Related distances

[TheMoose]

I have a very bold six year old that i am presently jumping in 1-1.05m classes. He is very enthusiastic and takes me to the fence. Although strong i am able to hold him into the fence. My problem comes with related distances. He has such a jump that he makes too much ground over the first part and reaches the second part too short. He did lose his confidence for w while but it has come back and he is bolder than ever!
In my lesson I have been jumping quite short doubles and triples on him just to give him more of an edge. I also do lengthening/shortening excersises along the short and long sides of the school in trot and canter.
Does anyone have any more good excersises or tips?

[maverick927]

i find jumping in 20m circles a great exercise. You first put two jumps up, one at one side of the circle and one at the other side.

When you become more advanced make it four jumps. it takes alot of skill but with loads of practice it works a treat.

[rocketman]

I suggest grid exercises. You're already on the right track jumping tight combinations.

I learned this second-hand from a pupil of George Morris. This is excellent for teaching an onward bound horse to think for himself and learn to back off his fences. You will need a helper on the ground since there will be a lot of jump setting.

Set up the series of jumps for trotting in as follows:

placing pole on the ground approx. 9' in front of small 'X'
18' from 'X' to small vertical
21' from vertical to small oxer
keeping at 21' distances, then from oxer alternate vertical, oxer, vertical, oxer

Trot in and, apart from keeping straight, be a passenger. Do not help at all. Just get forward and stay in that position (grabbing mane helps) until you have landed the last fence. If the horse goes too fast, let him. When he runs out of room, he will have to figure out how not to.

Once the horse has successfully negotiated the grid a couple of times, regardless of HOW he has achieved it, widen each oxer slightly and raise the fences (a little at a time). Every time you widen the oxers, you will shorten the distances by the same amount. Repeat the process, trotting in and letting him fend for himself.

He may still rush, but as the distances get shorter and the oxers get wider, it will be increasingly difficult for him to hurry down the line. By not helping, you are making him think for himself and figure it out. When a horse has to think, it slows him down.

Keep on gradually widening the oxers and increasing the height, but don't go above 3'6" since this gets tricky quickly. Sooner or later the horse will realize that his past technique of rushing is not working out so well and will try some alternative methods for negotiating this puzzle. He may need to klunk a pole or two before he tries a new approach.

I wouldn't try to achieve this all in one day or you may undo his confidence. Take it in small steps so he learns as he goes.

I used this exercise on my very onward bound jumper/eventer years ago. He was always running out of room in combinations and related distances. He just kept running down the line and squirming over the fences until the oxers were very wide indeed and the distances incredibly short. It wasn't until he knocked a pole 20' out in front of him that the penny dropped. The very next time down the grid, he jumped in and, for the first time in his life, BACKED OFF! From that moment onward, he had the whole thing sussed and never ran out of room again. This learning experienced proved even more valuable in timed jump-offs. I could gallop him flat out at the combinations knowing he would leap in and virtually throw out an anchor to fit in his stride to the next fence.

You will need to be brave. It takes courage to sit there and do nothing. You have to train the brain, not just the body of the horse.

[jUmPingIsLifE]

gymnastics! fun and it helps loads. (i think its the same as what some of you call grid work or something like that)

i usually use about 6 jumps. i put the first part as a bounce, than one stride in between the rest of them.

i like the circle idea too :)

[TheMoose]

Thanks rocketman I will try the method.I have done something along the lines of that before!
I was told to sit almost behind him on landing from the first element, this really helped but as you said he needs to think for himself. He is not a horse that you can get forward with in the ring or even cross country as everything goes out of the window!

[Kerri&Smarty]

To start with use landing poles 9ft after the jump instead of another fence. This will help make him think and slow down a little after landing over the jump. U may find that to help wiv the charging at the 1st fence, u could set up a row of trotting poles (make sure u use more than 3 other wise he may be tempted to jump them! My pony has done that b4 over 3 poles!) there should b around 4ft between the trotting poles, then leave 9ft then put a small fence.
Is he taking off too far away from the fence? Resulting in him jumping big and then landing too far away from it?
It sounds like u may have already had a few lessons? It's a very good idea to get ** instructor to give u a hand here.
good luck!

[TheMoose]

He doesn't take off too far he just has such a jump that he makes too much ground on the other side.