Turns and squares
Emily Moffit starts with a square exercise. Twice two verticals at one stride are arranged in a square. “You can do this exercise on the left or the right, or on both sides of course. I mainly do it to make my horses turn better and easier, especially clockwise. I have dislocated my shoulder three times, which makes it more difficult for me to turn right. With this exercise I can pay a little extra attention to it. If all goes well, I do the exercise on the left, of course, to reward my horses. In addition, it is really an exercise that you can use for any horse: turning and looseness are very important in the course! Do you want to make the exercise even more difficult? Then you count the strides in the bend and try to keep them equal. For example, from one vertical to the other vertical there is 8 strides in the bend and then you try to keep it 8 in the next bend. But I say in advance: even Ben Maher does not always succeed. (winks). In terms of height, I recommend to keep it simple: a height of 1 meter is more than enough. It’s more about rideability than jumping itself! ”
Balance in the course
Ben Maher also shared a course to improve the rideability of your horse in the course. “To be honest, I don’t do a lot of pole work with my horses. I am more into pure dressage, although poles are certainly useful. Still, I like to keep my horses fresh and attentive to the jump, so I focus more on dressage. I really want them to be fresh when they jump, so they are as excited about it as I am! ”
About the exercise: “Thanks to these 8 jumps and the trot poles you can really train a very varied course. In itself you can also jump this course at any height, but I would recommend starting at one meter and possibly building higher if you feel it is going well. The trotting poles are bent so you can not only practice your pace and balance, but also the bend of your horse. For example, you can start clockwise over the oxer, loop back to the vertical counterclockwise, turn in the double against the hand, … The trotting poles are ideal if you have a horse that gets a little anxious and stressed. Then you jump a fence or 4 or 5 and then you bring them back to the, to relax a bit and then continue jumping. ”
Both riders clearly work on the maneuverability and balance of their horse. “That’s right,” said Emily. “We are fortunate to be able to work with talented horses and you don’t have to learn them how to jump.” “But these exercises are also very important for less talented horses,” Ben explains. “If your dressage work is good and you are able to approach well to the jump, then the jumping itself becomes easier and easier. If you can bring your horse exactly where you want it to take off, in the right canter, then you have the best chance of balance and support and a higher chance of clearing your jump faultlessly! “
