Striding

[Jester_x]

Ok I'm sorta teaching myself at the minute...I have no money for lessons anymore (I did learn the basics properly). I've been looking on websites for certain things. But I need your help with striding...

At what height should I be worrying about getting the correct striding to a jump? (At the moment I'm jumping around 2' to 2'8'')

And how do you find out the correct striding to a jump!?!?...How do you remember how many strides when actually riding?!?

I'm hoping that all made sense!!!
Sorry for all the questions lol any tips would be a massive help!

Thanks!

[Sticky's GF]

According to my RI, its the quality of the canter, not the striding, that counts at the lower heights. We are jumping around the 3ft mark and I am assured that if the canter is good (i.e. controlled, bouncy with lots of impulsion) then the jump will come, regardless of the stride you are on.

Seeing a stride comes with time, you can practice by counting down out loud as you approach a fence. At the moment I can see a stride, but am unable to correct on approach as my horse isn't at the stage where he can shorten his canter. So I just concentrate on a good canter and letting him sort out the rest :)

[laurenefb]

I agree with what Sticky's GF has said and I thought I would add to it!

You can work on getting the right stride for any size of jump, or even a pole on the ground. Think of the jump being part of the canter stride - canter canter canter jump canter - keeping a rhythm is crucial. You need a good rhythmic canter before you come to the fence, you can count one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and-one-and-two etc. or as I've been taught saying the days of the week (not the weekends!!!) in time with the stride. When you come into a jump in rhythm you should be able to begin to 'see the stride' - whether by keeping the rhythm you will meet the jump on time or whether you will need to alter the horses rhythm by shortening or lengthening. You also need to be aware of making a good turn into the fence: you can experiment with shorter and longer run-ups into the fence to see how this alters the number of canter strides before the jump.

[DavidH]

or whether you will need to alter the horses rhythm by shortening or lengthening. .
Rythm shouldn't change, only the amount of ground covered each stride.

[Iron Maiden]

Don't worry about seeing strides. The more you worry about it, the harder it gets :rolleyes: As you get more experienced & confident you might well tackle higher jumps, IME it's a lot easier to see a stride into a bigger fence than a small one - maybe my brain is wired funny but that's how it is for me :o Don't stress about it is all I can advise though. If you ride into the jump in a balanced, forward canter with a good rhythm your horse ought to be able to get you out of trouble, so concentrate in the quality of the canter & how balanced & rhythmical you can get your approach and you won't go far wrong :)

[Jester_x]

Thank you all for the help!!

I'll start concentrating on his canter then. I think it's ok, just needs less speed and more bounce sometimes! :rolleyes: