“It’s important that a rider know their plan before they walk in the gate. The ingate is a good time to review the course plan, but when you walk in the ring you need to have a plan and you need to know what you’re hoping to accomplish. You need to know which lines are forward, which lines are waiting, and what the course is asking of the horse and rider. Watching a few horses before you get warmed up is an excellent way of determining how tight the time allowed is and what the lines are riding like.
I don’t like horses to stand at the gate, as this can cause behavioural problems and horses can get “gatey,” so when the rider before you enters the ring, I like to step up to the gate and know the plan. This is not a time to ask, “what line was forward again?”
The 45 seconds you have before you must pass through the timers allows you to get organized before you get to the first jump. Depending on what type of ring you’re competing in, that can be quite a bit of time. If, however, the first jump is way down at the far end of the ring, or you are in a ring at Spruce Meadows or the big grass grand prix ring at Thunderbird, you need to get down there, get to business and make some moves. Keep your eye on the clock!
Decide where specifically you’re going to salute, where you will have established your canter by, etc. If you have a lazy horse, you may need to pick up a gallop and wake it up a bit; if you have a hot horse, you may need to slowly trot in and keep it very relaxed with some petting. If the horse is strong, you may even want to canter and back up a few steps. It’s important to always know how you’re going to get to the first jump, which is something to discuss during the course walk.
People have different opinions about showing horses the water or any particularly scary jumps. Sometimes the element of surprise can work in your favour, but sometimes it’s best if they’re not worried. Sometimes a horse has a history with a certain type of jump that you may need to address. It’s all knowing your horse and knowing how to ride it to the best of its abilities – you have to take things on a case-by-case basis.
If it’s a jump-off, I always suggest that my students look at some turns in those 45 seconds to makes sure they’re comfortable (or even practise the turns). Everyone in their career has missed the timers on their way to the first jump, or gone before the buzzer. Just like going off-course, it will for sure happen to you – so make sure you know where the start and finish timers are!
In my 45 seconds, I always check that all the jumps are in the cups properly. I pay special attention to any particular fence that’s been coming down a lot. If I’ve discovered an issue, I will signal to the jump crew to check the fence. Or, if a jump has blown down, I will stop and signal to the jury and jumper judge if the buzzer has already gone. Remember that the clock starts regardless of whether or not you’ve made it through the timers. You want to use that time for good and not just for toodling around.”
