Since we live in such a sparsely populated
area, a lot of us train our show horses alone. Here are some of my tips
for making our show horse training safer. I start each training day
with a plan in mind. I’ll keep a written record of every horse I am
training, and I review my notes often as I plan out that horse's training
routine. I consider what the horse has been doing and what I have planned
for this horse's future. I always ask myself if I am putting too much
pressure on a horse and if so, what can I do to take the pressure off?
Some horses will train a lot slower than others. A smart horseman will
always consider the horse's personality and physical abilities as well
as age, experience, fitness, and other factors to customize the training
routine.
One of the first things to consider in
working safely alone with a hunter/jumper is the experience level of
the horse and rider. If you are a green horseman , you need to have
a well trained horse to ride and work with. A young or green horse should
only be handled by an experienced horseman. There are simply too many
dangers for the situation to be safe. As horseman, we need to assess
the safety net we install around us. I work alone quite often with horses
in a fairly isolated area. My safety net is adequate, as my husband
works next door and we carry cell phones. But I still tell someone when
I am going to ride or work horses here by myself -- and they will check
on me if I do not call back to let them know I am done. I never jump
alone and do not recommend it, as it is counter productive to proper
training ! The risk is not worth the supposed benefit. When you do not
have a ground person to set the jumps for you, it is too easy to ride
poorly and take shortcuts. This will result in horses that are not properly
prepared to jump softly and in rhythm. Jumping alone tends to create
horses that jump flat or rush their jumps. I have friends I can pay
a ‘babysitting fee’ to come and watch over me as I ride over fences
and set a few jumps. But when I do not have anyone to watch over me
as I jump, I lunge my horses over fences instead of my riding them over
fences. I have been very happy with the results. The horse learns to
jump with good form and with an idea of how to take care of me, as he
develops ‘an eye’ (depth perception) for the take off distance. I get
to see the horse and how he is jumping and this gives me food for thought
too. When I finally do get someone here to watch over me as I ride …and
set jumps for me , the horse's are well prepared to give me a nice ride!
I also have a better idea how this horse looks and how he likes to jump
naturally.
When I am going to do a ‘schooling session
over fences,' I will dress for riding with cell phone, gloves, and a
stick, and I’ll wear boots or chaps and an ASTM approved helmet with
a harness. I always have the cell phone nearby and 'cued up’ for an
emergency number! I will ride the horse as soon as I am finished lunging
over jumps. I will then lunge my horse with his tack --saddled and bridled
with martingale as well as leg and bell boots, for about 10 minutes
at the trot -- both directions --and then over some ground poles for
another 5 minutes. Then I will work him over some low 2’ jumps, just
at the trot most of the time. I have some nice short 3’ standards that
are perfect to lunge over--- as a lunge line can get caught on the side
of the jump standard. It is better to just lunge over ground rails or
a rail slanted against the side of the arena, until you learn to handle
your lunge line correctly. You do not want to get it tangled up or jerk
on your horses mouth when he is making his best jumping effort! If you
do not know how to accomplish lunging smoothly and effectively, you
need to have lunging lessons from a trainer to learn how to follow your
horse, as well as safety procedures. Then by lunging correctly, you
can exercise your horse, as well as teach him manners. This helps also
to train him to stay in rhythm, and to travel well balanced in a circle.
I plan ahead and have the ground poles
and jumps set up before I bring the horse out to the arena. I set several
areas to work in, so if the horse does knock something down, I can just
move to the next area without stopping. I find that four 12’ poles set
9 feet apart are the best. I ‘ fan ‘ the poles slightly so that the
horse can follow a curved track on the lunge line. This distance setting
will be a trial and error learning experience for you as the handler,
you’ll need to re-adjust the distances as you see what your individual
horse is comfortable with. I set the 4 ground poles on little blocks
to hold them 4” to 6” off the ground. In a 9 foot distance a horse will
walk 3 steps , and trot 2 steps… so the 9 foot distance works the best
for me. If they canter it will be a ‘no-stride’ called a bounce. However,
I do not recommend lounging a horse over little jumps in a canter much--as
they will jump too fast. One or two canter jumps for every two dozen
trot jumps is enough! I walk the horse on the lunge line for a few minutes
to cool down a bit after he has jumped about 5 minutes. It is good to
lunge the horse at a walk over ground rails to teach them to look at
the jumps and step over them calmly.
After I have established a nice relaxed
rhythm at the trot and the horse is warmed up and working well over
the poles, I will move to another area in the arena set with low jumps.
I am sure to have well defined ground lines for these jumps. A ground
line must be about 8” in front of the jump. Some times I will hang a
piece of astro- turf or carpet over some of the jumps for variety. I
will trot the horse over the jumps and then raise them slowly -- a few
inches at a time with walk breaks in between --- to about 3 feet. This
is usually enough, even for an experienced horse.
I pay strict attention to the horse's rhythm,
and his breathing. I will be sure not to overwork my horse or scare
him. I will give the horse lots of walk breaks as this keeps him warmed
up, but not too hot . I will not allow my horse to race around on the
line just to work off his energy! If he is wanting to run, I will keep
stopping him , and then calm him and then walk a bit, until he’ll stay
in the trot at my voice command .
Trotting fences on the lunge line for 10
to 20 minutes is a very calming exercise . The horse will learn to use
his body and mind quietly this way without getting fast and flat. A
horse will learn to behave on the lunge line you must be patient as
he learns control ! After I have had a nice lunge session over jumps,
I will then ride my horse on the flat.
I will use this time to school him a little
more, by doing lots of walking and bending and transitions—and practicing
rhythm and straightness over the imaginary lines of an imaginary course.
I always check all of my tack before I
ride. Be sure the saddle is straight on the horse and not slightly off
to one side and that it has not slipped back. Check that the pad is
straight and smooth. I always check that the girth is snug and that
the stitching on my stirrup leathers, reins, bridle and girth billets
is not frayed. I make sure my stirrup bars are in the ‘down’ position--
in case I get hung up - they will come loose. I use safety stirrups
when I ride alone as well. I check my stirrups for proper length before
I get on and I check that they are equal in length by looking at the
horse from the front as the stirrups hang down. Check the bridle, reins,
and bit, to be sure it is comfortable to the horse and that the stitching
looks strong. After I have checked all of my equipment I can ride for
another half an hour or so.
I some times will set an entire course
with ground rails and practice keeping the horse in a relaxed rhythmical
canter to the ‘jumps’ as well as practice simple changes in the corners
. I will walk and settle my horses quite often as I practice cantering
these mini-jumps as they usually want to go more forward than we would
like them to. We need to teach them to go easy and to listen to us.
I make sure to walk my horses for at least
20 minutes to cool them out. I try to ride outside of the arena, if
it is a safe place to ride. I always call my neighbor friends to let
them know when I trail ride, where I went, and when I will be back.
As I cool my horse out, I will make mental notes as to the health and
condition of this particular horse and review anything I feel I may
need to work on for the next ride. Then when I go into the house, I
will write down how this training day went and what I need to remember
for the next session.
I make sure to have the shoeing current
as well as shots, worming, and teeth floated. I check my horses legs,
feet and shoes everytime before I work him. I use 7% iodine in my horses
frogs once a week as this helps make a stronger, healthier hoof. If
my horses get too long in the toe , I will not jump them until they
are shod again as this can strain their tendons. I try to wait a few
days to jump a horse after they are re-shod as their feet can still
be tender and this can cause bruising, this can affect the way a horse
jumps, but will not appear as a lameness. I always put pads and wide
web eventer shoes on my horses front feet to jump in the summer and
I never jump a barefooted horse, as it just is too much concussion.
I hope these training tips are helpful
and will help get you safely to the horse shows, ready to ride and have
fun. See you there!
