News - Classic Showjumps in Absolute Horse Magazine (August 2008)

Practice Makes Perfect

It is obvious that you need to set up a course before you start riding. Taking the time to prepare properly means that you can make the most out of your schooling session. If you are on your own then it is easy to set the jumps to suit, however, if you’re sharing the course with a friend don’t forget to take into account their experience and the horse’s size and experience: a course suitable for a 16.2hh Thoroughbred will not be right for a 14hh cob!

If you are creating a course for a variety of horses then make sure you mix the sizes of the jumps. It is always a good idea to set a few low cross poles up as they are excellent warm up fences and help to build the horse’s confidence. Other jumps may increase in size, or you may decide to start small and set the jumps higher midway through the session.

Related distances could cause difficulty if different horses are jumping them. Di Towers from Classic Showjumps has some tips to avoid tripping up at doubles: “When setting up a double for more than one horse, make sure it suits the larger striding horse. Approximate distances will need to be adjusted on riding the fence and depends on the height and the spread, but a one-stride double should be approximately 8m apart and a two-stride double approximately 11m apart. If you are unsure of the distances then set the jumps small and approach in trot to allow the horse to work out its striding.”

It is important to remember that effective and fun showjumping schooling does not have to mean big jumps; small but interesting jumps using a variety of poles, planks, walls, combinations and trays are great fun and useful too!

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