Languishing between the add and the step

[2bayboys]

I love everything about your suggestions except the part about staying home. I enjoy showing and he’s all I really have to compete at the moment, plus I do see value in having him experience the whole bit about trailering, hanging out, walking in the ring and just doing his job, etc. We don’t school at shows so he’s expected to just go in and jump around. The first time he ever cantered in a group was at a horse show because at home I ride alone. I also only show where the courses are good and footing is excellent, so small jumps aside, I think shows are good for his brain and education. I started him a bit late in his life comparatively speaking and he’s only been cantering whole courses for just a few months.

I especially like your suggestion of the landing pole on the backside and I’ll definitely add that to our schooling repertoire. Thanks!

[MHM]

@2bayboys

I especially like your suggestion of the landing pole on the backside and I’ll definitely add that to our schooling repertoire. Thanks!

This is an extremely useful tool to use, especially to finish warming up at the horse show. If you set the rail so it’s a little forward in three or four strides after the schooling jump in the warm up area, it gets the horse thinking about landing and going forward to the next jump when he goes in the show ring. And if it is not perfect on the first attempt or two, it’s not a big deal, since it’s just a rail on the ground.

I love the way he looks so relaxed and confident in the video. It’s obvious you’ve given him an excellent start.

[IPEsq]

I also am in favor of setting the lines a little short at home, by a couple feet, and practicing the step there with maybe your out jumps a little bigger at first, then both. I sometimes have only small rings to ride in, and I would rather set the lines short than have a crappy turn trying to teach a young horse balance with the pace I’d need in a bigger arena. Or gun it down the line when I am on a horse that I know will get there under a better environment.

I think in any event, if you set yourself up to be able to start to ride in, move up, then stay the same (rather than kick the whole way and launch), then you will be installing that response, the idea they need to land and keep going. Then once you have a jump size where the normal relaxed effort is bigger than what you’re doing now, you have all the pieces installed. You can still ask him to settle and do the add off property over the tiny jumps without changing your ride significantly.

[SuzieQNutter]

Thank you for taking me as I meant and not taking offence. As I said a lovely, calm ride.

Only in America is a saying we have here. I do not see why a division has been accepted for riding as different to the rest of the world AND called good and revered.

As you can see here others say a beginner division and then later you say riding for 50 years and teaching.

That is so sad for me to read I can not comprehend. Yes lower jumps for a beginner horse but even on a beginner horse a 50 year rider should not ride like a beginner rider.

I am sorry I can not help and I am leaving for work now for a few days. I have to go.

[enjoytheride]

The HORSE is in a beginner division. You don’t take a green horse out at grand prix for it’s first show just because the rider is old or experienced.

Here in America, where the OP is showing, we have several different styles of riding not done in the rest of the world. That doesn’t make them bad. It’s a little insulting.

[blondewithchrome]

Suzie you’d be hard pressed to find a “beginner” rider in the hunters with the soft and supportive style of the OP. In the hunters, beginner horses may not need the advanced-appearing ride. They are looking for confidence and a good experience. It might not make sense to you, but no need for the rude comment veiled as advice.

[2bayboys]

Hey Suzie. This horse is on track to be my fun 3’ hunter. As I have terrible arthritis in my hands, I deliberately ride on as little contact as possible to get the job done. I want him balanced, straight, and forward with me doing the minimum to produce an invisible ride. My ideal would be to have a loop in the reins as I canter softly around the ring over my little jumps.

Not your thing, I get it.

[gertie06]

Why people who don’t know the hunters, feel compelled to click into the h/j group and insult a good-riding pro, I will never understand.

OP, you ride lovely. Your horse is lovely. And I love that, after 50 years of riding, you’re still vulnerable enough to ask for input. I salute you!

[Pokerface]

Hi OP, I have a horse that is in a very similar place as yours, just learning to canter courses and lines. The difference is, my horse is HUGE and has a massive stride. I know he will walk the 3’6 lines eventually. But right now, doing the 2’ and 2’3, we typically do the ads to. I want him to jump in quietly, go straight, and jump out quietly, so we use whatever canter we can to get that done, which is usually the ad. I just don’t want to teach him to get strung out, ever, when it comes to jumping. I also still mostly do not have a lead change, so I want to land in a quiet canter where the simple is…simple. What I do practice is using just canter poles and trying to work on our canter that way. It’s honestly a bit harder, so when we do it with jumps, it should feel easy for him.

I have also been working on getting my horse stronger-hill work, cavaletti, and the such, which improves his canter. My horse basically would not canter on his left lead for months unless we used a small jump or cavaletti that he could land the lead from. Getting him stronger has been key. Then, one day, he literally just started picking up his left lead. That day he ONLY picked up his left lead, and since then, he gets it most days. Talk about learning patience and having to ignore the armchair quarterbacks who swore if “you just get him to move his hips in”… he wasn’t having it until he was ready. When the jumps are bigger and he is a bit stronger, your horse looks more than capable of making the step for the 3’.

I also agree with your philosophy about showing, i do the same. Get them out now while you don’t care about ribbons, let them get used to the atmosphere, and understand the job. My horse struggled with going in the ring and doing a course while his buddies were at at the gate at a show. We couldn’t quite duplicate that at home, but a few shows (and a set of spurs!) really helped that issue and now its really not an issue anymore.

Your horse is adorable and will make a lovely 3’ hunter.

[IPEsq]

@SuzieQNutter

Thank you for taking me as I meant and not taking offence. As I said a lovely, calm ride.

Only in America is a saying we have here. I do not see why a division has been accepted for riding as different to the rest of the world AND called good and revered.

As you can see here others say a beginner division and then later you say riding for 50 years and teaching.

That is so sad for me to read I can not comprehend. Yes lower jumps for a beginner horse but even on a beginner horse a 50 year rider should not ride like a beginner rider.

I am sorry I can not help and I am leaving for work now for a few days. I have to go.

You mentioned that all the horses were going the same, so I assumed you meant the flat class primarily. You’ve got experienced OP in there on a baby horse. As well as a girl in pig tails on a pony. and others in between. This is not the Regular Conformation class at Devon. OP’s horse looked the best from what I saw because she was riding him forward and out. A great hunter will be balanced and connected with very light contact. OP’s horse is not conformationally blessed to be as connected looking as others, especially at this stage in his education. And that does play into lack of lead change and doing the add step, but that is why the jumps in this division are itty bitty. You don’t go into an Intro class with a horse that already has collection for FEI.

The real art and skill to the hunters is for the rider to appear to be doing nothing while maintaining the same pace, rhythm, and setting the horse up to jump in great form with knees and withers up. Of course it does not mean the rider is actually doing nothing.

[OfCourseItsAnAlter]

@gertie06

Why people who don’t know the hunters, feel compelled to click into the h/j group and insult a good-riding pro, I will never understand.

It’s the same reason people who don’t know dressage click into the dressage forum and insult dressage riders and people who don’t ride western click into the western forum and insult western riders. I don’t understand it, either, but it’s all too common.

[atl_hunter]

@SuzieQNutter

Thank you for taking me as I meant and not taking offence. As I said a lovely, calm ride.

Only in America is a saying we have here. I do not see why a division has been accepted for riding as different to the rest of the world AND called good and revered.

As you can see here others say a beginner division and then later you say riding for 50 years and teaching.

That is so sad for me to read I can not comprehend. Yes lower jumps for a beginner horse but even on a beginner horse a 50 year rider should not ride like a beginner rider.

I am sorry I can not help and I am leaving for work now for a few days. I have to go.

Gotta love a good old fashioned COTH drive by shooting… It honestly doesn’t get much ruder than this.

[floppyammy]

@2bayboys I just wanted to add that you have been incredibly gracious on this thread. I wanted to say that I admire your tact and restraint with a particular poster. It has given me food for thought in how I handle similar interactions in my own life.

I have no other input to add, other than your horse is lovely. You two make a nice pair and I wish you many years of fun and success.

[endlessclimb]

@atl_hunter

Gotta love a good old fashioned COTH drive by shooting…

The way you worded this made me laugh out loud. OP, you look wonderful. If I can someday produce such a quiet round on my young one, I will be tickled pink.

[atl_hunter]

I agree completely. I do think there was some merit to what that particular poster was saying, but the delivery is so unkind that it makes it hard to stomach.

The one area where I would be curious with this particular horse is what would happen to the stride if the rider sat up more. I ask this as a person who actively participates in multiple disciplines (hunters, dressage, WD on the same horse) who is also riding a green horse who doesn’t always want to open his stride. When I want him long and low, I tilt my body forward slightly. All the educated hunter riders on this thread know WHY we do this. But when I need him to engage his hind end - to take that hunter gap - I have to have my body back more to support him. I can’t be leaning forward. He had a shorter stride, so I NEED that hunter gap so he can land further out to shorten the length between. It also tightens up his front end.

I also need to sit up for the change - he’s not automatic yet and this helps to engage the hind end. So, I do see what she was attempting to say, albeit EXTREMELY impolitely.

I agree the OP has a lovely horse, gave him a nice, soft ride, and that the step is truly almost there.

I heard the most interesting quote this week:

"Honesty without kindness is cruel. Kindness without honesty is manipulation." I truly think this nicely sums up some of the comments and feedback on this thread.

[floppyammy]

The thing that I find very hard to understand is wading into a discussion on a discipline with which I have no exposure or understanding, and dropping rude and denigrating commentary. I would never go into a form on Reining and add “U RiDe tHem On tHe fOrehanD tHis Is So sAD” …

But to each his own, I guess.

[Mander]

“Only in Australia” I guess…

[Brown_Derby]

@floppyammy

The thing that I find very hard to understand is wading into a discussion on a discipline with which I have no exposure or understanding, and dropping rude and denigrating commentary. I would never go into a form on Reining and add “U RiDe tHem On tHe fOrehanD tHis Is So sAD” …

I think we all needed that laugh! I do so hope the little rider and her “pony” get those much needed lessons

Suzie, I mean no harm but when I read your first post I viewed it as satire.

[blue_heron]

This whole thread is a laugh-- except for the original video, which was lovely. OP, I love that your pony is quiet and relaxed. I do think he will look better over bigger fences which will emphasize his handiness.

I would like to see the rider bring her shoulders back and keep her upper body a little “tighter.” The ride is effective but pony’s stride would be “maximized” and look a little more lively. I also think this would allow the rider to be even clearer with her weight/seat aids and make a already sharp pony sharper.

[Dr_Doolittle]

Folks: NOT a pony!!

My mare is also 15’2” - she is extremely long (neck and back!), so covers a good bit of ground despite her short legs. I have strengthened her core and HQ over the years by setting tight gymnastics, placing poles, grids, Cavaletti, hillwork, etc. - along with lots of transitions and lateral work - I also set the distances on the short side at home, and roll out ground lines as necessary. All of has developed power in her canter, so she is able to get down the lines pretty easily without getting quick or on the forehand, and without doing the add (though that was almost always the option I took when she was greener and less strong - the last thing I wanted was to encourage her to take the long spot - especially over smaller fences; always her preference because of her conformation!)

I event, but we also have related distances and combinations, though of course no SJ judge is counting strides down the lines

The OP has a good strategy with her horse (not! pony ), and seems to be on the right track with her training plan. Taking the time to build strength in the canter will result in a more ground covering step, at which point he will make the striding; meanwhile OP is doing everything appropriate for a green horse - who is lovely, BTW!

Helpful advice from many posters! Ignore the (um) “uninformed outlier”; if she knew better, she’d do better. Or one hopes…