Training

Jumping Lessons: Ways To Improve Straightness

Asymmetries in the horse’s conformation, one-sidedness and even rider imbalance can cause straightness issues; here are some helpful exercises.

A horse jumping a fence with guide poles.

If your horse has begun ‘shifting’ on approach, during takeoff, in the air, or upon landing, your first step should be to rule out a soundness issue.

By: Holly Grayton | February 3, 2025

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you're listening to an article from horse sport.com. jumping lessons: ways to improve straightness by: holly grayton. there are many ways to fix straightness problems, and horses can become crooked many places on course. we will focus on horses that shift left or right on the approach, in the air, and on departure away from the fence. ‘shifting’ can be caused by many factors, and i would suggest if you have something consistent happening to first consult with your veterinarian. it isn’t always a soundness concern, but it is always a good idea to give your horse the benefit of the doubt before we get too hard on them for a bad habit to be sure the habit isn’t due to pain or physical limitations. with that said, often these imbalances are caused by small asymmetries in the horse’s build or conformation, one-side preference (similar to us humans being left- or right-handed), and most often rider imbalances. so as much as we are going to show you some straightness correction techniques, it’s very important to have a person on the ground helping the rider with their own straightness. advertisement scroll to continue with content first things first: the horse should be comfortable with the size, number and complexity of jumps you are going to incorporate without any rails or help. once you have jumped them a couple times you can add some guide poles. some examples of guide poles you may find useful (see examples in video below):. guide rails on take-off, to encourage the horse to look for the middle of the jump as they set up to make the jumping effort. guide rails on landing, to encourage the horse to look for a specific landing line in the middle of the jump. guide rails mid-line, to assist in any straightness corrections needed while jumping a connected line. crossed rails in cups above an existing jump; sometimes adding a single angled pole (like half a cross) or two, like a full cross, above a normal vertical or oxer creates a visual aid for the horses to seek out the middle of the jump, as it is the lowest part. for an oxer i like to have the cross rails on the inside so they have a clear place to fall; on a vertical, place one in front and one in back and on the edge of the cup. they need to have a clear place to fall and not be wedged in, or have something blocking them like jump fill that would make it dangerous. opening rein and/or closed leg; this utilizes direct aids from rider to horse to make straightness corrections, which are often even better learned and understood when combined with any of the above guide pole options. depending on how consistent your ‘shift’ is will determine how many of your jumps and how often you might use these helpful tools. for example, if your horse shifts left only when coming off a right turn, you may not need to use it on your left turn approaches; or if your horse only shifts to the outside down the quarter line then you will use that on the outside both directions. when setting guide poles on the ground – especially on the landing side of jumps – we prefer to use foam rails or pool noodles for safety in case the horse accidentally lands on the pole. additionally when setting the crossed poles above the jump, we prefer to use a breakaway cup in case there is any confusion initially resulting in the horse touching the rail. &&>

There are many ways to fix straightness problems, and horses can become crooked many places on course. We will focus on horses that shift left or right on the approach, in the air, and on departure away from the fence.

‘Shifting’ can be caused by many factors, and I would suggest if you have something consistent happening to first consult with your veterinarian. It isn’t always a soundness concern, but it is always a good idea to give your horse the benefit of the doubt before we get too hard on them for a bad habit to be sure the habit isn’t due to pain or physical limitations.

With that said, often these imbalances are caused by small asymmetries in the horse’s build or conformation, one-side preference (similar to us humans being left- or right-handed), and most often rider imbalances. So as much as we are going to show you some straightness correction techniques, it’s very important to have a person on the ground helping the rider with their own straightness.

Scroll to continue with content

First things first: the horse should be comfortable with the size, number and complexity of jumps you are going to incorporate without any rails or help. Once you have jumped them a couple times you can add some guide poles.

Some examples of guide poles you may find useful (see examples in video below):

Guide rails on take-off, to encourage the horse to look for the middle of the jump as they set up to make the jumping effort
Guide rails on landing, to encourage the horse to look for a specific landing line in the middle of the jump
Guide rails mid-line, to assist in any straightness corrections needed while jumping a connected line
Crossed rails in cups above an existing jump; sometimes adding a single angled pole (like half a cross) or two, like a full cross, above a normal vertical or oxer creates a visual aid for the horses to seek out the middle of the jump, as it is the lowest part. For an oxer I like to have the cross rails on the inside so they have a clear place to fall; on a vertical, place one in front and one in back and on the edge of the cup. They need to have a clear place to fall and not be wedged in, or have something blocking them like jump fill that would make it dangerous.
Opening rein and/or closed leg; this utilizes direct aids from rider to horse to make straightness corrections, which are often even better learned and understood when combined with any of the above guide pole options.

Jumping Lessons: Straightness exercises with Holly Grayton

Depending on how consistent your ‘shift’ is will determine how many of your jumps and how often you might use these helpful tools. For example, if your horse shifts left only when coming off a right turn, you may not need to use it on your left turn approaches; or if your horse only shifts to the outside down the quarter line then you will use that on the outside both directions.

When setting guide poles on the ground – especially on the landing side of jumps – we prefer to use foam rails or pool noodles for safety in case the horse accidentally lands on the pole. Additionally when setting the crossed poles above the jump, we prefer to use a breakaway cup in case there is any confusion initially resulting in the horse touching the rail.