Winter is rapidly approaching, our show season is winding down, and the young horses are ready to further their education. This is the time of year to focus on jumping basics! This series is going to deal with gymnastics that are suitable for every jumping horse, green or educated; Hunter, Jumper, Equitation, or Eventer. For our horses, the goal is to strengthen their hind ends, create faster, tighter front ends, improve the set up and landing strides, encourage orthodox bascules, and promote better balance and self carriage. For our riders, the focus is on a stronger base of support, upper body control, and improved balance that allows one to truly stay with the motion. Our program is detail oriented, as we believe that it is paying attention to the details that makes for strong basics, and winning performances.

Step one is to assess your equipment. Your horse should be dressed in the simplest tack. Now is the time to put away those war bridles! We prefer to school our horses at home in some sort of snaffle. Most go in loose rings, some go in happy mouths, D bits, or full cheeks with plain mouthpieces. A lot of the exercises we do engage the horse in such a way that the exercise does much of the work for the rider, so we find we are able to use extremely mild bits, and create softer horses. It is a good idea to use a loose standing martingale (especially for green horses or riders), as the neck strap can be used as security for a green rider, or as an emergency support in a sticky situation on a green horse. It is best to leave the draw reins off on gymnastic days! We like our horses outfitted in bell boots for turn out and work to minimize the risk of loosing a shoe, and possibly damaging the hoof. Other boots or polos are used in accordance with each horse as an individual. Riders should be dressed in either boots and britches, or chaps/ half chaps and paddock boots, and should always wear gloves, and a secure hard hat! It is a good idea to carry a short stick on every horse, but spurs are a very individual choice based on the horse’s way of going.

Although we like to incorporate small cavaletti, series of poles, and single poles on the ground in our everyday flatwork, it is particularly important on the days that we are planning on schooling over jumps. Before you get your horse ready, you will want to set a variety of exercises using poles in your ring. The following list is a basic example…

1. Two poles set on the long side of the ring, slightly off the rail, with a distance of 64 feet between them (like you would set a line of jumps).

2. A series of trot poles set 3 feet six inches to 4 feet apart. This is a comfortable trot step for most horses…test out your horse’s step and makes appropriate adjustments. You want the distance to be a comfortable step at the working trot, where the horse is lifting his shoulder slightly, rather than reaching for the next pole. Green horses may only be able to handle two in a row, where upper level horses may be able to handle up to 6 poles consecutively. You should be able to approach the exercise off both a left, and a right turn.

3. Two poles set across the short end of the arena 10 feet apart.

4. Three or four single poles set randomly about the arena.

In addition to the above, you will also want to have your gymnastic set up, and additional materials close to it so that it may be built up. It is necessary to have a ground person on the days that you jump. This person does not need to be knowledgeable (although it really helps), but you should never jump a horse alone for safety reasons, and a person on the ground to set/re-set jumps is a must for training efficiency.

Now you are ready to start your warm up. We start our warm up before we get on. It is important to be limber as stiff riders make for stiff horses! Move around, stretch out your arms and legs, and warm your own body up first. Ideally the horse has already been turned out and has had a chance to stretch and work some kinks out of his body. As our horses are groomed, we incorporate some carrot stretches, getting them to bend their necks to the left and right, and stretch their noses down, rounding their toplines. We also run our fingernail gently between their front legs from front to back (just about 6 to 8 inches where the girth would sit) to bring their backs up. Once the saddle is in place, we stretch each front leg gently, first bringing the knee up, then the forearm out, and extending the toe forward from there.

Whether you mount your horse from a mounting block, or are lucky enough to have someone give you a leg up, be sure to hold yourself in a two point off his back, and let him walk a few steps before softly placing yourself in the saddle! We allow our horses to walk a fair amount (5 to 10 minutes) before we engage in any other work. When walking, do it with a purpose. A long rein with very little contact is a good way to start off. This is an appropriate time to go over a position checklist. Are you sitting in the middle? Is your leg wrapped around your horse with contact throughout your lower leg, knee, and thigh? Focus that your hips are loose, and following your horse’s motion. You want the feeling that he is swinging through his back, and his hind legs are reaching equally underneath your seat. If your horse is lethargic, think of pushing his hind steps further underneath you by using your seat in a back to front “sliding” motion on your saddle, while squeezing simultaneously with your legs. Do some lengthening and shortening of stride, and some bending tracks on circles or serpentines.

Start your trot work by establishing a loose, forward rhythm at the posting trot. Squeeze your legs every time you are in the “sit” part of your post. This will help your horse to use his back muscles and hind legs as a unit. We do a lot of patting as we warm up at the trot. Put both reins in one hand, and reach down and pat his shoulder in time with his trot step. Do the same on the other shoulder, and behind the saddle on both sides, just about upper thigh level. Generally we will work with this exercise in a large figure eight type pattern, using the whole ring so we get some changes of direction in. Use your patting to correct or prevent issues such as cutting corner, or falling in with the shoulder. For example, if we know a horse tends to cut corners when tracking left, we will use vigorous pats on the left shoulder as we go through the left turn. Once you feel a good rhythm has been established, find some long tracks in the arena where you can get in your two point. In your two point, you want to feel that you are centered over your saddle, with your hip over your heel, and equal weight distributed in your stirrup irons. Remember that your leg is meant to support you, so keep your calves, knees, and thighs tight! When you are secure and centered, put both reins in one hand, and slowly slide your other hand up your horse’s crest of his neck until it rests right behind the crownpiece of your bridle. Gently push your thumb and forefinger on either side of the crest, making sure that your leg is secure, and your hip has remained back over your heel. Some horses will lower their head, while others may shake it. Most horses that shake their head do so because they are holding a lot of tension, or may have their axis out of alignment. Sometimes they will exhale forcefully after. This is a good sign! Give them a pat, and repeat the exercise. You may be surprised by how much softer, and more relaxed they become after. Generally we follow this by staying up in our two point and cantering a lap each way. After this, it is time for a walk break.

Once your horse has caught his breath, engage in more specific flatwork. From the walk, encourage him into a loose frame by using your legs and seat to push him into light contact with his mouth. From here, transition to a working trot, and start adding a little bend by increasing your inside leg pressure and slightly squeezing your inside rein (in an opening rein aid) as you hold your outside aids steady. Get him to give a little both ways, in a true bend, and in a counter bend. Now you can start trotting over individual random poles. Be specific about the track you want, and once you have turned onto it and are lined up with the pole, use a half halt with a slight lift (leg first!) to shift your horse’s balance further onto his hind end, and increase his impulsion. After he steps over the pole, repeat this move so he again thinks about where his balance should be. Be sure you keep your leg on over the pole so that your horse’s hind steps stay active and his is able to push his body over the pole as opposed to pulling his body over on his forehand. These are the moves that we will be amplifying with our gymnastic work. Incorporate backing into your flatwork to remind your horse to be light to your hand, and to stretch his hindquarters out. It is important that he backs slowly and in a straight line, with his eye level and whither up. This is the same move a horse uses to set his balance to his hind end before making a jumping effort. Be aware of your position for all transitions. Riders should sink deep into the saddle, and use a half halt (with leg) to adjust the horse’s balance prior to making a transition. Shoulders should be open, and positioned behind the elbow. If you are unable to create the correct contact with your horse’s mouth in this position, then your reins are too long! Use imaginative tracks over the single poles so that you approach them off long tracks, short turns, and curved tracks. When ready, incorporate the series of trot poles. These will encourage even tempo, and continuous correction of balance as your horse repositions himself for each pole. Vary your pace and length of stride in your trot patterns so your horse is discouraged from “hanging” on your hand. Start to work some canter in over some single poles. Now it is time for your 64-foot line of poles. This should be a comfortable 5-stride distance at a working canter. After you can negotiate it smoothly, see if you can shorten the canter and fit six strides in. Advanced horses may even do seven strides. Make sure you practice off both leads. Don’t forget your 10-foot exercise on the short side of the arena. This will ride as a canter “bounce” step for the average horse at the working canter, and will prepare him for the placement poles we are going to use in conjunction with our gymnastics.

This warm up should not take more than 20 to 25 minutes. If it does, you need to spend more time working on these exercises before addressing gymnastic work. Be imaginative and build upon the work over poles. Try a longer or shorter distance in your line of poles, or use a 17-foot one stride instead of the canter bounce. Advanced horses can use low raised cavaletti in place of some poles, add to the number of canter bounces in a row, or set trot poles on a curve. Happy flatting…stay tuned for Part Two, which will deal with basic gymnastics.

Buddy and Vanessa Brown currently live in Bend, Oregon where they own and operate Derby Hill, a successfull sales operation that deals in quality Show Jumpers and Hunters. They also train privately for the Boyd family’s Kilkenny Crest, a showing and breeding operation of over 50 horses. Buddy has a staggering list of accomplishments including winning the Medal Finals, serving as a USET member on many occasions including Olympic Games, and Pan Am Games, and winning prestigious events such as the American Invitational, and the American Jumping Derby. He is also a renowned course designer and clinician. Vanessa had a very successful Junior carreer, and has gone on to become an extremely well respected professional. She has piloted many horses to zone and National honors in the hunter ranks, and has been a key player in the development, training and success of such famous Hunters as Enchanted, AHSA Horse of the Year Green Conformation; Flipside, AHSA Horse Of the Year Amateur Owner 18-35; and Visionary, AHSA Horse of the Year Green Conformation.