Seeing distances

[173north]

[QUOTE=doublesstable;8835292]
I watch riders that nail every distance and try to figure out how the heck do they do that… then I see them get a bit deep or a bit long but they don’t make any big movements or say out loud (like I do - ugh) "Ah I don’t see it!!!"They just make it work. [/QUOTE]

My trainer recently said something along these lines to me and it sort of blew my mind. The riders that LOOK like they’re nailing every single distance usually aren’t - but staying strong through your core and quiet with your body can do a lot to smooth over something a little short or a little long, and they know that. It’s when the rider overreacts that things get messy!

[haybernie]

Equestriancoach.com has some great topics on exercises to improve your eye.
type in eye exercises in the search box

[BLBSTBLS]

Maybe it was on a different thread… But someone mentioned using " row, row, your boat" … I have a hard time with seeing my distances and the more I try to think about it the worse it gets. I can feel my horses rhythm I just start second guessing myself, and thinking too much.
So at my last show about a week ago I quietly said to myself " Row, row, your boat, row row your boat" etc. Nailed every distance, except one long one that “I saw” at least I thought I saw it… It helped me to settle my thoughts and just ride. We ended up 2nd and third out of 9

[kashmere]

BLBSTBLS ^^ I don’t think I was the one who mentioned it, but one of my very best instructors as a kid/early teen had us sing around our courses. My lesson group was at the stage of progress where we were getting into slightly more technical courses - related distances, tricky lines etc. and we were all in our heads about striding.

She got annoyed with us being so uptight and made us all sing, out loud, around every course. “row row row your boat” was popular, as were Christmas songs and “twinkle twinkle little star.” I still do this ALL the time (thought mostly in my head now :lol:)

[greysfordays]

[QUOTE=findeight;8835513]

Honestly, stop looking for spots, just ride that canter and stay straight, everybodys happy. Of course, something I never quite mastered…

I did finally get that not being straight created a lot more bad spots then mismanaging the canter ever did, even with the great canter, distances go poof and aren’t there when you get to the fence crooked or drifty. Think it was LordHelpus that had a tag line “I finally found the perfect spot but somebody moved the fence”.[/QUOTE]

I agree, I think straightness is SO important, oftentimes more so than the canter. If you’re at 75% quality canter, you’re right in there, but if you’re 75% crooked, not only do you probably not have a great canter, but your distance has probably moved quite a bit. The trick I think, is to get the straightness without an excess of pulling. That’s just been my experience.

[Belmont]

My trainer has been having me try to sharpen my eye, so she has me looking from 6 strides out. I can usually tell at about 3 or 4 strides that we are going to make it or die trying.

I’m currently schooling 2’9 - 2’9.

Also, I just don’t see spots well. I have been really focusing on rhythm, looking past the jump and not over thinking my spot.

[EmilyM]

I usually see mine 5-7 strides away; however, sometimes I see NOTHING and freak out!
i absolutely CANNOT count down to the obstacle and as OP said, if I force a number like that i end up trying to make it work even if it’s wrong, and it’s a mess. I do best when I count 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. One trainer wanted me to count out loud when i saw it as in 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 and i absolutely could not make my brain do that. i did 1-2-3-4-1-2-3. The stress of not counting in fours messes me up!

[SugarCubes]

[QUOTE=ParadoxFarm;8836404]
Am I the only one who cannot “see” squat? I know I’m short or long two strides out. That’s about it. Now, I don’t think I ride crappy all the time. I just can’t see it, but I maintain as best I can. If I stress about it too much, I will mess it up. I just have to ride my ride and let it happen. If I count one, two, one, two, it makes no difference. If I’m off, I just end up counting one, two, one TWWWOOOO…to make it. So I really just try to ride well and let it happen. I can’t “see” the number of strides. I’m jumping dyslexic I guess. I just know when I have a good canter and I’m straight, etc. Numbers stress me out.

ETA I ride 2’6" to 3’.[/QUOTE]

I’m kind of the same way in that I don’t let myself even think about it or it’ll mess me up. Instead, I count my rhythm and make sure we are as straight as possible. I usually can tell about 4 strides out if I need to hold or add leg, but other than that I try not to even see a distance and instead focus on the canter.

For a while my trainer wanted me to count down when I was 5 strides out and all it did was make me panic. Maintaining the right canter and keeping my horse straight seems to work much, much better for me. I compete at 2’6"-2’9", so thankfully I have some room for error :lol:!

[findeight]

Singing really works to hold the cadence of a good pace. Staying straight is on you.p, no crutches availabke other then looking straight where you are going.

But for those who want to branch out from Row Your Boat and Twinkle Little Star? There are a number of military and drill team chants to count cadence that work, like “everywhere we go…people want to know…who we are so we tell them”… and others of that ilk.

Number of older Folk and recent Rock pieces work well. Pick a fav. Might not write the winning soundtrack but it will relax you and communicate that to your horse so you can sink in and be on the same tempo.

My favorite? “There she was walking down the street singing Do Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Dum”…that one made me smile too. Good Vibrations was a close second and a few Beatles selections.

Pick something you like that relaxes you, makes you smile and will make you forget to PICK, PICK PICK. Just sing, stay straight and ride the dam horse.

After all, you are jumping pretty close to your hip measurement in most cases. Try to relax and get into it and forget the OMG a jump mentality.

[inca]

Ha, ha - when I get REALLY nervous, I “sing” the Run DMC song “Mary, Mary, why you buggin’?” Haven’t had to do that in quite some time since my current horse is a saint!

I do just count my rhythm. 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 I am getting better about actually seeing my spot but counting keeps me from second guessing or panicking. I show 2’6"-2’9" and my horse will jump from anywhere and do his best to make it look good. I’m trying to improve my eye and accuracy because I do want to move up to 3’ next year.

[Lord_Helpus]

There is another, very recent thread on this topic. I am sure the responses there will also be valuable.

[cswoodlandfairy]

I do the same thing. I actually only see/feel it about 3 strides out and my trainer always knows because I actually relax (wrong I know and working on) but if I see nothing I leg up for the launcher (also bad) or jump ahead in a chip (not much better)…ahh panicking…

But I’ve been working really hard to not even count strides anymore but count rhythm. I work really hard in my turns and then once I am coming out of it look up and over the fence and count his rhythm. It has helped me not to anticipate and create panic moments but to also be back for the chips. I’m not perfect and still jump ahead but it has gotten better.

I’ve got a somewhat green jumper who loves big jumps (scopey enough for them and he knows it) so I actually have to try super hard to add the stride, even if ugly, to get him to understand he can’t keep doing those launchers…

[findeight]

Ahhhh, slow the tempo of your song and add the stride that way, not in front of the fence…,don’t be afraid to add some all the way around, adds are your friend when you are trying to lose the moon shot spots, just don’t restrict them to in front of the fence or inside the lines.All the way around.

[equest]

[QUOTE=173north;8835280]
On an amazing day, I can see it from five strides out. On a terrible day, I can’t see anything.

I focus mostly on getting the right canter - if I have a nice round, forward canter with my horse sitting on his bum, the distances just appear. If I have a flat, strung-out canter, I can’t see a thing. If I focus on the distance rather than the canter, I nitpick and it’s chips ahoy.

The countdown technique doesn’t work for me because I obsess over whether I’m right or not. Especially on a long approach, I’ll count “one, two, one, two” to keep my rhythm and it all works itself out![/QUOTE]

This: "I focus mostly on getting the right canter - if I have a nice round, forward canter with my horse sitting on his bum, the distances just appear. "