Schooling exercises for jumping...

H

HeatherAda

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 January 2006
Messages
880
Location
Northampton
Visit site
what can you recommend as the best exercises for practicing turns and courses of jumps. i'm hoping to start going to a few local shows soon-ish. first-timer! and have no problems with the jumps, more getting turns and approach as correct as possible.
 
Sounds silly, but set up a course at home, and walk it properly - pick a point in the distance (or on the school wall) that you need to aim for to get a straight line, and keep your eyes on that point before you even turn the horse, don't take your eyes off it - the reason I say a point beyond the jump is some people fix on the jump, and keep looking down at it, which can muck your jump up. As soon as you land, you should be looking to your next point. Make sure you are turning with your legs, not just with your reins, and that you are landing on the correct canter lead for the next jump. Good luck!
 
Another good one is to put up a related distance of 4 or 5 strides, and then ride a figure of 8 into them. You can either go inside and jump one and then figure of 8 to the next, or jump into the distance and then turn before jumping the next one, but then come in round the corner to the other one so jumping off an angle. It sounds complicated but I know what I mean.
grin.gif

You can also jump it as a related distance.
 
Something I remember doing when practising approaches was jumping on a 20m circle

Really makes you concentrate because if you miss judge the circle it messes up your jump and vice versa - certainly become more accurate
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top