Landing in trot

[DappleGreyDaydreamer]

Posting this on behalf of a friend:

6 year old greatly enjoys his jumping, is currently confidently tackling fences up to 90cm but no matter the size, he always lands in trot. Is this a physical issue to worry about or a simple training/rider flaw??

 

[be positive]

It could be physical or a training issue, what does their instructor think and how does he cope with combinations and grids?

 

[DappleGreyDaydreamer]

It could be physical or a training issue, what does their instructor think and how does he cope with combinations and grids?

He hasn't done a lot of gridwork but he can manage fine in the simple ones. If he is doing a combination that's the only time he does land in canter, because he sees another fence straight ahead I think. She has a different instructor to me so I'm not sure on that one, sorry.

 

[be positive]

If I was instructing, unless I felt it was physical in which case I would stop giving lessons until it had been checked by the vet, I would be doing lots of gridwork there is no point in being able to jump a single fence at 90 if the technique is not established properly first, my horses rarely jump at home without some grids involved usually trotting in and cantering through and out.
It is not what they jump but how they approach, take off, their technique in the air, how they land and get away that needs to be worked on, they can nearly all get over a 1m fence but it is how they do it that is all important and will impact on their future career.

If he is cantering in and trotting afterwards then I suspect he is struggling to cope with what he is doing, he is making an effort to jump but pushing off unevenly so landing unbalanced and finds it easier to come back to trot, the next stage may be to stop at the jump itself if he is not taken back a step or two to get him more established and confident.

 

[Red-1]

I have helped a few people with this issue. In the horses I have worked with it has mainly not been a physical issue.

With many riders the focus has been on jumping the fence. Once the fence is jumped many riders do not give as much weight to the getaway, and maybe do not re-balance, do not ride a straight line and a good corner. So, a less forward thinking horse will initially be a bit lazy on landing, stay on the forehand, maybe not have an incorrect lead corrected...

As the rider is thinking about the fence the rider is not so proactive, and the issue becomes worse, until the horse lands in trot. In fact I have had a couple who land in walk, even from a canter approach!

I agree with BP, I would not be going above a smaller jump until the style of jumping is established. I would start with making sure the canter is good, as in does the horse strike off easily, and then hold the canter without breaking, without being "held" in canter by the rider?

I would ask the horse for canter, and have the rider sit quietly, and if the horse breaks then he is vigorously put back into canter, and then has to canter faster and with vigour for half a circuit, then re-set the canter to a steadier rhythm, and sit quiet again. The horse should be able to hold a canter for a few circuits without the rider needing to nag. This exercise will also help the horse to be more self sufficient with his pace and balance.

Next up would be canter poles, make sure that he can canter with rhythm over them, and keep going on the other side.

For training I have a 3 goes rule. If we are pole working or jumping we do everything at least 3 times, so the horse does not clue into the fact that we do a jump then stop. So, 3 X round, in rhythm, in canter.

Then make the middle jump a X pole. Canter in rhythm, 3 X with canter depart being a priority. If the horse breaks then no only does he have to go back into canter, he has to canter with more vim and vigour than if he had not broken, making breaking to trot the difficult option.

Then I would look at single fences, but again small enough that the rider can concentrate on the depart. If the horse breaks he is shot forwards, it is rude to break the canter without permission, so he has to work harder than if he had kept the canter.

I do believe that many people start jumping before the horse is really strong enough to canter for long enough to improve the pace, and before the horse is balanced. I have no objection to popping a few fences when they are greener than this, as it is fun and has variety, e.g. a log out on a hack. But, to school jumping as a discipline in itself then the basics have to be covered first and then not forgotten because there is a jump in the way.

With two very cobby types, that were set in their ways, we actually tackled the situation with loose jumping. They jumped so UP and helicoptered that the rider was not in a position to tackle the issue! By schooling loose (after prep work to correctly teach loose schooling with discipline) the horses were able to learn to use their bodies without the rider first.

 

[rachk89]

In agreement with red. I would have said it might be lack of muscle but my horse is lacking muscle and he managed fine yesterday to keep cantering to and after fences. So probably the rider, might be a little hesitant with the height of the jumps and that little hesitation makes all the difference.