A simple warm up A full body workout
As the first scale of training is relaxation, at the start of your warm up you should take some time to let your horse relax. If it’s safe to do so, walk around on a long rein so that he can stretch his head and neck forwards and down. Use this time to check your position, too — sitting evenly in the saddle with equal weight in each stirrup and sitting up straight. Your flatwork should encourage your horse to work over his back to help his technique over a fence. Jay likes to use ground poles, put out at no set distance so your horse has to think about where he’s placing his feet. “It’s absolutely fine for your horse to slow down and drop his neck over the poles,” says Jay. “Spend a bit of time just walking over the poles in both directions to encourage your horse to look and think about where he’s putting his feet. If you think about the way he jumps, he needs to be able to drop his neck.” Moving up to trot, ride your horse from your leg into an even contact. Some horses, especially youngsters, tend to fall in around the turns. As you trot round you want to encourage your horse to stay away from your inside leg — ask for a step or two of leg-yield so he’s stepping away from your inside leg. “With young horses I find that you have to hold their hand a bit,” says Jay. “Your contact can offer your horse a little security and connection, but he shouldn’t rely or sit on that contact. Test this by giving and retaking your reins — your horse should stay in the same rhythm and shouldn’t fall flat on his face.” As you increase the pace to canter, you still need to ensure that your horse doesn’t fall in on the corners.
“When the canter feels balanced, I may ride it a little more forward, but only when the time is right — there’s no point in lengthening and shortening the stride when your horse can’t maintain a regular canter rhythm. Check that you’re not trying to pull your horse into a frame; you’re just offering him security in the contact,” says Jay.
Riding over canter poles on a circle is one of Jay’s favourite exercises — it’s an all-round gymnastic workout for you and your horse. Whatever level your partnership is at, you’ll both benefit from using this exercise. “Horses naturally have a weaker side,” explains Jay. “When you’re working on a straight line, no matter what you do with your horse, he’ll always push off the same leg. I want my horses to be as symmetrical as possible and by doing gymnastic exercises, like this one on a curve, you’re making your horse work both sides.”
This exercise has two parts to it and it works the horse quite hard, so build up gradually. Don’t move on to the second part until your horse is happy and confident going over the poles on the ground.
When you practise this exercise, focus on riding an accurate circle and maintaining the canter rhythm. Watch that you don’t over-ride — stay relaxed in your upper body and arms so that you can follow your horse’s movement. Keep your eyes looking forward and following the line of your circle. Don’t pull
Set out four poles, three yards apart middle to middle, on the curve of a 20m circle. Pick up canter on the circle and ride over the poles. Remember to look up where you’re going and concentrate on riding an accurate circle. It’s important that you don’t pull your horse around the circle with your inside rein. Channel your horse’s body by using your legs — this will help you to stay in the centre of each pole. Let your horse figure out what you’re asking him to do, but don’t expect him to get it right first time. Ride over the poles four or five times before changing the rein and riding through them again.
It’s important that your horse stays in an even canter rhythm and that you ride to the middle of each pole. Jay suggests riding through the poles in a light seat so that your horse can stay soft through his back. Up the challenge
To move this exercise on, you can raise alternate poles. Always have a take-off and landing pole to give your horse a bit of time to think and use himself. Keep the raised poles small and easy to encourage your horse to use his muscles evenly.
It’s important not to alter the way you ride this exercise now that the poles are raised; just keep the rhythm and don’t do too much with your position. Stay tall and in balance, focusing on riding a well-shaped circle. Remember not to overdo it. When your horse has managed this exercise well, call it a day and let him stretch and cool off.