Flying changes are important in show jumping because you have directional changes in courses.



The easiest way of teaching flying changes is by using a cavaletti or a raised pole. Position the cavaletti or raised pole on the diagonal. Canter over it making an 'S' shape with a slightly exaggerated curl to the line. As your horse goes with an elevated stride to jump, slightly change the bend and adjust your leg aid. With the jump and the slight change of direction, the horse…

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When a horse rushes he is running and using the rider's hands as the fifth leg. In other words the rider is trying to support a horse that thinks that it is acceptable to lean on your hands, which it is not.



What the rider must do is to try and be soft in the contact. When the horse starts to go forward the rider needs to bring his body back slightly to let the horse know to readdress his balance, then take quite a strong half halt and soften as soon as the horse starts to…

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If things are going wrong with your training, you should ask yourself what is happening, why is it happening and what is the solution? The art of seeing a problem is being able to interpret what is happening and to decide what the solution is.



Flatwork is all about good foundations, which I call 'fundamentals', and they are very simple and straightforward:



Straightness

Calmness

Balance

Rhythm

Responsiveness



If you have that…

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Q: My horse seems to stop at a different type of fence everytime we go out. Just as I think we have mastered solid fillers then he starts spooking at flower arrangements. What should I do?



A: Make sure your horse is capable of going round the ring before you compete him. If that means you have to do more homework it is still more cost effective than wasting your entry fees. By hiring a school and practicing over a course you are doing a lot more good and putting a lot…

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Under saddle, disobedience from the horse can be caused by a number of factors, not necessarily just unwillingness to work. Here are a few points to consider:



Reward

The reason why horses are easy to train is because if you do things consistently they will pick it up; they are creatures of habit.



I am a great believer in giving a horse a pat as a reward for good work. However which method you use to praise your horse is not important, it is the consistency of… Continue

Cooperation under saddle begins with good ground manners. If despite your best efforts you are still having problems with your horse in the stable, don’t panic! Here are some things for you to consider:



General welfare



Before any type of training can be undertaken there are obvious areas that need to be paid attention to.



First and foremost, is the horse in good enough condition to do what you are asking him to do? Can he bend his head to the left and… Continue

Continuing with last week’s blog, here are 6 more helpful tips for the ring:



Plan your corners. A typical course builder’s challenge is to place a jump so that you are jumping towards or into a corner. Deliberately designed to test you and the horse, as this naturally stifles the jump and may tempt your horse to jump off centre as he anticipates the turn you will be making. So keep straight, jump the centre of the jump… Continue

I’ve always believed that rosettes are won at home. You just collect them in the ring. With that in mind, here are five of my top tips to help you put all your schooling to good effect:



1. Be clear in what you ask your horse. You walked the course and your horse didn't, so you need to make it clear to him which fence he has to jump. As you enter the ring, the first jump your horse sees may not be the first on the course and he may get drawn to the wrong fence. This is one of… Continue

Related distances seem to cause a lot of problems but for no real reason.



Once you understand what they mean, if you concentrate on your horse’s rhythm and stride regularity you’ll have no problems.



Course builders build jumps that are related to each other in some way — this means that there is a set number of strides between the fences, usually between three and seven. At more advanced levels, the course builder uses half distances, so instead of say five nice…

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My Ultimate Grid



This is an exercise that I do with all my horses and riders to help them improve their techniques and most importantly the way they work together.



I call it the ultimate grid because the first part of it is designed to help the horse develop a good basic shape and technique over a fence and to use the shoulders, whereas the second part of it is about getting the horse to come back onto his hocks and go up. It’s simple but tests the horse in all…

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Jumping a Single Fence



How many times have you seen a rider approach a single fence in canter, hold the horse back and then suddenly release it and send it forward when they think they see a stride? And what happens? The horse accelerates at the last moment over the jump, lands on his forehand, runs on from the jump and has to be pulled back! Worse still they learn to rush their fences, standing off a long way and jumping flat.



Up to intermediate level,…

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Following up from last week, once the horse is giving you a nice rounded stride over the second plank of our simple combination, by adding a second jump you will start to train your horse to make the link from trot to canter.



Placing the second jump is quite important — the length of one canter stride for the average horse is 12 feet or 3.6 metres. But, I want it to be a little closer on take-off to the second part.



Remember the aim is to turn a galloping machine into a…

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Let's spend some time developing the correct technique and right jumping habits from the very beginning...



When you are ready to start jumping your horse, the first thing you must do is work out a way of getting the him to the fence so that he can jump it correctly.



Presenting your horse appropriately is the only way to help the horse improve his jump.



I surprise you, having said in earlier posts that canter should be a horse’s preferred pace, but I aIways…

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In Part 3 of Flatwork for Jumping, we take a look at flying changes.



Before any of my young horses go to a show, I teach them how to do a flying change. In training sessions I teach them that when they change the rein in canter they automatically change the canter lead.



It is important that the horse learns to change the sequence of legs and keep himself balanced. You’ve probably all read the books on the aids to use, but my horses can’t read so I like to use a simple…

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Now that we have thought about rider position, flexion, and getting the horse to move away from your leg, it's time to move on to your horse's canter.



Canter, rhythm and balance is very important for a show jumper and he should be able to maintain it without too much interference from the rider. For our sport you need a horse whose strongest pace, his favourite pace if you like, is canter as most of the work is done in canter.



Many of us over-ride our horses in canter…

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Before you even begin to jump, you need to make sure you have done the groundwork to establish the foundation for success. I'm not talking about pure dressage; I'm talking about the basic skills that are vitally important to a show jumper.



There are 5 basics that will provide an excellent foundation for show jumping. Build them into your schooling program and you will see the results.



Today I will talk about the first three basics.





1. Rider…

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