seeing strides??

[d_s]

what can i do to see a decent stride/ work on my take off points when jumping.
i have a few exercises to do; which involves gridwork and poles; but what else can i do?

xx

 

[MrsMozartletoe]

Try counting out loud as you come in to the jump.

 

[VioletStripe]

Pretty much just practice practice practice!!

But, a really good one I found was setting up a mini course, with the jumps relatively low just in case you make a mistake, and try getting round it without altering the horse's stride whatsoever! It does wonders for helping you tell where they find it comfy to take off. And as a general rule (does vary) when walking a course, they usually take off around 2 human strides before the fence, and land around 2 human strides after (this is a very rough guide though! )

Another good exercise is putting up 2 fences, five strides apart. Put a placing pole directly in the middle of them, and practice jumping it. Then, role the pole slightly towards the first fence, so you have to practice shortening the first 2 strides and then lengthening the last 2, and not letting your horse fit in an extra little stride at the end. Again, keep the fences quite small so it's not too bad if you mess up! Then role it slightly towards the second fence so the first 2 strides have to be longer and the last 2 have to be shorter.

Good luck! xx

 

[VioletStripe]

Try counting out loud as you come in to the jump.

Also a brilliant way, I always do this in my head! xx

 

[d_s]

thanks, will try that on friday

 

[bigboyrocky]

just put a pole on the ground and canter over it changing the line/angle you come from.. you will soon learn to see the spot better, and its not putting the strain on the horse of jumping whilst you learn to see the stride you want. Id also say.. make sure you keep the same rhythm coming into a fence, so that the canter is balanced

 

[d_s]

cheers...