Showjumping Distances- taking off too close!

[JumpingBean56]

Hello Everyone,

My horse and I are currently competing at prelim eventing and around the 90-95cm mark in show jumping.. Soon we will be moving up to pre novice and 1.05 sjing. Our trouble is that as the jumps are getting higher our take off spot is getting too close to the base of the jump. Cross country we are fine- just show jumping. Putting a ground pole a pace out from the jump works well but we obviously can't do this in a comp....... At 95cm getting a deep spot isn't a big deal as my horse can (most of the time) jump out of it, but now with the extra height we are taking rail after rail. on the occasion that we hit the perfect spot my horse clears the jump by a mile. I can see the stride coming into a jump, I can see where we should be taking off, and I can half halt/ make the stride bigger, but no matter what I do he always seems to take the deep spot. How can I start to fix this? Am I riding him to the deep spot or is he choosing this spot? I have tried working over ground poles and counting strides but it's not fixing the problem...

 

[crabbymare]

A few things could be happening. are you asking him to take off too far back so he is putting in an extra stride. or is he making too much in the distances since you mention them in the title or is he not making enough ground and having to put an extra stride in? or is he lacking confidence for whatever reason eg some people drop their hands at the last minute or ride without leg to back up the horse? its hard to say without seeing you in action. what does your trainer say or do they not see you at events?

 

[JumpingBean56]

Distances through combinations/grids etc are fine. My horse is fairly confident into a fence and will jump more often than stop even if the stride is bad. Our problem is coming into single fences or the first part of a combination. I am starting to think that he has just been ridden this way for too long and needs to go back to basics, I am looking for some tips and techniques to get my horse to take a longer spot.

 

[be positive]

This type of issue is usually due to not having the canter quite good enough, I would be looking at that first rather than working on the take off, ideally you should not interfere in the last few strides as that will often make to horse drop back and lose the power so it ends up getting deep on a slightly underpowered stride.
Working on opening the canter up fractionally may help and really getting him motoring under you, not fast just more energy, plenty of changes within the pace making sure he is really reacting and staying in front of the leg, going back to basics from the point of view that you always need to ensure they don't get forgotten as you move up a level.
Work him over a line of poles, rather than just one before a fence, so you really get the canter pattern established, using dog legs/ angles so you can move him slightly across on the approach to get a different take off point, popping in deep is usually a better/ safer option if the canter is not quite right, your horse may have learnt this over the years and just requires a few slight changes to feel confident enough to jump off a slightly longer stride but the main thing is usually to set them up in the correct canter and leave them alone as much as possible on those last few strides.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Just find an experienced trainer who will go back to basics, altering distances etc, to be honest it sounds as though the horse needs to respect the fences, any decent animal should be able to clear these no problem.
I am of the "teach him to jump on his own" school of training. Your job is to present him to the fence, his job is to jump it.
International show jumpers are not good role models in this respect. There are very few who jump naturally, but their [exceptional] horses are often naturally "on springs", they are not the average horse, the rider is not the average rider.

 

[dixie]

My horse does this. Clear round are few and far between!
I can do grids, poles before fence etc absolutely fine. However, on looking at recent videos it appears I am firing him into the fence slightly about two strides out and this is obviously causing the problem & is worse when I am nervous - doesn't seem to happen as much in a lesson. This is made worse because he could put in the odd stop so I suppose I am making up for it.
So what I am saying is, have you video'd your rounds to see if there is anything in particular happening? Also is it the same at home and in lessons as it is in the ring?

 

[smja]

I can see the stride coming into a jump, I can see where we should be taking off, and I can half halt/ make the stride bigger, but no matter what I do he always seems to take the deep spot.

Sometimes the rider needs to take a back seat. It may be that you're trying to help him too much, by adjusting/seeing the stride, and it's unsettling his rhythm/making him lose power. Does he do the same thing loose jumping? What happens if you jump a fence without looking at it (i.e. just ride the canter, not riding at the fence)? Is your canter the same all the way to the fence?

 

[LittleRooketRider]

A common problem with this tends to be a) the rider is interfering intentionally (as you say adjusting and half-halting), but also more than they realise b) in a bid to get a "longer" take off point they increase the speed and length of the stride, I have done it myself before (often XC) "ooh lets get a lovely big one over the last/for the photographer/ get inside the time" but actually the horse is a just a bit to far off either to physically jump it or to confidently take it on, the next stride takes you to the bottom of the fence.

So as has been suggested a) get a GOOD instructor who will really fous in and work you both hard, its all very well schooling yourself, but often you can't 'see' if you've got the exact rhythm, impulsion, balance etc that is required, you may have what you feel (and may very well be) a good rhythm, but not the right rhythm, perhaps not in the right -gear so to speak. b)don't be tempted to fire him into fences in hope of a bigger stride, keep it steady and bouncy ( the instructor can help with this) c) do lots of pole- work, grid work AND - I can't stress this enough- work without reins (eg. hands out side ways), or if not comfortable with this on the buckle, loose- reins. Keep it small and keep the approach in trot, this will aid your balance, stop you fiddling and develop your horse's confidence to think for itself, his balance and thus give you the confidence to let him get on with it.

Sorry this was longer than intended..also I wouldn't move up to bigger stuff until you have sorted this, you could risk losing both of your confidence.

 

[Firewell]

This happens to me when my canter isn't in front of my leg. When it is the strides come naturally. He shouldn't be taking poles at 95cm though even if you do get a bit close... that's plenty small enough to still snap up over so that to me might indicate other problems
I think like others have suggested get another instructor and see what they say but in the mean time make sure your horse is really pinging off your leg and feeling like he is two thirds out in front of you at canter.

 

[Mike007]

Sounds like a bit of a mix up in areas of responsibility,YOUR JOB, is to get him to the fence and tell him that you expect him to jump. HIS JOB is to get you over the blooming thing. Biggest mistake is over riding and interfering with the horse after take off .I do this all the time which is why I am a useless showjumper. You could do so much better. Get good instruction.

 

[eggs]

As others have said, I would first look at the canter. Generally getting the canter sorted out with the help of a good instructor will solve the problem. You need to keep it powerful enough but not rushed, in balance and in a consistent rhythm all the way to the fence.

 

[PaddyMonty]

and I can half halt/ make the stride bigger

Here is the first problem. The approach should have already built the power that is then released by the rider through softening at the appropriate time. A half halt is most often a backward aid in showjumping when it should be all about forward aids.
The approach should be 1) build power before turn in to fence, 2) contain that power whilst waiting for the correct stride to appear, 3) soften to allow the horse to use the power and make final fine adjustment themselves.
Fiddling on approach will almost always bury the horse in to the bottom of the fence.
If your horse is honest to a fence, try setting up 6 strides out then close your eyes and just ride what you feel underneath you. I'd lay money on it the horse wont get too deep.

 

[stencilface]

try setting up 6 strides out then close your eyes and just ride what you feel underneath you. I'd lay money on it the horse wont get too deep.

You are clearly nuts! I wouldn't be sure to steer in a straight line if I closed my eyes

 

[PaddyMonty]

You are clearly nuts! I wouldn't be sure to steer in a straight line if I closed my eyes

It's a trick I've used with a few pupils over the years when all attempts to stop them interfering with the approach have failed.
One pupil still does it when competing if the approach is gone all to pot. You do need
As I often say. A rider has millions of nerve ending but just 2 eyes. Use them in appropriate proportions.

 

[eggs]

Agree with the shutting your eyes on approach. My trainer used to make me do it and guess what - horse would jump perfectly when I wasn't interfering.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Best comment I've had recently is to "let her run" at the fence. Let the horse jump it, don't try and see a stride or interfere. The horse needs to work it out for itself. Would try this over smaller fences and see how you get on.

Quote directed at another person in the same lesson "what are you kicking him there for, you don't need to tell him when to take off, he's not blind!"

(Very very well respected and high achieving SJer).

I have a lesson tomorrow and I'm going to try shutting my eyes

 

[Cragrat]

my instructor yells 'sit and WAIT! I said WAIT!' at me when I get tempted to ride for a stride. Me interfering has the same effect as with the OP- horse says don't be stupid, can't go from there, puts an extra one in, and has to climb out of a hole, or takes a crazy flier which puts us wrong for the next one.
If I get the canter then leave him alone, he sorts it.

I was taught as a kid to shout 3-2-1 then kick for take off and I still keep reverting to it when nervous, esp at competitions. But we also did lots of cavaletti with eyes closed and arms out stretched- I need to practice that again!

 

[LFD]

I have exactly the same issue - for me it's all about improving the quality of the canter coming into the first jump. We never take a pole once we are ino a grid or combination as the canter is decent by then but it's the initial approach we need to work on. I also tend to anticipate the jump, leaning forward and use a bit too much leg. My instructor makes my sit up, wait, wait, wait….. while keeping on what she calls the 'maintenance leg' - enough to keep the canter going but not chasing. Things are definitely improving for us – just a matter of sticking with it I think.

Definitely not right to try in many circumstances but a good trick can be to shut your eyes on approach once you have your line, I have done it with an instructor and hey presto - perfect stride!

We are stuck at BE90 until this improves but the aim is BE100 by the end of the season.

Best of luck and do share any good ideas you get!

 

[ljohnsonsj]

Build up a nice big powerful canter, keep it, it shouldn't change. Wait and don't interfere! 99% Of jumping problems come from the quality of the canter