Training The Show Jumper by Kristi Canty

By Don and Karen Sullivan - Cont.. last edition - starting the young horse

Karen Sullivan & Satin

About the Authors Don and Karen Sullivan own River Downs Equestrian Centre, They train and compete their home bred warm blood horses in show jumping and dressage. They also start and train outside horses for clients as well as coaching and conducting clinics. Copyright - Local Horse Magazine

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starting the young horseâ&#x20AC;? - By Don & Karen Sullivan

Starting the young horse - By Don & Karen Sullivan Cont…….

Education of the young horse

By Don and Karen Sullivan - Cont.. last edition - starting the young horse

Karen Sullivan & Satin In our last article, we discussed the techniques we use for starting the young horse. In this article, we will continue his education by introducing combinations and turns. To introduce combinations we return to our basic setup - three poles on the ground (1.2m to 1.35m apart), a double space (2.7m) as a take off spot and then a fence. We then add another fence at a distance of 10.2m (two strides) from the first fence. It is necessary, when beginning, to make your distances somewhat shorter than normal as the young horse will generally be a little surprised by the second fence and tentative in his approach. Approach the exercise in rising trot, keeping the horse balanced with an even rein contact and support from your legs. In the take off zone apply a little more calf pressure but maintain exactly the same rein contact. After negotiating the first fence apply slightly firmer forward aids (but on no account drop the horse by putting a lot of slack in the reins), canter the two strides and negotiate the second fence. It is of utmost importance that you keep the horse straight - do not allow the horse to drift left or right; this can be a difficult problem to correct later. When the horse is performing this exercise confidently and calmly, decrease the distance between the fences to 7.2m (one stride).

Karen Sullivan with

Kaitie & Jaybee Vesper As the horse progresses, add another fence, first at a distance of two strides, then one stride. Three, four and even five fence combinations can be built with this grid using varied striding and types of fences. By varying the distances between fences, we can use this grid throughout the horse’s career to teach him to deal with short distances, long distances and all variations of long and short. Every showjumping course our young horse will encounter in competition will have at least two changes of direction and straight and curved lines of various distances, so the sooner we introduce our horse to negotiating a course the better. This can be started easily by trotting and then cantering over poles on the ground arranged into simple courses. Most problems with control, straightness and rhythm will become apparent here and can be dealt with before progressing to actual fences. The first real course for a young horse could be four jumps of 80cm around the outside of the arena, using an oxer for the second fence and perhaps a one stride combination to finish. As you progress, a fence can be added on the diagonal. It’s easier if the fences are built so they can be jumped in either direction, then the course can be reversed. The distances between the two fences on each side should be very easy and a little shorter than normal to allow for the low fences and lower speed to begin with (for example: four strides – 17.5m). Next article we’ll discuss some problems which may arise during training.

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Training Problems

By Don and Karen Sullivan - Cont.. last edition - Education of the young horse.

Karen Sullivan & Jaybee Vesper

The advantage of the training method described in the previous articles is that is it so logically progressive. It provides you with an automatic solution to most training problems; simply go backwards down the progression until the problem ceases to exist then begin again from there. However there are a few more complex problems which cannot be dealt with in this way. These include the horse that does its grid work well but still wants to rush over a single fence or speed up over a course and the horse that refuses or runs out without warning.

Rushing

When a horse begins to rush, firstly the rider must analyze his own contribution to the problem. Many riders tend to over-ride the last few strides to the fence combined with a relaxing of the rein contact. The horse, being obedient to the aids, speeds up in the approach and in time this becomes a habit. The rider must maintain an even rhythm and steady contact in the approach. Some riders, when trotting to a fence, allow the horse to canter the last couple of strides. Trotting is trotting and breaking into a canter is a form of rushing or anticipating so this should be nipped in the bud by discouraging the canter and maintaining a perfectly even trot before a real problem develops. The solution for horses who are habitual rushers is in practicing the approach to a fence. This is done by making a long approach to a single fence, then making a large circle the instant the horse begins to rush. It may be necessary to circle 5 or 10 times before the approach is good enough to allow the horse to jump the fence and this may need to be repeated in the other direction as well. This takes endless patience on the part of the rider and is a long process. The rider must make sure he doesn’t rush by deciding to jump the fence on the next approach, whether or not it’s any good – do not jump until the approach is correct. Don’t just whip around a few times and then charge at the fence! The beauty of this technique is that it takes away the horse’s anticipation of jumping the fence. The horse will begin to realize when approaching a fence it may or may not be asked to jump it and so will be awaiting its rider’s wishes. Horses that have already developed a tendency to rush will benefit by jumping a course with circles between every couple of fences, never jumping the next fence until the horse is completely relaxed. A hot type of horse will often tend to become hotter and more upset by constant changes of speed so it is particularly important to maintain a steady even rhythm throughout the course.

Refusals and Run-outs

Refusals and run-outs are a way for the horse to tell the rider something. Usually the horse is saying “For the ride you gave me I did the most natural thing” or “I didn’t have enough impulsion and didn’t feel like it” or “It’s too big” or even “No, I don’t want to”. Refusals and run-outs differ in that in a refusal the horse actually stops and says “No” whereas in a run-out he just keeps going past the fence ignoring the rider’s aids. Your first reaction when a horse refuses – even for justifiable reasons – must be to punish the horse by a quick smack with the whip; refusing is completely unacceptable behaviour for a show jumper. Never hit the horse near the head or abuse it in the mouth, one or two smacks behind the rider’s leg are enough to let the horse know he has done the wrong thing. Punishment must also be immediate so the horse knows what he did that provoked it. Then settle the horse and approach the fence in perfect control, straight and with impulsion. On no account speed up, anticipate the take off with your upper body or make a big crest release – often habitual stoppers are just waiting for you to drop them so they can repeat the performance. For a run-out, because speed leading to lack of control is usually part of the problem it is not usually productive to smack the horse with the whip. Approach the fence slightly from the side from which it ran out. So if it ran out to the left, next time come to the fence on a slight angle coming from left to right. This makes another run-out to the left quite difficult for the horse. If you keep a steady impulsion and do not drop the horse it will usually jump the fence. It will usually be found that a horse will tend to run out to one side only; with most horses this seems to be the left. Therefore this can be counteracted in the approach by keeping a little more pressure on the right rein and left leg(for a horse who usually runs out to the right reverse the aids). When starting a young horse the only kind of refusals that are somewhat excusable are when it encounters a type of fence it hasn’t seen before or when a fence is substantially bigger than what it has jumped before. Accustom your young horse at home to the types of fences it will encounter at shows. Walls, liverpools and dazzle boards will often stop a young horse in its tracks. To take a horse to a competition before it has gained confidence in jumping these fences at home is asking for trouble and a display of poor training. If, when training at home, a horse stops because a fence is bigger than it is used to jumping and you feel the refusal is due to a lack of self confidence on the horse’s part, still smack the horse but for the next approach reduce the height substantially and gradually increase for subsequent approaches. Next article we’ll discuss improving your horse’s jumping technique.

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Training Problems

By Don and Karen Sullivan - Cont.. last edition - Education of the young horse. By following the method described in the previous articles, we have now developed our young horse to the stage where he can negotiate a small (80 – 90cm) course of show jumps, including a combination, in a calm, straight and controlled manner. We have accustomed him to the different types of jumps and fillers he will encounter in competition and are continuing his education on the flat. It is now time to introduce slightly more advanced grid work to improve his technique.

15m 2.5m 3m 3.5m

6.2m

10.2m 15m

Grids incorporating bounce fences are an excellent exercise for teaching the horse quick reflexes and to develop a powerful, correct jumping style. Begin with a placing pole, 2.5m to a very low fence (50 – 60cm), 3m to a similar fence then 3.5m to another similar fence. At a distance of 6.2m build a small vertical. The next fence, a small oxer, is placed at a distance of 10.2m straight ahead. Build two small vertical fences, one on a left hand turn and one on a right hand turn at distance of 15m from the oxer (Figure 1). The distances between elements of the grid are somewhat shorter than the distances encountered in competition because the speed at which the grid is ridden is much slower than competition speed and the fences are smaller, hence the strides are much shorter. Approach in trot, maintaining a steady but lively impulsion. After negotiating the bounces the horse will break into canter. The rider should adopt a more or less passive role but be ready to support the horse with forward aids should impulsion be lost. After the oxer maintain the same even pace and follow the track to the left or right and the horse will meet the next fence correctly. When jumping the last fence alternate landing in the left or right canter and alternate the direction of your approach to the grid. Throughout the exercise the rider must take great care to ensure the horse does not lose impulsion or straightness and apply forward aids the instant the horse is not maintaining the rhythm by itself. Ride in a light, forward seat with minimal upper body movement - excessive movement, especially falling back in the saddle, unbalances the horse and makes its job that much more difficult. Maintain an even rein contact throughout but do not set the hands on the horse’s neck; ideally the hands should follow the lengthening of the horse’s neck over each element. The purpose of this exercise is to develop the horse’s muscles, particularly the hindquarters and back, to allow it to transfer more weight from the forehand to the hindquarters and thus encourage more engagement of the hindquarters. For a showjumper this engagement promotes propulsive power which is essential for jumping large oxers. In negotiating grids with bounces (non-jumping strides) and short striding distances the horse must engage its hocks and transfer weight to the hindquarters each time it takes off and lands. The rider will find, as the horse progresses in its grid work, that the forehand becomes lighter and the rider will have to apply stronger forward aids to maintain the canter in the approach to the fence after the turn as the horse will slow its pace by itself due to engagement of the hindquarters. It is important to note that for a horse to learn to jump consistently well, calmness and relaxation must be maintained during all training sessions (for horse and rider - a tense, nervous rider creates the same state of mind in the horse!). If, at any stage, the horse becomes tense, anxious or shows signs of beginning to rush immediately reduce the difficulty of the exercise – even back to a placing pole to single small fence if necessary – until calmness is regained then gradually increase the difficulty by adding elements. A good trainer must be able to monitor not only the physical but also the mental state of the horse in order to know the correct rate of progression for each individual. Next month we’ll discuss taking your young horse to his first show.

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GOING TO SHOWS Taking part in competitions is an important part of the young horse’s education. Once the horse is jumping small courses at home in a calm, confident and obedient manner it is time to venture into the competition arena.

then just before you enter the ring jump a small vertical and oxer. Bear in mind our goal is get the horse jumping with confidence rather than to jump large fences – many riders make too much of the practice fence, jumping it over and over each time raising it a few holes. These riders misuse the horse’s energy and can hardly expect a good performance from a tired and sour horse. This excessive use of the practice fence is often done to hide the rider’s lack of confidence and is generally of no benefit to the horse.

However, no matter how well the young horse jumps at home do not expect, in the beginning, for it to perform as well at competitions. The atmosphere at most shows is tense to say the least and this disturbs the young horse and makes it upset and inattentive to the rider. Practice rings are generally overcrowded with horses going in all directions and the normal activities of an agricultural show may quite overwhelm the horse.

Riding the Course Riding a young horse in their first competitions requires confidence and determination on the part of the rider. Most young horses will approach fences with some degree of hesitation. The rider must be prepared to send the horse energetically forward to each fence, taking care to approach the centre of the fence. Be very careful when the first fence is jumped away from home (in gate or practice area) – most young horses and even some older ones are quite reluctant to do so. When approaching a strange or spooky fence, never trust the horse to jump particularly if it slows down in the last few strides. Expect a refusal or run out and maintain impulsion and control. Our goal should be to maintain an even and controlled canter rhythm and lively impulsion throughout the round. Even if the horse lands on the wrong canter lead for the next turn or becomes disunited it is better to keep going rather than interrupt the rhythm. After the round is finished, before leaving the arena walk a circle in front of the exit and leave the arena calmly on a loose rein.

To accustom the horse to the show atmosphere, it is best to take it first of all to a show where it will not actually compete. Ride the young horse around the show grounds in the company of a quiet companion horse. It may be possible to actually ride in the practice area and competition arena before the events begin or during breaks and this experience is invaluable in getting the young horse confident in new surroundings. For the horse’s first actual competition select an event that is somewhat lower than the heights over which the horse is schooling at home. The reason for this being that every young horse will experience some degree of “stage fright” and be somewhat distracted in their first competitions and we will find it easier to deal with this if the jumps themselves do not present any great difficulty for the horse. Warming up The nature of your warm up routine will depend very much on the horse’s temperament – some horses need more exercise to settle them while others need waking up. Generally a horse should be schooled to not need a very long warming up session. My preference for a difficult or overly fresh horse is to find a quiet corner of the show grounds and work on the flat for 30 minutes or so. A lazy horse requires a short, sharp warm up on the flat – extend the trot and canter over a very short distance, transition to halt and repeat to improve the horse’s impulsion. When you feel that your horse is calm and obedient to your aids on the flat begin with 2 or 3 jumps over a cross pole. Continue with 4 or 5 jumps over a progressively raised vertical. Pay attention to the quality of the canter and maintaining control on approach and after landing. Jump a progressively raised and widened oxer 3 or 4 times; finishing at approximately the height of the fences in the ring. Allow 5 minutes or so to get your breath back by quietly walking, and

During the first year of competition, the goal should be to consistently jump clear rounds. When in a jump off against the clock do not attempt to jump the horse at speed – to do so too soon in the horse’s career makes the horse unbalanced and on the forehand causing it to jump in a flatter shape leading to rails down. There is ample time to school the horse in techniques for jumping against the clock when it has gained further maturity and experience in competing. Conclusion The schooling of a show jumper takes time. After a horse’s first few shows, do not decide too soon if it has potential or not. Performances can vary due to many factors – atmosphere, ground conditions and the schooling at home between competitions. Some horses take longer than others to settle into the routine of competing and as long as there is a steady overall improvement in the horse’s rideability and performance, the trainer should be satisfied. It usually takes at least a year of regular competition for a show jumping horse to “learn his trade” and after this time the trainer can make an assessment of the horse’s potential for future progression.