So much preparation is spent riding toward a jump that riders often neglect to continue riding after the jump. Whether it’s contemplating what just went wrong, mentally celebrating a wondrous effort or just plain old daydreaming, a lot can go wrong if active riding ceases when the horse’s front feet land.
When your horse lands after a jump, continue riding forward. Unless there’s a need for an immediate rollback turn, ride in a straight line. With each stride concentrate on your horse: Is his pace too fast or too slow; are you on the correct lead; is he falling in or drifting out; is he leaning on your hands? Now is your chance to fix any problems. If you wait until you’re in the middle of your turn, you’ll lose your length of stride and your horse’s impulsion. Usually what follows next is a sudden surge out of the turn, as you try to “send” your horse to the upcoming jump. The judge easily notices such erratic changes in pace. To win a ribbon in hunters, you need to keep your horse flowing around the course, and that is best achieved when you ride the entire trip, including those first few strides after each jump.
Cindy HaleCindy Hale’s life with horses has been filled with variety. As a child she rode western and learned to barrel race. Then she worked as a groom for a show barn, and was taught to harness and drive Welsh ponies. But once she’d taken her first lessons aboard American Saddlebreds she was hooked on English riding. Hunters and hunt seat equitation came next, and she spent decades competing in those divisions on the West Coast. Always seeking to improve her horsemanship, she rode in clinics conducted by world-class riders like George Morris, Kathy Kusner and Anne Kursinski. During that time, her family began raising Thoroughbred and warmblood sport horses, and Cindy experienced the thrills and challenges of training and showing the homebred greenies. Now retired from active competition, she’s a popular judge at local and county-rated open and hunter/jumper shows. She rides recreationally both English and western. Her Paint gelding, Wally, lives at home with her and her non-horsey husband, Ron.