Excellent lesson - Jumping exercises to share

Sarah_Jane

Sarah_Jane

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Had a fantastic lesson with my trainer today and thought it may be useful to share the exercises we used as they are very versitile for all levels of horse and rider.

Basically down the middle was set up 5 uprights with a shortish stride between each. We started on the flat trying to get the horses listening and turning by serpentining in and out the jumps and doing a transition in between them. We started in trot and doing walk and halt transitions between the poles. Then canter trot canter.

Canter trot canter

We progressed through canter walk canter and then finally introduced changes! They are improving
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changes!

We started jumping, both horses on this group were relatively experienced so the exercises could start at an easier level than we did. We started by jumping the 1st and 4th fence.

1 and 4

Then moved onto 1,3 and 5 which was quite testing
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1 3 and 5

We were then allowed to jump straight down the line concentrating on straightness and not allowing my shoulders to get too far forward.

Straight

Then to help keep my shoulders up we went down the line again with one hand behind my back!

One handed!

We then did a little bit working on the horses technique. The fences went up a little and the ground rail was pulled out a foot or so to encourage them to back off. The fences were not uniform height just to get them thinking a bit and we came down in quite a forward canter. It certainly made them neater in front and Sarnie really patted down.

Final one
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Just thought it may be useful to share as so many different things can be done with this simple exercise and you can use 3 fences if that is all the room you have.

Very pleased with my girl anyway
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Sarnie looks brilliant and the changes are looking good.
I've never heard of the exercise with the 5 in a line and jumping only certain fences but I think it's a brilliant idea, will have to have a play at it sometime. Thanks for sharing!!
 
Sounds quite tricky but brilliant for getting horses to really listen to rider! Now the snow has finally melted and I was able to ride, I'm hoping it's not too long before I can jump again.
 
I've seen this before myself, was even subjected to it back in the days when I left the ground. I agree it's a great exercise for keeping the brain of both horse and rider in gear!
 
Thanks for sharing!
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I am sure Eventing magazine this month had a similar exercise with Mary King lesson this month but I just couldn't visualise how it was possible at all
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- so seeing it on your video really made it clear for me. Looks an excellent exercise for getting the horse listening. Certainly somethiong I might try.
 
I tried this with 4 jumps and i found it really worked well
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although only jumped one fence on an angle at a time, maybe will try jumping 2/3...
how long were the distances? in our strides?
 
Thanks 4 that,the vids really help and explain what you meant!!! I will trying these,tho trying to stop my beasty locking on to all jumps may prove tricky,BUT we WILL do it!!
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Glad it was useful. We are all always looking for new exercises and that one is so versitile. Certainly makes the horse listen and not presume what it is doing!
 
Well done S_J, S looks great and very rideable for the time of year
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That exercise is a great one, it's in the "Celebrity Jumping Exercises" book, although not attributed to CC in there
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we all "borrow" each others' exercises don't we? I saw Yogi do an exercise with the Pony riders when T went for training before Christmas, and somebody said they'd seen the World Class Squad doing the same one recently also with Yogi, then guess what? Mary K is doing it in Eventing magazine with a pupil
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It's flatwork, the one where you lengthen down the centre line (or quarter line in a wider school), then do a small circle in the corner, then go across the school, nother small circle, down centre the other way (lengthen), small circle, across school, circle etc etc. Fab exercise for suppleness, straightness, obedience and adjustability
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I've already nicked it and have been using it in lessons myself... Sorry, I digress
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Great post and lesson anyway, thanks for sharing
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I think a lot of these exercises orginate with Yogi and the team riders but it is great it can filter out and be useful to grass roots riders
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Not read my eventing yet will go and have a nose
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No, it's across the short side. In a wide enough school you end up making the sort of pattern people used to do in "French knitting", with wool wound around four nails - ever come across it?
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Really hard to describe on here, but you end up with a rectangle with an outwards loop (10m circle) at each corner. The circles get them on their hocks, the straight lines away from the sides of the school test straightness, the shortening and lengthening get them listening. Really really improves the quality of the canter
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Yogi got them to ride it first in walk, probably not necessary but they were kids and in danger of bumping into each other
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, then trot, then canter. It was even useful in trot, our pony who is only just learning medium produced some of the best work he's ever done. After the canterwork, they went on to jump...

Oh yes, if your school is only 20m wide (like mine) you go down the centre line, track (say) left, 10m circle in the corner, straight across school just beyond 1/4 markers, 10m circle in corner, down centre line, opposite direction to before, repeat at other end etc etc. Then same on other rein, obviously
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I'd seen that one in Celeb exercises too but nice to see real video of someone doing it. Thanks for sharing. Was that Caroline Moore giving the lesson?
 
Really interesting excercises thanks. i can remember years ago going down grids one handed and no handed ! Very good for checking independent balance. I think i will give it another go.
 
Thank you, very interesting. Between you & TD you have got my next jumping lesson sorted. Really, really good to share things like that. Its kind of what this forum should be all about (but sometimes isnt) Please keep us informed & provide further inspiration for those of us with less imagination & knowledge
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p.s Sarnie is looking good and jumping beautifully as ever
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thanks for sharing
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i was subjected to a similar lesson a while back and had actually forgotten about doing things like that....do you think its an exericse that would be good for youngsters? presumably with them you'd jump straight down the grid first so they know whats happening before you start coming in on an angle?
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5 in a row can be a lot for a youngster! I would start with wings but the poles in the ground and then doing one fence at an angle then say 1 and 5. Once doing that over the poles I would start making little fences so they are doing the exercise and gaining confidence.
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