Distances for teensy fences

[Cactuskate]

If you were doing course work for very beginner horses and riders and the maximum fence height was 2’, what length of stride would you set for?

What exact footage would set for a 5 stride for example? These would be small verticals maybe a couple of oxers on the out.

Let’s use average size horses with decent step, not necessarily ponies, but not the biggest movers in the world.

We are having a discussion locally as to whether or not you make concession on the 12’
stride for height of fences.

Would love to hear your points of view.

[baymare]

Of course you make a concession based on the size of the fence, unless you want your novice riders flying along jumping long and flat. How much you want to shorten it is up to what you want to accomplish, i.e. is this for a lesson or a show, do you have great inequity in size and experience doing the same course, is the line going toward or away from the outgate, etc.! For a what I call a “school horse distance”, I would probably take at least 6’ off a 72’ line. If you are a good course-walker and know your own three foot stride, a good way to plan a little course is to figure your strides based on safe take-off and landing spots rather than on a set distance. Good luck, and I would be interested to know how things work out.

[Lord_Helpus]

For a 4 stride line at 2’ I would walk off 60’ and then bring the jump in about 4’ (i.e. I would have a 4 stride line = about 56’.)

Same for in and outs. A low in and out should be 20 - 22’

At schooling shows where they start off the day with cross rail hunters and progress up to 3’ hunters, the lines should be adjusted during the day. Often they are not and it is the often the cross rail hunters who must go too fast or add a stride to make lines work out.

[CactusLil]

One theory I was taught for schooling over low fences is to use the 12’ stride but then only add the height of the fence for take off and the height of the fence for landing. For 5 strides @ 2 feet this would be (5*12) + 2 + 2 = 64. This seems to help keep beginners (horses and riders) from getting too strung out and discombobulated. Of course if you have a huge strided horse (such as my husband’s TB) you may have to lengthen it a bit or shorten it for ponies and short strided horses. Personally I don’t have a problem with the shorter strided horses adding a step but if you’re trying to teach a rider to “do it in 5” it can pay to shorten.

[Janet]

OK, then what distance would you set for poles on the ground?

I don’t think that the height of the fence makes much difference in the distanc until they get high enough to move the takeoff point back.

[Twister]

If the fences are below 2’6", I usually just add a stride. Since we are talking beginners, the pace is going to be slow and the line between the two jumps not exactly straight. I see no reason to send them busting down the lines when the jumps are little. Same thing with a young horse. Even at shows, I’d rather let the less experienced horse over small jumps add a stride.

[AHC]

Twister, I agree with you about adding a stride for the smaller jumps. The horses jump better over the small jumps, and it’s added security for the rider. We did this with my mare recently in a novice hunter (2’3") division at a show, and won two classes because our trip was the smoothest with the adds. Other than a couple of people on horses with huge strides, the riders who tried to ride off a 12’ step looked like they were barreling around and their horses jumped pretty flat.

[Spunky]

Twister, Mr. Spunky thinks like you. Occasionally he will be asked at one of our schooling shows to shorten the lines for the 2’3" fences. He shortens them about 6", enough so the watching trainers see that it’s being done. The funny thing is, the same trainers then complain at 2’9" that the distances are too short . . . .

[Cactuskate]

If you were doing course work for very beginner horses and riders and the maximum fence height was 2’, what length of stride would you set for?

What exact footage would set for a 5 stride for example? These would be small verticals maybe a couple of oxers on the out.

Let’s use average size horses with decent step, not necessarily ponies, but not the biggest movers in the world.

We are having a discussion locally as to whether or not you make concession on the 12’
stride for height of fences.

Would love to hear your points of view.