This "dark into light" situation adds a significant challenge to this cross country jump! How would you ride this fence to give your horse every chance to jump this fence successfully? (Click on Discussion Title above to read or join in on this educational discussion)
Try this little experiment: Spend some time doing a turn on the forehand in hand (on the ground), so you can really watch what happens to your horse's body when he steps underneath himself with his inside hind leg. While he may remain hollow at first in tension, as he relaxes into the exercise you will usually see him naturally becoming "rounder" in his body, and therefore lowering his head and neck. You will also likely see him chewing the bit softly. This is an example of how changing how the back and the hind legs are working positively affects the front end.
If you regularly spend lots of time working on the basics, such as straightness and suppleness, you will be likely to find that the more difficult movements will fall into place naturally.
The fastest cross-country horses are not necessarily the fastest horses in general, but the ones that are the easiest to set up for the jumps. So make sure you are always working on improving your horse's adjustability.
When working with a horse that does not have a great natural lengthening, make sure that you don't ask for too much too soon. Compare this to a singer who is training their vocal cords… they gradually expand their vocal range until they hit their limit. This helps to prevent them from overextending themselves, and builds up confidence in their abilities.
A good halt is square because it was a good, balanced, well ridden halt. Not because the rider has taught the horse the "trick" of squaring up after an unbalanced halt.
The Dressage horse is supposed to be (and look like!) a "happy athlete". If the horse does not look happy in his work, that work is probably not correct.
"The horse's back is like a bridge that carries him and you, and the neck completes the bridge. All the energy created by going forward from the hindquarters to the bridle makes your horse's back strong and develops those muscles that create the bridge. Without energy through the neck, the bridge is out and you can't do anything." ~ Jennifer Baumert
"If you aren't sure [when jumping], ride forward, because being under paced is not only harder for the horse, it can make the fences dangerous at the higher levels... Fences are made to be taken at a certain speed, not much more and certainly no less." ~ Catherine Norman
The faster you are going on cross country, the more you must generally think of maintaining a contact with your horse's mouth on the takeoff of a jump. No big crest releases!
Training a horse is sometimes like peeling an onion... As you make some progress in one area, the next area that you need to focus on often becomes clear.
Take your time when riding transitions. Many riders seem to rush through them just to get them done. Be conscious of preparing for each one, and feeling all of the details while you are making the transition - being ready to abort the transition if things start to go wrong.
When riders stiffen their shoulders it can cause them to also have tense, tight arms and hands. To relax your shoulders, take a deep breath in, and exhale fully... looking for the feeling that your shoulders and elbows drop and become supple.
The more contact you hold on your horse's mouth between jumps (and of course, on the flat as well), the more work you may have to do to half halt or stop. Try to be as light as possible, so that when you do ask for something, your horse will hear you.
"Use your leg!".... "Put your leg on!".... "More leg!" Do these commands sound familiar to you?? I'm willing to bet that they are. There are many different ways a rider can use their leg. Do you know precisely how to use your leg in each individual situation, so that you are most clearly communicating your thoughts to your horse?
You certainly need to, if you want to get the best results! Read on to learn (or confirm your knowledge) about all of the different leg aids, and when and how they should be used. (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
"Our job is to prepare the line and canter, then ride forward to the jump. Riding forward to the jump is NOT accelerating to the jump. There is a difference. When riders get to a longer or shorter distance than ideal, the emphasis should be on the rider staying in the moment and conveying confidence to the horse." ~ William Fox Pitt
With horses, just like with people, let your actions speak for you. For example, you may think you are rewarding your horse when you say "Good boy" or "Good girl"... But if you do not also release the aid, your horse will not really feel rewarded for their effort.
When a rider does not have that classic straight line from their elbow to the bit, it is nearly impossible to have a quality contact. This is just one of the many reasons that having eyes on the ground is SO important. As many riders tend to ride with their hands either above or below that line, and have no idea that they are doing it. A good rein connection will elude you until you have found just the right alignment.
Always pay attention to how you finish every single exercise that you ride. Letting yourself or your horse fall into a heap as you pull up only creates bad habits for both of you. Always finish with a proper transition into the walk.
"The goal of training is to build the horse's mind and his muscles. Suppleness and relaxation require adequate muscle strength. Strengthening requires both contraction and relaxation. Blood flow and oxygenation occur when the muscle relaxes. If the muscle is kept in a constant state of contraction, it loses power and strength, and actually becomes smaller. Frequent rest periods, especially for a young horse at a free walk on a long rein, are necessary. The rest periods are not for a rider's fatigue, but to allow the horse to stretch and relax his muscles. The rest breaks will give you a completely new horse. This is the systematic gymnasticizing of the horse." ~ Klaus Balkenhol
Think of your leg, seat, and rein aids as the way you communicate with your horse. You don't physically push or pull him anywhere - you give him subtle signals. And if he doesn't initially respond to your subtle signals, you need to teach him to. EVERY horse can learn to respond to light cues, if taught properly.
The key to riding good "across the diagonal" movements in the Dressage ring is to ride deeply into the preceding corner, while keeping the impulsion through the turns, so that the energy level stays consistent throughout the movement.
If you truly do a good job of preparing for each transition that you ride, you will be able to give an aid that is as light as a whisper to execute it.
"Although breeders have created a better horse, the market has created a demand for a stronger, healthier, more powerful horse. It's easier to sell a horse that looks like a carefully developed eight year old, and not like a three or four year old just beginning his career." ~ Klaus Balkenhol
If your horse feels locked in the jaw and is bracing against you, you are probably bracing and pulling against him yourself. He will probably never let go unless you do.
"It is important that the neck is open at the throat latch. Too many horses too short in the neck in all disciplines. Today’s horses are always in a frame, but often they don’t seek the contact properly, and you can’t give high marks to a horse that is behind the bit." ~ Christoph Hess
If your horse is not "hot" to your leg, and you need a lot of leg to keep him going, how will he ever hear the leg aid that asks for something more... like a lateral movement or a flying change?
As we should always be striving to make sure that our horses enjoy their work, reward and incentives should be especially generous when we are asking for things that we know are currently difficult for our horses.
A horse doesn't become supple by trotting round and round the arena. So don't stay in the same pace or movement for too long! Lots of turns, circles, and transitions will be the most beneficial.
For many riders, downward transitions happen in a bit of a blur... They try their best to prepare for them, give the aid, and then hope for the best as they wait to see how their horse will respond. Once the transition is completed, they are usually able to look back and see if it went well or not. But while their horse is actually changing gaits - as those couple of strides are actually happening, there is very little communication, feel, or awareness of what their own body is doing, or exactly what the horse is doing underneath them in that moment.
Does this sound like YOU? If it does, don't feel bad. This is really common! And the problem with this scenario is that it very often produces a downward transition that is inadequate in some way - most commonly with the horse being somewhat resistant or heavy on the forehand. And not only does that lower your score if you happen to be in the Dressage ring, but it also diminishes all of the positive effects that can come out of a well ridden and executed downward transition. (Increased hind leg engagement, longitudinal suppleness, and overall carriage)
This exercise, suitable for all levels of horses and riders, will help to show you how to stay in a state of increased feeling and awareness, allowing you to be able to use subtle yet precise communication as needed in every single step of that downward transition. It will turn you into a rider who is able to ride EFFECTIVE downward transitions - which is what is required to give you the best possible result. (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
The horse should always be the one who sets the pace of the progression of both training and competition. Pushing too hard, too soon, will usually result in having to go back and start over.
