Could someone please explain what we learned from trotting, landing in canter, x amount of strides to next fence? He could easily canter in as many strides that were asked. What is the point of that exercise?
It was clinic so I didn’t ask. Just did it.
2’6” Hunter. Not equitation horse
In general, there’s one more stride if you trot, rather than canter, in.
As for the exercise, it’s more basic. When you trot a fence (properly), there’s no real distance, as the trot is a two-beat gait. When you canter in (three beat) there’s a distance, which can be short, long, or just right. If your (canter) distance in to a line is either short or long, you will need to adjust stride in the line (going forward or holding) to get the determined number of strides out.
It’s difficult to know, without more information, what skill(s) the clinician was trying to work on in your case. Sometimes it’s patience - it can much harder to actually trot the “in” of a line.
More context might be helpful. What was directly before and after that exercise? Did the trot in line progress to anything next? I often use this exercise to warm up, test adjustability, or for more nervous/anxious riders just to name a few examples. How did the clinician explain the purpose of the exercise?
Are you upset that this exercise was included? It’s very common.
Trotting a cross rail and landing cantering is a great way to see if your horse is in front of your leg. Too forward and you canter a step, too far behind your leg and you don’t land cantering. It’s also a good gauge of your body control and eye. If you lean or look down at all, it’ll show in your trot jump.
The line aspect of it is great for green horses and riders, which I suspect there were quite a few in a 2’6” section of a clinic. It allows you work on pace, straightness, and striding without the added complication of finding a distance to the first fence. This way everyone can learn the feeling of riding out of a line properly without the whole “well I jumped in long so now I have to wait” aspect.
For more experienced pairs, it’s a great reminder to keep impulsion and engagement. You typically do the adds in this exercise which is always a great strength building tool.
This is a good straightforward exercise to gauge the competence of riders in a setting where the trainer is unfamiliar with the skill level of the students. Did you demonstrate that you could approach the first fence with the appropriate trot, jump straight without being ahead or behind your horse, canter away in a good rhythm, and know where you are in the line to either move up, shorten, or stay the same in order to meet the second fence at the right distance? Then land in an organized fashion, recognize what lead you’re on, and do something about it? Did you fall in on the turn after the line? Did the horse stay balanced and rideable or did it get quick or playful in the corner?
So much can be determined about the weaknesses in a ride using this simple and safe exercise, then the clinician knows what each rider may need to work on in the lesson.
Thanks for all the good info! I knew there had to be a reason behind it.
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