Sorting Out Strides In Jumping ):

I'm having problems with strides when we jump these days. I never used to worry about them so much but since he's fallen over a couple of times now due to getting the strides so wrong I worry when going up to a jump whether he's going to get them right.

I'm no good at seeing a stride and he's got a naturally fast canter (which has slowed down alot!) so that doesn't help .. any advice on how to get them right?

Also he's grown alot in confidence with jumping and I don't want to mess things up with him getting a fright ..

Thanks. (:

Try suppling him up and move him softly into the canter. Get him calm but keep him forward and count, 1 stride...2 strides...3 strides, and so on to the jump. Also make sure you have about 6 feet for take off and landing between the jumps.

If you make sure you have 6' for take off and landing and 12' for the stride you should be fine :) if he seems to be pulling up and jumping mid stride or something you can then change your jump distance to suit his stride. It shouldnt take many goes to get it if you follow the distance "rules" :)

Well at the moment I can only jump single jumps as we're in the small school because it's so dark at night .. so do you think I could put like a placing pole infront of the jump?

A expirenced horse with a educated rider can figure out there own strides. Although some horses, no matter how much they jump keep getting the strides wrong, but this can also involve a un balanced rider. If you can not get two jumps in a row, yes then a suggest a pole, where ever the next jump is. Do you know how to count your strides? Between jumps, do you know how to slow and fasten up?

A great Showjumper told me this " A Showjump course is just like a Dressage test, but with obsticles in the road" in other words you ride just as if you where riding a test.

Well.. depends how you mean count strides. I can count them in between jumps and all that but i'm pretty useless at counting them down to the jump.

Slowing down and speeding up is a bit of a problem .. well not the speeding up! He's a speedy thing and he's only just realised that he can canter to go faster not just trot like a maniac ..

I've heard that one before, just like a dressage test with jumps in the way .. I think it's s great one!

Yes it is hard to adjust the strides before a fence but I would recomend that you read this article it's got great tips and ideas that I have found useful the article is for eventers but it is useful for everyone who does horsejumping

http://www.horsechatting.com/b_eventing12.php

Thanks flashback! That was a really good article, very helpful. (:

I put up a small double today with one stride in between and he was doing it really well 'til I put it up a bit and he was halfway through his canter stride and he threw him self sideways and I lost a stirrup, so he went and bolted off bucking. ): He's really unhelpful sometimes. =P.