Training a top show jumping horse

slumdog

slumdog

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I've not got one, lol, but I was putting together my calender for babyhorse for the next few weeks and wondered purely out of interest if anyone knew what sort of training routine the horses would have at one of the top show jumping yards? How often they're ridden/jumped/flat work/horse walker etc.

Just wondered how different it was to us mere mortals who just ride once a day and how much work went into them, bit of a random question I suppose :)
 
Depends on the horse really. I worked in a SJ yard a long time ago ( in the days before horse walkers were used in yards as standard!) The young horses were jumped twice a week at home and maybe one show a week. The 4 year olds would be jumping 1.25 at home before competing BN or Disco (Badminton & Freshman then). 2 year olds would be loose jumped once or twice a week in the run up to the loose jumping shows. Horses were never hacked and only had turn out for 1/2 an hour once a week if that, surprisingly the horses were chilled and happy (more so than a lot of livery yard horses IME)
 
I think all yards have their own 'formula'. The only showjumping yard I have worked on used to take the horses out to shows once or twice a week once they were relatively established. At home they were hacked out every day for about an hour, with one day off a week. Once they were out competing (about 4 1/2 years old) they were only schooled about once a fortnight. Horses weren't turned out unless they were turned away but generally went on the horse walker for about 20 mins in the afternoon. As BB says they were all very quiet in spite of the lack of turnout (not that I would choose that for my own horse). They were fed two good sized feeds a day and were given approx a third of a slice of haylage twice a day.

Good luck with your youngster :)
 
In my experience, honestly, a lot less!! It would be quite rare for a horse to be ridden/schooled 6 days a week for an hour a day, and outside of the UK I wouldn't necessarily assume they would be hacking regularly, outside of a walk about. Depends a bit on what hacking facilities are available.

Young horses would jump quite often, although not necessarily lot of jumps as the rider doesn't need to jump for his/her own sake and the work will be quite targeted. Older horses might not jump much at all at home, although that's individual.

Flat work might be done by the rider or stable jockey. Some places might even have a specialist who comes in and 'flats' horses a couple of times a week. In between grooms might 'hack' - not necessarily ride out but just ride for fitness work. There might be a longeing day in there, too, depending on the system.

If there's a walker most would go on it everyday, possibly twice. Walkers are less common in North America but horses are more likely to be turned out for a couple of hours.

Showing, depends a bit on the program. The UK has fewer multi day shows - in countries that do it's common to take young horses on the road to 'ride around' then jump a few classes as they settle. Here it seems more common to take a bunch out to smaller shows, usually as it fits around bigger stuff. Most pro yards would have a course at home so don't have to show to school. They would also likely take a lorry load out to school before competing so the horses would be jumping confidently around 90/1m at least, probably higher, before competing. Again, the rider doesn't have to get in the ring for his/her own sake so only has to do as much or as little as the horse needs. In most cases the younger horses would go out a few times close together, then have a bit of a break, then another few outings but it depends on what they're being aimed for.
 
In NZ our grand prix horses competed at the weekends, were schooled on flat 2x a week, jumped over little fences once a week and did fitness laps of big field once a week. No hacking there but we would ride around the farm before after schooling. Plus had a day off after competition. They were turned out 24/7 on steep hills. The eventers followed a similar program but with 2 fitness sessions a week. They didn't get ridden for much more time than I ride mine, very little difference in fact...but that is the laid back kiwi way!
 
Ive worked on a few sj yards in UK.

Mostly horses are in, and only turned out once or twice a week, normally after a show.

Ridden most days but mainly a stroll out so they are exercised/kept fit then only a couple of times in the school/lunged with side reins. Normally jumped at home a day or two before a show depending on if something needed working on/trying different tack etc. nothing big or complicated generally.

Youngsters - normally get them going to school hire level - able to jump round at least a metre (4 year olds) so they are ready for BN/age classes. Do this a couple of times max before a show, either straight in BN or clear round first. Try and get to a couple of shows before a stay away and then chuck them out for a break until season starts. Then break at end of season.

So normally in, some yards have breakfast feed, others only tea or lunch and tea depending on condition. Normally haylege several times a day.
 
That's all really interesting, thanks :) I thought they would be worked harder tbh, not so much with the jumping but with flatwork and fitness. Is there a reason they aren't turned out or is it just to prevent injuries?
 
I was head girl on an international yard a fair few years ago, but can't compare against other yards so can only tell you what they did.

The horses were stabled pretty much 24/7. There were a couple that would get an hour in the field 2-3 times a week. They got ridden at least 6 times a week, the bulk was flatwork in the school (with obligatory draw reins), the national horses usually got 40-50 mins, the superstars got a bit longer. Most would get a walker or treadmill session 4-5 times a week in addition. They rarely hacked, there were a couple who would hack approx once a fortnight.

Most weren't jumped at home much at all, for established horses usually just once a couple if days before a show.
 
Oh how things change with monetary value I used to visit a yard where the showjumpers were turned out daily until noon brought in and fed afternoons were a mix of schooling and hacking over the fields jumping the fences between. Dry stone walls mostly but some fences had hunt jumps inserted Winter off season the jumpers went hunting.
With shows all year round it is much more intensive now
suppose it doesnt matter if they are happy what they have never had they wont miss
 
slumdog said:
That's all really interesting, thanks :) I thought they would be worked harder tbh, not so much with the jumping but with flatwork and fitness. Is there a reason they aren't turned out or is it just to prevent injuries?
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Ours had nowhere to be turned out other than the sand arena (and when I say sand arena think 20x 40 with beach sand spread over the floor!). It was just easier and more efficient for them to be in the stables. These were horses jumping GP internationally, but definitely not with the 'facilities' you would expect of such high level horses nowadays.
 
slumdog said:
That's all really interesting, thanks :) I thought they would be worked harder tbh, not so much with the jumping but with flatwork and fitness. Is there a reason they aren't turned out or is it just to prevent injuries?
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There wasn't the acreage there to give all the horses turnout in the winter and my boss said that he preferred to keep them on the same routine all year round. So what land there was there was just used to turn youngsters away. TBH I think that to a certain extent it just made life easier and none of the horses particularly struggled on the routine so it was a case of if it ain't broke...
:)
 
Also many of those horses will be on the road weeks out of the year with no turnout and many people feel it's better to start as you mean to go on. I'm not sure I wholly agree but horses are certainly creatures of habit and are often more relaxed in a reliable system that's not 'ideal' than chopping and changing all the time.
 
To add, I think there is a difference stabling on a busy yard with people and horses about all the time, regular feeding etc vs a horse being stuck in a box alone all day.
 
Varies from yard to yard but in my experience ridden 4/5 times week with 2 short jumping sessions in the mix mostly flat work and short cool off hack afterwards, when they start competing prob looking at Tuesday flatwork Thursday flatwork Friday short jump session Sat and Sun show days Monday day off, wed day off or something along those lines.
 
Um, well my boss isn't a "top showjumper" with a "top yard", but she is a professional trainer/rider with a showjumping yard full of showjumping horses so I guess I can answer this anyway? :p

TURNOUT

Our horses do live in, but they get daily turnout, 3-4 hours a time. Not much by leisure horse standards but quite a lot by competition yard standards... it isn't practical to have a whole yard of comp horses out in a herd all the time and bring them in when required for work, however neglecting turnout completely or offering it maybe a couple of days a week isn't my idea of acceptable, and a lot of people who have competition yards feel the same. Ours are used to having paddock time as part of their routine and even just 3 hours satisfies their needs. When they're in their stables there is always something going on for them to watch, always other horses to keep them company, always people around to give them attention. People who come to our yard comment on how relaxed and content the horses seem. Turning a horse out in a big field for the whole day or 24/7 doesn't necessarily mean they're receiving good care!

EXERCISE

Normally worked twice a day - combination of schooling (mostly flatwork), hacking, lunging, and sessions on the treadmill. So 2 exercise sessions plus 3/4hrs turnout per day, except on the days they're competing, and 1 full day off per week.

Treadmill
24- and 32-minute sessions with various automatic programs available that combine flat ground with hillwork (the ramp goes up and down on its own, very cool!). You set the speed and this is maintained throughout the cycle - so no slowing down just because they're walking uphill! Half an hour of consistently brisk walk with periods of hillwork, no rider/saddle on their back to impede / affect their movement, excellent for fitness and muscle tone. They love it too, they load themselves and some of them even try to start marching before you've turned it on!

Schooling
Most horses go in the school twice a week, and nearly all of this is flatwork. All have slightly "softer" bits/bridles for schooling than they do for competing, idea is to have them working nice and light at home allowing room for a bit of excitement at shows! Very occasional use of draw reins on particular horses but there is always a good reason for it, it's never "just because". Short warmup followed by 30mins of intensive work... aside from the actual schooling, they do lots of canter work / interval training for fitness (got to love a big arena!) and regular polework to add variety. Not long sessions, but hard work, no bumbling around!

Lunging
Once a week. Youngsters 20mins mostly walk and trot, little bit of canter, mostly working on sharp transitions / good halts / responsiveness to the voice, inventive polework, no training aids used. Senior horses 30mins, walk trot canter, transitions etc as above, bit of lateral work (spiralling on circles etc), inventive polework, elasticated side reins for the work period but warmed up and cooled off without.

Hacking
Unfortunately we don't have off-road hacking, but we do plenty of roadwork, most of the horses hack 3 times a week. It's not exciting for us, but the horses love going out, it's good for their state of mind not to go in the school every day. Our mounting block faces down the driveway, and sometimes when you've mounted and asked them to move on they start marching off down the drive like they're "asking" to go for a hack. Good for fitness and muscle tone so normally use it as part of their training regime - 40min route mixing active forward walk, bit of flexion / lateral work, couple of long brisk trots.

Jumping
Boss rarely jumps hers at home. The youngsters do a bit of gridwork for schooling purposes maybe once a fortnight, but tends to only jump them at home if something specific has come up at a show that she needs to work on before the next one. The older horses probably only jump at home a handful of times a year - normally when the start of the season is approaching as they've not been jumping at all over the winter, and occasionally if something has gone really wrong at a comp (uncharacteristic refusals, horse or rider fall etc.)

Comps
The senior horses jump 2 days a week (Sat and Sun), their season runs from March to November, and over the winter we keep them ticking over with hacking and light flatwork, plus regular sessions on the treadmill to help maintain muscle tone.
The youngsters are out jumping 1 or 2 days during the week, depending on age and level, varies from one week to the next and on some weeks they might not go out at all. The young horse classes start in March and finish in August, so their season is quite short. Rest of the year just hacking and light flatwork.
 
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joosie said:
Um, well my boss isn't a "top showjumper" with a "top yard", but she is a professional trainer/rider with a showjumping yard full of showjumping horses so I guess I can answer this anyway? :p

TURNOUT

Our horses do live in, but they get daily turnout, 3-4 hours a time. Not much by leisure horse standards but quite a lot by competition yard standards... it isn't practical to have a whole yard of comp horses out in a herd all the time and bring them in when required for work, however neglecting turnout completely or offering it maybe a couple of days a week isn't my idea of acceptable, and a lot of people who have competition yards feel the same. Ours are used to having paddock time as part of their routine and even just 3 hours satisfies their needs. When they're in their stables there is always something going on for them to watch, always other horses to keep them company, always people around to give them attention. People who come to our yard comment on how relaxed and content the horses seem. Turning a horse out in a big field for the whole day or 24/7 doesn't necessarily mean they're receiving good care!

EXERCISE

Normally worked twice a day - combination of schooling (mostly flatwork), hacking, lunging, and sessions on the treadmill. So 2 exercise sessions plus 3/4hrs turnout per day, except on the days they're competing, and 1 full day off per week.

Treadmill
24- and 32-minute sessions with various automatic programs available that combine flat ground with hillwork (the ramp goes up and down on its own, very cool!). You set the speed and this is maintained throughout the cycle - so no slowing down just because they're walking uphill! Half an hour of consistently brisk walk with periods of hillwork, no rider/saddle on their back to impede / affect their movement, excellent for fitness and muscle tone. They love it too, they load themselves and some of them even try to start marching before you've turned it on!

Schooling
Most horses go in the school twice a week, and nearly all of this is flatwork. All have slightly "softer" bits/bridles for schooling than they do for competing, idea is to have them working nice and light at home allowing room for a bit of excitement at shows! Very occasional use of draw reins on particular horses but there is always a good reason for it, it's never "just because". Short warmup followed by 30mins of intensive work... aside from the actual schooling, they do lots of canter work / interval training for fitness (got to love a big arena!) and regular polework to add variety. Not long sessions, but hard work, no bumbling around!

Lunging
Once a week. Youngsters 20mins mostly walk and trot, little bit of canter, mostly working on sharp transitions / good halts / responsiveness to the voice, inventive polework, no training aids used. Senior horses 30mins, walk trot canter, transitions etc as above, bit of lateral work (spiralling on circles etc), inventive polework, elasticated side reins for the work period but warmed up and cooled off without.

Hacking
Unfortunately we don't have off-road hacking, but we do plenty of roadwork, most of the horses hack 3 times a week. It's not exciting for us, but the horses love going out, it's good for their state of mind not to go in the school every day. Our mounting block faces down the driveway, and sometimes when you've mounted and asked them to move on they start marching off down the drive like they're "asking" to go for a hack. Good for fitness and muscle tone so normally use it as part of their training regime - 40min route mixing active forward walk, bit of flexion / lateral work, couple of long brisk trots.

Jumping
Boss rarely jumps hers at home. The youngsters do a bit of gridwork for schooling purposes maybe once a fortnight, but tends to only jump them at home if something specific has come up at a show that she needs to work on before the next one. The older horses probably only jump at home a handful of times a year - normally when the start of the season is approaching as they've not been jumping at all over the winter, and occasionally if something has gone really wrong at a comp (uncharacteristic refusals, horse or rider fall etc.)

Comps
The senior horses jump 2 days a week (Sat and Sun), their season runs from March to November, and over the winter we keep them ticking over with hacking and light flatwork, plus regular sessions on the treadmill to help maintain muscle tone.
The youngsters are out jumping 1 or 2 days during the week, depending on age and level, varies from one week to the next and on some weeks they might not go out at all. The young horse classes start in March and finish in August, so their season is quite short. Rest of the year just hacking and light flatwork.
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Fab reply! Thanks for taking the time to write all that! Your yard sounds lovely, I can just imagine mine if I put them on a treadmill lol! How do you get the youngsters used to it?
 
slumdog said:
I can just imagine mine if I put them on a treadmill lol! How do you get the youngsters used to it?
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It's actually quite surprising how quickly they pick it up! - touch wood we are still to encounter a horse who doesn't "get it" after a few short sessions, because really all they need is to understand the concept of walking forwards when the ground moves, and for most of them that comes straight away, as you'd expect. The hardest part is usually getting them to walk up onto it in the first place - most of them just need a bucket of feed at the front and a bit of shoving from behind, we have never actually had big problems getting anyone on but some are definitely more stubborn than others!

My boss had only just got it delivered when I started working here so we "discovered" it together, and have worked out a system for new horses. I lead them up onto it, fasten the breast bar in front of them, then duck underneath and stand on the outside holding the horse's leadrope. Boss does the bum bar up behind them, and I ask the horse to back up until they've touched it so that they know it's there. She starts the treadmill up and lets it roll just enough so that the horse's bum touches the bum bar - I ask them to walk forwards a few steps, and they get lots of praise. We do this a few times and as soon as they've understood that they have to walk forwards when the belt moves, we go ahead and do a full 5 minutes. For the first couple of sessions we keep the walking pace fairly steady, I stay at the front so that I can ask them to come forwards if needs be, boss stays at the controls and moves the ramp up to introduce the hillwork in short bursts. After that we can start to leave them alone on one of the full-length programs and put it up to a decent brisk speed. Should add that by "alone" I don't mean disappearing off the yard lol, just not needing to stand there with them!

Once they're used to it, all we have to do is unclip the leadrope at the bottom of the ramp and they walk up on their own - just have to put the bum bar up behind them and press Go. You can clip them in with elasticated things on each side of the headcollar but to be honest most of ours don't really need it. It has a clever little safety thing - there's a laser that goes across the treadmill roughly where the withers are (you can adjust the height for the height of the horse) and if the horse dips below the beam from stumbling or tripping or spooking at something, the machine automatically cuts out.

We usually set the speed at between 120 and 130 metres per minute depending on the horse. Then there are various set programs with different amounts / patterns / gradients of hillwork, or they can be set to stay on the flat for the whole session.

This is Demi, 5yrs, who probably loves the treadmill more than anyone else! She is starting off here and you can see her anticipating the faster speed. Although for this girl, no matter how fast you set the speed, it's never fast enough :p She gets clipped in as a precaution because she's so keen. You may note the scarf wrapped around the breast bar - we have done this since we discovered it was the breast bar, not her rug, that was responsible for the rubs on her chest... she's so keen she's usually right up against it!

As it gets up to speed she's walking at 132 metres per minute here - you can see how half an hour of this is so good for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIUvE_9t8xY
 
Thanks for that explanation! I've never used one day to day, only at vet hospitals, so it's great to find out a bit more their use.

Now I want a treadmill! :)
 
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