Jumping Practice

As we get ready for the National Cavalry Competition in September, we have realized that we need to brush up on the fundamentals of riding. Most of what we do in the cavalry is pretty basic, just spurring horses and pulling triggers but competition riding requires a little more skill. At the core of everything we do in competition is jumping. Jumping a horse over an obstacle seems pretty simple on the surface. Just point the horse at the obstacle and hang on as he effortlessly sails over the vertical. In reality it is the most complex form of riding. Both the rider and the horse need to set themselves up just right to clear the jump. If jumping one obstacle wasn't complicated enough, jumping several in succession can be a real challenge. Now add a few pistol targets and saber targets to the course and now we're talking some fun. The horse is the key, of course. The horse has to overcome his fear of the obstacle and also has to put up with the rider when he's jumping over it. The rider has to control his horse to the obstacle and then control his body so it doesn't hinder what the horse is doing. The problem with jumping is that the rider tends to over think the problem. He's thinking about controlling his horse's stride so his horse can set himself up for the jump, controlling the horse to the obstacle to prevent a run out or refusal, keeping his chin up, getting into a two-point stance at the right moment, releasing the bit at the exact right moment, positioning his weight so he is neither behind or ahead of the saddle, and by golly, not sitting down too damn early. The rider can get so wrapped up in getting all these things right that he invariably forgets some critical element and misses the jump. The only way to prevent over thinking the jump is to practice the individual parts of the jump so neither the rider nor the horse have to think about them to do them correctly. Once the techniques are down the rider can start to do them without concentrating on them. Then the rider can work on putting it all together in a complete package. Most of the little things can be practiced on ground poles and low jumps. Using the ground poles allows the rider to practice for longer periods of time without wearing out the horse. Jumping is hard on them and should be kept to a minimum. Having an experienced rider on the ground is important too. This person needs to watch both horse and rider to see where the mistakes are being made. It is hard for a rider to detect them on his own without an observer. However, as complex as jumping is, it is also the most rewarding experience as the rider and horse must really be in tune with one another to do it correctly.