Striding

[random2]

I am just starting to learn to count the strides between jumps. I take the jumps at a canter, and they are about 2'. I would like ANY tips that I can get, because I am a little awkward at it.


:)

[floppy]

if its the strides you want to learn better then mayeb you should watch other people jumping and learn to count the strides from the ground.
Also ask your instructor/trainer to count out loud the strides before the jump as you approach and after time you will learn to feel the strides and count yourself:)
thats all the help i can give as its been a while since i last jump.

[fionahogg]

Hi Alyssa. You could try trotting into the jump and then asking for canter for one stride - so you learn how far away from the jump it is when the horse takes the last stride. Then ask for canter two canter strides away, then three, then four until you can turn into a jump at canter and as you approach you know how many strides there are left until you jump. You could also try, as Floppy said, counting the strides out loud, this really helps. Or grid work. If you set up two or three jumps in a row, with a fixed number of strides between each jump, then when you land from the first jump you can look at the second and think, right there's three strides (or whatever between here and there). Then you can count the strides and learn to judge the distances better.

Hope this helps!

Fiona.

[Lizabelle]

You could also ask your instructor to put poles down with one stride in between so you could actually see the strides. Or if you were having trouble because of the jumps, you could just put down two poles and practice between those. I find that helpful. It is also fun to see if you can change the number of strides between the poles. Hope I've helped.
Elizabeth

[horselover]

My lats instructor taught me a great exercise for learning to count strides. Ever since he did it with me, my eye has developed tremendously.

Set up two jumps that are the same height next to each other in a "V" shape. What you are going to do is a figure 8 over them. It is a figure 8 with the jumps at the cross in the center. Do the figure the same way you would on the flat except you hop over the fences at the "X".

Start off with a circle and then approach one of the jumps- it doesn't matter which one. When you think you are one stride out, say "One" out loud and then you should jump if you really were one out. Land and circle to the next jump. If you got one stride correct, this time pick when you are 2 strides out and say"Two" then "One" and jump. Circle and head to the next jump and count 3 strides out. If you get any wrong, you have to keep trying to get that number of strides until you do.

It is easy until you get up to 10 and 11 strides. I had to repeat those all once before I got it right. Then my instructor made me do a larger figure 8 and a smaller one, which messes up the strides you remembered from before and you have to find them again. :)

This worked great for me, and it also taught me to move my horse up to the jump or hold him back until we were at the distance I saw, not him. It was one of the most fun exercises I have done, and it taught me so much. I definately recommend it.