I just can never see a stride...

[nicolcaplin]

Until I'm either over the fence already or... under it!

I've got this immense obsession with jumping fences short, it comes from a bad fall I had where my mare pepsi (who was stolen sob) decided to just leap over a fence long, and of course I'm so far left behind that as her back rolls I'm just catapaulted 1000000 feet into the air. So now I try my upmost to keep the horse together until it can just pop over the poles (and I mean pop over them, I jump to about 2ft in my sheer terror!)

I trust joe enough but it's just my fear that holds me back from doing anything bigger, at any speed faster than a slow canter. I simply cannot see a stride and it's just a horrific problem for me.

Woe!

[Becca]

Try setting up canter poles either on their own or before a jump, this way you can get used to the size of his stride and the distance he covers leading up to a jump. I was always taught to count the last three stide out load in my jumping lessons so the instructor could see/hear that we understood. see if someone can stand in with you and maybe get them to stand in with you and count the last three stride the first couple of times while you get used to the distance then you do it while they watch and make sure you are counting correctly. As for gettin under the jump try use a placing pole and count your strides up to that to ensure you don't get to close.
hope thats helps a little and remember not to worry, everyone has a fight with their nerves at some point

[raymond]

canter poles before the fence really helped me. When I first started jumping again I used to trot round a course so when it came to jumping in canter I could not see a stride at all. Now in my lessons I have canter poles, even if I am doing a course I will still use them. I am the other way though and like to be a way off a fence. My boy used to be quite backward so now I get a bit carried away with him being forwards and we tend to jump a long way off. The poles help put us right.

[abi]

canter poles: ditto.

try counting aloud 3, 2, 1 each stride before you jump, it'll take lots of practice til you can judge when he will take off. xx

[brigadier]

Hi there
Im one of these lucky people who can see a stride, sometimes from quite a distance so have never been taught- however Ive met and taught plenty of people who cant and most of them have found this advice useful.

You need to work on the groundwork of your horse making sure his/her canter is really bouncy and light and slow, so youve got a really good rhythm going. If your horse is on the forehand and dragging you into a jump you will never learn to see the stride as his unbalance will mean he will take off haphazardly.

On the approach to the jump in canter make sure you are really straight and have plenty of room, then simply sit and wait for the jump to come to you, (sounds daft but this has the effect of collecting the horse further so that you can see the optimum take off point and the horse can see it and work to that too. If it feels wrong it will be, so just half halt until it feels right then go and jump.
Seeing a stride is more about preparation and balance to take you to the best take off point rather than actually seeing the distance because anything can happen to alter that.

You can work with poles which will teach you distance and is great for related distances and course reading but this will not really help you learn it for different horses so the problem will keep cropping up.

By the way -it is more difficult for women as a whole as our brains work differently to men but it is not impossible. soemthing about maths and space and art etc but dont ask for details...
hope that helps
Brig

[fimacg]

One thing that really helped me find the stride, and you have to really trust your your do do this, was to close my eyes on the way into the fence, I had to this with spreads.

I found them really scary, tensed up and Figaro being so honest didn't know what I wanted him to do and would constantly get it wrong and put an extra stride in. As soon as I closed my eyes and felt the jump we cleared it every time, perfectly.

I did have to set him up and get the angle and bouncy canter, but then I closed my eyes a few strides out and put my trust in my horse and because I couldn't see it didn't tense at the wrong moment so we grew wings and flew. It's an amazing feeling, try it and see.

[racaille]

It sounds as if you lot in the UK do things differently as we don't bother with working out strides. We're always told that our job is to put the horse at the jump correctly and it's the horse's job to jump.
In your case it may be better for your nerves (and boy, yes, we all get 'em!) if you jump from trot for a while. Your job is to achieve a good active trot and come at the jump straight and in the middle. You should be in jumping position and ready to give with your hands over the jump (while still maintaining a contact) but forget all this exaggerated folding stuff.
A 'barre d'appel' - a pole before the jump - may help your horse sort out his take-off, but it really is his job to do it, not yours. If you are jumping in 'slow canter' it might be that he is doing some queer-looking hops, which will be uncomfortable for you, as he is not active and engaged behind enough unless by slow canter you mean a lovely active, bouncy one, which would be perfect!
We sometimes do work on shortening and lengthening strides between fences and if this helps you here's a tip for counting: as the horse lands you count zero, then 1, 2, 3 etc as this avoids the common mistake of counting the landing as stride one.
But the more I think about it the more I'm puzzled as to why you would want to 'see' a stride - what difference would it make to you? Provided you have put your horse correctly at a fence and he understands what is expected of him then your job is simply to stay still, slightly out of the saddle (but not a million miles out either) and not hamper him in any way. 'Giving' will bring you forward as he stretches over the jump (so you don't need to launch yourself up his neck) then your next task is not to thump down onto his back at the reception.
Oh, and we are taught NOT to look at the jump. By the time your horse is taking off you should be looking towards the next one, getting ready for a turn or at least looking UP. We're always told: look at the ground and you'll end up there!
Hmmmm, this is a rubbish answer to your question LOL! Sorry! ;D
I expect there will be more sensible people who can tell you more!!!

[fimacg]

I'm with you all the way on this one Racaille, I still have always had lessons from Show Jumpers even if we are only jumping 2'. and your way is the way I am taught, thats why I call it finding the stride, rather than seeing it. When you have found the stride you will be with your horse all the way and not hampering them.

[racaille]

PS ... as Brig already has done while I was faffing around not pressing the Post Reply button as I was collecting up all my geraniums on the terrace that have been smashed to pieces by the (hot) gale that is battering us ....

[brigadier]

Just planted some geraniums- they look lovely!
Racaille- your advice is really really good as we do get too hung up in England about this stride thing and I do think it makes it a big 'thing' for some people. It is about getting the horse to the jump in the best possible way so it can jump.
One of the problems comes when transfering from ponies to horses- ponies are so quick and athletic and think for themselves, so riders can be carried around a course with little work. but then you get on a big daft horse and it needs to be told.
I used to ride a lovely big black hanovarian (Abbo RIP gone but not forgotten!) who had a dirty stop when he didnt meet the jump right, but I think he had always been ridden to obey the rider and not think for himself. He was totally different across country or hunting though as I was the first person to hunt him and I let him think for himself and boy he was good!

I do believe the fashion is changing though as our event riders become more accessible for training and are on tv showing their training methods and they teach to let the horse think for itself more- I saw a masterclass with lucinda green on tv and she was fab (low bow at this point) as she was basically saying let the horse fiddle it out!

[salexis]

I agree with the counting aloud thing. It keeps you breathing for one! i count all the way round the course! 1,2 ,3 4, pop, 1 ,2 ,3 4, 5, 6 pop, etc etc. You may look a bit of an idiot, but normally i'm so nervous I don't care and it really is the only way to keep from holding my breath all the way round.

The other thing I find is if I am counting aloud in a rhythm the horse better keeps to that rhythym - not sure why this works but it seems to with me!

[maximum]

totally with Racaille if someone tells me they cant see a stride I say " great, then i dont have to unteach you!"

if you come in a rhythym with impulsion then the rest is up to the horse and you have to sit and wait for the fence and let the horse work it out otherwise the horse will never learn.

I hate to see riders 'urging' those last three strides as they end up messing the rhythm and the horse loses balance.

try doing lots of grid work as it will have multiple effects. it will get you more athletic ( and the horse!) get your hips supple as you swing in and out of your position, you will learn to feel when the horse is taking off and lessen the chances of being left behind. Plesae dont get hung up on seeing stride or you risk placing the horse every time and it will not learn to think for itself and you will not develop the feel required to be able to just go with what comes up in front of you.

Brig - re Lucinda Green ( we are not worthy, we are not worthy) go to you tube and put her name in. it is like heaven!!!

[brigadier]

Ooh I will- hadnt thought of doing that...Duh! Not got time now but will treat myself this evening- beats TV
Brig

[tina]

Lots of great advice there and I have nothing to add apart from the fact that I have been privilaged to have a lesson from Lucinda (was at Burgie many years ago) and she was amazing.

[suzii]

I quite often have problems seeing a stride too - your not alone!!!

So thanks for posting that as i got advice too.

Was just thinking, would it be a good idea to move this to maxie's "horsey FAQs"??

[maximum]

May 28, 2008 17:15:55 GMT suzii said:

I quite often have problems seeing a stride too - your not alone!!!

So thanks for posting that as i got advice too.

Was just thinking, would it be a good idea to move this to maxie's "horsey FAQs"??

tis done!! as if by magic!