Jumping exercises to do with my horse?

Question

Hi,

I want to do some fun jumping activities this summer with my horse while I am at the cottage. At the same time I want to keep up with training so when i return to the city in September I can continue work with my coach. Any exercises with poles, caveletties or fences would be AWESOME!!!!

Answer 1

Gymnastics, gymnastics, gymnastics!  There is no better exercise for horse and rider to improve their jumping ability.  This exercise teaches rhythm, timing, and proper approach, take off, flight and landing.  You will have to speak to your riding instructor to find the proper distances for placement for your horse there are set distances that you can find online for trotting poles and caveletti as well as bounce, single and two stride jumps but these are recommendations and must be modified for each specific horses stride.  My favorite combination is 6 trotting poles (2 ground poles, 2 low height caveletti and 2 medium height cavaletti)  one stride to a medium crossrail then two strides to a small oxer and a bounce to a small upright.  The next exercise I recommend...transitional work, walk to halt to walk, walk to trot to walk, trot to canter to trot, walk to canter to walk, halt to reverse to halt to walk, etc, transitions will sharpen your horses response to your aids and will encourage you to ride through your seat, not your hands.  Next exercise, circles, figure eights, and serpentines to encourage bending and suppling of the spine and will assist you and your horse to take a proper line from fence to fence.  Ask your riding instructor as well for any ideas he or she might have and good luck!

Answer 2

Ask your trainer

You did not tell us what level your in !!

But I would say if your on holiday,, do trail and jump low logs

do some fun,SAFE things that you know how to do

do you have pole to play with ?

if so set them 6 feet apart and trot

then adjust them to your horses strides

I loved doing a figure 8 and jump them both ways with OUT GROUND poles only low ones in both directions

Other then that ask your trainer

I can not tell you much as I have never seen you ride ,,!!

have fun

Think of something you and your horse would enjoy and have fun doing ,,, with out a teacher ..

have fun in the country ???