Classic Eventing Nation

A Battle of the Nations: One Pair Held at CHIO Aachen First Horse Inspection

By on Jun 29, 2023 1:38 pm -

2021 Aachen champions Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There are certain competitions that we find ourselves counting down to each year, and CHIO Aachen — northern Germany’s ‘World Equestrian Festival’ — is absolutely one of them. This brilliant, buzzy celebration of horse sport – and the people who love to watch it – feels a bit like Disneyland for the horse-obsessed, and we really can’t get enough of it, nor of the serious battle of the titans it puts on for us eventing folk.

So what’s the big deal with Aachen, anyway? Simply put, it’s the closest approximation to a major championship that we get in this sport, without actually being a major championship. There’s tonnes of atmosphere, a huge amount of buzz, and a Nations Cup-style team competition (though it’s not, crucially, a part of the FEI Nations Cup series, so any successes earned here won’t count towards the efforts being made by unqualified countries to earn a spot at Paris next year). Plus, now that the World Equestrian Games of old no longer exists, it’s also the only show in which the very best of all the FEI disciplines is showcased in one venue, which lends it a uniquely special feeling, if you’re into the idea of, say, grabbing a coffee next to Steve Guerdat or following Jessica von Bredow-Werndl into a spinny door, which we very much are. More pertinently, though, all these factors combine to create a great, pressurised litmus test for horses and riders who may go on to fight for medals at the real deal championships, and so each invited country’s selectors tend to put forward their creme-de-la-creme, and we get the chance to see, for example, the likes of fischerChipmunk go head to head with Banzai du Loir. It’s a seriously cool teaser – and performance indicator – ahead of this summer’s European Championships, and it’s also a great way to see which horses are being developed on the Paris pipeline with a year to go.

World Champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This week’s ground jury is made up of Judy Hancock of Great Britain, President Christian Steiner of Austria, and Edith Schless-Störtenbecker of Germany, who’ll pick up a gamut of vital roles: most immediately, they’ll be our judges for tomorrow’s dressage, which begins at the bright and early hour of 8.30 a.m. local time (that’s 7.30 a.m. BST or – prepare yourself, folks – 2.30 a.m. EST time). Then, it’s on to showjumping in the capacious, floodlight main arena with its 40,000 seats for the showjumping tomorrow evening, starting at 17.45 local time (16.45 BST/11.45 a.m. EST) – and that’ll set us up nicely for Saturday morning’s cross-country from 10.00 (9.00 a.m. BST/4.00 a.m. EST), which that busy ground jury will have signed off and approved earlier in the week, and in which we’ll crown our Aachen SAP Cup Champions of 2023.

But all of that is still yet to come: today, our ground jury had another, very important matter at hand — that of the first horse inspection, in which 44 horses were presented for ten assembled nations, plus a further six for Saturday night’s Jump & Drive relay competition, which pits teams of eventers, show jumpers, and carriage drivers against one another under the lights of the main arena.

Arthur Marx and Church’Ile. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though all the presented horses were accepted into the competition — eventually — there were two tense moments: firstly when Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier was asked to immediately re-present Ducati d’Arville, and secondly, when France’s Arthur Marx was asked the same while trotting up his Church’Ile. Though the former was then accepted into the competition, the latter was sent to the holding box; after a closer inspection by the resident vet, and a further re-presentation, he was then given the go-ahead.

The day will begin with a batch of twelve individual riders, before moving onto the eight teams. The first rider in the ring will be young German rising star Libussa Lübbeke, who rides Caramia 34, while US individuals Dan Krietl and Carmango will be seventh to go at 9.12 (8.12 a.m. BST/3.12 a.m. EST).

Ireland is first in that team draw, and their pathfinder will be a seriously reliable combo in Cathal Daniels and Rioghan Rua, who come down the centreline at 10.09 a.m. (9.09 a.m. BST/4.09 a.m. EST). They’ll be followed by a seriously competitive German team, and then by the on-form young Swiss team, before it’s the turn of the USA and their own pathfinders, Phillip Dutton and Z, who start at 10.30 (9.30 a.m. BST/4.30 a.m. EST). Our last pair in the ring will be Kiwi anchors Tim Price and Falco, who start at 14.19 (13.19 p.m. BST/8.19 a.m. EST). The US is seriously well-represented this week: as well as individual Dan and pathfinder Phillip, we’ve also got Liz Halliday-Sharp and Ocala Horse Properties and Debbie Palmer’s Miks Master C, who were third at Kentucky this spring; Tamie Smith and the Ahearn family’s Mai Baum, who were victorious there, and 2021 Aachen champions Will Coleman and Off The Record. Plus, there’s a more-than-honorary American on the Aussie squad: Cali girl Rebecca Braitling steps up for the team with Caravaggio. You can meet all the teams and their riders in our comprehensive form guide, and check out the full times for tomorrow here.

We’ll be bringing you full reports and galleries at the culmination of both phases tomorrow – plus lots of behind-the-scenes action and glimpses at the other world-class sport on show at this extraordinary show throughout the days to come, so keep it locked on EN to scratch all your Aachen itches. Plus, you can tune in to ClipMyHorse.TV to follow all the action – in eventing and elsewhere! – live. Go Eventing!

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Form Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

The Buzz and the Bright Lights: CHIO Aachen Hits Social Media

By on Jun 29, 2023 10:47 am -

When it comes to a show of the size and scale of Germany’s CHIO Aachen – the World Equestrian Festival – it’s hard to know which way to look, which arena to prioritise, or which world-famous pair to follow en route to glory. That’s where social media becomes something of a godsend; while we can’t all be everywhere at once, witnessing all the incredible sporting moments as they happen, the collective horsey family is definitely not going to miss a moment, and we can all relive them together. With that in mind, here are some of the highlights from across the ‘Gram, starting with some clips from the Opening Ceremony, which took place on Tuesday night and celebrated the equestrian culture of Great Britain – this year’s chosen country – including show ponies, racing Shetlands, and the contributions of dynamos such as Princess Anne:

 

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A post shared by CHIO Aachen (@chio_aachen)

 

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A post shared by Andrew Hoy (@hoyeventing)

Competition is in full swing already, with last night’s Turkish Airlines Prize of Europe CSIO5* going the way of Brazilian Yuri Manseur in an enormously emotional coup:

 

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A post shared by CHIO Aachen (@chio_aachen)

Here are some of the other stars of horse sport, who’ve been living the dream here this week:

 

One of the nicest moments for a horse and rider who’ve travelled from far afield to compete here? The reunion, of course. Here’s some of our favourites:

 

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A post shared by Phillip Dutton (@duttoneventing)

 

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A post shared by Phillip Dutton (@duttoneventing)

Schooling is in full swing here as our athletes get ready for one of the year’s biggest competitions. Here’s how it’s going…

 

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A post shared by Andrew Hoy (@hoyeventing)

 

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A post shared by Kevin & Emma McNab (@mcnabeventing)

 

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A post shared by HEIA (@heia.ch)

And finally, we’ll leave you with this – a seriously cool throwback from one Jonelle Price:

 

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A post shared by Jonelle Price (@jonelle_price)

Go Eventing, and Go Aachen!

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

US Equestrian: Continued Focus on Air Quality Concerns

By on Jun 29, 2023 9:00 am -

Embed from Getty Images

US Equestrian released the following update regarding air quality issues stemming from Canadian wildfires:

A few weeks ago, we put an alert out regarding the Air Quality Index (AQI) and concerns stemming from the Canadian wildfires on our east coast.  As we look at the weather this week across the northern and midwestern portions of America, we want to once again remind everyone to be aware of the AQI in your area.

Previous Alert:

USEF believes the decision by organizers to operate, suspend, or cancel competitions due to compromised air quality is best made by each individual organizer, because venue conditions can vary and can change rapidly depending upon weather, geography, and other factors. In order to make the most informed decision, competition organizers must consult with state and local health authorities and government agencies and should frequently review the Environmental Protection Agency guidelines involving air quality at AirNow.gov to determine whether or not to operate their events. Additionally, to best protect the health and safety of both equine and human competitors, the USEF strongly recommends that, in situations where the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaches 151 or above, an organizer consider suspending or cancelling competition. In cases of cancellation, organizers must inform competitors about refund or credit policies.

Similarly, members must conduct their own risk assessment regarding air quality based on the situation in their area and determine whether to compete. Certainly, anyone with underlying medical conditions should individually consider not competing in situations where the AQI is in the orange zone of 101 to 150. Many resources exist to monitor the air quality including AirNow.gov, a website formed in a collaborative effort by several national agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Weather Service, the CDC, and many others. AirNow.gov reports air quality using the official, color-coded U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI).

Thursday News & Notes

By on Jun 29, 2023 6:28 am -

 

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CHIO Aachen has officially begun – and every year, one of the things that I really enjoy about it is that it picks a country as its focal point, which sets the theme for the Opening Ceremony, the branding around the site, and a number of performances through the week. This year, the country of choice is Great Britain, and so we saw a very English display, including racing Shetlands, show ponies, double decker buses, and more in the opening ceremony. It’s all a bit of beautiful chaos, and a fitting opener for all the world class sport to come. We’ll be taking you on a walking tour of the show over on our Instagram, and bringing you lots of content from the eventing competition and beyond right here on EN – so stay tuned!

US Weekend Preview:

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. (Paso Robles, CA): Website, Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scoring

Inavale Farm H.T. (Philomath, OR): Website, Entry Status/Ride Times/Live Scoring

Summer Coconico H.T. I (Flagstaff, AZ): Website, Entry Status/Ride Times, Live Scoring

Chattahoochee Hills + Area III Championships (Fairburn, GA): Website

News & Notes from Around the World:

I cannot tell you how much I adore the equestrian wonderland that is CHIO Aachen. Particularly now that the old WEG format has gone by the wayside, it’s the only place in equestrian sport where you can see the very best of each discipline, all in one place – and the whole thing is designed to celebrate not just the athletes and horses, but the loyal fans, too. It truly is our Mecca, and this piece from Aachen first-timer Lisa Slade of COTH sums up some of that magic beautifully.

Is AI on course to take all our jobs? Maybe – but probably not. In this op-ed from Captain Mark Phillips, he explains why the human touch is necessary for picking championship teams – and why the task of selection will, or at least should, never come down to simply pulling numbers from a database, particularly in a season such as 2023, which has seen extreme weather conditions and some external factors skew those numbers in a way that the human skill of context would be able to parse sensibly. Read it here.

Being a mother is no walk in the park. Now, new research suggests that that’s the same for horses, too, who have to deal with peaks in their stress levels while carrying, birthing, and raising their young. Check it out. 

 

Wednesday Videos from Kentucky Performance Products: Two Trips Around Aachen with Ingrid Klimke

By on Jun 28, 2023 5:51 pm -

Aachen week carries a lot of excitement, which means I’ve been fooling around on YouTube for most of my work days looking back at different views of this incredible venue. I chose two helmet cams of Ingrid Klimke’s to share today, not just because they’re cool views, but because I always love and learn a lot from Ingrid’s commentary.

While neither trip shown (2018 – SAP Hale Bob OLD, 2022 – Equistro’s Siena Just Do It) was a clear round, Ingrid walks us through her thought process and reactions even when things don’t go perfectly. As much as we all love the triumphant videos, I find these to be even more educational.

You can catch up with all of our Aachen coverage from this year here.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

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Who Jumped It Best: Luhmühlen’s Longines Water

By on Jun 28, 2023 4:48 pm -

Who Jumped It Best?
The week or so after an event is always full of a special kind of chaos — the chaos that is unloading memory cards, which will have been filled to bursting throughout the competition but only skimmed each day for whichever shots are needed to illustrate that day’s reports. Those thousands of other photos, though, always deserve their chance to shine, too, and so I try to find a rare few hours of quiet time to sift through them all — especially because this year, I have an apprentice of sorts in my officially-non-horsey-but-already-addicted boyfriend, Alex, who’s decided to borrow one of my spare cameras and teach himself the fine art of lying on the ground to catch great angles of cross-country jumps. Repeat after me: one of us, one of us…

And so this is a special edition of WJIB, because it’s Alex’s first — and although I’d love to trick him into believing that part of the EN hazing rite of passage is having to wear a giant Chinch suit on showjumping day, in truth, it’s actually this: managing to nail the shot at a fence enough times that we can all sink our teeth into the greatest game of them all. I think we might keep this one around.

Anyway, on to the jump at hand. This one was part of Luhmühlen’s tough, tightly-timed CCI4*-S, which incorporated the German National Championships, and it was very near the end of the course at the final water complex, the Longines Waßer at 18ABC. The first element of the complex was a roll top with a downhill landing, which they jumped as they crossed from the bright light of an open field to the dappled shadow of the tree-covered complex; then, on landing, they cantered down into the water and over an offset boat. Finally, they cantered back out of the water and over another offset boat — and it’s this one that we’re judging today. Who do you think kept their balance and focus best at the tail end of this question — and who set their horse up best to then steam up the course’s most significant hill en route to the final fences? Take a look, and then scroll down to vote for your pick!

Wouter de Cleene and Quintera. Photo by Alex Jeffery.

Anna Lena Schaaf and Fairytale 39. Photo by Alex Jeffery.

Felix Etzel and TSF Polartanz. Photo by Alex Jeffery.

Cathal Daniels and CDS Cairnview Romolu. Photo by Alex Jeffery.

Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Alex Jeffery.

Imre Tóth and Zypresse 8. Photo by Alex Jeffery.

Anna Siemer and Lillybelle EA. Photo by Alex Jeffery.

 

New Zealand’s Prospective Olympians Get Coaching Boost on Road to Paris 2024

By on Jun 28, 2023 2:39 pm -

Team New Zealand chef d’equipe Sam Griffiths at last year’s Pratoni test event. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

New Zealand’s four-strong equestrian team has continued its strong build up to Paris 2024 with their recent first placing overall at the 2023 Mill Street International Horse Trial in Ireland.

Leading the coaching support for the equestrian team is UK-based Sam Griffiths, who is himself getting support through HPSNZ’s Coach Accelerator Te Tūāpapa programme.

As part of Te Tūāpapa’s bespoke pinnacle event campaign support, programme lead Christian Penny has been working with Sam and has headed to the UK to assist him with campaign planning ahead of the all-important five-star horse trial in Aachen, Germany, a critical event on the road to Paris.

In December 2022 the New Zealand equestrian team undertook a Te Tūāpapa residential programme using tikanga marae process as a guide and work template for the group to help them gain clarity and commitment on a shared approach to Paris, says Christian.

“Sam was part of the equestrian team that undertook the residential and is one of the leaders who ‘glue’ them together. Eventing is essentially an individual challenge so keeping a sense of shared momentum, especially heading to Paris, is part of the plan to break through a glass ceiling in that event.”

Following the team’s time in New Zealand, Christian set up a fortnightly, online coaching session with Sam which has focussed on his current questions around bringing his best to coaching the New Zealand team.

“A key question I ask high performance coaches like Sam is ‘what do you need to be your best for the athlete or team in a pinnacle event like Paris?’ As part of the remote coaching sessions, we’ve covered a wide range of topics that are important in Sam’s role including contracting, use of powerful language, adapting to different athlete learning styles, laying down a challenge, and preparation and reflection on sessions and competition,” says Christian.

Sam is enthusiastic about the opportunity to work face to face with Christian.  “If we want an athlete to put in a world class performance then their support needs to be world class,” says Sam. “Christian is helping me raise my game to try and give that level of support in a multi-dimensional way.”

Equally Christian says seeing the coach and athletes in action helps further build the right support.

“It is a real privilege and opportunity for me to spend valuable time with Sam as he further builds on his coaching toolkit to enable the equestrian team to compete at their very best in Paris.”

Here’s a more in-depth look at how the program works:

 

 

Wednesday News & Notes from Ocala Horse Properties

By on Jun 28, 2023 12:01 am -

Aachen is on!

The vaulters have had their turn, the show jumpers are underway, and the drivers, dressage riders and eventers are waiting in the wings.

Well, the eventing wait is almost over as it all trots off tomorrow (Thursday) with the first horse inspection at 5pm German time – that’s 11am EST / 4pm BST.

Flying the flag for the US in the 4*-S are Will Coleman and Off the Record, Phillip Dutton and Z, Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C, and Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Dan Kreitl and Carmango go as the US individual combination.

For team GB we have Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir, Tom McEwan and JL Dublin, Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley, and Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI. Riding as an individual for Great Britain is Hector Payne with Dynasty.

The center line sees the action start on Friday at 8:30am / 2:30am EST / 7:30am BST, when the teams will be aiming for the lowest possible score to start off their Aachen campaigns. How low can they go? With such quality across the field, it’ll be an exciting start, that’s for sure.

After a morning of dressage, the competitors will be back in the ring on Friday evening for the show jumping phase, which starts at 5:45pm / 11:45am EST / 4:45pm BST. There may well be a shake up of the standings as the combinations strive to leave the colored poles in their cups. Who will keep their cool? It’ll be all to play for at this point.

And Saturday is – as it mostly always is – cross country day, with the first horse leaving the start box at 10am / 4am EST / 9am BST. Coming as the third phase in this 4*-S competition, we’re guaranteed a thrilling morning of cross country action as the teams battle it out to take home the spoils – which they’ll do at the prize giving which starts at 3pm / 9am EST / 2pm BST

If you need just a bit more Aachen eventing after all that, you’re in luck as you can catch the Combined Eventing Jumping and Driving competition on Saturday evening from 9:30pm / 3:30pm EST / 8:30pm BST. Keep your eyes peeled for some familiar eventing faces and tails.

EN has Tilly’s boots on the Aachen ground, where she’ll bring us ALL the news from the event. Keep up with the EN coverage and follow @goeventing for all the ins and outs of the show.

Over the course of the week, Aachen will host over 300 participants from 32 countries and 1,000 horses. In case you’re wondering what kind of resources are needed to keep all those people and equines content – it includes 18,000 kg of hay and 34kg of ketchup.

Go eventing!

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

U.S. Weekend Preview

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Fairburn, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Inavale Farm HT (Philomath, OR) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Summer Coconino H.T. I (Anthem, AZ) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]

Wednesday News and Reading

Attention all college students! Do you love social media? Athletux is on the hunt for a social media intern! This is an incredible opportunity to work remotely for one of the longest running, most established marketing firms in the equine industry! Gain valuable hands-on experience, boast your resume, and even obtain school credit where applicable! Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume to [email protected] along with a sample social media reel!

It’s horseshoes for the stars on this Walk of Fame. Take a trip along Aachen’s Walk of Fame where tributes to some of the world’s most famous horses are embedded in front of the CHIO Aachen offices – “Thus it is clear to every Aachen visitor that the red carpet will be rolled out for horses first”. From dressage stars Valegro and Bella Rose, to show jumping’s Big Star and eventing master Hale Bob OLD, this sure is a who’s who of the horse world. [Star Studded]

How do you stop distractions from keeping you from your goals? Try turning your phone off. As a vintage Nokia kind of girl, I very much don’t get notifications on my phone. I also only answer calls or messages when I want to – just because a phone’s ringing, it doesn’t mean you have to answer it. Here’s why this busy amateur rider keeps her barn time phone free. [Call Waiting]

A comprehensive guide to the fascinating world of breeding horses. Whether you’re broody for a baby horse but not sure you’ve got the know-how for homebreds, or an experienced foal momma who’s thirsty to delve deeper, Jeanette Gower’s guide is for you. Written with the benefit of more than 50 years’ experience in the horse breeding industry, there’s everything you need to know and then some. ‘The Thinking Horse Breeder – A comprehensive guide to successful horse breeding’ is available from June 30th. [What to Expect When You’re Expecting]

A jockey shares his story of the accident that changed his life, and the twist of fate he’s come to see it as. It was ‘another day at the office’ for Jacob Pritchard Webb. He’d been stuck in traffic on the way to work, but made it just in time – something he sees as lucky one day, unlucky the next. When he was legged up onto his ride before the race, he had no idea that his day would end in a French hospital. Or that he would be at the beginning of a long and painful journey. This candid piece explains. [The Life I Now Have]

Do you have an eventing #CobsCan in your barn? Super cob Star X’s display at the Badminton Grassroots Championships has inspired British Eventing to put out a call for eventing cob owners to share photos of their own super cobs doing their thing. [Hairies Go Eventing]

In other news… Glastonbury festival happened over here in the UK last weekend, incidentally coinciding with National Camping Month. Scrolling through the media from the event, I came across this guy’s answer to a stiff back in the morning. So if you see a large IKEA box balanced precariously over a wheelbarrow being ferried across the carpark towards the campsite at Badminton next year, you know what I’m up to. [Bed Head]

Sponsor Corner

Photo courtesy of Ocala Horse Properties.

Brick. Circles. 1960’s.

That summarizes everything you need to know about this listing on Ocala Horse Properties. Join me on a ‘60s-themed field trip to the world of Dream Horse Farm.

Click here to find out more.

Video Break

Here’s a taste of some of the vaulting action that’s been happening in Aachen where Team Germany 1 were victorious in the grand final.

Tuesday Video: The Views from Valinor Farm

By on Jun 27, 2023 4:00 pm -

While my own horse is rehabbing, I was sad to miss one of my personal favorite events this past weekend: Valinor Farm Horse Trials. Located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Valinor Farm is an asset to the Area 1 eventing community. The venue is owned and maintained by the Risso family, headed up by family matriarch Robyn Risso who oversees the farm’s operations and serves as event secretary. Daughter Erin Risso, who herself events through the CCI4*-S level, serves as show jumping course designer and can often be found keeping a watchful eye over the cross country course on show day.

The Risso family has made numerous updates to the farm since they began hosting USEA recognized horse trials in 2005 and continues to make improvements each year. Just within the relatively short time since I first competed there I’ve seen the cross country course become expanded, a Modified track be added, frangible tables brought in, and a new dressage ring added — I’m sure I’m missing a few things as well!

Not only have the Rissos gone above and beyond to make every competitor’s experience an enjoyable one, but the farm boats an incredible natural asset as well: it’s rolling terrain (surprisingly hill for just an hour south of Boston!) and fantastic footing.Those hills offer a thrilling ride for competitors and excellent viewing for spectators. Enjoy the views from Valinor Farm and take a peek at some of the action from this past weekend’s event with this collection of clips.

Valinor Farm: [Results] [Official Photographer]

Ariel Grald’s Gymnastic for Small Spaces and Limited Jumps: An Excerpt from ‘Grid Pro Quo’

By on Jun 27, 2023 1:30 pm -

In this excerpt from Margaret Rizzo McKelvy’s popular book Grid Pro Quo: 52 Powerful Jumping Exercises from the World’s Top Riders, we hear from 5* eventer Ariel Grald about the gymnastic exercise she likes to use to improve rider responsibility in the saddle.

Diagram courtesy of Onawa Rock/Horse and Rider Books.

This is a great exercise for riders who have limited jumps to work with, and perhaps limited space. The setup is easy, and the distances are versatile for horses of varying abilities.

MATERIALS NEEDED

  • 4 jump poles
  • 4 set of jump standards
  • Flower boxes or other filler (optional)
  • Extra ground poles for warm-up

SETUP

  • You can place this exercise most anywhere in your arena, as long as you can approach it from both directions.
  • Place a few ground poles randomly around your arena for warm-up.

WHY

Throughout my everyday training, I try to keep a big focus on rider responsibility versus horse responsibility. To keep it very simple, the preparation for any jumping exercise—namely creating a good, balanced canter to jump from—is completely the rider’s responsibility. Once you get on your line for the exercise, it’s the rider’s job to stay balanced in the middle and out of the horse’s way, as the responsibility is transferred to the horse.

The purpose of this exercise is to combine footwork with coursework. The 21-foot, one-stride distance is your footwork piece, and the 45-foot, three-stride distance is your coursework piece. The challenge is maintaining three strides of even length to your last vertical, and for the horse to remain careful for the last vertical.

Regardless of the level you’re competing, your horse is more likely to get flat and unbalanced the longer you have between fences. This is why practicing how to develop and maintain that perfect show jumping canter is so important. Three strides is the perfect distance to set yourself up for success.

HOW

Before you even jump the first jump, be sure your horse is sufficiently warmed up through his body. Try to start with a walk hack whenever possible, then ask him to lengthen and come back within each gait, along with some low-stress lateral work. While your expectations of the horse will change depending on his level of training, he needs to listen to all of your aids, regardless of whether you’re flatting or jumping.

Once you’re confident your horse is properly warmed up on the flat, start trotting and cantering over the ground poles that you have scattered around the arena. This is the time for you to help create the shape and balance to the canter that is appropriate for jumping. Remember, at all times, the horse needs to be responsible for his own feet.

From here, simply start with the whole line of jumps (Jumps A, B, and C) set quite low for your level of jumping. This setup is not intimidating, so for a horse that knows how to jump, it shouldn’t be too difficult to start with all the jumps in place. Of course, if you have a green horse, you can start with the poles on the ground and build it up jump by jump.

As you work through this line of three jumps, you want to keep a few things in mind before you raise the jumps. The biggest thing is to analyze your three-stride combination between Jumps B and C and make sure your horse is taking three even strides. If your horse is landing and rushing a little bit, add a landing pole after Jump B, and, perhaps, add another one in front of Jump C.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, when you have a horse that is a little lazy and behind your leg, add in a canter circle before Jump A. Practice going forward and collecting back on this circle, making sure you can go beyond your perfect canter and come back to a canter that’s a little smaller than perfect, and finally settle in the middle on that perfect canter before heading to Jump A.

Another thing to consider is whether your horse is truly straight through the entire exercise, which includes the few strides before and after the entry and exit. If you have a horse or rider really struggling with straightness, add guide poles on the ground next to the jumps to help them out.

It’s important to keep riding after Jump C, so give yourself something to ride toward. You can get creative with this, and it can be anything from a set of cones to ride through to a cavalletti set on a bending line. Remember your transition back down to the walk between jumping rounds is also part of your exercise. Make every transition count, rather than celebrating after the last vertical and letting your horse fall on his forehand or get crooked.

As you work through the exercise, there are two ways of making it more challenging. You can build up the jumps gradually until they are at your competition height. Or, you can make the jumps more visually interesting by adding or changing the fillers throughout your jump school. And for more advanced horses, use the distance to challenge them a bit by shortening the distances a little to teach them to compress and move their feet faster. In addition, as a way to help work on finding that perfect distance while on course, you can add a ground pole two strides away from Jump A to help practice finding that distance. Just remember that the more poles you put on the ground, the more your horse has to think. I tend to either add poles or raise the jumps, but rarely both at the same time.

I often find that working through this exercise is enough for one jump school. But as your horse becomes more familiar with it, you can always use this as a warm-up as preparation for coursework.

This excerpt from Grid Pro Quo by Margaret Rizzo McKelvy is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com).