slightly further out which create a longer, flatter jump. It takes patience to fit the steps in and ride to the deeper distances. Placing rails on the ground 9-12 feet before and after a jump will help your horse get to the base and jump up rounder. When riding to the base you might also find that your horse lands with a better pace and is less apt to run off.

Cantering down to a fence we need to make sure that we have set our horse up with a good pace then we must quiet our mind and let the fence come to us. It is quite enjoyable to have the horse in front of the leg and simply keep the leg on as opposed to kicking around the course. Similarly, finding a forward but quiet pace for quick horses to settle into can make the whole round smoother. See if you can feel that balance of forward in your horse’s body, stretching up and waiting with yours.

Danica Yates is a sporthorse trainer in the Portland, Oregon area. FEI and European experience, four years private training with Olympian Debbie McDonald. Training, lessons and board are available. Call (503)278-1112 or visit www.danicayates.com for more information.