Show Jumping

A good start for your show season

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The show season is just around the corner so it is time to review if you and your horse are ready for it. Let’s not forget that horse riding, like other sports, implies that the rider and the horse are ready physically and mentally to sustain the stress of the competitions.

Mots clés:

REF ART67

competition

Show Jumping

training for show jumping

rider’s mental preparation

rider’s mental conditioning

being competitive

Niveau de difficulté:

Intermédiaire

Contenu du dossier:

First of all, the fitness condition of the horse’s joints, muscles, and his respiratory system is a top priority. To bypass this crucial point is to take a risky bet on the rest of your show season. Schooling grids and trotting sets are vital to the physical preparation of a competition horse.

As for the rider, he must also be ready and must make sure that he is able to adhere to the basic priorities which are: using his eyes as an aid, having a good position and a mind compatible with show jumping, all of which to be tested at the yard over small courses before going to shows.

Another pitfall to avoid: starting with classes that are too difficult for the couple. One would want to start the show season at the same level he ended the previous season. Once again, it is to take a risky bet for both the rider and the horse. Bad experiences stay imprinted in the horses mind generating some behaviours that will be difficult to reprogram. Instead jumping successfully right away a course in competition with a calm and relaxed horse, can only be positive for you and your horse. At the beginning of the show season, horses are usually more energetic and all other the place, a bit stressed. Another reason why we should not be too demanding and take some time before jumping at our highest level. A minimum of three or four shows are necessary to get everyone back on track. Let’s add that to deal with the stress and imperfection of the beginning of the season, the rider should emphasise on a good warm-up before entering the show ring. Alternating the work with some frequent time of rest is highly recommended.

In a few words, keep a large view angle on your show season. To look after the blue short term is of no interest. On the contrary, plan your season month to month. You can always change and adapt your plan depending on your horse physical and mental shape as well as yours and on your results.

Let’s do it!

Cours associés

Cours associés:

Training Aiti for the CSI of Fontainebleau

Gymnastic exercises over a jump with Nénuphar Jac

Preliminary course training

Training on a dressage figure

Fun gymnastic in preparation for shows

Improving your horse’s responsiveness and speed in his jumping movement

Gymnastic on a grid

Conditioning the horse on the flat and on jumps

Preparing for lines and combinations

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TOPIC-ORIENTED FILE

Position on the bit and driving force in the approaches

Droits d'accès:

Abonné

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Gilles, a professional rider from the Haras de Hus, came for a clinic with Michel Robert. He rides “Charles de Gaulle”. Today’s lesson focuses on improving the horse’s position on the bit and his propulsion as he approaches fences.

Niveau de difficulté:

Intermédiaire

Goal:

This work session takes place on a grass footing. Michel rides Conrad de Hus to demonstrate the positions, attitudes and actions needed to reach the expected results.

Progress:

The lesson starts with some flat work and getting the horse on the bit at the three gaits. Michel offers an easy solution without the help of any rein-aids that he has banned from his training method years ago. This session proves one more time the effectiveness of his work principle based on the respect for the physical integrity of the horse.

As the session goes on, the rider learns to combine the position on the bit with the improvement of the quality of the canter as he approaches fences. The solution offered by Michel leads quickly to good results without going through the classical dressage training which can deaden some horses.

Approaching fences, it would be ideal to have the horse round and on the bit, with a good strided quality canter. To reach these conditions, the rider has to give priority to the pushing force and forward movement. Charles de Gaulle has a tendency to be a bit slow in his hind legs and not lift his back. To solve these issues, Michel advises Gilles, to get a stronger canter further away from the jump and to come with strides that decrease closer to the jump.

The solution is to alternate transitions within the gait until the horse settles round on the bit.

Most riders have a tendency to do the opposite which is to close the horse in from afar and let him open up in the approaches on the pretext to give him more freedom…at that moment, the horse goes above the bit and loses his pushing force and engagement.

The proposed solution here is to stock up some strength in order to regulate it close to the fence.

Once we’re successful, meaning when the horse gets used to staying on the bit in the approaches, we can modify the work by approaching fences with steady strides, and then increasing the stride length.

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