Humans have built an entire language with horses upon the concept that the answer to pressure is to give, so we must tune in and notice when they are giving—or at least trying to. This smooths the communication between horse and rider by providing the horse’s reward—the release of pressure—in sync with his efforts to respond to our cues.

If the timing of the release continues to be precise and in unison (or at least in quick succession) with the effort, then the horse’s responses will happen more and more readily.

The Ultimate Goal of Riding Aids

The most obvious examples of this are while riding. You use leg pressure to ask your horse to move forward, then release it when he walks off. You use rein pressure to ask your horse to slow down or stop, then release it when he reaches the desired speed.

Riders at the top of every discipline make their sport look effortless due to seamless communication, which is all properly timed pressure and release at the micro level. Their timing of riding aids has been so accurate for so long that their horse has become a finely tuned instrument, ready to listen to the smallest suggestion, therefore any adjustments are nearly invisible.

Improving Response

When it comes to speaking the language of pressure and release, there are plenty of opportunities to improve your communication and timing while handling your horse on the ground as you work with him in daily interactions.

Practice noticing how much pressure from the halter and lead rope it takes to get a reaction from your horse, walking forward and then halting. See if you can observe that first moment he rocks forward to give to the pressure, and soften as quickly as you can.

Notice how as your timing improves, so does your horse’s response. The same can be done in the wash rack when asking your horse to step to the side to give you more space. Begin with light pressure, and find the exact moment that your horse leans away from it.

Be Aware of the Pressure Level

Although most riders need to bring more awareness to noting exactly when their horse begins to move forward off the leg or slow down in response to the rein, they are at least aware of the pressure they are applying.

However, there are many other daily scenarios where you may be unaware of the pressure you are applying, therefore asking a question that has no answer and that your horse must learn to ignore. This leads to your horse also ignoring aids that you did intend to give.

For example, many riders sit heavily in the saddle without enough weight in their legs and stirrups, which creates pressure from the seat, especially when that becomes a driving and pumping seat in an unorganized effort to ask the horse to move forward. With all that seat pressure as a distraction, it’s no surprise that the horse becomes dull to leg pressure.

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It’s also important to note that use of the voice counts as pressure, too. Just like other aids, vocal cues begin to lose meaning to horses when used without the direct reward of release of pressure. If a cluck is supposed to mean trot, then you should stop clucking when the horse steps into a trot.

Releasing Tension

If pressure and release is the language of horses, then tension (in the horse or rider) is the main obstruction to the use of that language.

Many riders begin applying pressure when all the horse truly needs is some time to think and process.

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A horse may start out with his ears pricked, heart rate up, snorting, or flight behavior, but as he comes around to the idea that he’s most likely not in danger, he will start to show some signs that he’s releasing his tension and ready for you to apply some pressure and ask questions again. These signs include licking, chewing, blinking, ear flicking, stretching, and giving a neck or body shake.

This is when you can ask your horse to move closer to whatever was causing his concern. When signs of tension return, take all the pressure off so he can focus on regulating himself again.

Key Takeaway

Of course, there are moments when you will miss the timing of when to give a release, but luckily horses are forgiving creatures. If you improve your timing of riding aids and work to communicate more clearly, your horse will improve as well. Everybody wins!

This article about riding aids appeared in the April 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Adjust to the Seat

When I bought my first western saddle, it felt substantial compared to a smaller English saddle. After years of training in a western saddle, my first piece of advice is to go ahead and sit down in it.

When riding English, I always sat properly on my seat bones, heels down, shoulders back, elbows by my sides, thumbs closed on the top of my reins, all with very tall posture. I had a light seat that was deep when needed, but I never sat in the back of the saddle to achieve that.

In western training, you will use most of the saddle, including the back part. To find a deep seat, take a deep breath and, on the exhale, roll your belly button toward the sky and sit on the pockets of your pants.

When you are riding western, you need to be able to use the saddle differently to encourage the horse to use his body correctly. Consider the back end of the horse as the engine. To make that engine move powerfully, you need to drive it with your seat. The change in my seat is always the first indication to the horse that a cue is coming.

Consider Your Leg Position

As you work toward more advanced maneuvers on your horse, it’s important to train your muscle memory correctly from the beginning. When sitting in an English saddle, you’re encouraged to drop your weight into your heels to maintain proper leg position.

But if you do that in a western saddle, your legs will always be tight on your horse’s sides, which you don’t want. You need to keep your legs relaxed and not really on the horse unless you mean it as a cue.

When sitting in a western saddle, your feet should be a bit more relaxed in the stirrups as well. Think about relaxing the weight of your body downward and through your heels. Keep the weight heavy in your heels, but don’t focus on pushing them down.

Stopping May Be Different

Another important point in the differences between the two riding disciplines is that your feet are going to play a part in stopping when riding western. When going into a stop, the first thing that is going to change is your seat. Melt down into your deep seat in the back of the saddle, pushing your feet slightly forward to anchor yourself, and then pick up on the reins to finalize the stop.

Stops on a western horse can be very dramatic, with the horse really dropping his haunches. By sitting deeply in the saddle and pressing your feet slightly forward, you are less likely to pop forward out of the tack.

A New Kind of Reins

One of the biggest differences when I changed from English to western was the way in which I used the reins. It also had a big impact on my core horse-training values, giving the horse the responsibility to do a maneuver with limited help from me. When I focused on that, I became a better educator for my horse.

When I rode English, there was always some form of contact on the bit, my fingers were always closed on the reins, and I was always ready to guide the horse through an exercise, whether he needed it or not.

This contrasts with my western horses, where I pick up the reins, make contact to give a cue, and then release the pressure and have the horse carry on doing what I have asked. My expectations are for the horse to take the responsibility of performing a maneuver with limited help from my reins.

My fingers are not always closed on the reins; often, the reins are held only lightly in my fingers. There are specific ways to ride one-handed, but most of my training is done with two hands on the reins.

My goal is to perform exercises on a loose rein, and this is achieved by using less and less rein pressure as the horse advances in his training. This requires me to use my seat and leg cues first, giving the horse a chance to respond before I go to rein cues.

Key Takeaway

Whether I ride in an English saddle or western saddle, I’m always conscious of my horsemanship and my job as an educator of the horse I’m riding. I pick the tack that best suits the job at hand, and I incorporate good horsemanship practices into my training.

It doesn’t matter if the horse is wearing an English or western saddle (or bareback)—the main goal no matter the riding discipline is to focus on being a better communicator and teacher for your horse.

This article about changing riding disciplines from English to western appeared in the March 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Part of what makes these horses so safe for beginners is that they “tune out” some of the aids that lower level riders give by accident, meaning that they won’t go cantering off if a rider’s leg accidentally slides back too far. Most of the riders mounted on these horses also do not have the education to be able to influence the horse to carry themselves correctly through their hind end, core, and topline. However, once a rider becomes more advanced, they will need their horse to be more responsive to aids given the first time, and properly use his body to perform more athletic movements.

In some cases, the horse may have lapsed in his training after being ridden by beginners or riders using unclear aids for an extended period of time. In any case, the remedy is to use exercises that engage the horse’s mind and body while giving clear and consistent aids.

How to Fix a Horse’s Responsiveness

The most important thing is always to have the horse traveling forward and straight. If a horse is crooked in his gaits and movements, this means that there is energy wasted traveling laterally that could be available to be funneled straight ahead if the crookedness were corrected.

Once the horse is straight, you can start asking for transitions from halt to walk. You will want to carry a short crop, and you may choose to carry a longer dressage whip or wear spurs (particularly during these initial stages of retraining), depending on the horse.

In the halt, make sure to begin with your legs hanging loose by the horse’s sides. While trying to get horses to go forward, we often tighten the muscles in our bottom, hips, and legs without realizing it. Draw up through your core so that your abdominal muscles support the upper half of your body, rather than sitting heavily in the saddle.

When your pelvis is following the horse’s motion in the walk (and later the canter), it should feel as though you are gliding across the saddle, rather than grinding into it.

Push your heels down and close your calves in a squeeze against the horse’s sides. If a sustained squeeze with moderate to strong pressure does not entice the horse to walk forward, add a kick. During the kick, your hips and bottom should remain loose, and your legs shouldn’t come more than 6 to 8 inches off of your horse’s sides.

If this still doesn’t elicit a response, tap the horse with a crop just behind your leg until he walks forward. As soon as there is any forward movement, the horse must be rewarded by taking the pressure off (stopping the tapping).

The halt-to-walk transition should be repeated until your horse is moving off from just the squeeze.

Correct Canter

Once your horse is recalibrated to the meaning of the leg squeeze, repeat the same exercise between the walk and trot and then halt and trot. Straightness should still be emphasized, using your seat bones to feel if the horse is pushing evenly with both hind legs.

All horses have their own natural rhythm that’s comfortable for them, then a rhythm that’s a little more forward and a little more work for the rider, but helps them to build fitness. That second rhythm is where you want to be working your horse.

After your horse is working through halt/walk/trot transitions in good rhythm and balance, the canter can be added. In the walk and trot, horses can get away with moving into the gait by dragging themselves forward from the shoulder, even though this is incorrect.

However, in the canter, it’s absolutely required that the horse engage his hind end and push off of his hocks, otherwise he will end up in a rushed trot rather than a canter. If any part of your work up to this point has been ineffective, it will show in the canter. Transitions should now include all three gaits plus the halt.

Additional Tips For Improving the Responsiveness of a Seemingly Lazy Horse

If a horse has been experiencing unclear or conflicting aids for a while, it may take some time to re-educate him fully.

In future training sessions, it will be valuable to add collection and extension of the gaits, turn on the haunches, 10- and 20-meter circles, and pole work. All of these exercises encourage and improve proper engagement of the hind end, building fitness and adding power to all three gaits.

Key Takeaway

It’s important to teach even beginner riders how to use their aids effectively and to expect a prompt reaction from their horse so that those nice, quiet schoolmasters don’t slip into bad habits. The same exercises that build strength in the horse will build the education of the next generation of riders. Correcting a “lazy” horse is as much the rider’s responsibility as it is the horse.

This article about improving a lazy horse’s responsiveness appeared in the January/February 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Tamie Smith of Next Level Eventing in Temecula, Calif., winner of the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*, has a strong focus on pole work in her program.

“Not only do they help your horse become stronger, but they get the horse to a place where he’s super rideable,” she says. “You can start off super simple, just trotting over one pole.”

Smith emphasizes that setting up pole exercises doesn’t need to be complicated.

“In my ring, I just have random poles out,” she says. “It’s a really good exercise for the horses to learn where their feet are and for them to let go of their bodies because they have to push over their back when they trot over them.”

Relaxation & Rideability

Additionally, Smith uses poles as a check-in for riders to see if their horses are adjustable and listening. Instead of passively riding over the poles, Smith encourages her riders to think about how their horse is completing the exercises and what holes in their training the poles bring into focus.

Smith says to ask yourself the following: “Do the trot poles create more tension and make your horse stiffen? Do they create anxiety?”

The more trot pole work the horses do, the more comfortable they get and the more rideable they become.

“I always err on the side of making sure that the horse isn’t feeling overwhelmed by the trot poles,” says Smith. “If he’s struggling, I’ll take away multiple poles and only use one until he gets really confident with it.”

Fresh Footwork with Ground Poles

Catherine Donworth has spent most of her riding career focusing on fox hunting. When her long-time partner, Skippy, was ready to retire, she got a ranch horse named Doolin Banjos. She began prepping Doolin to be her next fox hunting mount, but quickly discovered that he might be destined for a dual career, so Donworth began her dressage journey.

She uses ground pole exercises to keep things fresh for both herself and her horse in training.

“When you have a dressage horse that doesn’t jump, or doesn’t jump very often, poles are a huge way to introduce variety into your schooling,” says Donworth.

She regularly sets up different pole exercises in the ring year-round and finds new creative ways to use the smaller space of the indoor arena in the winter to keep training going, especially in colder weather when hacking and hill work aren’t an option. When Donworth sets up an exercise, she tries to leave it up for others at the barn to benefit from.

“You can tailor the exercises to whatever level your horse needs very easily, depending on his level of collection or how quickly he can do transitions or how much he can lift his hocks,” she says. “You can easily lay out a pole exercise, and with tiny alterations, work several horses at different levels without needing to set the whole thing up differently again.”

For Doolin, Donworth has found that the main benefit has been that poles keep him thinking.

“It’s helped sharpen up his feet,” she says. “It sharpened his reflexes, and he has to think for himself about where he puts his feet.”

In addition to the mental benefits, Donworth has also seen physical perks.

“It’s good from a physiological standpoint,” she says. “It keeps their hocks and back moving in a way that plain flatwork might not. It strengthens their bodies and can increase range of motion without putting extra pressure on their joints.

“Even walking over small, raised poles gets them to lift their hocks. If a horse has hock problems or arthritis in his hocks, just even walking over poles can loosen, flex, and extend his hocks. It’s like us stretching as part of our warmup.”

Ground Pole Set Up

How to Set Up Distances

• Walking poles: Set 2.5 feet apart for most horses.
• Trot poles: Set around 4 to 4.5 feet apart. Smaller-strided horses may need closer-set poles, while horses with a longer stride may need poles a little farther apart. Adjusting the distance between the poles can help your horse learn to collect or lengthen his stride. Try to avoid having only two trot poles in a row; your horse might think he is supposed to jump both in one go.
• Canter poles: Set around 9 to 11 feet. Like trot poles, the length of your horse’s stride can influence your placement.

Simple Eight-Pole Set Up

Place four trot poles and four canter poles on either end of a circle. Begin by trotting the whole loop.

Then ask your horse to canter through the canter poles and come back to a trot before the trot poles, and then canter again before the canter poles. See how accurate you can get your transitions.

Once your horse gets comfortable, try raising some of the trot poles to add difficulty.

Benefits of a Single Pole

Whether you jump or not, finding a distance to a single pole will help you learn your horse’s canter stride length and increase his adjustability. Sometimes it feels easier to find a distance to a larger jump, so breaking it back down to a single pole makes you check in on the details.

For greener horses, trotting a single pole helps build confidence and get them trusting their footwork.

Key Takeaway

Integrating ground poles into your horse’s training program can increase strength and flexibility, add variety, and sharpen response time. A useful tool for riders and trainers at level, pole work is worth adding to your routine.

This article about using ground poles in training appeared in the November/December 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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A riderless sport horse negotiates a series of ground poles and small jumps, finding his wings along the way. This is free jumping, where the obstacles are aligned in a row down a chute positioned on the long side of an arena. It’s fun to watch, yet a bit mystifying too. How does one teach a horse to free jump?

Here, Ciaran Thompson, head trainer at Spy Coast Farm, a sport horse breeding and training facility in Lexington, Ky., shares his knowledge on this subject.

Why Free Jumping?

Thompson lists a number of reasons to free jump horses. These include assessing jumping talent, showing a client how their horse is progressing, as a marketing tool for selling young jumpers, building confidence in an older show horse, or helping a horse through fear of certain types of fences.

“It’s a great way to give a horse time to figure out jumping fences by himself so he gains confidence,” explains Thompson. “Then when it comes to doing it under saddle, he already has a greater understanding. He’s used to it without the influence of a rider, so it’s not sensory overload. It gives him the best chance possible of becoming a confident and capable jumper down the line.”

In the spring of their 2-year-old year, Spy Coast free jumps the colts they are considering as stallion prospects to sort out which will be gelded. This allows them not only to observe the individual colt’s jumping talent, but also assists in evaluating each colt’s temperament and trainability.

“With stallions, you want to be looking to pass on all the best traits that you possibly can,” says Thompson.

In addition to all of these reasons, free jumping can be a fun way to bond with your horse, as long as you prepare properly. Thompson offers the following step-by-step advice.

Study the Process

To observe the process, you can go to breed inspections, young horse shows, and/or clinics on free jumping. Take notes and ask questions. Volunteer where needed and learn by doing.

Pay attention to how horses going through the chute react to different jumps, handlers, the longe whip, and other cues. Observe where their eyes and ears are focusing. Learn to read their body language to predict whether the horse will go through the chute willingly or if he is thinking about stopping before a jump. See if you can tell if the horse feels relaxed and confident or rushed, confused or panicked.

Facilities & Equipment

A smaller arena is better for free jumping so the horse doesn’t wear himself out in between jumping passes. It also makes the horse easier to catch. Thompson says something on the order of a standard dressage ring dimensions (20 meters by 60 meters) would work well. A larger arena can be subdivided for free jumping, and an indoor arena is generally better than an outdoor for this purpose.

◆ You’ll need enough poles, jump standards and jump cups to build the jump chute, with extras built into the count.

◆ For the sides of the chute, additional jump standards can be turned sideways and used with extra rails, or stand-alone fence panels may be used. The materials should be safe if the horse runs through them. Things such as yellow plastic caution tape, carpenter’s saw horses, tall potted plants, traffic cones, or stacked straw or shavings bales may all be useful chute barriers.

◆ Thompson says they use three handlers when free-jumping at Spy Coast: one to lead the horse into the chute, one along the middle of the chute to keep the horse on track and moving through, and one to catch the horse on the far end.

◆ Enough lead ropes and longe whips so that each handler has both.

◆ Cord or leather lace (about 36 inches in length) to loop through the near bit ring to lead the horse up to chute that easily slides away for quick release.

◆ Bucket filled with feed or treats to entice the horse to stop and be easily caught after each jumping pass.

◆ Quick release snaps on rein ends to easily detach/attach them to bit rings. These are great for inspections or any time you are free jumping the horse in a bridle.

◆ Camera or video camera to record the session.

Jump Chute Construction

There are a number of variations on the theme for free jump chute building, but they all use similar distances between poles and jumps:

◆ 9 feet between the placing pole on the ground (which encourages the horse to trot into the chute and sets him up for takeoff) and the first cross-rail fence.

◆ 21 feet from the cross-rail to the first vertical

◆ 22-24 feet to the final fence, which eventually becomes an oxer.

The distance between fences may need to be adjusted for horses with different stride lengths. Watch to see if the horse struggles to make a too-long distance or has hard time fitting into a too-short distance as he travels through the chute.

There also need to be points along the inner jump chute wall that can be quickly opened (to at least 4 feet wide) on the takeoff side of each jump in case a horse gets flustered and stops in the middle of the chute. This allows a handler to enter the chute, calmly catch the horse, then lead him safely out the side. The horse can then be prepared to re-enter for another try.

Introducing Free Jumping to the Horse

Thompson stresses that the horse should lead well, respect your space, and know how to longe and/or free longe before teaching him to free jump. He should know voice commands and consistently follow body language and whip cues.

At Spy Coast, they first lead the horse calmly through the chute (with no jumps up) and reward him with food from a bucket placed at the far end, well after he’s left the chute. He cautions that they don’t want the horse to get used to stopping for a reward immediately after the final jump, but rather the horse should get used to landing and traveling away from the jump before getting his treat.

At the same time, they tell the horse “whoa” so that he can equate the word with stopping at that spot and the reward. They do this with the horse a few times, then trot him in-hand through the chute with a reward again.

Thompson explains how they progress slowly from going through the empty chute at liberty and then introducing ground poles and later jumps in the chute. They start off with just a single pole at the end.

“From there, we build it up to where we have three poles down and maybe the placing pole at the beginning,” he says. “Then we lead the horse over the poles until he is comfortable with that. Then we add a small cross-rail at the end so he moves down through the poles and pops over the cross-rail. When the horse is confident with that, then we make a second cross-rail, then a third. Usually they get the whole idea and seem to say, ‘Oh, I’m popping around and going to the food.’”

Over time and several sessions, they build up to verticals and oxers, and perhaps later the jumps become higher and wider, depending on the experience and age of the horse at the time. The handlers should also be well-versed in helping the horse safely progress beyond poles and cross-rails.

Thompson emphasizes that throughout the process, the horse needs to remain quiet. Don’t rush him through the chute by pushing too hard with voice, body language or whip. If the horse makes a mistake, then go back down a level and start again until he is confident.
He advises keeping the jumping sessions short, no longer than 15 to 20 minutes.

Safety Tips

Thompson says that communication between the humans in the ring as a horse is free jumping is key for safety. If possible, he would like to have the horse track be separated from the middle of the ring all the way around, not just in the jump chute, so that there is a safe place for people to be.

He advises that one person keeps an eye on the horse at all times while others are resetting the jumps to avoid a horse running in before the chute is ready and potentially running over a person or hurting themselves.

Handlers should all have longe whips—not only to direct the horse through the chute, but also to push him away from the handler and other people in the ring. Caution should be taken when catching a horse, since they can sometimes spin and kick out at the last moment.

Thompson uses protective legwear (tendon and bell boots) on horses with shoes, but doesn’t usually use them on younger barefoot horses, since he wants to be able to evaluate their jumping without any effect on style that the boots might cause.

Reading the Horse

Over time, you’ll be able to see when your horse understands what is being asked. At this point, you’ll know you can safely progress.

Some horses need to have the jumps changed more often to keep them thinking about the task and not rushing through the chute. Others need more time to figure things out at a lower level. Some will need adjustment in distances between jumps or extra ground poles placed to assist them in jumping better.

Thompson points out that as a young horse develops, his jumping style may change a bit. He also shares that there are horses that, no matter how carefully you prepare, consistently want to speed through the chute. Those horses may learn more by jumping under saddle.

Find full instructions on setting jump chutes, including diagrams, here.

About the Expert Ciaran Thompson is the head trainer at Spy Coast Farm in Lexington, Ky., in their Young Horse Development Center. Growing up, he was an active member of Pony Club in Ireland, where he received his A rating. He has been at Spy Coast Farm since 2017, starting as Young Horse Trainer, developing 2- and 3-year-old horses, and has been Head Trainer since 2022, overseeing the production of horses from their first rides under saddle to competing at FEI events in both show jumping and eventing.

The post Introduction to Free Jumping appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Although horses are naturally athletic and many can boldly jump over obstacles of astounding heights and widths, there are also those who aren’t quite so sure why they should put themselves in such a compromising position.

A horse may stop at a jump for all kinds of reasons. He may be afraid of the jump itself, or his fear may be more related to what he has experienced from the rider when jumping; sometimes a rider’s lack of confidence relays to the horse, or the horse has been the victim of numerous bad distances.

Jumping from a distance that is too long or too short puts the horse in a physically difficult spot, and he may not want to keep jumping. It’s also common for riders to cause further discomfort to the horse in the air after a bad distance, sometimes accidentally pulling the reins, falling back into the saddle too early, or falling forward onto the horse’s neck.

Allow Your Horse a Thorough Investigation

No matter the cause of the horse’s anxiety, the answer to getting him comfortable jumping again is to go one step at a time, creating enough new positive experiences to outnumber the negative experiences he has had.

Start by allowing your horse to investigate and sniff the jumps. Done at a walk either mounted or unmounted, this is easy to do at home but also a valuable aspect of schooling shows. The horses that benefit from this most are those that hesitate before leaving the ground or that jump with a peek when they do go over.

Once the jumps have been thoroughly inspected and sniffed at the walk, flat your horse very close to the jumps and their fillers. Trot and canter just alongside each jump, never pointing him at the jump, but making sure he feels relaxed having the jump close to him. If not, he may need to stop and sniff the jump again.

Next, place flower boxes or other fillers perpendicular to the plane of the jump in between the standards and off to the sides, creating a chute toward the center of the jump. Trot your horse back and forth through the fillers until he is moving confidently past them.

From there, make a small cross-rail with the rails and filler. At a schooling show, this may be where you need to start if taking out the fillers to trot through is impractical. This is also a good place to start for those horses that are more concerned with the distance than the jump itself.

Walk or slowly trot your horse over the jump so that he can have time to process the idea of jumping over filler and so that you can easily follow the motion of him going over the jump. Be sure to praise him when he goes over.

Once your horse is happily taking you to the jump (this is important—he should be moving confidently toward and over the fence), try cantering it. I would caution against making it any larger than a small vertical, as you risk another setback to his confidence. Remember, you must make a large library of positive experiences.

Stick to Small Stuff

For horses that have stopping issues at jumps rooted in too many missed distances, it’s important to honestly evaluate your riding. Your horse may need a tune-up with a trainer or more advanced rider for a few rides, or you may need to accept dropping down to jumping ground poles and small cross-rails until your eye becomes more consistent.

Adjustability of the canter is also crucial for these horses so that you become more familiar with your horse’s proper jumping canter and so that the horse is well-versed at moving forward off of your leg and coming back to your hand.

Some horses may have trouble with combinations or lines specifically, and the same concepts apply. Small jumps and a patient rider will do the trick over time, and it’s important to keep encouraging the horse to go forward, even when the striding is not quite right, so that he eventually gets the confidence to open up his step.

When the jumps are small, it’s completely fine for a horse to add a step, whether it’s two strides in what should have been a one stride, or six in a five, especially when the horse has a history of refusals.

Eventually, with repetition, he will begin to get the correct striding, but this is another process that should not be rushed if you want the lesson and the confidence to stick. Take the time to meet your horse where he’s at and build his confidence back up piece by piece.

This article about training a horse that’s stopping at the jumps appeared in the August 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Picture this: You are cantering around the corner, peacefully counting the rhythm of the canter, when suddenly a few strides out from the jump, your horse takes over. Out of seemingly nowhere, he is scooting toward the jump, the distance has disappeared, and he’s launching himself as if he wants the jump to be over with as quickly as possible. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone!

As with any training issue, it’s important to rule out any medical explanations. These horses should be looked over by a veterinarian and perhaps other specialists, like a dentist or chiropractor.

With pain/discomfort off the table, rushing is almost always rooted in anxiety. Your horse may find jumping stressful for any number of reasons. He may feel overfaced by the size of the jump, by the speed at which he’s approaching the jump, or by the complexity of the course. He may also have experienced a lot of missed distances or a rider who was unbalanced and accidentally punishing his jumping effort.

Keep it Positive

In order to reverse the effects of these negative emotions and experiences, from this moment on, your horse must have a consistent positive association with jumping. This will most certainly take time, and you as the rider should expect to be patient and allow the process to take as long as it takes.

While usually I prefer that horses only jump twice a week, many horses that rush do better jumping five to seven jumps or so every day so that it feels less like a special event to them and more like a standard routine.

The jumps should be low. Even if your horse has plenty of scope, he should be presented with only small jumps until his anxiety subsides. (I consider small jumps to be cross-rails through 2’3″). It’s OK if your horse just needs to go back to ground poles or even trotting and cantering through empty standards.

There should not be any right or wrong in these exercises. That extends to leads/lead changes, breaking of gait, or any of the details that normally would be important when jumping. Your horse is feeling enough pressure from the jump alone, so it’s better not to add any pressure through other expectations. (Many young or green horses are most concerned about the lead change that they know is coming after the jump.)

Gradual Introductions to Start

Begin by walking over ground poles or tiny cross-rails. The slow speed gives your horse plenty of time to assess and negotiate the obstacle. Tiny is preferred so that he has less chance of hitting it and scaring himself.

After he has walked over regular rails, add towels, flowerboxes, or other small fillers to continue to build confidence. Once all is going well, you can move up to a slow trot. If trotting leads to rushing, go back to the walk.

After your horse has mastered relaxed trot jumps from a slow trot, you can test the waters by adding speed with a regular trot or the canter. However, when adding speed, it’s important to also capture the horse’s attention with something other than the jump itself. Give him a job unrelated to the jump that happens to occur near the approach or landing side of the jump. Some examples include circles, figure-8s, and transitions.

The key is to not make this feel like a punishment. Whatever you are asking your horse to do, you should ask about five strides before or after the jump so that there’s space for him to breathe and relax as he approaches the jump, jumps, and lands.

Exercises to Try for a Horse That’s Rushing Jumps

Two of my favorites are a downward transition five to six strides in front of the jump and a figure-8 after the jump, either in trot or in canter, with a simple change.

From here, you can string a course together with lots of circles or transitions interspersed between the jumps. The more turns the better, since long, straight lines are not the best idea yet. It’s hard to influence your horse to rebalance on a straightaway without using a lot of hand, which is counterproductive to relaxation.

Once you have made it to the point where your horse is ready to canter some jumps, a good option is to canter a jump on a circle and allow your horse to fall into a rhythm. By creating the same track to the jump and facilitating the same striding over and over, you allow your horse to relax into a predictable pace and not worry about his takeoff distance.

After your horse has built a confident foundation in these exercises, you can begin to ride regular courses again. Just keep the concept of relaxation at the forefront so you can continue to help your equine partner let go of his anxiety surrounding jumping.

This article about training a horse that’s rushing jumps appeared in the July 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post How to Train a Horse That’s Rushing Jumps appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

All exhibitors must complete the Mustang Trainer Readiness Curriculum prior to entering the Mustang Challenge completion. The goal is to improve training techniques. All exhibitors must show proof of pre-Classic show competition experience prior to the Classic competition September 13-15, 2024. The goal is to give more time and require competitor to expose their Mustang to other audiences to prepare for competition.

Mustang Classic Championship Finals

Kentucky Horse Park, Rolex Stadium | Sunday, September 15, 1 pm. – $50,000 to the Champion

The top 10 performing Mustang and exhibitor pairs from the preliminary classes will be invited to compete in the championship finals to determine the Mustang Classic Champion. Scoring will be based on training level dressage scores and a freestyle performance. The finals event is designed to encourage exhibitors to exhibit the athletic abilities of their Mustang to the crowd in an exciting and appealing way. The exhibitors will incorporate props, costumes, and music to demonstrate their skills and the talents of their Mustang.

◆ For Classic Championship Finals tickets, click here.
◆ For more information, click here.

The Schedule (Tentative)

Friday, September 13
◆ Rolex Stadium: Training Level Dressage

Saturday, September 14
◆ R Ring: Working Equitation
◆ Rolex Stadium: Arena Cross-Country/Show Jumping
◆ Awards Presentation and Top 10 Announcement

Sunday, September 15
◆ Rolex Stadium
◆ 10 a.m.: Doors open (ticket required)
◆ 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.: VIP Brunch (separate ticket required)
◆ 1 p.m.: Classic Championship Finals

Preliminary Classes

Training Level Dressage

The Training Level Dressage test is designed to showcase the foundation of training and partnership between a Mustang and rider through balance, flexibility and obedience.

Show Jumping

Horses will complete a show jumping course of 8-12 efforts, that includes one combination. Heights will be 2’3” (Maximum).

Arena Cross Country

All Mustangs will be judged over a cross-country course of approximately 10 obstacles in an arena. The jumps will be horse Trial Starter level with maximum height of jumps at 2’3” (27 inches).

Working Equitation

Working Equitation is a real test of the Mustang’s temperament and training, the riders skill and ability and of course the relationship between horse and rider combining dressage with obstacles.

Mustang Classic Championship Finals

◆ Rolex Stadium
◆ $50,000 to the Champion: 1 p.m. competition start

The top performing Mustang and exhibitor pairs will be invited to compete in the championship finals, a freestyle performance to determine the Mustang Classic Champion. Scoring will be based on training level dressage and your freestyle performance. The finals event is designed to encourage riders to exhibit the athletic abilities of the Mustang to the crowd in an exciting and appealing way. The exhibitor will have three and a half minutes to showcase their Mustang through a creative display of choreographed maneuvers that entertain the crowd and demonstrate their horsemanship. The exhibitor should incorporate props, costumes, and music to demonstrate their skills and the talents of their Mustangs.

—Edited Press Release | Source: Mustang Champions

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Or maybe showing isn’t for you, but you’d like to have a measure of your training progress. A ride-a-test dressage clinic is just the ticket for all of these situations and more.
In recent years, both English and western dressage organizations are offering in-person and virtual ride-a-test clinics. They’re also sometimes called “fix-a-test” clinics, which may more accurately describe what is involved.

What Are Dressage Ride-a-Test Clinics?

Cheryl Holekamp, a United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) licensed “S” dressage judge who has competed through FEI levels in dressage as well as in eventing, explains more about the goal and what is involved with a ride-a-test clinic.

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“These clinics are designed to help riders learn how to improve their scores in a dressage test in competition,” she says. “They are beneficial to both dressage riders and eventers. Participants ride a test of their choice which is judged, then the judge then goes over the test with the rider, followed by a lesson working on parts of the test and the basics that need improvement.”

The format of a ride-a-test clinic varies a bit depending on the group hosting. Sometimes you’ll ride your test, get feedback from the judge, and then ride the test a second time for another score. Other times, after you ride your test, the rest of the session is devoted to schooling individual movements and basic principles that will boost your performance.

Some instructors even offer multi-day intensive ride-a-test courses where you’ll get advice on choosing a test, followed by practicing the individual movements, and eventually riding the complete test. On the final day, you perform that test in front of a guest judge. Along the way, sports psychology exercises and demonstrations by professional riders supplement learning.

Holekamp says the fix-a-test clinic offers the opportunity to interact with a judge, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of the directives and purpose of the level and the judging process.

“I am first concerned with the safety and welfare of horse and rider,” she says. “The goals are to help [you and your horse] achieve the best harmony and identify steps to follow to develop and improve skills.”

Dressage rider and United States Dressage Federation (USDF) L Education Program graduate Nancy Bryant points out that the ride-a-test format offers a rare chance for riders to get actual instruction from a licensed judge.

“According to USDF rules, judges should not use terminology that is teaching when they are working at a competition,” she says. “Instead, they’re supposed to use directives in their comments on the test sheets, such as ‘lacks impulsion’ or ‘circle not round,’ which tell the rider why they were scored a certain way, but not how to fix it. However, in the ride-a-test clinic situation, the judge is allowed to advise the rider on improving their performance.”

Bryant says that you should make the most out of a ride-a-test opportunity.

“I would ride the most technically challenging test that I would be showing that season,” she says. “Doing that with the judge in place allows me to get the best feedback. Another advantage of test-riding clinics is you don’t have the stress of having to braid your horse or dress in show clothes. You can ride in workman-like lesson attire and tack as long as it’s safe, clean and tidy.”

Clinic Preparation & Participation Tips

To find one of these clinics near you, search for educational events offered by local equestrian organizations or training barns. Another option is to participate virtually by having someone video you riding your test of choice and submitting that video to a dressage professional who offers ride-a-test reviews and followup instruction.

Holekamp gives this advice when you’re preparing for a ride-a-test clinic:

◆ Carefully review the schedule and format of the clinic you choose and register by the deadline. Contact the host for stabling information and directions, or in the case of submitting a test virtually, for instructions for submitting your video and information on how to receive feedback.

◆ Choose a test of appropriate level and plan to warm up ahead of time just like you would at a show. Know the test well. You can either ride a test you have struggled with during competitions or a test of a higher level for which you are hoping to develop skills and proficiency.

◆ Review the purpose of the level and familiarize yourself with the directives for each movement. Definitions of the levels and descriptions of the individual movements can be found in the Dressage Division of the USEF Rule Book, which is available online to all members. Go to www.usef.org and look under the “Membership” and “Compete” tabs for more information.

◆ Bring several copies of the score sheet for the test you will be riding: one for the judge, one for the scribe, one for your reader if you have one, and one for you to review. You can find copies of the tests on the USDF website here.

◆ Be on time for your ride and factor in the warmup so that you’re ready to go into the ring in your designated slot. If possible, try to arrive at the clinic location well ahead of time or plan to stay after your ride so you can watch other sessions (if allowed) to gain even more insight.

◆ Clinicians often ask what a rider would like to work on. Bring a list of questions to maximize the value of your session.

◆ If possible, arrange to have your clinic session videotaped. “Video is a wonderful learning experience,” says Holekamp. “A good video and the test with judge’s remarks from competition are like a mini clinic and a great way to understand that what you’re feeling during a test may actually look quite different.”

◆ Tips for your videographer shooting the video to submit for a virtual clinic: Hold the camera or phone horizontally; have the videographer stand at dressage letter C; and make sure that there is adequate lighting in the arena. If you’re outside, don’t point the camera directly into the sun. Have them state the names of you and your horse and the level and test number being ridden at the beginning of the video right before you enter the ring. They may need to use zoom when you’re at the far end of the ring.

Valuable Knowledge

Ride-a-test clinics offer huge potential to gain knowledge. Holekamp says she always finishes each rider’s session with homework for them to use to build on their clinic experience.

“Hopefully riders take home a better understanding and exercises for improved basics and execution of the test movements.”

Meet the Dressage Experts Cheryl Holekamp is a USEF licensed “S” judge who has officiated at licensed shows from coast to coast. As a dressage rider she has earned her USDF gold, silver and bronze medals, all on homebred horses. She also competed in eventing on a homebred horse. An accomplished sport horse breeder along with her husband Dr. Tim Holekamp, they own and operate New Spring Farm, originally in Columbia, Mo., and now in Ocala, Fla. Over the years, they’ve stood several notable stallions, including 2004 Olympic eventing medalist Windfall and FEI-level eventer Amethyst. They have also produced many successful competition horses, including Boyd Martin’s Olympic mount Tsetserleg, a son of Windfall. She enjoys giving back to the sport through teaching clinics. Nancy Bryant has competed in dressage through FEI levels and has earned her USDF silver and bronze medals aboard her homebred gelding Lansom’s Ransom and her subsequent gelding Handsel, whom she trained through FEI levels. She is a graduate of the USDF L Program, which qualifies her to judge schooling shows. Bryant is a Past President of the Midwest Dressage Association (MDA) and an active volunteer who enjoys giving back to her sport. Over the years she has volunteered at the 2017 FEI World Cup Finals, the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games, and has served on numerous MDA committees. In 2020 and 2021, she organized a USDF Instructor Certification Program. In her professional life outside of horse sports, Bryant is a registered nurse.

This article about dressage Ride-a-Test clinics appeared in the March 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Try a Dressage Ride-a-Test Clinic appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

The average ride in non-extreme heat and humidity should last about 30 to 45 minutes. No matter how much time you have to ride, I firmly believe that the warmup should take the most amount of time. A walk on a long rein followed by some basic trot and canter work on a medium-length rein is a great way to begin.

After that is complete, you can begin the targeted warmup. A targeted warmup is one that you create using critical thinking skills in order to improve on your horse’s specific weaknesses. Some examples of these weaknesses could be crookedness, reluctance to go forward, tension/stiffness, lack of engagement, et cetera.

By targeting the warmup to improve these qualities, you set the tone for whatever you’re hoping to practice during the “work” section of the training session, whether that is a complicated jumping track or more advanced dressage movements. This way, your horse is already engaging the correct muscles and having the correct reactions to your aids before being presented with something more complicated.

Having between three to five exercises to choose from is helpful so that the warmup changes somewhat during each session and avoids becoming a drill.

Useful Targeted Warmup Exercises for Specific Horses

Horse that drifts or pops out a shoulder:
◆ Square turns or turn on the haunches
◆ Shoulder-fore or shoulder-in
◆ Circles or figure-8s with focus on riding the shoulders

Lazier type:
◆ Lengthening or collecting of stride
◆ Frequent transitions
◆ Apply leg, use spur or stick if no reaction

Hotter type:
◆ Downward transitions
◆ Circles or figure-8s on a medium-long rein with a mild inside bend
◆ Ground poles (if he rushes the jumps)
◆ Collecting of stride and transitions from regular to collected gaits

Stiff horse:
◆ Circles and figure-8s
◆ Mounted carrot stretches after initial stretch warmup when muscles are warm
◆ Shoulder-fore or shoulder-in
◆ Leg-yields

Horse needing more hind-end engagement:
◆ Transitions on straight lines (with emphasis on even feel in the contact)
◆ Backing
◆ Sets of multiple ground poles or raised cavalletti
◆ Circles, figure-8s, and three-track movements (such as shoulder-in and shoulder-fore) with emphasis on encouraging drive through the hind end through half-halts and maintaining impulsion.

Three Skills

There are several important skills at play when designing and executing a targeted warmup.

First, you must understand your horse’s weaknesses (or your weaknesses as a pair) and how to improve them. This could be a great conversation to have with your trainer. Being able to narrow down what may seem like a huge problem to a few tweaks to the basics is a crucial step in becoming a more well-rounded rider.

Having placed the extra attention on these weaker basics during the warmup, you will be a step ahead when you arrive at the “work” portion of your ride. Using relevant exercises, your horse will become physically and mentally engaged in a way that will benefit his work. Rather than getting frustrated when your horse is rushing the jumps or lacking spring in his hocks, now you will notice those problems arising less and less each ride.

Instead of feeling stuck and asking your horse to perform the more difficult work over and over in a futile attempt to fix it in the moment, the proper preparation has been done to ensure success. This also allows you to avoid unneeded wear and tear on your horse, both physically and mentally.

The final component of a targeted warmup that adds value to your overall training regimen is that even if you and your horse are having a difficult time on a particular day, if you stop your ride after your targeted warmup, you will still have progressed a little further towards your goals.

Your Horse Show Warmup

In this masterclass video from Ridely, Olympic medalist Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum talks you through how she warms up her horses when she competes. Meredith explains that the most important thing about warming up is that you stay as calm as possible. Competing can be daunting and the warmup ring is often busy with other competitors, so it is important to control the nerves and stay calm. She emphasizes the importance of giving yourself enough time in the warmup and to get on the horse early.

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There are plenty of times when things don’t go as planned with horses, but by having identified the skills you need to improve on to get to the next level, no session can ever be considered stagnant.

This article about training your horse with a targeted warmup appeared in the January/February 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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