Modern Eventing with Phillip Dutton by Phillip Dutton

Author:Phillip Dutton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
Published: 2013-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

9.3 A-D Jumping a grid is a simple way to build your horse’s skill and confidence over fences. (See Appendix D, p. 316, for more jumping exercises.)

4 Once the horse understands turning in the air, trot in to the jump, stay straight over it, then turn left on landing.

5 You can use an opening inside rein to first teach your horse. It is important that your outside rein becomes the “wall” to prevent the horse’s shoulder from falling out while you just bring the horse to the left with the inside rein.

6 On a green horse these aids will need to be quite exaggerated in order to get the horse to turn left and take the correct lead on landing. As his training becomes more finessed, that same aid, in a much subtler way, can encourage the horse to pick up the correct lead on landing without actually turning him. This means the horse needs to be attuned to the rider’s leg aids to pick up each lead correctly. Because you are keeping him straight, you cannot use the opening rein to help pick up the lead.

Flying Changes

Long a part of the hunter/jumper’s basic training, flying changes are now a very important part of the event horse’s training, especially for the upper levels where they have been introduced into the dressage tests at the Four-Star Level. For the horse to be completely educated, the flying change is very important and should be taught at an early age (for more on flying changes, see p. 108).

When breaking in horses and riding them for the first time I haven’t ever had a horse that, when first ridden, wouldn’t do a flying change. Somewhere in between the beginning and further along in his education, many horses get confused and struggle with the flying change. This usually arises out of a need for the horse to have enough power in the canter and not have to trot behind to switch leads. So, once you have some adjustability in the canter-being able to collect/shorten or lengthen the stride-you should introduce the flying change.

Having a pole on the ground is a helpful first step in teaching the horse to change leads. If you are not confident about teaching a change, have a more experienced rider or a professional introduce changes to your horse.

For a “show jumping” flying change:

1 Yield the horse toward the leading leg in preparation for the change.

2 As you’re yielding, you’re changing the bend in the horse so he will be bent toward the new leading leg.

3 As you yield across, ask with the new outside leg just behind the girth for the change of lead.

4 Keep thinking “forward” so the horse goes forward into the change.

5 The horse should learn to change leads without the rider turning or bending his neck. The change should come from behind, so when the horse is not changing you can use your crop behind the leg on the outside to encourage him to step through.

The flying

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