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If your horse thinks ditches are full of monsters, this expert advice will help build their confidence

Ellie Hughes Ellie Hughes

    • Of all the obstacles on a cross-country course, ditches – in their various forms – often cause the most angst. Some horses tackle them with aplomb from the get-go, but most need plenty of quiet repetition to develop their confidence. Olympians and top coaches Nicola Wilson, Chris Bartle and Andrew Heffernan share their tips in this article exclusive to H&H subscribers

    Quiet, slow repetition is the key to how to solve your horse’s fear of ditches. To build – or rebuild – confidence in jumping ditches, it’s vital to start this part of his eventing training from scratch, says British team performance coach Chris Bartle. He explains that it is a mistake to ask a horse to tackle a ditch without giving him the opportunity to look at it first.

    “With a young horse, or a horse that is nervous, I will always take them to the ditch with no intention of jumping it,” he says. “I will let them stand beside it and walk around it until they are comfortable in the environment.

    “Only when I know they are happy about being there – they will stretch their head down and have a sniff – will I ask them to step over the ditch.

    “The important thing to remember is that the horse must never be pressurised from behind, either by the rider or someone on the ground, because all that’s doing is encouraging him to think backwards rather than forwards.”

    Initially, at least, ditches should be small enough so that human legs can easily step over them.

    “I measure a ditch by whether I need to stretch over it on foot,” says Chris. “It doesn’t matter whether the horse is four, seven or 14, my approach will be the same. If a horse is hesitant I will spend all my cross-country schooling time walking quietly over tiny ditches.”

    Chris argues that it’s not necessary to school over big ditches.

    “If you’ve built solid foundations, these can be saved for competition when your adrenaline’s up,” he says.

    How to solve your horse’s fear of ditches: “trust is everything”

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