Input re: focusing beyond the jump

[Risuena]

My horse is happy and healthy, but I’m on stall rest, with too much time to think, so I’d love to hear some thoughts on this question/scenario:

I had always been taught, by multiple instructors/trainers, to focus on the top rail of the jump on the approach, and then as I got close, so shift my focus beyond the jump.

About a month before having surgery (and now being unable to ride for several months, hence the overthinking) I accidentally discovered that if I do not look at the jump AT ALL, I ride and my horse goes much, MUCH better. Bonus points if I mentally ride “through” the jump instead of “to” the jump. I suspect this prevents me from riding backwards to the jump, and keeps my attention on the canter, not the jump. The end result being me riding forward with a quality canter, and hence a better jump?

I guess I have two questions: Does anyone else ride this way? This goes against what I’ve been taught, what I understand to be the common wisdom, and most of what has come up when I try to google this topic. Even my trainer is of the “look at the jump until you’re near it, then shift focus” school, but they agree that this works well for me and were encouraging me to continue to look well beyond the jump throughout the approach. I’m guessing that there are limitations to this approach, but that it’s an improvement on what I was doing before? Any thoughts?

My second question is incorporating seeing a distance while riding this way. I’m now doing ~ 3’ courses and have the usual AA anxiety about distances (probably why not looking at the jump is such an improvement). My horse is athletic and honest, and has no issues jumping this height from any distance, short or long. I’m at the stage where I can usually see a distance, but too close to do much about it. While I understand that at this height all I need is a quality canter, eventually I really would like to be able to improve my eye (and I think it’s not negotiable if I want to move up in the future). So, once I’m back in the saddle, what would you all advise to improve my eye? Alternate this approach with traditional exercises (ground poles etc) specifically to improve my eye? Figure out a way to see a distance without looking at the jump? (Which occasionally I could do, somehow…I wouldn’t “see” it as much as “feel” it, if that makes any sense). Use this approach until I figure out how to consistently ride forward with a quality canter, then start looking at the jumps again?

Thanks for providing me with something to mull over while I develop a bad weaving and cribbing habit!

[Scribbler]

I was always told to look toward the jump on the turn them look up and away at the place where the indoor arena wall and roof connect as we approach. I assumed that was standard. Look up and ahead and count strides.

[AlexxSays]

My trainer always tells me to look at the jump through the turn, and plan where I am putting my horses feet, and then once out of the turn to pick something past the jump to focus on during the approch while keeping a steady canter, as long as I count the strides and keep the “good canter” we don’t miss the distance. I’m not the best at seeing the distance (I’m still learning) but as long as I’ve walked the course or been told how many strides we’re supposed to get out of each turn / line I am able to make it work for us.

[OnDeck]

I do a lot of catch riding. What works for one horse may not work for the other.

I was taught as a kid to look at the jump until it disappears from view. This is honestly really only useful on a very green horse who needs some hand holding to the base of the fence.

There’s the “don’t look at the fence at all” approach which is very useful on the hunter ring, especially if you like to do too much. There was a horse I rode quite some time ago where I HAD to use this technique because I just could not see a distance on him. So I just didn’t look for one and it worked beautifully. I’m trying to make myself use this more.

Then, there’s the method which is to look at the fence until you lock in the distance and then look up. This is what you need to do when riding a very technical course. For instance, if you’re jumping a line that is a very forward 5 strides to a tight one stride you can’t just look on the horizon and expect it to work out. You need to be looking at your combination to make sure you get down the five early, rock back, and leave the ground for the one stride a little deep. Here’s the trick though - you have to have enough self control to recognize that if you don’t see a distance, look up anyway and revert back to the above strategy :lol:

[MissCoco]

I am still a baby jumper, but I ride a horse who knows what’s up. I do what AlexxSays does - look at the jump through the turn/at the beginning of the line and then look past it.
I think this works better for me than looking at the fence till it disappears because, frankly, I have slow reflexes, and otherwise I’m not looking up soon enough.
I also find that counting out loud as I approach a fence is a much better way for me to “see” distances than trying to judge with my eyes. I still kind of know where the fence is even when I’m looking up, and I don’t get “locked” on it like I do when I’m trying to look at the fence.

[Janet]

I look AT the fence as I establish the line and straightness. Then I look beyond the fence as I maintain the “quality of the canter”.

[IPEsq]

I look at the top rail. I pick my track first, then look at the jump. If I’m feeling lost on the long run to a single, I look away slightly and focus on the feel of my canter, then look back at the top rail. When I’m in good practice (I’m not now), I can see a distance decently far back, so it works for me to look at the jump.

To practice your eye, you can do a lot with poles and small jumps or cavaletti. Set some up with a long approach, set some on a circle, set some on a bending line.

In the long approach, practice counting strides. I can only count up, not down, but I know as I’m counting I’m going to get there in 9, 10, 11 strides (that is how far back I start, sometimes in a small arena this means starting to count in the turn). I do this out of different types of canters. I think for training your eye this is better than counting 1-2-1-2. That gets you thinking about the canter rhythm. Counting up or down gets you thinking more about the distance IMO. Sounds like you have rhythm down.

Same for the bending line. Ride different tracks and different canters and play with the numbers. On the circle, the single jump is just practice to keep the canter on a shorter approach. The pole or jump is just a speed bump, but you can finesse. Then move up to 2 poles and get the same strides on each half of the circle. Then 4 and work the quadrants. It will get you thinking on your feet faster and being faster to see where you are.

[Room_for_a_Pony]

Don’t forget about using your peripheral vision. You can see an awful lot if you practice a soft eye and maintain your awareness both as you approach a jump/line and as you ride through it.

[ToTheNines]

If you think less in terms of “seeing a distance” and more in terms of “do I know what is going to happen?”, I think you’ll be a lot happier with your rides.

Keep a steady pace with as much impulsion as horsie needs, stay straight, look at the top rail but don’t stare it down, and learn when it is going to be a little big, just right, or too close. Make mistakes over little jumps – for example, if you were wrong and there needed to be another stride, it was going to be big but TOO big.

You don’t need to be very accurate at lower jumps, and at low heights, most horses have a pretty good zone where they can jump from.

[Gray_Horse_H_J]

Like others said, I look at the jump as I’m making my turn to it and then I shift my focus. I am in that same category as you, OP - the amateur rider with amateur anxiety. When I am “on” and riding confidentially, I find my distances much better because I allow the nice canter rhythm to happen. I find that, on these days, where I look and for how long doesn’t matter as much. Now if it’s an off day where I’ve got some nerves poking at me? I’m way more likely to nitpick the entire way to the jump. Days like this I have to remind myself to look way beyond the fence or I will stare that sucker down and nitpick all the way to the base. I only regularly school 2’6”-2’9” courses (because jumps look a lot bigger at 35 than they did at 16 lol) so I always remind myself that even if I screw up the distance, horse and I will most likely make it to the other side unscathed.

[Risuena]

Thanks everyone! It’s helpful to read through the replies, really good food for thought.

@OnDeck

I do a lot of catch riding. What works for one horse may not work for the other.

I was taught as a kid to look at the jump until it disappears from view. This is honestly really only useful on a very green horse who needs some hand holding to the base of the fence.

There’s the “don’t look at the fence at all” approach which is very useful on the hunter ring, especially if you like to do too much. There was a horse I rode quite some time ago where I HAD to use this technique because I just could not see a distance on him. So I just didn’t look for one and it worked beautifully. I’m trying to make myself use this more.

Then, there’s the method which is to look at the fence until you lock in the distance and then look up. This is what you need to do when riding a very technical course. For instance, if you’re jumping a line that is a very forward 5 strides to a tight one stride you can’t just look on the horizon and expect it to work out. You need to be looking at your combination to make sure you get down the five early, rock back, and leave the ground for the one stride a little deep. Here’s the trick though - you have to have enough self control to recognize that if you don’t see a distance, look up anyway and revert back to the above strategy :lol:

This is really great, especially the idea that it’s not necessarily either/or. And good point about not looking at the fence being useful if you like to do too much…I went through a phase where I really regressed, for a few reasons, but one of them being I was starting to see distances and trying to make adjustments too close to the jump. Everyone is happier when I let my horse just do his job! It was almost easier when I didn’t see anything…

[sandsarita]

I have been taught that if I am going into a line or combo to look at the second fence. That will bring me in and into the correct spot and help me get to the next fence. On the out or the single I am looking at the arena fence or something on the horizon if I am jumping outside of the arena and counting the rhythm and quality of canter. It works best for me when I have that second jump

[Jenerationx]

It’s kind of like driving. You’re not looking down as you’re pulling into parking spaces, or at the line you’re going to stop at when you come to a red light. You know the line is there, you saw it as you were approaching and you know how to gradually press the brakes so that’s where you stop. So, you look at the jump as you’re coming around the turn to make sure you end up straight, then, just like driving you’re looking ahead. You can see the jump, but as you get closer, you don’t need to be looking down at it… as you’re looking ahead it’s still there in your field of view until you get close though. As long as the horse is honest and willing and you have enough impulsion, they’ll figure out the rest.

[Libby2563]

This makes me feel better, as I think I do better not looking “past” the jump. I did a clinic with Jimmy Wofford and he has complicated rules about when to look at the front rail, back rail, or ground rail, depending on the type of jump. I couldn’t keep it all straight personally.

[greysfordays]

My favorite exercise to sharpen my eye is having two cavaletti spaced 5 or 6 strides apart and practicing getting the strides, adding and leaving one out. This helps practice several things at once, including counting, distance awareness, as well as becoming more aware what kind of stride I’m on. It’s also great for getting horses more adjustable and practicing planning ahead to be more smooth between the jumps.

[endlessclimb]

I tried this the other night.

It was critical that I had enough pace, even for the teeny weenie jump I was doing. Horse is honest, but will chip 99% of the time if left with a choice. It was either enough pace, or a significant amount of focus on peripheral vision so I could time my “don’t chip ya jerk” squeeze just right.

Overall, it was an eye opening exercise - that I can be a pickpickpicker on approach and cause many of my own problems.

[cabby773]

I always look right at the jump, usually until one stride out. I never understood how people look past the jump! You need to see exactly what you are jumping and where you are at every stride as you are approaching the jump.

As others have said, the best thing to do is to start with a rhythmical canter and a good pace. Feel the rhythm around the turn as you make the approach, even if it is a long run. You don’t need to look for a specific distance but you need to feel your canter to determine how elastic it is. The worse your canter is, the less ability you will have to modify the stride. I prefer to carry a good pace around the turn and then I can settle into a distance rather than being slow in the turn and maxing out the stride to move up. If you watch professionals riding, they always have a good rhythm, even if the pace is slow. Each stride is the same size as the previous one and the horse is carrying itself.

I start looking for a distance about 10 strides out and almost always find it at 7 strides out. In my head, I am repeating “3, 2, 3, 2” to myself until I “see” (it is actually a feeling and not seeing) the strides come up as “3, 2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 1” = 7 strides. I guess I consider it feeling your canter then feeling your distance. My sister, who has a great eye, always counts down from a top number, say “8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1”. But I personally find that harder.

Having the feeling of seeing the distance and/or seeing what you need to do to make the distance work takes many years of practice. Definitely use ground poles or very small jumps to play around with what works for you. Practice carrying a strong canter through the turn and then relaxing to the jump. This might help prevent the urge to move up. I was also taught to do a sharp turn on the landing if my eye was getting too big- you should automatically want to find a more conservative distance if you need to land and turn. Try approaching the jumps from a short turn too, which might prevent the anxiousness of needing to make a decision on a long run jump. I found that my eye improved after I did some bigger jumper classes because of the turns and the need to carry a forward pace.

[Risuena]

@cabby773

I always look right at the jump, usually until one stride out. I never understood how people look past the jump! You need to see exactly what you are jumping and where you are at every stride as you are approaching the jump.

This made me laugh because I agree 100%! Especially when the jumps get a little bigger - I’m definitely uncomfortable not looking at them. But somehow it works out better when I don’t…not saying it should but it prevents me from messing things up. It’s been useful for me to hear about people who have been taught differently!

I’m getting lots of good exercises and tips for when I get back in the saddle. I’m hoping to work on my eye (and my canter) as my horse and I get back in shape over poles and tiny jumps.

[Risuena]

@endlessclimb

I tried this the other night.

It was critical that I had enough pace, even for the teeny weenie jump I was doing. Horse is honest, but will chip 99% of the time if left with a choice. It was either enough pace, or a significant amount of focus on peripheral vision so I could time my “don’t chip ya jerk” squeeze just right.

Overall, it was an eye opening exercise - that I can be a pickpickpicker on approach and cause many of my own problems.

My horse will also tend to chip when given the option. Slightly off topic but interesting (I think) - About a year ago, my trainer had a really good insight. It seemed that sometimes, when I had been very sure I had a good distance, we’d either end up long-ish and a little weak, or we’d have a surprise chip. My trainer pointed out that when I saw a good spot and thought “ah, we’re all set here”, I’d relax and settle with a heavier, quiet seat – enough to inadvertently change the canter. I have to really focus on maintaining the same canter and keep my seat just right. As our dressage has gotten better I’ve been amazed at how sensitive to the seat my horse is (while at the same time being relatively dead to the leg, which is another thing we’re working on).