28 August 2008 12:30
I compete at BE Novice level but struggle to see a stride in the show jumping phase. My horse tends to rush and flatten over fences. If I try to slow her down, she jumps the fence but always knocks it down. Why doesn’t she trust me enough to jump from a slower stride? I’m starting to lose confidence.
Answer
By Your Horse
Show Jumping Rider and Trainer Carol Mailer replies:
You obviously feel you must find the perfect take-off point for your horse.
It’s hard, but stop looking so much for the stride. It’s spoiling your approach to the fence and means you’re losing the rhythm and impulsion you need to jump successfully. You want to be steady and not allow her to rush but, if you soften your hand too much in the last three strides before the fence, all the power and impulsion you created on approach is lost – you’ve let it run through your hands and disappear.It’s important to realise that your horse will not approach every fence the same. Instead, try to make your approach as consistent as possible. Allow her
to concentrate and keep her in a rhythm, generating power and energy so she goes up off her own choice of stride. She won’t mind where she takes off as long as she has power. If your leg is effective and you’re supporting her front end, then her only option is to jump.
If you try too much to organise her stride, you will ‘fiddle’ with her and there’ll be an immediate loss of impulsion. You could check out the gridwork exercises in Your Horse issues 237 and 238. Keep your fences small and practise approaching without changing anything. Focus on riding her into your hand, instead of trying to adjust her stride – let her get on with the jumping.