Equestrian Training Diary: Mix it Up
As much as we’d like to think our horses would jump the moon for us, every once in a while they get bored too. It could be excessive repetition, overworking, or discomfort when jumping. Here are some ideas to mix things up for your horses jump training.
Not all jump schooling needs to be a warm-up, jumps, jumps, jumps, and cooldown.
How could a horse not resent his job if it always looked like this?
In between courses, or even just between fences, make your horse think about what you’re asking him to do. If he’s getting worked up, circle.
A common mistake riders sometimes make is to lean forward too much and throw everything out front. Instead, you need to sit until the last minute.
You want some subtle contact at the take-off point, pushing your horse between your hand and leg.
For a bored horse other exercises to improve your jumping can include simple lateral movements such as leg-yield, shoulder-in, quarters in, and half-pass.
For a more experienced horse, additional movements such as turn on the forehand are also great for building strength.
Record your training sessions on Equus Note. The digital diary designed for equestrians.
