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”

When working on how to solve your horse’s fear of ditches, “confidence and trust is everything” says former European champion-turned-top coach, Nicola Wilson.

This starts with laying the right foundations and revisiting the basics on a regular basis.

“When you introduce a ditch for the first time make sure you’ve got a confident horse to give you a lead and choose an inviting ditch to start with,” she says.

Nicola also emphasises the importance of rider position.

“It’s important that you look in the right place – up, not down into the ditch,” she says. “A young or inexperienced horse will often look down into the ditch and dither on the edge. This is fine so long as you stay up in your body and have a nice, supportive leg on them and a long rein so they can stretch down, use their head and neck and safely pop over.

“It’s a really good idea to use a neck strap so you can hold the strap together with your reins in one hand,” she continues. “If your horse jumps bigger than you’re expecting you won’t lose balance and inadvertently catch him in the mouth, which can turn it into a negative experience.”

Nicola agrees that repetition is key.

“If your horse lacks confidence jumping ditches it’s important to keep revisiting them on a regular basis so that walking up to them and popping over becomes second nature,” says Nicola. “There are plenty of five-star horses who will do just this on the lead-up to a big competition, so it’s not something you should be worried about. The key is to be as prepared as possible.”

Nicola also extols the value of praise and patience.

“Tell your horse when he has done well because this helps build trust and solid foundations,” she says. “And always give ditch training time. Never start something that you don’t feel you can see through the end.”

Once your homework is done, testing your training in a competition environment is the next step.

“When you’re out on the course, make sure you stay in a good rhythm and balance, and in the correct tempo for the ditch fence you’re tackling,” says Nicola.

When ditches are your friend

Once you have ironed out how to solve your horse’s fear of ditches and they are confidently moving up the eventing levels, most ditches will become a help rather than a hindrance.

“Where a ditch has a fence over it or behind it, the ditch itself acts as a useful ground rail, defining the take-off point,” explains Chris. “Big ditch-brushes, trakheners, and anything like that where the ditch ledge is on the take-off side, makes for a horse-friendly profile.”

Chris explains that when riding this type of fence, you should resist the temptation to spend too much time much setting up.

“When I was a jockey, before I started eventing, a trainer once told me that you should always increase your speed into a ditch,” he says. “You will never get the wrong stride because there is a groundline. I always remind riders of this when I walk courses with them as it saves a lot of time.”

Ditches through a course-designer’s eyes

Course-designers use ditches in different ways. Olympic event rider, trainer and Bramham course-designer Andrew Heffernan explains that as well as the size of the ditch size, where it is sited will determine the level of the test.

“Part of my job as course-designer is to ensure there is a logical progression in difficulty as you go up the grades,” he explains. “For example, on a B80 course I might include a small open ditch followed three strides later by a rails fence, at BE90 this might change to a rail followed three strides later by a ditch. By the time you get to BE100 I might be asking horses to jump a simple rail-ditch-rail on flat terrain, and then at novice level you can start expecting to see a ditch with a bit of terrain either side.”

This logical progression has obvious connotations for a horse who is a bit “ditchy”.

“Even if a horse is solid with every other type of cross-country question, he needs to be completely confident jumping ditches at one level before moving on to the next,” says Andrew. “The questions asked of him — and therefore the trust he needs in his rider — will be tested to a greater degree every time you step up.”

“We dug a ditch at home and that was the turning point”

Event rider Ivy Fisher’s talented three-star mare, Balief De Reve (Bali), only has one chink in her armour – ditches.

“When I bought her as a young horse she had only ever showjumped and although she quickly took to jumping solid fences, she’s always been suspicious of holes in the ground,” explained Ivy, who grew up in Norfolk but has been based with Dassett Eventing in Warwickshire.

“A few years ago, when I was on the brink of giving up with her, my dad dug me a ditch at home and that was the turning point. It was a case of repetition, repetition, repetition. The penny dropped in the middle of the 2024 season and she started to take them in her stride.”

The pair won the under-21 open intermediate at Kelsall Hill in September that year.

At her current base, Ivy has access to three different ditches and incorporates them into almost every training session.

“Last season I was even including them in our fitness work, popping over a ditch mid-canter,” she says. “We still have the odd wobble, but she’s getting better all the time. Bali’s taught me so much about perseverance, getting the basics right and about not running before you can walk.”

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Olympian Vittoria Panizzon shares one of her favourite polework exercises, which can benefit horses at any level, in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

This simple fan pole exercise is designed for encouraging suppleness, rhythm, rideability and improving the canter. It’s often used when training horses for eventing at all levels, so three-time Olympian Vittoria Panizzon explains how this polework exercise can benefit you and your horse, as well as how to increase the difficulty.

How to set up the fan pole exercise

Lay out seven poles in a fan shape, with each pole 3m apart if taking a line through the middle of the poles (as shown below).

Depending on the level of the horse, for this training exercise you can raise various poles into fences, for example two poles to an upright, pole upright, and then two poles.

How to ride the fan of canter poles

• Approach in a balanced canter and ride over the poles/fences following the curve.
• Open the inside hand and use the inside leg to turn the horse smoothly.
• Keep your balance in both stirrups, not twisting.
• As with any gridwork exercise, you should build up very gradually. Once you start adding jumps in, the basic setup is essentially a double with poles either side, but there are plenty of variations (see below).
• Ride the exercise an equal number of times on each rein.

How the fan pole exercise helps you and your horse

Vittoria explains that canter poles are always beneficial, and particularly so in this fan exercise, which she was taught by Jay Halim.

“Having to turn while cantering over the poles or small fences can be particularly helpful for horses that rush because it’s easier to help them not to rush on a turn,” she explains, “whereas on a straight line they can charge through the whole lot.”

“As well as helping the canter rhythm, the fan can be a useful exercise for horses that are a little stiff, as it encourages flexibility, asking them to bend and lift through their middle while coordinating and jumping.”

The poles do the job for you, Vittoria explains, although you need to use your body correctly.

“When the poles are on the ground, you could be in a sitting canter, but once they are off the ground, you need to be in a light seat through the poles to avoid restricting the horse’s back.

“Keep your balance in both stirrups and avoid twisting your body, opening your inside hand with your inside leg on, rather than pulling the horse round and blocking them,” she advises.

“I try to use the poles and the way I build the grid to correct a horse rather than forcing them. You shouldn’t be pulling them round the turn, because while you might have got through the exercise, you haven’t got the result you were after as you’ve ruined the quality of the jump. If you can do this with the poles guiding the horse then you’ll keep the quality of the jump while achieving the correct line.”

Variations of the poles in a fan

To increase the difficulty and prevent anticipation, you can try the following variations.

• Add a parallel, for example, alternate cross-poles and parallels. This means the horse has to stretch and turn at the same time.
• Raise one side of some poles to help the horse stop drifting his preferred way. Raise the outside to help turn the horse who is not turning enough; if they’re cutting in and “motorbiking” round the turn, raise the inside.
• Raise consecutive poles to cavaletti height – you could do four or five bounces on a curve.

The importance of the approach and landing

Vittoria says you should be fussy about how the horse lands.

“What you do after the grid really affects the approach to future jumps,” she explains. “For example, if the horse lands and rushes off, it will rush on the approach next time. If it lands in a heap, it won’t go forward into the fence because it knows it can stop afterwards.

“They should go straight after landing, neither rushing nor falling into trot. Whatever is their default, ask them to do the opposite,” she advises. “If they tank off, bring them back to a halt. If they collapse into trot, keep them in canter.

“It’s a classic mistake to make it through the grid or over a fence and think ‘I’ve done it’, but what happens next really matters, because it affects how the horse behaves into a jump and its general rideability. It also shows the horse is between hand and leg.”

It’s important to make sure you are training the horse and not the other way round.

“This applies to anything, under saddle and on the yard. Obedience relates to rideability. This is a partnership, so it’s not about being bossy or nasty, but it’s in horses’ nature to want to understand the boundaries and what is expected. They become more relaxed, content and settled. A disobedient horse isn’t a happy horse, it’s a lost, confused and stressed horse!”

About Vittoria Pannizon

Event rider Vittoria has been a stalwart of senior Italian teams since 2005. She has contested three Olympic Games, finishing 11th at London 2012 with Borough Pennyz. Having competed at numerous championships on a range of horses, including at the 2025 Europeans on DHI Jackpot, she is also currently campaigning two of Pennyz’ offspring, Borough Tuppence and Borough Threepence.

Based in Redmarley D’Abitot, Gloucestershire, Vittoria is a former junior European champion who has lived in England since she was 17.

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From Burghley’s precipitous Leaf Pit to Pau’s rollercoaster mounds (and everything in between) the principles of negotiating drops and fences where horses can’t immediately see the landing are the same – namely giving the horse time rather than speed. In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, Badminton winner and British eventing performance coach Chris Bartle and five-star rider Tom Crisp share their top tips, and one useful exercise to practise

Horses are well-equipped to hop up and down steps and negotiate mounds, so long as we let them use the tools that nature has given them. Jumping cross-country drop fences or when the horse cannot see the landing requires certain techniques to help a horse develop trust in the rider to allow them to use their body effectively.

British eventing performance coach Chris Bartle encourages us to think about a horse’s biomechanics when training for eventing.

“The horse’s eyes are on the end of his neck and if we restrict the neck through our riding then the horse won’t be able to look forward and use his eyes to read the question,” he explains. “Horses can lose confidence when they are denied the freedom to use their necks.”

A fundamental skill to master for the safe and successful negotiation of drop fences is the ability to ride with longer reins to allow the horse to use his neck while maintaining a connection, similar to when riding down cross-country steps.

This training begins on the flat.

“When you allow the horse a longer rein you train him to reach forward to the contact and use his neck. It’s no different across country,” points out Chris. “This stretching down movement is even included in five-star dressage tests and is testing precisely this ability to maintain a connection on a longer rein.”

A typical question from novice level upwards is a drop followed a few strides later by an accuracy fence, such as a skinny or a corner. At the higher eventing levels this is likely to be on a bending line and possibly even off a blind turn. This means you have only a few seconds after the drop to re-establish your cross-country position and focus your horse on where he’s going.

“Sometimes, people get concerned that with longer reins they’re going to lose ‘control’,” says Chris. “It’s a delicate balance between achieving the line and the pace you want coming into fence yet at the same time giving the horse the possibility to use his neck and see what he’s doing.

“Ros Canter is a supreme example of somebody who has her horses really going to the contact, yet she rides with a long rein and is not restricting the horse or fighting for control. She uses her eyes to direct the horse rather than her reins. As she turns her neck and eyes to see where she’s going, her horses follow her. It’s something we have worked on together over the years, and even now when she comes to me for training she will say: ‘I need you to check on my eyes’.”

How to ride a drop fence

Five-star event rider Jesse Campbell explains how to approach a drop in a way that will give your horse confidence and prevent hesitation.

1. When introducing your horse to a drop for the first time, find an inviting, low step. Start by approaching at a walk on a long rein. Your horse should be straight and in front of your leg. He should stay relaxed and in a rhythm. Once this is established you can progress to larger steps, and approach in faster gaits but, until then, keep practising smaller steps to build your horse’s confidence and gain his trust.

2. Allow your horse to use his neck by slipping your reins so you don’t catch him in the mouth. This will give him the freedom to use himself. If this is something you’re not used to, practise letting the reins run through your fingers and collecting them back up.

3. As you progress to riding drops at canter, make sure your horse is listening, but still in front of your leg. You need to allow him time to take in the drop fence, and going too fast can hinder this. Establishing a strong, rhythmical canter is key.

4. A good rider position will instil confidence in your horse to come off the drop and encourage him to tackle this type of obstacle again. Remember to sit up, keep your shoulders back and your lower leg secure. Always keep your eyes up and don’t look down. This is also vital when you have another fence to jump after the drop — your eyes need to be focused on this. While jumping down, keep your hands wide and soft as this will help you to get the contact back more quickly.

If you ever have an issue with a drop, always go back to walking down an easy drop fence on a long rein – by re-establishing the basics, you can rebuild your horse’s confidence.

Foundation exercise for jumping cross-country drop fences

Chris Bartle uses an exercise he calls “the rollercoaster” to help riders rely less on the rein and to keep their balance and line through their body position.

Build five fences on a curve and alternate between small cavaletti and a taller upright fence (around 90-100cm). The jumps should be a bounce distance apart (roughly three yards apart on the inside line and four yards on the outside line).

Set your canter, look at a point in the distance beyond where you are going. Always look down the road rather than at the road itself. Use your peripheral vision to see the poles in front of you. Let the horse’s nose out to encourage him to really use his eyes and his neck.

Your job as a rider is simply to stay in balance and not look down, while the horse is responsible for the jump. By separating out these responsibilities the task becomes clearer – you are in charge of direction, while your horse’s job is to jump the fences.

Chris adds that sometimes it can be more challenging for a horse to lower himself down over a steep drop with a tiny fence on top than it is for him to jump something more substantial on the way to dropping down.

“This is because over a small fence a horse has to drop his neck and look where he’s going,” he explains. “A classic example of this is the top water at Badminton, which often has a small log straight in with a big drop. It usually catches out one or two horses who don’t have the confidence to drop their neck and look where they’re going.”

With any fence on a gradient it is important to make sure the horse has the confidence to understand that there will be a safe place to put his feet on the landing side.

“You need to support his decision-making by applying the right amount of aid and the right amount of encouragement,” says five-star rider Tom Crisp. “Our job is to teach the horse to believe that he can do it for itself, rather than making him. If he is already nervous and you are too dominant you will likely just fuel his anxiety.

“You absolutely don’t need to train over big fences,” he continues. “Quiet repetition is the key. When you go cross-country schooling you should be spending most of your time popping slowly off small steps and banks, concentrating on giving the horse a comfortable experience.”

Tom also emphasises the need to select the right gear for the type of obstacle.

“You will need a lower gear with plenty of power for fences such as banks and mounds, where the horse can’t see where he’s landing,” he says. “By creating a canter where every stride covers a shorter distance, you’re maximising the length of time that the horse has to assess the fence and the ground afterwards. Come in too quickly and he may not have time to read the question.

“From your forward, galloping position you should be able to bring your upper body back and have the horse follow you.”

Chris adds that on the approach it is important that the preparation happens in the right order.

“I always say that the rider’s position is the preparation, their body language is the action, supported by their seat and leg, and finally the rein,” he says.

Tips for jumping cross-country fences where the horse cannot see the landing

• Ride in a short, powerful canter so that you’re maximising the length of time the horse has to assess the fence and the ground afterwards.
• Be very decisive and clear in your preparation and in the quality of the canter and the gear you’ve selected.
• Look up and beyond the fence, never at the base.
• Support with your leg.
• Feed the rein out a little on the approach before take-off so the horse can stretch out his neck and use his eyes to read the landing.
• Stay secure in your position and go with the horse’s movement without unbalancing or restricting him.
• Avoid letting your horse launch himself off the top of a drop through lack of confidence – this can give him a fright and make jumping a related element much harder.
• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, top trainers share their tips and advice for cross-country schooling

We all know we need to get out and practise cross-country before the eventing season starts, but are you really making the most of your schooling sessions? We asked some top experts for their cross-country schooling tips to help you up your performance.

Whether you’re aiming for your first unaffiliated event or lining up for your 20th season, there’s bound to be something here you can take away and put into practice when you next head out cross-country schooling.

Cross-country schooling tips

1. Choose your venue

Work out what you want to achieve and choose a cross-country schooling venue accordingly. “If you need to rebuild confidence over ditches, go somewhere with plenty of tiny ditches. If you want to practise skinnies, choose a venue with lots of flagged narrow fences that have wings and guide rails to help you,” says British eventing performance manager Dickie Waygood.

Don’t steer clear of mud. “Cross-country schooling is as much about training horses’ reactions and footwork as it is jumping tricky fences,” says Italian Olympic event rider Vittoria Panizzon. “There’s no point in getting to your first event and moaning about the mud if you haven’t trained on wet ground.”

Avoid only schooling on a surface. “[If cross-country schooling] on a surface, you will naturally jump off a shorter stride because you are riding at a more condensed pace. This can be counter-productive,” says top Irish coach Eric Smiley.

2. Know what you want to achieve

According to Eric Smiley, there are usually three reasons to go cross-country schooling:

• to remind the rider or horse of the necessary skills
• to introduce something new
• to fix a problem

“Before you set off, you need to have plan,” says Eric. “Ask yourself, ‘What do I want to achieve from the session?’ It is too much to try and mix all three in the short time frame you have, plus the horse only has so many jumps in him.”

3. How to warm-up for cross-country schooling

In terms of cross-country schooling advice for the warm-up, Dickie Waygood advises starting with a recce of the venue.

“See how the fences are set up so you can make a plan,” he says.

Don’t start jumping until the horse is settled and focused on you .

“Too many people start jumping before the horse is listening. If he’s too hot, he will not be trainable,” says Dickie. The horse needs to be on the aids – if the rider gives the horse a nudge with the legs, the horse has to react. The rider has to have control of speed, line and balance before jumping.

Begin over a small log or similar – horses will generally jump solid fences more easily.

Start as you mean to go on. “Often when a horse hits a fence, the rider will start protecting him, even if it was the horse’s fault. The rider needs to hand responsibility for the jumping to the horse, who then has to work out how to get to the other side safely. You need to keep this in mind all the time,” says Eric.

4. Structure your session

Once horses and riders are warmed up, start stringing fences together.

“Aim to establish a good rhythm and spend two or three minutes, depending on your horse’s fitness, putting together 10 or 15 fences,” says Dickie.

Work on technical fences sooner rather than later. If you want to focus on a particular type of fence, do it early on while you and your horse are physically and mentally fresh. Tackling water fences requires a lot of energy and co-ordination, particularly going up and down steps in and out, so avoid doing this on a horse who is already tired.

5. Train, don’t test

One of the most important cross-country schooling tips is that you don’t have to jump fast over big fences – horses can learn the most when they go steadily and are given time to think.

Schooling is the perfect time to build your horse’s cross-country confidence. “Cross-country schooling is about training, not testing the horse,” says Dickie.

Riders who are newer to their eventing level may need to practise riding at the required speed – towards the end of a session, measure out a short course of 10 to 15 fences and time yourself over it to get a feel of the pace you should be riding to make the time.

6. Problem solving

If you want to tackle a specific issue during your session, make sure you have the necessary tools for the job, says Eric Smiley. It’s all about setting yourself up for success.

“You need to stage manage what you’re trying to achieve,” he says. “Have everything you might need readily available, such as a lead horse and an experienced pair of eyes on the ground, so that you have the best chance of leaving with a positive outcome.”

Before you start tackling a problem, make sure your horse is 100% focused, with as many ticks in boxes as possible. Eric adds: “If you are practising skinnies, check that you can hold a line over a straightforward fence and never jump skinnies without a right and left flag pole. If the horse is landing and bucking, or veering left or right, then he’s not ready to move on.”

7. Know when to stop

• Tailor your session. “How much you do will depend on the fitness of the horse and his stage of training,” says Dickie.
• Avoid the “one more fence” trap. “Often you will end up trying too hard to get it right and that’s when it goes wrong,” warns Eric.
• Always finish when your horse still gives the feeling of having a quarter of a tank of fuel left – and remember problems are rarely fixed in one session.

Contributions from Ellie Hughes.

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Medal-winning showjumper Will Fletcher and accredited coach and grand prix rider Joao Charlesworth get to the root of the problem with water trays, while a successful amateur reveals how she has turned her mare’s phobia around in this exclusive feature for H&H subscribers

Teaching your horse to jump water trays is an essential part of showjumping training if you want to make any progress up the levels. From Hickstead’s infamous Devils Dyke to the seemingly innocuous rectangles of blue foam that lurk under coloured poles in newcomers classes up and down the country, so-called Liverpool fences come in all shapes and sizes and can cause even the most experienced horses to look twice.

This obstacle has always been found in working hunter and working hunter pony classes, but water trays can now also feature in British Eventing competitions from novice level and above since the updated 2026 eventing rules, which means learning how to jump a water tray is now just as important for eventers, too.

“Some horses are naturally more cautious than others,” points out capped Nations Cup senior team rider, Will Fletcher, who has produced many young horses through the levels. “The appearance of the tray – whether or not it contains water – and where it is sited, plus factors like the reflection if it’s a sunny day, can all have an influence and make it more or less inviting.”

Will points out that when a horse is tentative it’s a fine balance between training to instil confidence and not overthinking the issue and adding to the problem.

“Often, it’s not the horse that’s lost confidence but the rider,” he says. “If the rider has any doubt in their mind then the horse will pick up on it.”

Like anything, quiet exposure is the key to developing confidence and Will explains that horses should learn right from the beginning that water trays are not a big deal.

How to introduce your horse to water trays

“We introduce our young horses to them very early on, as soon as they start jumping their first courses, so that it becomes part of the routine,” he says.

For a more nervous horse, or one that has had an issue, Will recommends having a lead.

“If you follow really close behind a confident, experienced horse, it’ll give the more nervous one confidence,” he says, adding: “You don’t need to buy an expensive water tray, a tarpaulin safely held down will do the job fine, and you can start by making it very narrow.”

Top rider and coach Joao Charlesworth advocates working horses quietly around a water tray in an arena without asking them to actually jump it.

“The mistake people make with a young or nervous horse is to ask them to jump a water tray straight away,” he says. “Instead, you should work on the flat around it, incorporating it into your loops and circles by passing close by. Then, when you eventually ask the horse to jump it, it won’t come as a big surprise.”

How to teach your horse to jump water trays

1. Take the influence of the rider away and lunge or lead your horse over a small water tray, using a lead horse if necessary. Seeing your horse popping the obstacle will give you confidence and, similarly, it will reassure him through not having the rider hanging on to the reins. Some riders like to loose-jump young horses over water trays to give them confidence.

Joao finds that the most inviting way to teach a horse to jump water trays initially is by placing it under a simple cross-pole.

“The cross-pole makes it a filled fence, which is more inviting to the horse and will naturally draw him to the middle,” he says. “Keep it easy and uncomplicated and build up slowly.”

2. Get back on with a neck strap, and ensure you have a correct and secure lower-leg position. Sit with your upper body slightly behind the vertical, as being in front of the movement makes it easier for your horse to stop.

Approach the water tray in trot. Do not allow your horse to rush, but keep him straight and in front of your leg. Remember to praise him, especially if he’s nervous.

3. Practise over lots of small water trays varying in colour and design, then gradually increase the degree of difficulty and approach in a bouncy, balanced canter.

“Repetition is the key, even with older horses,” says Joao. “One of my top rides, who is jumping in 1.50m grand prix classes, is naturally suspicious of water so I make a point of always schooling him over a water tray the day before a show.

“For older or more experienced horses I will often build a double of water trays with one stride in the middle and I will play around, quietly popping each element separately on an angle before putting it together.”

An amateur’s perspective

Amateur showjumper Fiona Osborne, who recently won the 1.10m amateur championship second round at Golden Cross and has competed up to 1.30m, has spent seven years scratching her head over her mare Fridaynight Du Vlist’s dislike of water trays.

“Friday’s generally very level-headed and we’ve jumped at a lot of championships together, but when she takes exception to a water tray she’ll stop so violently that I’ll hit the deck more often than not,” says Fiona, who believes the mare had a fright as a young horse that she’s not forgotten. “There is no point in being cross with her or getting frustrated as that would only fuel her anxiety.”

Over time, Fiona has laid strong foundations and has a system in place that means she can minimise the chances of a mistake.

“To begin with I spent a lot of time playing around at home over tiny, homemade water trays to gain Friday’s trust,” she reveals. “I started on the ground, on the lunge, letting her sniff the tray and make friends with it. I filled a sandpit with water and put it in her field and even bought a blue gym mat [like this one] which, once she was happy to be led over, I positioned in the door of her stable so that she had to walk in and out over it.”

Over time, this confidence filtered through to Friday’s ridden work and, eventually, to the ring.

“Another major turning point came when I started doing some arena eventing,” Fiona continues. “I took Friday cross-country schooling for a bit of fun and she loved it. I could feel her gaining confidence from walking and trotting over little ditches and natural obstacles. The more she did the bolder she became and now she’s used to seeing lots of different things under fences.”

While Fiona admits that she will never completely cure Friday’s apprehension, the duo rarely run into problems in the ring now.

“She can be spooky with trays that reflect the light, so I make sure I train at different times of the day, with the sun in different places, to get her used to this,” she says. “I also always jump her over a water tray at home to prepare the day before a competition.”

Fiona has worked on her own mindset as a rider, too.

“It’s easier said than done when you’ve had issues in the past,” she admits. “If there’s a spooky water tray in the course I have to consciously make sure I don’t over-ride it. Instead, I concentrate on keeping an even rhythm and staying positive, with my body slightly behind the movement.”

Will Fletcher’s tips for riding a water tray

• Sit deep in the saddle so you’re in a strong, secure position and don’t get ahead of the movement.
• Keep your eyes up – if you look down at the water tray this signals hesitation, so look up and beyond where you want to go.
• Ride forward but keep the rhythm – if you watch the top riders jump water or anything with a ditch or tray underneath it, they ride positively from their seat but, crucially, they keep the same even rhythm.
• Maintain a contact – an easy mistake to make is to ride forward but drop the contact, which signals to the horse that something is amiss. You need to support the horse down the rein until take off.
• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major events throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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While some horses find galloping easy, for many it is something that needs to be taught. Five-star winner Austin O’Connor, cross-country specialist Tom Crisp and Olympian turned coach Nicola Wilson share their tips in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

We spend hours training our event horses to be soft and supple on the flat, and careful and accurate over a fence, but most of us spend far less time teaching them to stay balanced and controlled at the gallop. Is it a case of teaching a fish to swim or can we actually improve a horse’s gallop?

Cross-country maestros Austin O’Connor and Tom Crisp point out that despite this gait being such an integral and important part of an event horse’s armoury, it is the one that riders typically spend least time training.

“I generally don’t take my horses to the gallops until they’re competing at three-star level, but I do spend a lot of time before that laying good foundations,” reveals the 2023 Maryland five-star winner and reigning Burghley runner-up, Austin O’Connor, who explains that adjustability at a faster pace is something that needs to be worked on.

How to improve your horse’s gallop

“Younger horses and those competing at the lower levels of eventing don’t need to be going to the gallops, but they need to learn how to open up and come back in the canter, and I will work on this at home, mostly when out hacking,” adds Austin.

Tom Crisp starts sowing the seeds from an early age.

“All my five-year-olds do a bit of fast work,” he says. “I think it’s important that it becomes part of their work routine sooner rather than later so they learn how to gallop in balance before they start getting to the higher levels.

“Horses with a lot of thoroughbred blood in them will naturally find it easier to open out and cover the ground, but they might not find it as easy to compress the canter and keep the power.”

Train on varied terrain

How, where and when you do your fast work will depend on factors such as the horse’s type and temperament, and the facilities that are available to you.

Tom explains that his current stable-full of rides vary enormously in their stamp, which makes him “think outside of the box” when it comes to training them at speed.

“I ride everything, from nippy thoroughbreds to slow and deliberate warmbloods and they all need treating a bit differently,” he says. “When they move up the levels, the warmblood types might need fast work every three or four days, while more thoroughbred types might only need it once a week.

“I used to do almost all my gallop work up hills, but I’ve started varying it a lot more since a racehorse trainer pointed out that if you are always on a hill the horse is never learning to move his legs quickly [because the incline changes the mechanics of how the horse gallops]. I’ve taken this forward in the way I train some of mine.

“Hillwork is great for fitness and for making a horse work hard without putting extra mileage on his legs, but if you want to teach him to sprint and cover the ground more quickly you might also need to gallop on flatter ground.”

Strength, balance and control in the gallop

“To build strength you need to come and go in the gallop and not just keep going at one pace,” Tom continues. “I might do a couple of short, sharp gallops one week and one long one the next. It just depends on the horse’s natural core fitness and their temperament – which bits they find easy and which bits you need to work on.”

Austin adds: “You have to find a balance because if you do too much fast work too soon, when the horse isn’t strong enough, then you are at higher risk of them injuring themselves.”

Just as you teach a horse to be on your aids in walk, trot and canter, a horse must stay between your hand and leg at a gallop.

“The way a horse gallops is just as important as how much or how often he does it,” says Tom. “You should always be thinking about balance and control – don’t just let the horse steam off. He must allow himself to be balanced by accepting the rider’s leg aids.”

Adapt training for your horse

Top coach Nicola Wilson agrees that there is no one-system-fits-all.

“Every horse has its own strengths and weaknesses and you have to spend time improving the things they find most difficult,” she says.

“Modern warmblood types typically have more expression in their paces and tend to go up and down when you ask them to go forward, and have more explosive power, while thoroughbreds find it easier to lengthen out, flatten and cover the ground.

“Confidence plays a big role,” adds Nicola. “The more the horse is accustomed to working up and down the gears, the more they will naturally start to open up and flatten out in the gallop.”

Teaming up for training

Working upsides can be beneficial to improve a horse’s gallop, especially when a natural galloper is paired up with one who’s a little less confident.

“Working horses in company is a good way of making them more competitive without putting a gun to their head,” says Austin, who explains that his superstar grey, the 2025 Burghley runner-up Colorado Blue, benefits from this approach.

“‘Salty’ falls into the laid-back category and needs a bit of encouragement to work at home, so I always gallop him alongside another horse to keep him keen and interested,” he reveals. “On the other hand, a horse that gets too lit up may be better galloping on his own. It’s about knowing each individual.”

Nicola adds: “If you do gallop your horse alongside another, just be mindful that the lead horse doesn’t get too far ahead or it can have the opposite effect on the slower horse and leave him feeling a bit demoralised.”

Rules for fast work

1. Warm-up properly

Always start a fast work session with at least 10-15min of walk, trot and slow canter to warm up and switch on muscles, and help prevent injury.

2. Make use of the facilities you have

Not everybody is blessed with a gallop on their doorstep or fields suitable for galloping across within hacking distance of the yard.

“There is lots you can do in your day-to-day riding that will help your horse’s adjustability and balance in a faster pace,” says Nicola Wilson.

“In your normal canter work, whether that’s in the arena or out hacking, practise going from a more open canter to compressing the canter but keeping the horse connected and powerful – this is the foundation of cross-country riding.”

3. Be patient

It is important not to push too hard too soon. Some horses take longer to develop their strength and learn how to maintain their balance and stamina than others.

“Learning how to sustain a gallop is part of a horse’s natural development, so be patient and give it time,” says Nicola. “Quiet repetition is the key.”

4. Work on rider fitness and balance, too

You can’t expect your horse to gallop efficiently if you’re not balanced in your position. If your horse is strong, bridging the reins – looping your left rein into your right hand and your right rein into your left hand so each hand holds the rein twice – can help by giving you more security.

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In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, five-star event rider and Fellow of the British Horse Society Kylie Roddy shares her tips on how to prepare for arena eventing competitions, as well as advice on how to be successful in competitions

Arena eventing can be a great way to sharpen your skills over the winter – but perhaps you’re looking for some tips? You may need to do some training first and are not sure what to focus on? Or do you want to improve on your performance from last season with a view to being more competitive?

We asked renowned trainer Kylie Roddy for her top tips for arena eventing. Kylie won at the championships of British Eventing’s previous arena eventing series, Jumping And Style (JAS), and judges arena eventing competitions.

“There is something for everybody with those classes – it’s all about what your expectations are and whether you’re looking for ‘ride skills’ or ‘competitive skills’,” says Kylie. “For some it’s about educating a young horse, others are going to train and school and then there are those looking to be competitive.”

Kylie’s arena eventing tips

Whatever your aim, Kylie says there are two main areas she focuses on for everyone in arena eventing training.

Keeping a quality canter

“Typically arena eventing courses are longer than your average showjumping course – there might be 20 or 24 fences, so twice as many as on a showjumping track,” points out Kylie. “So being able to keep the canter and the adjustability and quality in the canter is important, from 70cm all the way up to prestigious indoor competitions for top riders like Stuttgart, and there’s a fitness element to that.

“The speed required is faster than a typical showjumping round at the level, but it’s also not like you can just settle into a gallop – the courses have a jump-off type feel with turns and changes of pace needed, so the horses have to be fast in their mind and you have to be able to ride in balance at a higher speed.”

Kylie suggests riders put on an eventing stopwatch (like this one) and canter for two to three minutes around their arena, without jumps.

“By the time you’ve gone round an arena 10 times, you feel like you’ve done quite a lot of cantering, but it might actually be only 45 seconds. It feels very different cantering for that time in an arena rather than a field, and most of us are arena-based in the winter,” she says.

“Also, don’t just ‘goldfish bowl’ around the outside of the arena for however long – build in 10m circles, loops, changes of reins. Create the turns and floorplan patterns you might find in the course you’re about to jump.”

Jumping out of turns

Kylie also likes to focus on horses being able to come out of a corner and jump a fence quickly without the horse being shocked.

“Course-builders have to cram a lot of fences into the arena and to make sure the horses have a landing view, they have to put things quite close out of turns, so the take-off side is squeezed up. Horses have to come out of turns, stay on a line and jump what’s in their way,” she says.

“You need to get a bit adventurous in building stuff out of turns that doesn’t look like a normal jump, whether it’s high on the outside and low on the inside, has a funny filler or stuff on the floor, like a water tray or tarpaulin, or a narrow fence to test accuracy.”

How to be more competitive

For those looking to challenge for a rosette, arena event training needs to focus on holding a line and jumping off angles. Because many of the fences fall down, speeding up by flattening the canter is likely to result in faults, so it’s all about saving time in the floorplan.

“You need control on the landing side,” says Kylie. “I see a lot of people out of control on landing. Those pairs find indoor cross-country more of a challenge than those with a naturally rhythmic way of jumping. If the canter expands on the landing side, the rideability disappears and there’s often another fence coming ups, so the ability to reset the canter on landing quickly and maintain a rhythm is crucial.”

Arena eventing kit tips

If you normally ride across country in shorter stirrups than showjumping, you may want to consider that shorter length for arena eventing.

“You’ve got to be able to stand up between fences to create the travel,” says Kylie.

The trainer also says to practise riding in the clothes you will wear on the day at home, particularly if you haven’t worn your body protector since the end of the season.

“Make sure you are comfortable in your kit… you might have had a Christmas lunch!” she says with a smile.

Tips for on the day

With so many fences in a small area, arena eventing courses can be confusing.

“If you’re not the best course learner, make sure you are there early enough to walk it a few times and understand where everything is,” she says. “Watch the first couple go and if you’re aiming to be competitive, see how their time compares to the speed they rode. Did they make any inside or sharp turns? Use others to gauge what works and assess how the track rides.”

“Make sure the canters you’re going to use are the canters you warm up in so you have those tools available to you as soon as the bell goes,” says Kylie, explaining you need to be able to expand, close and reset the canter.

“You need the ability to go from 40mph to 30mph to 20mph and back to 40mph – those won’t be the actual speeds, but that’s the equivalent for those who drive a car. You need the ability to go down that scale as well as up it.”

Keeping confidence is key in the warm-up.

“The training is done at home and horses will do what they are trained to do in the ring. If you do six fences and the horse is happy, that may be enough. Nearly all faults come in the final third of the course, as horses and riders hit the fatigue zone,” says Kylie, cautioning about overdoing the warm-up.

“If you have a spooky horse who you need to get enough jumps into, make sure you leave a long enough rest period afterwards before you go in.

“If you want to be competitive, ideally you’d jump a fence off an angle in the warm-up so the horse is truly tuned into that, but whether you can do that will depend on the size of the warm-up and how many people are there.”

Tips for in the arena

Don’t throw away all your arena eventing training in the arena. Kylie says the most common mistake is allowing too much speed without the correct line, particularly turning early when going faster and running past fences.

“Don’t go faster than you can ride competently with rhythm, balance and line – those three things are the all-important triangle,” she says, warning that riders can be so keen to ride at speed, they lose their accuracy.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from major shows throughout the year, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

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Many horses are wary of water, to the extent that they lose all momentum, dropping back to trot or even walk rather than cantering through. For an eventer, this makes negotiating any obstacles positioned before, after or in the water extremely tricky. Watch top riders and their established horses negotiate a water crossing and they will barely break their stride. But how do you teach horse who is wary of getting his feet wet to keep up the forward momentum and stay in canter?

The first stage to unpicking the issue is understanding why it happens in the first place. British eventing performance coach Chris Bartle and Olympian Nicola Wilson explain where to start when it comes cantering through water with confidence.

How to train your horse to canter through water

“Think about a row of children lined up on the edge of a swimming pool,” says former Badminton winner and European team gold medallist Chris Bartle. “Some will jump straight in without a moment’s hesitation, while others will linger on the edge and carefully lower themselves in. It’s the same with horses. Some will be more cautious than others. That doesn’t mean the cautious ones won’t be happy to leap in eventually, but it will take time.”

Training a horse to canter through water, travelling forward, is a process built on confidence and trust. It is not simply a case of kicking harder.

“Water jumps can be busy areas and most young horses need time to process what is going on around them, which is why they want to drop back to trot and even walk,” continues Chris. “Make your schooling sessions frequent and fun and they will quickly get the hang of it.”

Former European eventing champion Nicola Wilson agrees.

“You need to build up slowly and make sure all the building blocks are in place before you ask your horse to move up a gear,” she says. “If he is not yet happy to canter through water, don’t put him in a position where he might be over-faced, for example don’t ask him to jump anything that he won’t have enough impetus to do safely.”

Cantering through water: troubleshooting

Sometimes horses dislike water splashing on their faces – and the faster they go the more likely they are to get splashed.

“I had a horse called One Two Many who was seventh at Badminton, on the silver medal-winning team at the Blair Europeans [in 2015] and a beautiful jumper, but he hated getting his face wet,” reveals Nicola. “Every time he jumped into water he would pull his nose forward so that it was almost parallel with his ears to try to avoid that initial splash.

“He was a bold horse, but this wasn’t something he ever grew out of, so I had to adapt my training and riding techniques to support him. I had to prepare early and make sure my reins were long enough jumping into water so that I didn’t catch him in the mouth because by the time he was halfway through his jump he would have pulled his head forward.

“For the same reason I stopped using a martingale on him as it would have come into play at the wrong time and potentially brought him down, which was the last thing I would have wanted.”

This is just one example of a horse reacting to water in a way the rider might not expect.

“It is your job to ask yourself why he is reacting the way he is and work out how to facilitate rather than hinder him,” adds Nicola.

Chris has discovered that wetting a horse’s legs with a bucket or jug of water before he goes cross-country can be helpful.

“It may sound crazy, but if you can get the horse used to the feel of water on his legs right before you set out to negotiate water then then it won’t come as such a shock,” he says.

By the same logic Chris also points out that young horses, in particular, can be spooky or shy at water when they’ve not been exposed to it for a while.

“This can happen in the summer or at the end of a particularly dry spell,” he explains. “If they’ve not seen a puddle for months and you suddenly ask them to canter through a large expanse of water, it’s not surprising that some are hesitant.”

Training at home

Nicola advocates making the most of opportunities that the weather provides to get creative at home.

“After a lot of rain you might end up with large puddles in your field or arena, which you can incorporate into your training,” she says. “So long as the surface underneath is safe you can make your session really fun and even incorporate some fences, too.”

Chris points out that sometimes it is easier for a horse to learn to stay in canter through water having jumped a small fence in rather than running down a slope.

“With a fence you’ve already got forward momentum, so if you sit up and keep your leg on when you land the horse is more likely to keep the canter,” he says. “Train your eyes to look high and ahead of you rather than down or to the water’s edge.”

Being in the right place at the right time with your body position will help the horse and instil confidence.

“Always support the horse with your leg by keeping it on his sides,” says Nicola. “Sometimes a little tap down the shoulder can keep him focused and energised.”

Water training checklist

Is the training venue/situation suitable?

“Choose your cross-country training venues carefully — pick waters that are open and spacious, and where there aren’t too many extra distractions to take the horse’s focus away from you,” advises Nicola. “Some people take their horses to the beach, which can be good for some but it doesn’t suit every horse.

“With the spooky types who find it hard to settle and concentrate then you are better off practising at a quiet schooling venue where there is not too much else going on.”

Is the surface/footing secure?

Wherever you are training, ensure the water has a sound underlying surface.

“It’s really important that the horse trusts the surface because as far as the horse is concerned you could be asking him to jump off the White Cliffs of Dover,” Chris points out.

Do you have the right tools and equipment?

Whether you’re utilising a newly-formed puddle at home or using a water complex at a training venue, having the right support and tools at your disposal is really important.

“This might be in terms of help on the ground, another horse to follow or ensuring you’re wearing the right tack and equipment,” says Nicola. “If you enter into a challenge ill-equipped to see it through then you are setting yourself up for failure. Remember, whenever you are training your horse you are always training his blueprint.”

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Efficient cross-country riding is all about being able to tackle any terrain. While many of us typically train in arenas or flat fields, it’s crucial that both horse and rider develop the balance and strength to negotiate hills, being able to canter and jump fences both up and down slopes. In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, Olympian Nicola Wilson and top coach Cameron Beer explain how you can boost these skills

Riding up and down hills across country is an integral part of tackling terrain for all eventers, but it’s a skill that many of us neglect to practise. How do you build rider feel and horse strength for downhill balance and uphill impulsion? Should we be practising jumping and galloping downhill? We ask former European eventing champion, Nicola Wilson, and BE UKCC level 3 accredited coach Cameron Beer for the answers.

For a horse and rider to successfully tackle terrain, they need to ensure they have a strong core and good balance for a good cross-country position.

“Riders can improve their core through squats, Pilates, or by generally getting fitter and stronger,” says Olympian Nicola who is also a BHSI and Level 3 coach. “Stand on the ground in a squat position – that’s the balance and posture you need when riding uphill or downhill. You need to be able to engage your core consistently.”

“The same applies to the horse. If they don’t do any hillwork they won’t develop their own core strength or balance.

“Riding uphill requires a light seat – out of the saddle, slightly leaning forward – while maintaining a strong position and engaged core. If we took you off the horse, you should be able to stand and balance in that same position.

“That means carrying yourself with an independent seat and not relying on the reins or the horse’s mouth for balance. Your core stays engaged, your body stays over your feet and over the horse’s centre of balance.”

When riding downhill you want your horse to go down as quickly as possible while also maintaining balance.

“Bring your shoulders up so you’re in a gentle squat,” advises Nicola. “Some people say you should be able to hold an egg between you and the saddle; I prefer the image of polishing the saddle with your breeches. You’re neither sitting nor standing – you’re carrying yourself.

“Engage your stomach muscles and your seat. Your shoulders should come back more towards the horse’s hips. Tucking your seat underneath you helps engage your core. You’re encouraging the horse to take more weight on the hindlegs, which lightens the front end and the rein contact.”

Whether you’re leaning slightly forward uphill or bringing your shoulders back downhill, your position must always be in balance with the horse, you should not be balanced on their mouth. Always use your leg to support the horse.

“It’s crucial the rider maintains their own balance when cantering downhill so the reins can remain light. You don’t want to use the reins for support, as that causes the horse to lean, putting more weight on the front legs, which increases the risk of injury or stumbling and makes the ride less efficient,” adds Nicola.

How to improve your cross-country riding up and down hills

Before attempting gradients, Cameron suggests riding in an arena or a flat field to ensure both horse and rider have adequate self-carriage.

“It’s important that we can go from a big canter to a small canter and in that small canter, we can give and retake the reins for, say, four strides, while we’re sitting down and on our seat, so that the horse is in self-carriage and we’re in self-carriage,” says Cameron.

“If you can’t do that, then you’re always going to struggle cantering down a hill because downhill is asking: ‘are you both leaning on each other, or can you both balance yourselves separately?’”

To practise this, Cameron recommends cantering around the arena for six or seven minutes putting in some gear changes while imagining you’re riding up and downhill.

“I would be thinking, ‘I’m coming down a hill so I’m going to release my rein slightly, sit back, put my leg down.’ Then I would pretend I’m going uphill and lean forwards, put my hands up a little bit more towards the neck so I’m practising those different body positions and the feeling of self-carriage within the arena and within gear changes,” says Cameron.

Take your skills on to the hills

Once you are competent at riding in self-carriage in an arena, you can take those skills onto the hills. Nicola recommends riding either a 100m circle or a straight line on a hill in a working or showjumping canter. This exercise improves strength and balance for both horse and rider.

“When you’re going uphill encourage the horse to stretch down and work over their back and the base of their neck to develop the topline and core,” Nicola says.

“Tilt slightly forward in a lighter seat, your leg keeps the horse’s back and the saddle up under you, and you’re encouraging them to work from their tail to their poll. Riding uphill will require a little more pace or impulsion.

“At the top of the hill, bring your shoulders up, engage more lower leg, and encourage the horse to compress the canter by bringing their hocks underneath them, lifting their withers and shoulders, and moving into more of a dressage self-carriage frame. Maintain self-carriage and a light contact.

“At the bottom of the hill, stretch the horse down again and repeat maybe four times on each rein.”

These days most cross-country schooling venues have man-made mounds that are perfect for practising riding on terrain.

“When I take a young horse out, that first cross-country schooling session is less about jumping and more about tackling terrain so we might spend most of our session going up and down hills and working on rebalance,” reveals Cameron.

“Feel that you’re setting them up in balance, releasing the reins, setting them up, and releasing again. At first, maybe you can only release for one stride before balancing again, but gradually you will feel you could go down that hill in a collected canter, releasing the rein for, say, four strides at a time.

“Of course, in a cross-country course you’re not going to go down with loose reins, but at least you and the horse feel you have elements of self-carriage going down that hill, which should give you confidence,” adds Cameron.

Troubleshooting downhill fences

When you’re preparing to tackle jumps downhill it’s important to remember that horses may take a stride out or could go on a deeper distance than expected.

“Your body has to stay back, ready for anything and because you’re going to land more downhill than you started,” Cameron advises. “I tell everyone to lengthen the reins – not drop them – two or three strides before the fence so the horse has freedom of the head and neck over the fence.

“That way, mid-flight, you’re already tall rather than planning to release on take-off. If the horse takes a stride out and you haven’t prepared, you end up pulled forward with the reins and land on top of the horse and then it gallops off out of balance. Stay tall, be ready for landing, and then gather your reins gradually on landing.”

Cameron also advises that whenever you’re jumping a single fence downhill, you should train with the mindset that one day there will be another jump after it.

“As quick as you can after landing in training, gather up and imagine there’s a B or C element four strides away. In competition, if you want to make time, you can roll on after the fence but in training, always prepare for a combination,” concludes Cameron.

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‘Help! My horse is running out at skinnies’ Olympic eventer Ginny Elliot’s tips on how to stay between the flags

The key to safe and effective cross-country riding is a secure lower leg and impeccable balance, so you can use your core and seat to influence the horse, rather than always going to the hand. In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, Olympic event riders Ginny Elliot and Nicola Wilson to share their top tips to help you improve your position

Some riders have incredible balance and a lower leg that never moves across-country whatever the conditions and whatever they jump. How can you improve your eventing training to become one of them? We asked Olympic event riders Ginny Elliot and Nicola Wilson to share their top tips to improve your cross-country riding position so you can ride stronger, safer and smarter.

“I used to watch videos of top riders, particularly Lucinda Green, who had the most superb lower leg. I tried to analyse how her leg was so brilliant and copy it, although I don’t think I quite managed it,” says three-time European and double world eventing champion Ginny Elliot, who’s a big fan of self-analysis.

“In those days, we had a video camera and I would watch myself back and analyse it. I would go over it saying, ‘that wasn’t great. Why wasn’t that great?’ I think that was one of the reasons why we did quite well because I was never good enough, I had to be better.

“Today with mobile phones you have access to videos of yourself which you can watch instantly and that’s an incredibly important tool. Being critical on yourself isn’t a negative; it’s a positive because you’re going to get better from it.

“You have to accept your mistakes. If there had been a problem, I always asked myself, ‘what did I do wrong?’ and I tried to learn from it. I never said, ‘what did the horse do wrong?’”

Exercises to improve your cross-country riding position without a horse

Like self-analysis, several exercises to improve your cross-country position can be done from the comfort of your own home.

“Practise jumping off the last steps of your stairs, or any step, and landing on your feet elegantly, as light as a feather. Make sure you bend your knees and ankles and land in a crouch position so you absorb the weight but remain balanced and secure on your feet. Keep your upper body above your hips. This is how you should be landing after a fence,” explains former European eventing champion Nicola Wilson.

Ginny adds: “You can practise jumping a drop by sitting on a chair. Lean back and push your heels forward. I would also walk upstairs on the ball of my foot so I stretched the tendons at the back of my ankle. When my foot was in the stirrup, it was much more used to having my heel really down.”

These exercises are much easier to perform if you have a good level of fitness, balance and suppleness. Ginny reveals she used to swim and run to maintain her general fitness while Nicola is an advocate of Pilates and yoga.

“Working with horses, we can get a bit one sided from things like mucking out so we often shorten muscles and lose the elasticity and ignore the other important muscles. Doing Pilates or yoga and some strength work makes a massive difference and helps you to maintain good balance,” says Nicola.

Exercises to improve your cross-country riding position on the horse

As well as ensuring your fitness is up to speed, it’s important to have a horse who’s also fit and strong.

“Do exercises on your horse like stepping over raised poles, stretching and hill work so the horses are as strong as they can possibly be, which gives them reserves when they’re going cross-country,” says Nicola. “If the horses are always inverted, dropping their tummies, not engaging their core, being hollow through their back, then they’re going to find it very difficult to carry themselves as well and will pull you out of position.

“Practise bringing your shoulders up while you are galloping cross-country, engaging your core and supporting the horse through your lower leg as you bring them back to a coffin canter.

“Through training and repetition, you will be able to go through the gears so that you can efficiently go from a cross-country gallop to a coffin canter within a number of strides.”

Ginny would also use canter work to help improve obedience and the fluidity of speed control.

“As I was cantering the horses to get them fit, I would practise moving forward 10 strides, then shortening them and coming back before going forward again and then coming back. It’s a very good way of working yourself as well as the horse,” says Ginny.

“The other thing to remember is your head is the heaviest part of your body, and if you drop your head, the whole balance of your upper body goes so keep your body upright and your head still.”

If your horse is particularly strong cross-country and you find your shoulders being pulled forward out of the saddle, Nicola suggests riding with a longer rein.

“Strong horses have a habit of pulling on the rein then we get a little bit shorter in our rein which pulls our upper body forward and that puts the rider in their most inefficient and weakest position possible,” explains Nicola.

“It’s important to have a longer rein, keep your hands down so that your upper body can engage its core and be in its strongest position. Then with your lower leg, squeeze to say half halt with your hands low and just in front, engage your core, tuck your seat underneath, bring your shoulders and eyes up. Train your horses through these transitions – use technique and repetition of correct training to develop that ability to rebalance your horse.

“We must not have a lazy seat,” Nicola adds. “You need to be able to ride staying in balance with your horse.

“If you’re sitting heavy in the saddle, the horses are naturally going to hollow away from the seat, they’re not going to use their core and they’re going to be looking for the hand. You’ll have to use more hand to steady and balance them. They will run through the bridle more, so the stronger that you can become as a rider, in your core, in your ability to stay in tune and in balance with your horse, the more success you are going to have with your horse.”

Model position

In terms of riders to emulate to improve your cross-country riding position, both Ginny and Nicola are big fans of reigning Badminton and Burghley champion Ros Canter.

“Ros has the most fantastic position,” Ginny says. “She’s never in front of the movement and her leg is perfection. She’s tiny so it’s by no means anything to do with physical strength, but she trains those horses so brilliantly on the flat that they pull that through into the cross-country. It’s all to do with her upper body, her lower leg, and she’s got very soft hands. She’s always in the right position, sitting up and that’s to do with training and balance.”

Nicola adds: “Another excellent example at the other end of the scale would be William Fox-Pitt, who’s incredibly tall, and had to work very hard as a young rider to be strong in his position so he didn’t hinder his horses. He was very disciplined with his strength, his core strength and his balance.”

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Are you an eventer looking to sharpen your showjumping skills so that clear rounds become your new norm? We speak to international event rider Jeanette Brakewell and accredited trainer Cameron Beer to discover how to improve both horse and rider’s reactions and make sure you leave the coloured poles in their cups

It’s easy for event riders to neglect training over coloured poles in favour of cross-country schooling practice. But whereas a little rub on a fixed fence or brushing through a hedge is part and parcel of efficient cross-country riding, most of us need to adjust our skills to learn how to stop a horse knocking down jumps when each one costs four penalties. We need to sharpen our showjumping reflexes (both horse and rider’s) so that our hard-won, speedy clear across country is not nullified by rails down.

The boldness of a natural cross-country horse doesn’t always translate to the jumping ring, where a careful bascule, pinpoint accuracy and a good jumping technique are required. This is tested to the utmost at a three-day event, with the showjumping phase on the final day, when the horse may jump flatter and feel a little more fatigued than normal after his efforts on the cross-country.

Of course, it all starts long before you even get into the competition arena. A good warm-up is crucial to securing those fault free rounds so make sure you use your time wisely, ensure your horse is listening to you and that you’re in the correct canter.

How to stop a horse knocking down jumps: warm-up exercises

1. “Shoulder-in is a good warm-up exercise to sharpen your reflexes for showjumping because you’re positioning the shoulders, so the horse has to work around your inside leg more,” says Jeanette Brakewell, who won individual silver at the 2002 World Equestrian Games.

“It’s important that the rider’s doing shoulder-in correctly. Put the horse on a nice angle and let them carry themselves on that line, don’t hold them there. If you apply too much pressure and hold the horse there, they tend to slow down and switch off.”

2. British Eventing UKCC level 3 accredited coach Cameron Beer suggests doing a warm-up exercise called 4-4-4 which works on changes of pace within the canter to help sharpen both horse and rider reflexes.

“Do four strides in collected canter, four in working canter, four in medium canter, then back to working, then back to collected,” he suggests. “If 4-4-4 is too much, start with 6-6-6 but not more than six because that defeats the point of the exercise.

“It’s a simple warm-up exercise but it’s helpful as it works the gears. Often riders have stayed in one gear forever and it takes them 10 strides to change to another gear. In this exercise you’ve only really got one stride to change it.”

Training quick reactions for the horse

Ensuring your horse responds to your aids in a timely manner is also important.

“As a rider, it’s important to be aware that you’re always training the horse to be reactive to your aids. That means using your aids with good timing and the correct amount of pressure,” says Jeanette.

“Some horses are naturally more reactive than others. For horses that aren’t reactive enough, it’s important to sensitise them. That doesn’t mean riding with loads of leg and loads of pressure. You want your horse going in a reactive, fresh way – not a dull, bored one.

“To get a better reaction from your leg, you don’t necessarily apply a stronger leg aid – you might use a quicker, sharper aid and then relax your leg. If the horse thinks, ‘Oh, you’re not telling me to keep going so I’ll slow down,’ you give them another quick reminder with your leg saying, ‘Come on, stay in front of me’.

“That should help activate the hindlegs so they can carry their own balance, rather than dropping onto the forehand and ignoring the leg.”

Building “A frames” on fences as well as using gridwork exercises can be a useful tool to hone accuracy, rhythm and confidence.

“The key to gridwork is to ride with good balance and enough energy, so the grid does the work in teaching the horse to use its body properly,” says Jeanette. “The distances are all set, so once you’re in you can focus on your position and your balance.”

Jeanette recommends adding ground poles or dressage boards (positioned wide enough for the horse to easily work out and go between) in front of the middle of the fence if you’re struggling with straightness.

Training quick reactions for the rider

Working to sharpen showjumping reflexes is not all about the horse. To test rider reactions, Cameron likes to change the profile of fences – although they don’t need to be big or difficult.

“I would use an ascending oxer, with the back rail three to five holes bigger than the front, and with a ground rail,” says Cameron. “I’ll do that off the turn, and then an unrelated related distance to a double of verticals on a short distance, or a bounce, or a plank with no ground rail.

“It’s about the rider having to come in brave to that ascending oxer – they can’t cheat and come in quiet – and then put the horse back to the correct gear for the different fence coming up next.

“Then mix in lots of blind turns and rollbacks. With the blind turns make sure you put a wing in to go around as that breaks up their eye. Then they come around that wing and suddenly pick a distance. You have to think about the canter quality, trust your eye and be more reactive rather than just counting canter strides.”

Cameron also believes in applying pressure to riders during training to mimic the competition environment, providing it’s a safe time in their stage of training to do so.

“Sometimes I will say, ‘We’ve warmed up. We’re going to jump the course once and I’d like you to jump a clear round’,” explains Cameron.

“That makes the rider feel a little more nervous, but it’s important to put the rider under pressure in that situation because then their reactions might feel a little blurrier, and they have to deal with that – which then puts them in that competitive mindset.

“If you train too safe with no pressure, then the rider may not have the right reaction when pressure’s put on – but that only comes when you know they’re comfortable with all the questions being asked, you have all the building blocks, and they have in their head what the priorities would be for them and their horse.”

From frustration to riding club champion

Following a frustrating spell in the showjumping phase for event rider Esther Bowness and her 13-year-old Irish grey mare Blackwater Grey Lady (Polly), straightness was a key part of their homework with trainer Catherine Vale.

“Catherine’s favourite phrase is ‘straightness is greatness’, because it doesn’t matter what angle you’re coming into the fence, you’ve got to be straight,” says Esther.

“Catherine gave me a few simple tips like keeping my body upright and tall, lowering my hands and riding straight and I found that my mare wasn’t fighting me into the fence, and she was much more relaxed over it.

“I was also told to balance the canter. I started leg-yielding Polly to make sure she’s listening and off my leg on both reins and then did a few teardrop shapes in canter to ensure we’ve got that uphill canter that you need for showjumping.

“Those tweaks were massive in terms of what they’ve achieved because I was thinking about them rather than micromanaging Polly into the fence. We’ve gone from knocking fences down to consistently jumping clear and we recently won the senior 80 showjumping competition at the British Riding Clubs National Championships.”

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Skinnies are a common bogey fence in eventing, but what makes them so difficult? We ask Olympic medallist and five-time Burghley winner Ginny Elliot and BE UKCC level 3 accredited coach Cameron Beer for their help, advice and top tips on how to stop your horse running out at skinny jumps on a cross-country course so that you stay straight as a die between the flags.

“The ability to control the body of the horse with the lower leg is the most important part of being able to jump a skinny,” says Ginny, also a former world and European eventing champion.

“Your leg aids need to be really good and responded to by the horse – that’s the only way you can control the horse’s body.

“If I put my right leg on the horse should go left, if I put the left leg on the horse should go right, and it should happen instantly. If both your legs are together, the horse should stay straight.”

Cameron Beer agrees, stressing the importance of perfecting those aids.

“Before you attempt a skinny jump, it’s important you can leg-yield off both legs without the horse speeding up and you can do a calm but quick straight line, halt and – in a perfect world – a rein back,” says Cameron, who’s evented up to CCI4* level. “To be fair to the horse, you have to make sure those aids are concrete.

“Most problems at skinnies occur where horses don’t understand the question, run through the bridle and don’t allow the rider help them in that moment. You have to break down those simple communications for the horse.

“If you don’t have those communications, and then you come to a fence and your horse loses a bit of confidence and wobbles, the aids aren’t there to put it back, and that’s unfair on the horse.”

How to stop horse running out at skinny jumps – an exercise

A simple exercise to improve those skills involves placing a pair of jump wings narrowly together with nothing between them. Ride towards them and halt before them. Once your horse has halted gently put on a leg aid to go forwards and walk through the wings.

“This exercise trains the horse to come to the skinny, slow down in a straight way, pause, think and then go forward rather than getting to the narrow gap, panicking and rushing through, as most horses do,” continues Cameron.

“You can evolve this exercise to having something on the floor that the horse can walk over so you come in, either hold or slightly slow the pace, apply the leg, and over they go.”

If the horse wobbles as you approach the fence, straighten them with your leg before going forwards and over the object.

“The horse needs to learn that when it comes to a narrow fence and you apply a leg aid that they respond immediately,” says Cameron. “You need to be very systematic in your training so the horse feels so confident in those aids that they will never have a run out. Then you can build it up very simply.”

Once you have nailed these aids you can focus on controlling the horse’s body and achieving straightness as you approach the fence, which will help stop your horse from running out at skinny jumps.

Ginny Elliot’s approach for how to jump cross-country skinnies

Ginny explains her process: “Whenever I was approaching skinnies, my first thought once I got myself lined up was – is the body following what I can see in front of me, that is the head and the neck? I think that conscious thought’s really important to be successful at jumping skinnies.

“It’s like driving a car and trailer. Don’t forget what the trailer is doing versus the car. Straightness is everything.

“Come off a corner and then when you straighten up, think has the body followed? Is it in line with the head and neck? Once you’ve got control of the body, for me, there’s very little reason why you shouldn’t be jumping the accurate fences like skinnies, very successfully.

“There should be minimal interference with the horse’s mouth from three strides from the fence. You need to be totally organised with speed and balance to allow the horse to focus on his job. A sudden pull or straightening movement from the rider close to the fence can cause the horse to lose vision of the fence, balance and concentration,” says Ginny.

Troubleshooting: how to stop a horse running out at skinny jumps

Sophie Taylor went back to basics with her five-year-old New Forest pony Bramble after they had a run out at a skinny jump at two events.

“I couldn’t trust him to hold his line so we went back into the school and began working on our straightness and accuracy,” says Sophie, who works for British Riding Clubs.

“We started by riding through two parallel poles on the ground, making sure we could stay straight through the centre of them. Once we could do that confidently on both reins we added a small narrow fence with jump wings at one end, focusing on holding our line and jumping the middle of the fence.”

As Sophie and Bramble became proficient with that exercise, they gradually increased the height of the fence and moved the guide poles further away before removing them completely. All the time, the aim was to remain straight and jump the centre of the fence.

“It was something we worked on over several months for short periods of time,” explains Sophie. “As we became more confident and our accuracy improved, we increased the difficulty by taking the jump wings away and jumping two skinnies in a row.”

Sophie and Bramble, who’s now nine, are now confident in jumping skinnies and haven’t incurred any further penalties.

Another key to jumping skinnies successfully is to ensure you and your horse are confident riding through narrow spaces.

“It’s often the narrow gap people are nervous about, rather than the actual fence itself. Make sure you ride through narrow spaces regularly so that it’s not an issue,” says Cameron.

Ginny concludes: “Flatwork is, in a way, more important than anything for cross-country riding. If the flatwork is good, the cross-country and the showjumping will be good, it’s as simple as that.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Harry Meade has risen to the top of the eventing tree in a large part thanks to his extraordinary ability to go clear inside the time at five-star level. This isn’t just down to innate speed of the horse he’s riding, given he has consistently achieved fault-free clears on a range of horses with varying pedigrees. In this article exclusive to H&H subscribers, Harry reveals the meticulous fitness system that underpins his performance

The new eventing world number one’s recent cross-country record at five-star is outstanding. In his last nine runs at the highest level, he has produced six clears inside the time, results that speak volumes for how Harry Meade gets horses fit.

Many horses and riders never go clear inside the time at CCI5*; Harry has repeatedly steered more than one horse on the same day to beat the clock. The majority of this achievement must be thanks to years of experience in honing a natural talent, but there’s clearly a skill in producing so many different horses to perform at their peak at the elite levels of eventing.

The son of the 1972 Olympic champion Richard Meade admits: “We have quite an orthodox approach; it’s a combination of old-fashioned horsemanship with reliable, proven science.”

It sounds so simple, but Harry is exceedingly meticulous. It all begins with bespoke treatment for every horse.

“We’ve always had the philosophy of trying to treat each horse as if it’s the only one on the yard,” says Harry.

How Harry Meade gets horses fit

The foundation of Harry’s successful horse management is fitness. He doesn’t run his horses fast at national one-day events, yet they are primed to perform when it really matters.

But while they might appear to be taking life in the slow lane in their formative years, Harry says his horses “start fitness work early in their career – we’re lucky we have some really good hills to work on”.

He walks and trots the young horses up a long grassy slope to “build core strength”. He estimates that from April to November, “95% of their work is done on grass”.

“They start going up here aged four or five and once they have that strength they never lose it, even with time off,” he explains. “I don’t think of it as fitness work, just learning to work in a balanced way, and as a by-product they get very strong and fit.

“They develop a core base fitness, building resilience, and it increases gradually over time without having to have a deep push. This avoids putting too much pressure on them physically,” Harry adds.

“We work on the hills with relaxation, focusing on their breathing and softness, to provide the maximum cardiovascular benefit with minimum stress on their legs.”

Every rider has their variation on fitness work, according to their facilities and terrain. Where Harry’s strategy differs is his commitment to tracking data, which allows him to monitor the individual over its entire career.

He has kept a detailed hand-written record of every fitness session for every horse in the run-up to a CCI4*-L or CCI5* since 2003, including which hill or gallop they worked up, how many times they went up, the pace, going, weather, how they felt and how they recovered.

After their target event he makes a summary of how they coped and what, if anything, he’d change in their preparation next time.

“It means I’m able to bottle up what has worked really well with different horses, and know how to peak at the right time,” Harry explains. “I can compare horses that have been prepared through faster work to those who predominantly did longer slower bits. I can compare similar types of horses 15 years apart.

“It also allows me to have a precedent in a setback, knowing how horses who missed a period of work were affected. If a horse needs a change of plan leading up to an event, I can look back over the years and see if there is a precedent.

“I started doing this in the era of roads and tracks and the fitness programme I use now is broadly the same as I used back then.”

No stone left unturned in pursuit of peak fitness

Part of the routine recovery strategy is making sure the horses clear their airways after a gallop session, with their heads down grazing, so any discharge can drain out rather than back into their lungs.

Some horses need more help than others with clearing the airways. It was Harry’s grand old campaigner Away Cruising who induced the regular use of a nebuliser at Blenheim in 2016. Despite being super fit, Away Cruising uncharacteristically struggled with his breathing early on the course at Blenheim, and was subsequently diagnosed with equine asthma. For the rest of his career he had nebuliser treatment twice a day, and went on to line up at 10 CCI5*s.

“Any horse with compromised wind in my yard uses a BreathEazy nebuliser in the run-up to their target event, and it makes a big difference,” Harry adds.

Steamed hay or haylage is another nod to keeping dust levels low.

Harry prefers to feed his mares hay rather than haylage, and they also have a slightly different work routine to the geldings to reduce their likelihood of tying up.

“For this reason, the mares will have two short bits of work a day rather than one long session,” says Harry.

This approach is borne out by his huge success with mares – Cavalier Crystal finished fourth at Badminton in 2025, third at Burghley in both 2023 and 2024 (two of these rounds were inside the time), and Annaghmore Valoner won Bramham in 2024 before finishing fourth at Burghley on her five-star debut (both inside the time). Grafennacht, the former ride of William Fox-Pitt, has already won a CCI4*-L and finished fourth at Kentucky CCI5* (inside the time) since arriving in Harry’s yard.

His remarkable five-star record is a testament to the precision and depth of how Harry Meade gets horses fit. By combining old-school horsemanship with data-driven detail, he consistently produces horses that peak at exactly the right moment.

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A few years ago, H&H spent a day at Pippa Funnell’s yard watching her train six young riders who were on the Wesko Young Eventers’ Programme — part of the Wesko Equestrian Foundation — in a series of sessions using showjumps and simulated cross-country fences.

The tips shared by the 2019 Burghley winner are as relevant today as they were then, so if you’re looking for some training inspiration, we are here to help.

1. Pippa does a lot of her flatwork in a jumping saddle — “I like to do everything to get the horses’ backs up and the emphasis should be on flatwork for all three phases. It’s easy to get too ‘dressage’ but it’s about the horses thinking for themselves, footwork and balance. When they go jumping, people forget about their own discipline, for example good transitions and sticking to lines.”

2. She isn’t worried if a horse has a few funny jumps in training, perhaps because they are taking off from quite a deep spot. “It doesn’t have to be pretty all the time and I’m not worried if he has to sort himself out.”

3. She uses a lot of small fences even with experienced horses — for example, Burghley winner MGH Grafton Street had a jumping session while H&H was at the yard during which most of the fences were less than two foot high for the majority of the time.

4. Pippa suggests a useful exercise for riding in rhythm and not looking for a stride is to look at the line you want to take to a fence and then look away and approach the jump without looking at it.

5. Horses have to go when you say go. Make sure there is enough difference when you make transitions within the pace.

6. A good jumping session can count as a fitness workout. Each horse would keep going round jumping different fences in trot and/or canter as appropriate to their level of training for anything up to four or five minutes.

7. Focus on the basics — in no particular order: suppleness, straightness, rhythm, acceptance of the aids, self-carriage, impulsion, discipline, rider position and balance.

8. Your most important tool across country is your eyes. Train your eyes to look to the next fence and the horse has to follow; you can steer with your eyes while channelling the horse’s eyes with your legs.

9. Remember when riding cross-country not to turn too early to a combination — wait until you can see your line through it to ensure you are straight.

10. Pippa recommends doing a lot in trot over narrow fences or difficult lines. This gives the horses time to think about their footwork and teaches them to think about it. Give a young horse time to look at fences, but without coming behind the leg. Don’t use speed to get over the fences or you cannot control the horse’s straightness. You can’t be in a hurry with young horses.

11. If a young horse throws a funny jump, it doesn’t matter if the rider gets left behind, but it’s important not to catch them in the mouth.

12. Pippa sets up lines at home without particular distances. “There is uncertainly in cross-country if a horse stumbles or makes a funny jump over a ditch or whatever. The horse has got to use their brains and footwork. People go wrong because training is too structured. They lose an element of horsemanship where they have to react. Cross-country isn’t always tidy, you have to get used to it being ugly sometimes. It’s important to put ourselves in a position where you don’t know what the distance is so we have that ability to deal with what the sport throws at you.”

13. Pippa believes riders stop too quickly once they have a horse doing something right. For example, if a horse doesn’t want to go into the wash box, they will then take him in and out 10 or 15 times, until he is going in calmly. “You don’t just get him in once and stop,” she says. “Similarly if a horse doesn’t want to go into water cross-country schooling and then leaps in, we repeat it until he’s going in without any fuss. There is no sense of urgency.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Want a horse who can tackle any question? In the first of this three-part training series exclusively for H&H subscribers, Alex Bragg shows how to harness the power of straightness to enhance your horse’s jumping

“For me straightness when jumping is the key to everything,” says Alex Bragg, outlining his plan for this training session. “Without straightness, the horse will deviate over the jumps. This builds, and causes no end of problems, so you’re aiming to ride a course as a succession of straight lines.”

Teaching riders to be straight isn’t about fixating on the minutiae – giving them a broader objective is far more effective.

“Telling a rider they need a bit more inside leg here or outside rein there – it’s just too much to focus on,” he says. “When straightness is the most important thing, all you’ve got to think is about riding straight and your body reacts. If the horse doesn’t want to be on a straight line, you learn to apply the aids required to keep them there.”

Alex is riding a novice mare, Arva, for this training session. Initially, he works her in around a gridwork exercise – a bounce and two strides to an oxer – with two parallel uprights flanking the approach.

Exercise to improve straightness when jumping

Working on: developing rider intuition and teaching the horse to follow guidance, and hone and expand jumping technique.

Level: Alex uses this training set-up for horses at every level: “More experienced horses might be able to go straight in, but with a younger horse we need to build up to it step-by-step.”

Warm-up

For Alex, the warm-up holds two objectives: get the horse aware of your aids and warm up the muscles.

“You’re always setting up for what you want to achieve in the session,” he adds.

Alex begins by performing square turns in canter, setting them up with leg-yield.

“The leg-yield helps with suppleness, but it also switches Arva on to the aids,” he says. “I can use this to make minor adjustments with my leg, always with the understanding that she’s moving away from the leg, not falling away.

“The goal is always to return to a place of straightness,” he continues. “I must finish every movement straight, or she won’t understand there’s been a correction and that running left or right is not accepted.”

Next, Alex moves Arva on and back through canter gears “to get the back and hocks operating”. Again, straightness underpins his success.

“If she goes crooked, she won’t be able to use her back – you lose the gear through being crooked.”

Level one: just the turn

Looking at the exercise – which asks the horse and rider to navigate a 90º turn to one of the parallel uprights, change direction in the air and meet the grid (see diagram) – the twin tests of straightness and producing fence-appropriate technique are apparent. Watching Alex Bragg training through it reveals the vast web of benefits this five-fence formation can bring about.

The first is a lesson in concentration. Alex begins on the right rein to turn from the track to one of the two isolated uprights – but Arva doesn’t lock on to the fence.

“You can see how she’s struggling to be straight because she’s focusing elsewhere,” says Alex, gesturing to the arena’s other occupants – more fences, a photographer and two waggy yet well-behaved Labradors. “This is important for me in a competition context: I need to fix this before I go bigger.”

On the second approach, the mare jumps cleanly and makes a neat left turn on landing.

“What I really like is that she’s not sliding over the jump,” comments Alex. “She’s pushing through her shoulders and her whole body is landing in great balance on the other side.”

Level two: the grid

The first bounce element is switched out for a pole and the fences are kept small while the horse gets her bearings. Alex performs a square turn and rides between the parallel uprights to the bounce.

“The tighter the turn, the taller your body. That way, you stay off the shoulder, in good balance and the canter remains uphill.”

Watching Alex approach and ride through the grid, his hand is noticeably soft and his seat has a neutral quality, although he remains in perfect balance throughout.

“I want to allow Arva to learn,” he explains. “My hands are soft and my body is passive because I want her to find the answer herself. I could use my position to make things clearer, but if she can do it without me, even better.”

Level three: all together

Alex turns right to the opening upright – but Arva comes in boldly and overshoots the line to the bounce.

“She’s a baby horse who’s just done cross-country, so she’s keen and wants to take on the contact,” says Alex. “But she doesn’t know where she’s going so next time, she’ll hopefully yield to the contact.”

This time, when Alex opens his right hand and applies his left leg over the fence, Arva turns squarely and smoothly to the grid on an easy four. Alex’s soft hand invites her to focus on her feet through the bounce and use her shoulder over the oxer.

Next, it’s time to put the fences up. With a bigger upright to contend with, Arva opens her stride and lands a little out of balance – Alex adjusts for five strides on the turn instead of four.

“The bigger the fence the more momentum you carry, and the trickier the turn. They have to be able to hold their balance after a big jump to turn for the bounce and exit with enough power to jump the big fence after that. This is really developing the half-halt and adjustability without losing power and forwardness.”

Riders need to be careful not to take too much of a check.

“It’s really important to be forward to the bounce, because the horse needs to push, and needs that energy to deliver another push in the middle of the bounce. This will also build core strength to create a nice shape.”

Stepping up

While the bounce remains small, the elements in and out of the exercise can be as big as you like.

“Just remember that the bigger they are, the more energy in the jump, the harder the turn,” says Alex.

The fences can be made into skinnies for a tougher test of straightness.

“Now, this is like doing a difficult combination at a five-star,” he remarks. “Same questions, just smaller fences.”

“In training, you’re giving the horse versatility, a toolbox to choose from and make adjustments.”

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Horseball, water treadmills and a French connection – nine things you didn’t know about Alex Bragg

Sharp and snappy: Gemma Stevens’ gridwork exercise that will teach your horse to be both careful and bold

Improve your horse’s footwork while jumping and have fun with Gemma Stevens’ gridwork exercise

Improve your horse’s rideability and straightness with Harry Meade’s three-fence jumping exercise

‘Aim to do this straightforward exercise to score 10 out of 10’: how Harry Meade uses polework to improve suppleness

Horse and rider training

Welcome to Horse & Hound’s training hub. Whether you are looking for techniques to improve your riding skills, insight from top trainers and riders on how to prepare your horse for a specific sport, or tips to help solve specific problems, you will find useful advice from experts to help.

Horse & Hound’s training exercise of the week

Choose a topic:

• Dressage
• Eventing
• Showjumping
• Showing
• Cross-country
• Hacking
• Polework
• Gridwork
• Lateral work
• Groundwork
• How horses learn
• Young horses
• Riding techniques
• Rider fitness
• Rider mindset
• Problem solving
• Learning to ride

Daily training inspiration

Execute smarter square halts with just four poles

• Improve horse’s straightness
• Help with accurate placement of the halt
• Create a square halt

Try today’s exercise or find more daily inspiration.

For this jumping training exercise, Harry Meade has set up three fences on a two-stride distance of 12 yards (see diagram below). The first and third fences will only be jumped in the second part of the exercise so these start at a taller height, whereas the top rail of the middle fence starts at 70cm. The middle fence has ground poles on either side, which are adjusted during the exercise. The height of the fences can be decided according to what you and your horse are comfortable jumping. In this case, Harry demonstrates jumping up to 1.30m.

The exercise targets engagement and straightness, as well as relaxation after the fence because it shows up any problems with rideability.

Starting Harry Meade’s jumping training exercise

Once warmed up in walk, trot and canter, Harry starts by jumping the middle fence at about 70cm on the diagonal. On landing, he rides one-and-a-half small circles of approximately 10m diameter around the first fence and comes back over the middle fence on the other diagonal, repeating the circle around the third fence on the other rein. He repeats this routine over the fence at the same height several more times on each rein, before giving the horse a break.

“The aim is to pop the fence like a small cavaletti – don’t get drawn into lengthening towards the fence or getting forward in your position,” he says. “Treat it as a pole on the ground and stay tall in your position, as this maintains the power created by the hindleg on the small circle, right the way to the fence, without it diminishing on the straight approach.

“It also requires a horse to land after a fence and soften so that within a few strides, the horse has concertinaed into a balanced canter on a small circle, as opposed to lengthening away from a fence, making it difficult to obtain the required size of canter and execute the desired line so soon on landing.”

Harry Meade has advice for those riding over-exuberant horses in jumping training.

“I’d ride with a bridged rein to stop the horse accelerating away from the fence and falling out through the shoulder in the circle, thereby making the circle too big,” he says. “I also have one finger in the neck-strap to discourage the horse from coming above the bridle on landing and run through the rein,” explains Harry, who uses bespoke thin neck straps that he can use “like an extra rein on the horse’s chest. This allows me to have control without riding on his mouth and shortening his neck.”

He keeps jumping the middle fence, until the horse settles and starts to operate in an increasingly relaxed canter.

The exercise

After a short break in walk, the warm-up routine is repeated with Harry again jumping continuously, but every second time the fence is jumped, the top rail is put up, then every other time it is jumped, the ground lines are widened. These changes are done efficiently so the horse is able to continue performing the exercise uninterrupted, while the fence gets progressively bigger with more generous ground lines.

“This exercise is good for working the canter on a small circle around the fence, then controlling the shoulder out of the circle so you have true straightness over the fence and into the next circle. Even when the fence is at its biggest, I want him popping over the fence as if it’s a cavaletti, landing in balance and self-carriage with relaxation.”

The next level

Harry then switches to jumping the straight line of all three fences a handful of times in both directions.

“The repetition of the figure of eights contains the canter, but the grid on the straight line rides comparatively open and long, so without adding in speed, the horse has to open up his jump, stretching through his body and ribcage without quickening,” he explains. “The two parts of the exercise test both ends of the spectrum, jumping from both a short and an open ground cover.”

You may also like to read…

‘Small fences help produce expressive, accurate flying changes’: how Harry Meade mixes dressage with cavaletti

‘Aim to do this straightforward exercise to score 10 out of 10’: how Harry Meade uses polework to improve suppleness

Harry Meade pilots three horses into the top 12 at Burghley: ‘I hate watching at the end’

Showing our love of horses – what we can all do to help secure equestrian sport’s future

‘I only ride her two or three times a week’: the work routine that propelled hot dressage mare to Olympic final

‘I start them at five, they all hack and we jump more in the winter’: Tom McEwen’s training ethos for young horses

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

For this training exercise, Harry Meade is riding Cooley Anything You Like (Neville), a rising 10-year-old by Camillo VDL. Last season the horse was competing at three- and four-star level, where flying changes start to be incorporated in the dressage test.

Harry has already given the horse a leg stretch through the lanes in the village and had a trot and canter in the school on each rein. He has set up four small fences (or cavaletti) along the centre line of the arena (see diagram – the circles are for the canter adjustability exercise later on).

He pops a few cavaletti individually from canter on one rein, before changing the rein and doing the same on the other.

“When teaching horses flying changes, a common mistake for some horses is to change late behind rather than the front and hindlegs changing in unison, particularly horses that have a weaker canter or are slow off the aids,” Harry explains.

“When horses do flying changes over a pole on the ground, they are often late behind – the front legs change over the pole while the hindlegs are planting down on the take-off spot, then they also change lead over the pole, but this is technically a late change. Instead, the hindlegs must change lead before the pole, while the front legs are over the pole.

“Giving a more demonstrative aid can cause a horse to accelerate in the change, so I like to use cavaletti to help as the horses don’t overreact to the clearer leg aid by accelerating, but by jumping a more expressive change. The cavaletti means that they get used to the aids, without running or tightening because there is a small fence to negotiate, so it is easier to stay in a rhythm.”

Harry Meade training: “Call out clean changes”

Harry has someone on the ground watching and forewarns them each time that he is about to change the rein over a cavaletti. They watch the hindlegs to see if the horse plants them on the take-off spot in the new position they call “clean”, or if they plant the hindlegs still in the original lead they call “late”.

Harry explains that when changing canter leads in a jumping round, Neville can “drop out” behind.

“He goes disunited, then takes a fumbled trot step before correcting to the new lead.”

Harry wants to teach Neville to make demonstrative, accurate changes, through giving very clear aids for a change just before the cavaletti, so that Neville changes behind on take-off and lands on the correct lead.

“My aim is to be able to switch the hind end to the new position, by positioning my legs in the new position on take off – I’m looking to point the tail to what will be the new inside, by riding renvers on the last stride before take-off. I’m looking for Neville to be more reactive through his body position when I put my leg on for the change, but without him bursting out of the contact.”

Harry jumps four cavaletti at random on the left rein in a fluid rhythm before using one to change the rein. A stride or two before take-off, Harry positions Neville in renvers (or right travers) and on cue Neville clearly plants his hindlegs in the new canter lead position, so the change is clean. Having jumped several more cavaletti on the right rein, Harry uses another to change back to the left lead, with Neville again planting his hindlegs in left canter lead at the point of take-off.

After several changes, Neville shows some exuberance, kicking out over the jump; Harry pats him on landing.

“If he overreacts with his hind end over the fence, or kicks out, then I don’t mind and he must still be rewarded, as that is better than under-reacting and being late to the change,” he says. “Once he understands the aids, it’s easy to achieve a clean change with a softer aid.

“Using renvers at the point of take-off, it’s easy for the horse to change, as the new inside hindleg – which up to now has been the trailing one – has less far to jump through to become the leading leg because of the positioning of the quarters in the renvers.”

Practise changing gears for canter adjustability

Harry also uses this line of cavaletti to practise adjustability in the canter, jumping three fences in a circle at one end, then opening up to canter along the long side before collecting the canter and making a circle over three fences at the other end, and lengthening on again to repeat it. You can add a small spread to open the horse up.

“Most showjump training exercises are performed in one monotonous gear, which is great for training but not always sufficient preparation for competition,” says Harry. “This exercise replicates the change of gears required in a showjumping course and refines the adjustability.

“It also acts as good early pre-season gym training for the horses after a period without much jumping. It works their jumping muscles with lots of low-intensity work, without big strenuous efforts.”

You may also like to read…

‘Aim to do this straightforward exercise to score 10 out of 10’: how Harry Meade uses polework to improve suppleness

Harry Meade pilots three horses into the top 12 at Burghley: ‘I hate watching at the end’

‘If I couldn’t compete it wouldn’t bother me’: Olympian Abi Lyle’s training mantras, including why praise, variety and turnout are key

Which of Ros Canter’s five-star aces is she tipping for next season – and her new dream for the future

‘I start them at five, they all hack and we jump more in the winter’: Tom McEwen’s training ethos for young horses

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Caroline Moore, a former five-star eventer who enjoyed great success during her time as British Eventing national under-18 coach and junior team coach, explains how you can use this gridwork exercise to encourage your horse to become straighter and quick on his feet. But, the horse in this video – which was filmed six years ago – is none other than the current European eventing champion and 2023 Badminton winner Lordships Graffalo, who is heading to the Paris Olympics next week with Ros Canter, who is also riding ‘Walter’ in this video.

Caroline says that while this is a fairly advanced exercise, it can be adapted to make it suitable for young horses.

The aims of the exercise are to:

• Develop confidence with a narrow fence
• Develop rider steering aids
• Help to train horse’s jumping technique
• Hold a line
• Develop straightness

Caroline explains this exercise:

“You jump into this exercise over an upright, followed by one non-jumping stride to a skinny. This teaches the horse to stay straight immediately. From that narrow fence we move onto a spread fence — I’m using an oxer that is square and encourages a good round shape. This is directly followed by another skinny on one stride to again establish straightness. The final element of this exercise is a bounce, which encourages the horse to read the pattern we’re asking him to negotiate and to improve their sharpness coming out of an exercise.

“This is a multi-directional exercise, so we can use the bounce coming in to start instead. The important thing when riding this initially is that the rider keeps their eyesight looking straight ahead, and if the horse backs off, they ride really positively, with a secure lower leg so that you’re in a good posture to land and ride forward to come out of the exercise with plenty of confidence.

“Riding a straight line through this exercise is imperative. As you come in, you must jump the first fence dead in the middle, keeping the inside leg very secure to maintain the line.

“You can then add another fence on a turn from the final element and then jump it either way. This makes it quite an advanced exercise and if you are jumping the single fence first, it’s crucial to make a good turn onto the line of fences. You need to keep hold of your outside rein, always looking to the next fence and with the weight down your inside heel to help keep your horse balanced.

“Once your horse has confidence jumping through this exercise at a small height, you can increase the size of the fences.

“You need to really concentrate on thinking about your horse’s outside shoulder coming through the turn first.”

Caroline’s points to be aware of:

• Losing balance and rhythm on the turn
• Drifting at the first fence
• Maintaining energy while jumping down the line
• Praise and reward

You might also be interested in:

Lordships Graffalo – meet Ros Canter’s supreme star who eats tack, licks cars and loves a cuddle

Ros Canter triumphs at Badminton with huge winning margin on ‘ultimate event horse’

Don’t get the cold shoulder: how to tackle a shoulder brush across country

Caroline Moore, former five-star eventer and British Eventing national under-18 coach and junior team coach, explains how to tackle shoulder

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the Paris Olympics, Royal International, Burghley and more with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Multi-medal winning event rider William Fox-Pitt shares his expertise, giving insights into his training methods, as well as offering advice to help you secure those vital extra marks in competition.

1. Ask someone to video your dressage test and watch it back while it is still fresh in your mind. Visual aids are very helpful and watching your test back allows you to see what the judge saw. Think about what mark you would have given yourself for each movement and where you could gain extra marks.

2. You will never ride a fault-free dressage test, no one does, so don’t panic if you make a mistake.

3. Don’t give the judge a mark. Make sure you do a square halt, your circles are round rather than square and you ride straight down the centre line.

4. When you are coming down the centre line ride straight, look the judge directly in the eyes and dare them to give you less than an eight!

5. Think of each movement in a dressage test as a sentence — liken it to capital letter, sentence, full stop.

6. When doing extended walk, make sure your horse’s poll is lower than his wither, he is on the bit but his nose is slightly forward and you ride him forward and into the rein.

7. Don’t always ride with spurs and/or a whip. Vary it so your horse doesn’t become used to it.

8. A good exercise to do in trot is to change your diagonal every other stride, rising in between. This helps you to soften and give and will improve your sitting trot. By rising you are also encouraging your horse to go forward.

9. Always start small when you are jumping, even with experienced horses. Horses and riders can lose confidence quickly and it will play on their mind if things go wrong so start out easy and build up to jumping bigger, wider or skinnier.

10. Practise jumping out of trot. It helps to improve reactions in both horse and rider and makes the horse decide for himself where he is taking off. Cross-country schooling in trot is useful too.

11. When educating a horse, jump lots of weird and wonderful obstacles on different angles. The jumps don’t have to be big but exposing the horse to a variety of fences is an important training aid.

12. As a rider make sure you are fit enough for the job. Fitness is very important and being tired is no excuse, if your horse is tired you need to be fit enough to deal with it.

You may also be interested in…

William Fox-Pitt: 17 pearls of jumping wisdom

The prolific event rider shares his advice and knowledge when it comes to jumping

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Want some training tips from Ingrid Klimke? The eventing and dressage championship medallist shared some pearls of wisdom at Wellington Riding earlier this month…

1. Horse should go out every day: “Sometimes an owner will bring a horse who’s 10 and say she’s not allowed to go out and I’ll say leave her here two weeks and I’ll send you a video of her grazing, going for a hack!”

2. Variety is key in training. Even Ingrid’s dressage horses will train over cavaletti and go up the racetrack.

3. Don’t change the routine before a big event: “Over the years I’ve learnt things happen in the lorry, in the stable – if they are going to happen, they will happen. You have to keep horses as much like horses as you can and hope they have the instincts to stay alive.”

4. Be mindful about what order you ride horses and whether they go out before or after work. “I ride the ones who need all their energy for training first.”

5. Be flexible about competition plans – you will have to make changes according to the weather and ground and how the horses are going. “We have one mare who is sensitive and she needs more time to recover after competitions. If you have 10 horses, you will have 10 schedules in mind.”

6. Horses need a break of seven or eight weeks after a long format three-day event and still only do one or two long formats a year at the top level. Young horses compete more often to gain experience.

7. Try to see a cross-country course through the horse’s eyes when you first walk it – and then remember you are coming in canter.

8. As a coach, don’t try to change more than three things at once. And remember how difficult it is to change a habit.

9. If you rush the basics and miss out steps on the ladder, you’ll have to go back and fill them in one day. Take it step by step, be patient.

10. Don’t try to train something difficult three days in a row – it won’t be any better on the third day. Lunge the horse on the third day, let them stretch forward and down as much as they want, then start again the next day.

11. Cooling down is really important after a test, whether the horse comes out tense or has done a good test, and after cross-country too. Stretch them in trot and sometimes even in canter in a light seat.

12. It’s important the saddle is comfortable for the rider as well as the horse: “I prefer saddles that don’t have huge knee rolls, so I can shorten the stirrups and go for a hack or do a jump after dressage.”

13. Work hard on yourself. Always ask yourself what you can do to be better. And treat the horse as your best friend.

You might also be interested in:

12 training principles from Olympic medallist and former European champion Tina Cook

Fitness, polework and details: six training tips from double Olympic medallist Tom McEwen

Nine secrets of successful cross-country from Tim and Jonelle Price

‘You can self coach’ – how to improve your riding without lots of lessons

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

A significant amount of planning and preparation goes into getting ready for an eventing competition. From fitness programmes to lessons, new kit to travel arrangements, you have probably spent weeks (if not months) gearing up for the big day. But have you given any thought to what you will do with your horse the day before the event? We investigate further.

What to do with your horse the day before an event

Should you be running through your dressage test, popping him over some jumps or giving him a day off? We talk to some top riders and trainers to find out what the ideal preparation should be.

“If a horse doesn’t do anything the day before a competition, then they can often be too fresh at the event. I think it’s important for their well-being, suppleness and brain that they do something,” says British Eventing (BE) accredited coach Cindy Llewellyn.

Five-star event rider Georgie Goss agrees and will often jump her horses the day before a competition.

“It depends on their individual temperaments and needs, but generally the good jumpers will do a course and if they struggle with jumping then I will do some gridwork with them. I’ve always done it like that and it’s always worked,” explains Georgie.

“I always do something with my horses. There can be a lot of pressure at a competition, so if you jump them the day before it just takes the edge off them.”

Event rider Nat Dixon, who has completed Badminton and Burghley and was shortlisted for the Sydney Olympics, is not a fan of jumping her horses before they compete, instead preferring to school them.

“I don’t like to jump mine the day before as I think it stresses the muscles,” says Nat. “Unless they are really gifted, I won’t school them at a difficult level, I prefer to work them in a long, low frame and do a lot of lateral work. I’m not saying what I do is right, but it works for me.”

Individual preferences seem to be the key, with riders and trainers in agreement that it is important to do something with your horse the day before you take him to a competition, but there’s no set rule as to what that activity should be.

“We always work our horses the day before — they would never do nothing, but what work they do will vary by horse,” says Australian event rider Bill Levett. “Some may have a flatwork session, others might jump, or go for a piece of hill work or a lunge for a stretch. What they do will be tailored to the specific horse and what suits it in terms of a pre-event preparation.”

“We would not typically gallop a horse the day before it competes and if working towards a big three-day event we taper the work down and do our final ‘big’ prep gallop 10 days before the horse is due to run cross-country at its event,” adds Bill.

While it might not be a good idea to gallop your horse the day before, Cindy Llewellyn believes a brief canter can be advantageous for those horses competing at the higher eventing levels.

“At intermediate and above it can be a good idea to clear the horse’s airways by giving them a short, sharp canter the day before they go cross-country,” says Cindy. “I don’t think a horse needs an intense drilling but running through their dressage test can be useful to the rider, or going on a hack where they can stretch and you can do some leg yielding to work on their suppleness can be advantageous too.”

While riders and trainers advocate riding their horses the day before a competition, vet Leticia Macias Bricio from Wessex Equine Veterinary Practice doesn’t believe there is any significant risk to your horse’s physical well-being if he has a day off immediately before he competes.

“All horses need a day of rest and if that day happens to be the day before a competition I don’t think it’s a risky thing,” says Leticia. “It obviously depends on the level of competition and your horse, but ideally I would say you should make sure your horse moves the day before, don’t leave them in the stable all day, but don’t exhaust them — a light hack is a good idea.”

“Horses are routine animals so the most important thing is to keep things the same and make sure they stay relaxed,” concludes Leticia.

Bill Levett agrees: “We try to keep their routine unchanged as much as possible before or during or after a competition — they will live out if they are used to living out for example the night before an event.”

All horses are individuals and have different needs and preferences so ensure you know your horse and consider what works for him when planning what to do the day before a competition.

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This weekend, why not have some fun, rope in some volunteers and get creative with our helpful inspiration for how to make your own jumps? While we would all love a course of professional showjumps, not everyone can afford a beautiful set to rival to the top show centres. You also may find yourself hours away from your nearest cross-country schooling venue.

“You don’t have to get too worried about making anything too professional,” says eventer Sharon Hunt. “It doesn’t have to look brilliant, as long as it’s safe and you can make it yourself!”

How to make your own jumps

1. Tyres

Robust, long-lasting and very attainable. Tyres can have multiple uses — from raising poles, to being cut in half and used as makeshift fillers. Contact local garages and scrap yards and keep your eyes peeled on social media selling sites where you can often pick up tyres that are being given away.

2. Plastic barrels

Plastic barrels can act as great jump wings. Fill with sand to weigh them down and you can purchase barrel jump-cups online to hang on the barrels and hold the poles, turning them into your own showjumps. Just make sure they are weighted or fixed so they can’t roll.

Or think cross-country. “I use blue plastic barrels a lot,” says five-star eventer Kitty King. “I use two barrels with a short pole between them to create skinnies, or I jump a single barrel with poles for arrowhead practice. These can be done on grass or an arena. You can build corner jumps and angles too — it’s great in the arena for introducing horses to cross-country ideas.”

3. Pallets

Wooden pallets are a firm favourite with equestrians for their versatility. They can sometimes be picked up from distribution companies that discard them and can then be broken down into sections providing materials for building wings, gates and fillers. Just make sure there are no protruding nails or wooden shards that might cause an injury.

“When I very first started, I remember I didn’t have a gate and there was always one at Hickstead and so my dad got a pallet and built a gate out of one,” says showjumper Nicole Pavitt.

4. MDF

Sheets of MDF are inexpensive and can be purchased from DIY stores. If you’re feeling artistic why not paint your own filler design? Join these together with bolts to feet made from pallets and you can have your own bespoke fillers.

“I’ve used pieces of MDF in front of barrels to make a nice skinny fence, ” says Kitty.

5. Poles and Planks

Sawmills and agricultural stores often sell wooden poles at a considerably cheaper rate to showjump poles. Leave them rustic or get creative and paint them any colour you choose for your own personalised jump poles.

“Paint them really bright — the brighter the better!” says Sharon, who has been doing more showjumping in recent years. “I used to knock down the Hickstead plank so we painted our own planks red with our names in white, exactly like the Hickstead ones to practise at home. It’s good to practise the things you have problems with. We used to speak to a local paint company and they would sometimes give us the leftover paint that nobody wanted.”

6. Hedges and logs

If you have your own land at home, you could be sitting on your own cross-country course. Sharon explains how basic raw materials helps her train for cross-country at home.

“We use logs cut down from trees and if you have a wooded area you can put some jumps in and out of, so when you go through you are jumping from light to dark,” she says. “If you have hedges between your fields you could trim them down and then jump in and out over it. You can make things really simply just using the things you have.”

7. Blankets

“I make coffin jumps simply using poles and a blanket,” says Kitty. “I’ll put a blue blanket on the ground with poles either side — just make sure the sides are pinned down so they don’t blow up and spook the horse!”

8. Plant pots

A plain looking jump can be made into a Hickstead-worthy fence in no time. Look around the garden and make the most of plant pots with bright flowers that can work really well under fences. Just don’t borrow anyone’s prize specimens without asking first!

9. Water jumps

Sharon remembers practising water trays at home by taking advantage of the great British weather.

“Our school would sometimes flood and I’d simply build a fence around that. Use the things you have to your advantage,” she says.

10. Recycle

Before you throw out old poles or fence posts, cut off the broken ends and so you have a short pole to create a skinny.

Safety first

When making your own jumps, always make safety the first priority. Care should always be taken when working with wood to ensure all nails are removed and there are no screws sticking out that could cause injury.

“Horses do have accidents and can stop at things so you have to use wood that won’t shatter or splinter and remember to make it jumpable and inviting,” says Sharon. “The jump has to be safe.”

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Top coach Caroline Moore has launched a new initiative to help the next generation of leading event riders and aspiring high-level coaches receive the all-round support they need.

The idea behind the scheme, the Performance Mentoring Programme, is to give riders starting out in their careers complete support to succeed at the top from some of the best in the business. It will incorporate areas such as training and mentoring, business advice, understanding rules, season planning, plus syndicate and sponsorship guidance.

For coaches, the programme is designed to give those with aspirations of coaching teams in future opportunities to further their careers through shadowing world-leading trainers.

“It’s something that I have always wanted to do,” Caroline told H&H. “We ran a pilot scheme this year with 12 riders, who had some fantastic results.”

The riding arm of the programme will involve around a dozen chosen 21- to 30-year-olds, who are competing at advanced but are not on the World Class programme or pathway. Riders can be on the programme for a maximum of three years and the aim is to give young professionals a boost to help them make their mark in the senior ranks.

Caroline, Ros Canter and Nick Turner will oversee the programme and riders will have access to training from BHS fellows, BE master coaches or an experienced international team coach.

Each rider will be encouraged to mentor two younger riders, so the knowledge and support they receive is continually paid forward to benefit generations and the wider sport for years to come.

The coaching development side will have five or six coaches initially and will be led by Sue Ringrose and Caroline. Big names are already confirmed to support the programme, including Dickie Waygood and Yogi Briesner.

“It’s really hard to get into coaching at higher levels and looking to the future of the sport, it’s really important that people get that experience. These development coaches will have the chance to work with riders competing at four- and five-star to build their experience,” Caroline said.

“We’re going to encourage these coaches to work together and to inspire each other to be better and better.”

Support will be provided free through the community interest company, with fundraisers already in the pipeline.

Performance Mentoring Programme rider Saffron Creswell, who was also part of the pilot year, told H&H it “has been brilliant”, adding that there is a real personalised approach to the support the riders receive.

She said additional help provided on the programme, with areas such as season planning, has been a massive benefit, as have the Zoom calls where those involved can all discuss ideas together.

“The support we get is unique to us and that is what has been so nice,” she said.

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Caroline Moore: How to train your horse to jump an angled skinny fence

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits. 

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

You can use the scales of training to self coach and improve your own riding, say two of Britain’s top eventing coaches.

British eventing performance manager Dickie Waygood and coach Chris Bartle talked about this and the importance of the basics in every day training in a webinar published by the Lucinda Green XC Academy, hosted by six-time Badminton Horse Trials winner Lucinda Green.

Dickie spoke about how he encourages riders to incorporate the scales of training – rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection – into their own progress and how you can use them to improve your riding.

“When people come to me and don’t know the scales, I ask them to print three copies and laminate them – one for in their horse box, one for their tack room and one for their bedside locker,” he said.

“You can look at the sales of training just before you ride, or when you’re in the horsebox on the way to a show or before going to bed. You can look through your scales and give yourself a mark for where you are – I got a six today for straightness, so in my training tomorrow, how am I going to make that a 6.5 or a seven? Where am I for rhythm? It keeps fluctating, I’m on a five – so how can I get that to a six?

“So you can use the scales to self coach – it’s a really easy way of using the scales of training, using the basics.”

Lucinda asked what the equivalent was of the scales of training for cross-country performance.

Chris said: “Frankly I think it’s an important point that the word dressage comes from a French word meaning training. The training we want to make our horses effective on the cross-country – to go clear inside the time – that training is very much connecting the three phases. The dressage training that we want to see, the dressage performance we want to see in the arena, is one that’s going to lend itself to that effective cross-country riding and then of course showjumping.

“I keep emphasising that in my cross-country training as much as in the dressage arena, that starting point of the scales of training.”

Dickie added – and Chris agreed – that he would slightly change the order of the scales for event horses: “It’s part of a jigsaw, but for me with an event horse, straightness comes before impulsion in the scales of training because of the nature of what we’re doing with our horses – the back legs following the front legs, even on a circle. That way we know the horse stays on railway tracks and biomechanically can shorten or lengthen.

“We know the horse’s job is to avoid a skinny fence and if they go out through the shoulder, they lose the ability to shorten or lengthen. You see many brave horses glance off fences across country, because their biomechanics will not let them shorten or lengthen when they’re out through their shoulder and not straight.”

Three rules for cross-country

Dickie also spoke about his three rules for cross-country and again how as a competitor, you can use these to improve your riding.

“The rules all have sub paragraphs, but firstly the rider must sit in balance, secondly the rider must put the horse in the correct way of going for the question in hand, and thirdly the rider must provide the line,” he said.

“I hear Chris saying to riders, ‘Which rule did you break?’ So again you can self coach and if you stick to those rules the outcome looks after itself. It’s a simplistic way of looking at it, but it seems to work.”

Dickie also spoke about the fact that the best athletes are not necessarily those with the best technical skills, but those who have the attitude and temperament to follow the system at events.

“You only need enough technical skills to get the job done – if the fence is 3ft high, the horse only needs to clear it by 3ft and half an inch,” he said, mentioning the example of Michael Jung at the Rio Olympics, who did not have a stellar score in any part of his dressage test with La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, but delivered consistency.

“The horse only had so much in his trot, so much in his canter, so much in his walk, but he delivered and just had enough technical skills. But most importantly, both horse and rider had the character to deliver on the field of play under pressure.

“So we go back to you need enough technical skills to get the job done, but that attitude and character is absolutely essential to deliver on any given day of 365 days of the year.”

Dickie added: “If you have a bad day in the office, if you stuck to the system and stuck to the rules and it doesn’t come off that day, you can look yourself in the eye, but if you come away from a competition and you broke the rules, you’ve not stuck to the system, it’s hard to look yourself in the eye. That can take a long time for an athlete to get over, that under pressure they haven’t stuck to the system.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Say goodbye to shouting instructions and the stress of straining to hear your trainer whether you are having a lesson, schooling or warming up at a competition with this great selection of wireless communication systems.

As a rider, these wireless communication systems mean you can receive clear instructions without being in close proximity to your trainer. As a trainer, it means you don’t have to shout and you can give and receive instant feedback.

The best wireless communication systems for horse riding are compact, lightweight, easy to recharge and can be attached securely. Another thing to note is that a one-way conversation option has less lag time and often clearer sound compared to a two-way system, but some products have the option to do both.

If you usually train in an area with good phone signal, it’s possible to have the same effect on a phone call with wireless earbuds.

Best wireless communication systems

Ceecoach 2

RRP: From £159 |

With this wireless system, up to six participants can communicate with each other clearly for up to 500m via Bluetooth. It allows for two-way communication, and all of the features can be controlled with just three buttons. The rechargeable battery allows 10 hours of talk time and up to three days of standby time. If you want two headsets, you should opt for the Ceecoach 2 Duo.

In the UK? View now at amazon.co.uk

WHIS Wireless Home Instruction System

RRP: £246 |

Available in six colours, this one-way wireless system allows communication from coach to rider with clear sound and no delay. They can be used 280m apart in an open space and come with a charging port.

If you’re looking for multiple receiving sets, the WHIS Duo comes with one instructor transmitter and two rider receivers.

Nossewej Easy Train One-way Wireless Instruction System

RRP: £149 |

This wireless system allows for one-way communication from trainer to pupil up to 300m away.

Sound Fields Equestrian Wireless Training System

RRP: From £199 |

This compact and lightweight wireless training system has an LCD display showing volume, remaining battery life and system status. The rechargeable battery allows more than 20 hours of operation for receiver and 15 hours for the transmitter.

Coach2Rider EX Competition

RRP: £195 |

This two-way coaching set has no delay so the coach and rider can receive immediate feedback from each other. The pocket-sized units can be attached to a lanyard and each set comes with two headsets with microphones.

They have 50 channels, a 100m range and a long-lasting battery.

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If you compete in the show ring or dressage arena, it is essential that you can teach a horse to stand still. Without a secure, tidy halt at the beginning, end and sometimes in the middle of your performance, you can lose valuable marks and miss out on a placing.

But as we encourage our horses to move freely and forward in all paces, encouraging them to stand still can be challenging at the beginning of training and even more so if fidgeting becomes a habit.

Cheshire-based producer Vicky Smith has taken several horses through the ranks and confirms that it’s the work you do at home which will ultimately help your horse stand when at a competition.

“We make our horses stand a lot,” says Vicky. “Firstly, they have to stand when you get on at the mounting block and not walk off as soon as you touch the saddle as this is so important for when the ride judge gets on in the ring.

“When I’m schooling I will often stand in the middle of the school for five minutes while other horses are schooled around me, and I sometimes drink a cup of tea while sat on them.”

Vicky likes to teach a horse to stand still while out hacking.

“It gets them used to confidently and patiently halting in a different environment; if they can’t stop quietly for a few minutes while you chat to your neighbour, they’re probably not going to remain still in the ring,” Vicky adds. “If we’re working with a tricky or young horse we will hack him out with an older, placid horse so they can learn from them. They will usually always mirror the other horse and hopefully pick up their good habits.

“When we’re working with the youngsters we always reward good behavior, too; if we’re mounting for the first few times and the horse stands we will offer him a polo to confirm the good habit.

“It’s also important to make them stand while handling them on the ground.”

Sara Parrott and Craig Elenor produce all types of horses and ponies, and their team includes several mini mounts who are piloted by young riders. Sara confirms that if you’re having trouble making your horse stand still, then you’re certainly not alone.

“A lot of people come for a lesson and I’ll watch the pony fidget while it is tacked up, walk around while they’re trying to get on and then continue not to stand when they’re in the arena,” she says. “The rider asks why the pony won’t stand and it’s because horses don’t know the difference between being asked to stand on the ground and then in the school or ring. They have to stand when needed at all times.”

When Sara begins working with a new pony, routine is implemented from the beginning.

“When we muck out they’re tied up, they stand on the crossties when being groomed and they’re not allowed to barge or nudge us out of our own space,” Sara says. “If you allow a horse to constantly move around it creates grey areas that is confusing for them. You need to look at your own system and see what you can do everyday to reinforce the good habit. If you do this then you’re unlikely to have a problem in the ring. In this game, standing still is so important and it’s hard to get an animal out of the problem once it starts.

“When starting a young horse off, we teach a horse to stand still by halting them on the long lines for a while and won’t progress until then can stand still confidently.

“The breakers are tacked up in the middle of the stable and if they move forward they are stepped back; they need to know about personal space and that they can’t walk into people. As trainers we have a responsibility to teach them good manners so they can go on to find good homes. If we don’t we’re doing them a disservice.

“We had a native pony who had got into the habit of not standing so I’d take him hacking, make a phone call and ask him to stand until he got bored of it. Initially, I’d stand him for short bursts of time, praise him and then let him go home. Eventually, he got out of it with lots of time and positive reinforcement.”

Mini ponies can be particularly difficult to train as they’re being ridden by younger jockeys with less experience.

“Ponies often fidget in the presentation as the riders get tense when the results are called out; it’s the only time I tell our riders that they can fully relax and sit like a sack of potatoes. But ultimately, if a pony won’t stand at home or in the collecting ring, it’s too much to ask the little ones to stand them in the ring.

“Horses spend a lot of their time standing in the stable so they know how to do it, it’s just about training and ensuring you’re doing your bit to create good habits.”

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Take a look at this exercise from five-star Irish event rider, Clare Abbott (pictured), that with the help of using cavaletti, is designed to steady and balance the canter, both on the approach to a fence and on landing

Aim

Using cavaletti to help train your horse has lots of benefits including improving elasticity and flexibility. Adding a fence before and after a row of cavaletti allows the rider to maintain a steady and balanced canter to, and away from, a fence and work on landing on the correct lead.

The fact that the horse sees another round of cavaletti in front of him after landing should help teach him to shift his weight back onto the hind end and be more careful.

The goal is to improve the quality of the horse’s canter and balance, and for the rider to maintain softness and control throughout the exercise.

The exercise: using cavaletti

1. When your horse is capable of performing pole work at trot and canter in a straight line, you can then progress to cantering over four cavaletti, which I set up as bounces on a 20m circle. There should be four human paces at the widest part and three at the narrowest.

2. The rider must first concentrate on cantering through the centre of the cavaletti and then continue on round the circle in a good rhythm. After a few repetitions, you can then move to the inside or outside of the poles to shorten and lengthen your horse’s stride.

3. The height of the cavaletti can be altered as the horse progresses (raise one end on the inside, outside or alternate ends depending on the horse’s weaknesses). This will improve the horse’s balance and carefulness and encourage him to look where he is placing his feet.

4. Now add in two fences on the diagonal line. This gives the rider the flexibility to perform changes of rein while maintaining the quality of the canter and rhythm to, and away from, a fence. The fences can be small oxers (or any fence you wish) to encourage the horse to stretch and bascule. It is the rider’s job to land and pick up a good rhythm back to the cavaletti.

Tips and pitfalls

● This exercise can be physically demanding so should be progressed over a number of weeks. If your horse is young or inexperienced, start off with two cavaletti and build up to four.

● Your horse may become unbalanced and change legs through the cavaletti. It’s important that, with the rider’s help, they keep the correct bend throughout their body and stay in the centre of the poles. Check there is enough bend in the canter on the pole-free side of the circle. Keep the cavaletti small until you can do this smoothly and easily.

● If your horse drifts either way, it is highlighting that he’s weaker in that direction. Sometimes all it takes is the rider to stay focused on the exact line and soon the horse gets the hang of it. To help him, you can raise the poles slightly on the side he falls in/out to help encourage him to stay straight.

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Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Keysoe International will concentrate on being a “world-class” training venue, as it steps away from hosting British Eventing (BE) competitions.

Yesterday (26 October) BE said it had been told Keysoe will no longer be in the BE calendar from 2022 onwards, adding BE will be looking at alternative options for replacement fixtures. This year Keysoe held three events; in May, August, and an international in July. Before the pandemic, when the venue was under its previous owner, it also hosted BE arena eventing competitions.

In a statement a spokesman for Keysoe International said whatever the venue does, it wants to do “really well”.

“Of all the events we run, eventing does not make any money, and food and drink sales are also poor, plus very high overheads. We often use food and drink sales to subsidise our costs to keep the equine community able to use this facility,” she said.

“Keysoe has never been a venue to attract substantial footfall numbers and this won’t change either, so it’s not a matter of more marketing. We are therefore left with reserving 80% of our total land for what equates to eight days of competitions a year at a financial loss. We cannot run competitions and training on the same ground due to being clay based. We are therefore now concentrating on Keysoe International being a world-class training venue for eventing, rather than for eventing competitions.”

The spokesman added that all jumps will have all-weather take-off and landing pads, and many new fences have been commissioned.

“We also now have four large water complexes. We will be running all levels of cross-country clinics and camps, as well as schooling sessions,” she said.

“We will be offering the opportunity to train with professional and Olympic riders when the season starts again. This may not be a popular decision with all but the important focus is to make sure Keysoe International stays as an equestrian elite centre with good financial management and top-level upkeep.”

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Retired Olympic event rider Blyth Tait shares his expertise on how to improve horse control using a jumping exercise at home, honing power and direction…

How to improve horse control

Aim

Simple exercises are often the most effective. This one involves building two fences — a vertical and a parallel — on a four- or five- stride (20-24m) related distance, ideally down the centre line of the school. The horse is circled in between the two fences.

Many of the horse’s attributes will be tested, from his suppleness and balance to his ability to bend and maintain a rhythm.

The ultimate aim is to achieve greater engagement, impulsion, control, rhythm and smoothness. The horse learns about patience, cantering in different gears and how to jump with contained power rather than speed. For the rider the exercise is all about sitting still, communicating with clarity and thinking ahead.

Exercise

1. Approach the vertical in “first gear” — a controlled, collected canter. Ride as small a circle as possible — ideally 10-12m — in the same collected canter after the vertical. While riding the circle, the rider must maintain the horse’s balance through the hand. They also need to be active with their leg to keep the horse’s hindleg engaged under the body. Also focus on looking ahead and controlling the horse’s shoulder.

2. On completion of the circle, allow the horse to move up to “third gear” and lengthen his stride. The rider’s hand should move forward and soften to “release the beast” as the horse opens up his frame over the parallel.

3. Reverse the process and jump the spread first — a different exercise requiring more control. Start with an open stride for the parallel. On landing, ride a circle in a collected, balanced canter, with the horse bent around the inside leg. Maintain this pace to the vertical, allowing the fence to come to the horse.

4. If you lack room, build the fences against a wall or the side of the school. This makes the exercise harder in that the rider has to be more proactive in ensuring that the horse lands on the correct lead so they can exit the exercise in balance around the corner.

Tips and pitfalls

• The rider may not always be thinking ahead. It is important to remain proactive throughout to be able to show the horse what to do.
• The horse must be on the aids and listening to the rider or he will be tempted to rush the fences.
• On the circle, the rider needs to keep active with their leg because it is all too easy for the horse to fall into “tranter” (trot/canter). If the horse drops behind the leg, he may stop at the parallel as he comes off the circle.
• If starting the exercise with the parallel, don’t over-ride it or the horse will be unable to perform the circle.
• Resist performing the exercise too often. For a youngster, six times twice a week is probably ideal.

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The five-star event rider explains how this bounce grid exercise can improve a horse’s jumping technique

Bounce grid exercise

Aim

I use this simple row of four fences on bounce distances with all my horses. It helps to improve their footwork and jumping technique, while allowing the rider to focus on their position. It can add variety to your jump training and is a good exercise where the horse does most of the work, encouraging him to really use himself and work out where to put his feet. It is also a great exercise for creating independence in the horse when he is jumping — he has to work everything out for himself and get himself out of trouble, which ultimately makes him more agile.

The fences don’t have to be high, and you can come in trot to keep it simple. All the rider has to focus on is maintaining the correct position and balance, and then leave the horse alone to do the rest.

Because it is quite a gymnastic exercise, it is also beneficial for improving strength, fitness and suppleness, which is one of the reasons why I use it with my older horses through the winter to keep them ticking over, without making them jump too high.

The bounce grid exercise

1. Depending on the age and experience of the horse, start with poles on the floor where the bounces would be. The poles should be placed at 3.6m (12ft) intervals. If your poles are normal competition length, they’re 12ft long, making them the same length as the distance, so it’s really easy to measure. The first pole should be 3ft closer to the second, as this will act as a place pole for the first fence. If the horse is young, I suggest trotting over the poles on the floor a few times first to get them used to where everything will be.

2. Raise the second pole — about 60-80cm, depending on experience — and approach in trot, as it gives the horse time to assess the jump and prevents him from using speed to create power.

3. Raise each fence, one at a time, until all fences are up and there are three bounces, allowing the horse to jump through the grid each time.

4. If the horse is jumping down the grid with ease and confidence, add an oxer one stride after the final bounce. Continuing to approach in trot means the horse has to create his own power without rushing, usually resulting in a better technique.

Tips and pitfalls

• Once the horse understands what is being asked, leave him as much as you can safely, with just a gentle contact on the rein and a light lower-leg aid. This will allow him to use himself, ensuring he’s not relying on the rider.
• Make sure to approach at the correct speed, which should be a forward-thinking trot. Too slow and the horse won’t have enough energy, too fast and he won’t have time to place his feet correctly.
• Be wary of getting in front of the horse when jumping bounces. He will need room to lift up his shoulders, so a light seat position is preferable to leaning forward.

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Sarah Bullimore’s figure-of-eight jumping exercise for focus

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

This simple exercise, courtesy of top event rider Francis Whittington (pictured), provides a solid foundation for skinnies and arrowheads to help you when jumping a horse on an angle

Jumping a horse on an angle — the aim

If the horse understands that he must stay straight, no matter what he is presented with, then you can jump anything. There’s no need to practise repeatedly over arrowheads and skinnies. The trick is to create an angle over a basic fence so the horse develops balance through his shoulder. By teaching him to be straight and even into the contact, you can both work on the precision needed for these more technical fences using a very straightforward jump — without scaring yourselves.

Exercise

1. Set up a simple fence on the centre line of your schooling area, something small and upright but wide. It should be easy, so the horse can work well within his comfort zone and you can both concentrate on staying straight and accurate. Canter down the centre line and over the fence in each direction, aiming for the middle spot each time.

2. Gradually increase the angle of the approach, still aiming for the centre of the fence and controlling the horse’s outside shoulder with your leg. His job is to stay straight in the direction you ride him, so make this clear.

3. With this established, you can begin to ask more questions. Continue to increase the approach angle by increments until you are almost coming across the arena on the diagonal. With practice, you’ll both develop an eye for jumping the fence on an angle.

4. Now aim to start jumping towards the outer edge of the fence. This will give the horse the opportunity to run out, but he should by now understand the requirement to jump.

5. Once you’ve mastered the exercise in the arena, try it over a basic fence when you’re cross-country schooling. It’s something you can practise on your own, without a trainer, and should provide a solid foundation when you do move on to the more demanding technical fences.

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Tips and pitfalls

• A run-out in the early stages means going back to square one, so take things steady and don’t be tempted to rush the process. Increase the approach angle over a number of sessions.
• Be positive, but aim for accuracy rather than pace.
• Stay balanced in the saddle and be confident about jumping straight at your chosen angle, leaving your horse sure which way to go.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Riding a grid of fences teaches a horse to land on the right leg and makes the rider aware of their line, explains five-star event rider Ben Way (pictured), who tells us his tips for improving horse rideability.

Aim

This is an exercise I picked up during an Equine Pathway training day with the aim of improving horse rideability. The aim is to improve a horse’s focus, straightness and rideability between fences. It is also good for making the rider conscious of their line and teaching a horse to land on the right leg.

I use the layout of a very standard grid and am looking for the horse to lock onto the fence — even though you may be jumping it at an acute angle — and stay on the line you have chosen. They should stay straight, think for themselves and shorten their stride independently.

It should also make the horse more aware of the front leg on the inside of the angle on the figure of eight, as this will need to act more quickly as it has less room than the one on the outside of

the angle.

Improving horse rideability

1. The height and layout of the fences can vary depending on the experience and ability of the horse. I build the grid down the centre of the school and start off with a cross-pole, with one stride to an upright and then two strides to a parallel oxer. All fences need to be built so that they can be jumped from both directions.

2. Begin by riding a figure of eight over each fence individually, starting with the cross-pole, before moving on to the next fence in the grid (see diagram one).

3. For more experienced horses, you can then add the second element of the exercise by riding a curving line over the first and third parts of the grid in a figure of eight (see diagram two).

4. The fences simulate a combination on the cross-country so you want the horse to be listening so they know where they are going, on which leg and to which fence.

Tips and pitfalls

• For younger horses I tend to make sure that there are ground lines on all fences. For the older and more experienced horses I take these away.
• If horses aren’t used to jumping on an angle, I always jump the cross-pole first out of trot to give them time.
• It is vital to make sure you are very clear with your aids, so your horse knows which fence to jump, and avoids locking on to the wrong fence.
• The further apart the fences are built, the less acute the angles will be on the figure of eight. If you have a problem, open the distance up to three strides between the second and third element.

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This simple exercise provides a solid foundation for skinnies and arrowheads to help you when jumping a horse on an

#SundaySchool: Georgie Spence and the benefits of working over bounces on a curve

Event rider Georgie Spence explains how performing bounces on a curve can teach a horse to be quick and neat

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The highlight of Oxfordshire-based Irish event rider Aoife Clark’s career to date is seventh at the 2012 Olympics with Master Crusoe. Aoife has won at Bramham and Blenheim, and has had two top-10 Badminton finishes. She competed a string of 10 horses this season and gave birth to baby Patrick in May 2019. Here she shares her advice on how to keep your horse straight over a fence.

How to keep your horse straight over a fence

I love this exercise and use it on my experienced horses, including Fernhill Adventure and Celus D Ermac Z, as well as the youngsters. I vary the intensity of it with the height of the fences and the size of the loops — not less than 20-30m for the youngsters or 15m for the advanced horses.

Falling out through the outside shoulder on a turn is a common problem and it can lead to issues in keeping straight to a fence. I use this simple gymnastic exercise because it helps to keep the shoulders straight, plus it is brilliant for improving rideability, suppleness and balance.

Tackling the issue

1. To warm up, place a few cross-poles along the centre line of your school (see diagram). How many you use will depend on the size of your school. Also place parallel feeder poles before and after each cross-pole, to encourage straightness.

2. With a young horse, ride through the serpentine in trot first to help him stay balanced. Concentrate on keeping straight through the feeder poles for at least a couple of strides after each obstacle. Then focus on trying to ride the turns square. Remember to use your outside aids to encourage your horse not to collapse in on the bend, which will lead to his shoulders falling out. This is the vital part of the exercise.

3. If the horse has understood the exercise, progress to tackling the serpentine in canter. If he lands on the wrong leg, bring him back to trot to change legs, but keep riding the square turns.

4. Concentrate on keeping your body upright in the saddle and make sure you look in the direction in which you are heading. If you collapse, so will the horse, and he will lose his balance on landing. Your position should encourage your horse to land on the correct leg for the turn while also maintaining straightness during landing.

Continued below…

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Sarah Bullimore’s figure-of-eight jumping exercise for focus

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Things to consider

• This can be a difficult exercise for younger horses who struggle with balance, so don’t overdo it initially.
• Repetition and consistency is key, but if the horse doesn’t understand what to do, return to it another time.
• For experienced horses, gradually increase the difficulty by raising the fences and removing the feeder poles to test straightness.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Alex Whewall is a five-star event rider based near Bristol. He is a regular on the national and international circuits with a string of self-produced horses. Alex was the 2016 British Eventing intermediate champion with Chakiris Star and they went on to finish 19th in their first CCI5* at Pau in 2017. Here he explains to to avoid penalties at corner fences.

Training the stars

My retired three-star (now four-star) horse Salt And Pepper was quite keen and strong at corners, which made them tricky. He was so quick that he’d be strong and wobbly and not concentrate. It was vital for me to keep him on his line and get him to focus on where he was going.

I had to keep him between hand and leg so he didn’t get too strong and rush past the fence. It took a lot of setting up and keeping him straight, but we cracked it eventually and I took him from novice to three-star.

Corners are a test of accuracy, obedience and straightness — they can quite easily catch you out if you’re not prepared. They should be straightforward — your horse should be between your hand and leg, and you should be focusing on the line. It’s all about preparing the way you approach the corner rather than jumping the fence.

How to avoid penalties at corner fences

1. Begin by building a low corner fence with two normal height wings and a short one (or use a small barrel as the third wing). Rest a guide pole at the point of the corner to help channel your horse into the fence and minimise the chance of a run-out.

2. While you warm up, ride transitions within the canter to make sure your horse is on your aids. This is crucial as you need to be able to increase or decrease his strides between fences.

3. Approach the corner in a balanced, powerful canter with your horse between your hand and leg. Look up and focus on something in the distance to keep you both on your line. Focusing on something ahead will help keep you straight, which will keep your horse much straighter over the fence.

4 Once he is jumping this confidently, increase the angle and the height of the corner to make the question a little tougher.

5. Remove the guide pole once you have jumped the corner confidently on both reins. Your horse should be jumping straight and with confidence. If he starts to wobble or feel like he’s drifting out, bring back the guide pole.

Like this? You might also enjoy reading these:

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Things to consider…

• Avoid over-thinking corners because this can make you over-ride them. Keep it simple and concentrate on your approach rather than the fence you are jumping.
• Ensure you have a good canter on your approach, with your horse sitting back on his hocks and listening to you. Stay straight and focus on where you want to take off, maintaining power.
• If your horse is consistently running out at corners, go back to basics. Check for any discomfort to rule out a pain-related issue.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

This exercise, as explained by five-star Irish event rider, Camilla Speirs (pictured), explains how to improve lead changes over a fence.

Aim

The aim of the exercise is to improve straightness in the horse and the accuracy of the rider on a circle. Over time, it will also improve lead changes over a fence, as the horse develops his agility.

How to improve lead changes over a fence

1. Set up the exercise of four verticals and two oxers in the school. The blocks (X on diagram) act as markers, to help you ride a consistent, even circle. The inside circle should be 20-25m, and then 30-35m on the outside. With young horses, the blocks ensure they don’t fall in or out (depending on which line you are taking), and simultaneously make sure the rider stays accurate.

2. Young horses often waver in front of the fence if they’re coming on a tight line or circle, so it’s extremely important that the horse jumps the middle of the pole. I keep them dead straight and then, if they have a pole down, they’ve made their own mistake. Eventually, they’ll learn they need to give themselves room, back off and jump cleanly.

3. At first, it’s not a priority to influence which leg the horse lands on. I often find young horses can get flustered and lose the quality of the jump if you insist they land on the correct leg each time. For me, it’s about keeping them straight and I’ll encourage them to do a lead change after landing.

4. With older horses, this exercise helps the change of leg over the fence. All horses have a favourite leg to land on and this exercise highlights that.

5. I don’t want to encourage the correct inside leg by pulling on the inside rein or by throwing my weight to the inside, nor diminish the quality of the jump in any way. Without complicating things too much, I keep my body in the centre at all times and think about pushing the horse over the fences with my new inside leg and holding them with my new outside rein. They must not veer left or right in front of the fence and they must take off parallel behind.

6. Gradually build the verticals higher and the oxers wider. Over time, this exercise will encourage the horse to be careful and use their scope as they jump.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Tips and pitfalls

• Do not fall into the trap of looking to the base of the fence. The rider must keep eyes up and around the circle. This helps keep the horse balanced and off the forehand.
• Keep your upper body back to give the horse room to tackle the verticals and make sure you stay in your jumping position on landing from the oxers, so the horse has time to finish behind.
• On tighter circles, the horse will naturally lose impulsion. Use lots of leg and keep the canter active, so you don’t lose the quality of the jump.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Going to a competition well prepared does wonders for your confidence – and hopefully your results. Becky Murray checks out some of the best venues to help you get ready for the 2021 season

With spring in sight and once lockdown restrictions ease, our thoughts are turning to the competition season. It’s difficult not to get excited at the thought of setting new goals and riding at some of our favourite centres again. Top riders and coaches agree that riding in a relaxed setting away from home is a key part of competition preparation – for the rider and the horse. We find out what the professionals have to say, and explore what facilities are on offer at some of the UK’s top venues.

Showjumper Holly Smith says when preparing for competition, you have to know what to expect from your horse away from home.

“I try to take the young horses out once a week,” she explains. “Training in a non-competition environment enables you to repeat exercises and make corrections until you get it right – without the stress of getting a bad result.”

And this is no different when preparing for the white boards, agrees international dressage rider Maria Eilberg.

“If you know you’re going to be competing in a challenging environment where there are banners everywhere, then you want to try to provoke the horse a little bit in training with things they’ll be faced with,” says Maria, who regularly visits Unicorn Trust Equestrian Centre, near Cheltenham, and Solihull Riding Club in the West Midlands. “If you’ve done the preparation, the finale of doing your test should be the easy bit.”

Olympic eventer Vittoria Panizzon says it’s important to take horses out cross-country schooling on different surfaces in the run-up to the season.

“Taking them to different places regularly is really important so they become less tense when going out,” says Vittoria, who is a fan of Lyneham Heath Equestrian in Oxfordshire. “You can be practising one thing at home but it can be very different when you’re away.”

Scotland

MORRIS EQUESTRIAN CENTRE, AYRSHIRE

This welcoming venue (pictured) offers large indoor facilities, regularly hosting Horsescotland squad training. It built a new outdoor arena in 2020, with more expansion plans for 2021 including a canter track and forest walk. It hosts BS and BD competitions.

● Indoor arena 95x50m £100

● Indoor warm-up arena 45x20m £45

● Outdoor arena 95x45m £55

● Outdoor warm-up 40x20m £35

LINDORES EQUESTRIAN, FIFE

Offering 125 cross-country fences across 85 acres of countryside, this venue is favoured by some of Scotland’s ve-star riders, including Louisa Milne Home. The 30cm to 1.05m course, featuring a water complex, is maintained by BE- accredited course-builder.

Midlands

VALE VIEW EQUESTRIAN, LEICESTERSHIRE

This premier competition centre (pictured top) is rated by riders across the disciplines with an enviable cross-country arena catering up to 1.10m.

It offers a tack shop, plus clinics with event coach Caroline Moore and international dressage rider Amy Woodhead.

● Indoor International arena 70x30m £40 plus VAT

● Indoor National arena 66x25m £30 plus VAT

● All-weather cross-country across four arenas £27.50 plus VAT

Amy puts Vale View at the top of her list for training her horses in the run-up to competitions.

“I really recommend training away from home and practising your test inside the white boards, especially for amateur riders, who are not going in the ring as much as a professional,” she says.

“In 2020 I made a big effort to take the horses away schooling regularly and I had the best year I’ve ever had with my results.”

ASTON-LE-WALLS, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

The base of international eventer Nigel Taylor and Olympic rider Ann Taylor offers “everything you’re ever going to need”. The facility has cross-country fences from 65cm to advanced and hosts BD, BE and BS events.

● Indoor arena 55x30m £25

● Outdoor arena 60x20m with mirrors £25

● Showjumping arena 100x80m £25

● KBIS all-weather cross-country arena 105x75m £36

● 30-acre cross-country schooling field £30

The north

KELSALL HILL EQUESTRIAN CENTRE, CHESHIRE

This venue offers state-of-the-art facilities, with the added bonus of a seven-mile farm ride, plus water complex, gallops and cafe. There are plans for an equestrian retailer to open later in the year and the centre hosts BE and BS competitions.

● Indoor competition arena 72x45m £50

● Indoor Primrose View arena 60x30m £35

● Outdoor Lake View arena 110x70m £15 atwork, £25 with showjumps, £30 for arena eventing

● Outdoor Lake Side arena 64x46m (prices as per Lake View arena. The two combine for arena eventing)

● Cross-country schooling field £20

● BE cross-country course (available after the venue’s horse trials) £25

RICHMOND EQUESTRIAN CENTRE, YORKSHIRE

This family-run centre hosts a liated showjumping, dressage and eventing. Richmond installed a cross-country water complex last year and holds clinics with top coaches, including Lucinda Green.

● Indoor Richmond arena 70x26m £30

● Indoor Tunstall arena 36x30m £25

● Outdoor Yorkshire arena 70mx50m £30 including portable cross-country fences or working hunter fences

● Outdoor Breckenbrough arena 60x20m £25

● BE cross-country course (available after the venue’s horse trials) £30

Showjumping coach Ernest Dillon touts Richmond as a “five-star establishment” and one of his top venues to teach at: “The outdoor with the arena eventing jumps and the cross-country course are fantastic. I couldn’t praise it highly enough,” he says.

Wales

BEACONS EQUESTRIAN, CARMARTHENSHIRE

Beacons promises a “supportive atmosphere”. The centre holds unaffiliated competition, BS and BD including Area Festivals, as well as clinics with inter I dressage rider Victoria Jenner.

● Outdoor main arena 80x30m £25 for two horses

● Outdoor arena 60x30m £20

● Outdoor arena 40×20 £15

● Arena eventing across the 60x30m and 40x20m arenas £35 for two horses

RADFORDS EQUESTRIAN, LLANYMYNECH

Set on the English/Welsh border, this BE venue “caters for everybody” and o ers competitive pricing. It features a farm ride as well as two water complexes, and hosts BD and BS competitions.

● Outdoor arena 80x30m £15

● Outdoor arena 45×25 £12

● Indoor arena 41x21m £15

● Cross-country schooling area £15

● BE cross-country course (available after horse trials) £20

East

KEYSOE COLLEGE EQUESTRIAN CENTRE, BEDFORDSHIRE

This centre is home to a number of shows, including BS plus international dressage and eventing. It offers cross-country schooling across 25 acres.

● Indoor competition arena 66x30m £60 (£50 without jumps)

● Indoor collecting arena forflatwork 60x30m £50

● Outdoor arena 84x64m £50

● Clopf arena 110x40m with portable cross-country fences £50

● Three 20x60m dressage arenas £25

● Cross-country schooling including water complex £35

BOYTON HALL, SUFFOLK

This centre provides “affordable” training in its two arenas. It runs unaffiliated shows and holds training clinics with former international event rider Fiona van Tuyll.

● Outdoor showjumping arena 60x40m £15 with showjumpers or arena eventing fences

● Outdoor dressage arena 70x30m with mirrors £15

Suffolk-based young rider Alice Hallows, who competes up to CCI3*, uses a variety of East Anglian venues to tune her eventers up.

“Great Witchingham [Blackwater Farm, Norfolk] is good for giving the horses the experience of a whole course, so a competition feel with some bold fences, to check you have all the gears working,” Alice says. “Little Downham [Cambridgeshire] is great for technical lines and water jumps, so I go to both.

“For all-weather, I go to Anvil Park Stud [Norfolk] and Codham Park Equestrian [Essex], which both have great surfaces and plenty of space.”

South-west

BICTON ARENA, DEVON

Host of the international horse trials, Bicton offers an “atmospheric feel” situated on Grade I-listed parkland. The Western Counties arena and Bond arena link together with cross-country fences, and the all-weather surfaces allow for all-year schooling. It also holds BS and BD shows.

● NAF Five Star arena 90x50m £25

● Western Counties arena 70x60m £25

● Bond arena 70x30m and Western Countries with arena eventing course £30

● BE cross-country course (available for one week after each horse trials fixture) £30

Australian Olympic eventer Chris Burton says Bicton is a fantastic facility thanks to its multiple all-weather surfaces.

“Bicton is a venue I train at a lot,” says Chris. “It’s very educational for all levels.”

CHARD EQUESTRIAN, SOMERSET

This purpose-built facility holds BD and BS shows, and for 2021 will host a Nexgen Young Horse Series qualifier.

● Outdoor 90x60m £20

● Outdoor 90x75m including arena eventing course £25

● Outdoor 65x35m £15 for atwork, £18 with dressage white boards

● Unaffiliated cross-country course 50–60cm £20 (untimed)

● Unaffiliated cross-country course to 1m £25 (untimed)

South-east

WELLINGTON RIDING, HAMPSHIRE

This international competition centre caters for grassroots to elite level. It hosts BD, BE and BS shows, has a tack shop plus top-of-the-range clubhouse.

● Outdoor Waterloo arena 100x85m £35 per 30 minutes (arena eventing course available)

● Indoor Duke’s Hall 70x30m £35 per 30 minutes

● Cross-country schooling field £25

THE ALL ENGLAND JUMPING COURSE, HICKSTEAD, W SUSSEX

Home to the famous Hickstead Derby, this international venue (pictured) launched arena hire in 2019. It offers schooling facilities from 60cm to 1.10m.

● All-weather cross-country schooling across three arenas; Equine America arena (130x70m), Coldstream Equestrian arena (90x60m) and Equine America water complex (65x45m) £36 per hour

● 2Plan Arena 80x50m with showjumping track built by Ben Townley. £60 per hour up to a group of six.

International showjumping coach Corinne Bracken says it’s “crucial” to train at different venues, and she recommends Wellington Riding and Hickstead.

“Having your home instructor with you is important – this gives you a good baseline of where you’re at before you go to a competition,” says Corinne. “It’s about planning for the first show, not just turning up and seeing what happens.”

All prices per horse, per hour, inclusive of showjumps and dressage white boards, unless stated

This feature was also published in H&H magazine, 25 February 2021

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Is remote training over video call the way forward, or is it putting horses and riders at risk? Ellie Hughes investigates

Top of Pammy Hutton’s list of pandemic achievements, she reveals, is training Trinidad-based rider Michelle Sabga-Aboud from advanced medium to grand prix in six months – all via Zoom. Thanks to modern technology the Bristol University student, who had been riding at Talland while studying in the UK, has been able to continue progressing under Pammy’s expert eye since being locked down in the Caribbean.

Twelve months ago the idea that you could be perfecting your piaffe more than 4,000 miles away from the person telling you how to do it would have been unthinkable, but events of the past year have made us look anew at everything, including how we train our horses and stay motivated.

Online coaching via platforms such as Zoom, Pixio and FaceTime have opened doors that would have otherwise remained rmly closed, but the subject of remote riding has divided opinion among trainers. There are those who extol its virtues and those who take a more cautious view, questioning its impact on teaching standards and rider learning, as well as highlighting potential safety concerns.

So what do riders need to consider before turning on their headsets? What works remotely and what doesn’t? And what does the future hold?

“I worry that there are a lot of uncontrollables when you are linked up to a rider purely through technology,” says eventing coach and former Olympian Eric Smiley. “If the trainer knows the pupil, the horse and the surroundings then some of the safety bases are covered, but even the most experienced trainer cannot be 100% in control of a remote lesson because they cannot see beyond the reach of the camera.”

International dressage rider and trainer Adam Kemp shares Eric’s concerns. It is one of the reasons he does not offer remote teaching, preferring instead to travel to clients’ yards – at his own expense – to deliver one-to-one training in person.

“Yes there is a safety element to it, but also for me coaching is so much more than just switching on a camera and giving a lesson,” he says. “It’s a two-way dynamic and I just don’t feel connected to a horse or rider when I’m looking at them on a screen. I don’t like not being able to read their body language.”

British dressage regional coach and UKCC level two instructor Janine Lamy admits that she finds it hard to pitch a lesson with no personal interaction.

“From the moment I turn up to teach somebody I will be assessing their mood, how they are interacting with the horse and all the other little clues I can glean that determine how I might pitch my lesson on that particular day and what we should – or shouldn’t – be working on,” she explains. “You can’t do it when you are talking via a headset.”

To a certain extent the same is true of the horse.

“I can see a horse cantering round with its ears pricked on a screen, but I can’t tell what is going on at a deeper level; for example, I can’t tell whether it is really taking the rider forward,” Eric points out.

Remote training has also highlighted differences in how riders learn.

“For riders who learn visually and by watching others it is hard,” says Janine. “When I’m teaching a lesson in person

and introducing a new movement I might demonstrate on foot what a half-pass or a walk pirouette looks like, but I can’t do that if I’m not there. “Or I might say, ‘Don’t do that with your hands, do this,’ and show them what I mean – but that won’t work either. As a teacher you are very restricted in the way you can explain things.”

But Pammy believes that such obstacles can be overcome.

“You have to be prepared for a bit of trial and error,” she says. “It is part of the reason I charge less for Zoom lessons – I can never guarantee I will see everything and it can take time to get the technology set up, but I think that being able to have continuity and a focus for training outweigh the negatives.”

Her student, Michelle Sabga-Aboud, agrees: “There hasn’t been a movement that Pammy hasn’t been able to improve, and if we run into an obstacle she always finds a new approach,” she says. “The only thing is I think she sometimes wishes she could jump out of the screen!”

Even with fairly basic technology, Pammy says she is still able to see the length and width of a 60x20m arena.

“It requires a lot of concentration and I would nd more than three remote lessons back to back too much as it’s very tiring for your eyes,” she says. “But even at the far end of the arena where the horse is only a three centimetre dot at the bottom of the screen, I can still generally tell whether it has too much inside bend, or if the rider is using too much outside rein or pulling too much, even if it is by looking at what the horse’s muscles are doing.

“And I am always 100% honest – you have to be – and I will never pretend I have seen a flying change if I haven’t.”

Showjumping trainer Ernest Dillon, who uses Zoom to continue to train existing clients, believes many of the concerns surrounding remote training are, in fact, equally applicable however a lesson is delivered.

“Showjumping is not complicated, but nowadays some trainers make it so,” Ernest says. “Teaching and learning happen best when you keep things simple and focus on the basics. This is something I strongly believe in regardless of how I deliver my lessons.

“Too many trainers give over-complicated instructions dressed up in fancy language, which leads to confusion for the rider and the horse. Do this remotely and you have an even greater problem.”

Ernest likes to discuss a lesson plan with the rider in advance so they can set up exercises (see below).

The issue of teaching standards is also something that bothers Adam Kemp.

“Teaching is an unregulated and unquali ed service, and going online provides a much bigger platform for anyone to give it a go,” he points out. “Even in normal times there is a temptation for riders to chop and change trainers and to try someone new who might be fashionable at the time or who

is good at promoting themselves online,” Adam adds, “but unless they are a good communicator and familiar with the rider, the horse and the setup then there is the potential for confusion [at best] and danger [at worst].

“I want to look after the integrity of my trade at all costs, and to me that means being in an arena with the horse and rider.”

Pammy agrees that riders should carefully consider from whom they accept advice. “Never forget to look up the qualifications of the person you’re learning from – and that applies equally to remote and real-life teaching,” she warns.

There is no doubt that online lessons have played a valuable role in keeping coaches in business, and riders and horses learning through the past year. It is likely they are here to stay, but the word on the street is that we should proceed with caution.

“We need to be very careful that virtual teaching doesn’t end up becoming the new norm,” warns Eric. “It certainly has its place, but to rely on it solely would be a mistake and, I believe, detrimental to equestrianism as a whole.”

The rider’s view

Dressage rider Becky Latimer (pictured) put training on hold during the first lockdown, but when competition ground to a halt again over the winter she was determined to find a way to stay motivated and on track with her aim of competing at prix st georges by the summer with Harley I, the gelding on whom she won a novice regional title in 2019.

Becky signed up to a six-week online training package devised by grand prix rider and coach Henry Boswell. It comprised weekly remote lessons plus support, advice and insight in between.

“I am a very target-driven person and I have to fit in riding around work and family, so this set-up has given my training impetus and helped me use my time constructively,” says Becky. “I have never met Henry in person but we are in constant communication. I use [the online platform] Pixio for lessons and Henry and I talk in advance about what we will be working on during a session.

“One of the downsides is that once the camera is positioned you don’t want to be moving it around, so for example if Henry is “sitting” on the centre line he can’t see whether my shoulder-in down the long side is correctly on three tracks, but we tailor exercises accordingly and find ways to work through any technological issues.

“I don’t believe virtual lessons will ever be a replacement for the real thing and I would not want them to be, but I like the regularity they offer, and if interspersing remote coaching with real-time lessons means I can train more often then I will be carrying on with them.”

The jumping view

Florida-based Jackie Bachor has been training with Ernest Dillon for 20 years and says that Zoom lessons have filled a much-needed training void during the pandemic.

“I feel I have made real progress with my young horse this year despite the situation,” she says. “One of the biggest benefits of Zoom is that it gives you the ability to record lessons, so I spend time reviewing them, asking questions and making corrections ahead of the next lesson.

“Trot and canter poles, cavaletti and gymnastic grids are probably the best exercises for remote training because I only have one static camera,” she continues.

“The downsides of only having one view are that some of the detail can get lost. Working on the flat is harder [without more high-tech equipment] because I often end up riding out of the frame.

“There are also things I can feel from my horse during the lesson that I think Ernest would pick up on if he were on the ground, but I have to stop and explain them. Sometimes I have to ask him about the tempo and whether I’m going too fast or too slow, but the video is pretty good unless the connection blips out during the exercise, which has happened a couple times.”

This feature was also published in H&H magazine, 25 February 2021

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The event rider’s simple test improves coordination, collection and sharpness in horses of all types and ages

Aim

I learned this versatile and useful exercise from [former eventing performance manager] Yogi Breisner.

I find it a great exercise to use between events for the older horses as it allows them to use all their muscles without overdoing the jumping.

It is important that the three elements of your obstacle line are built down the long centre of the school. This gives the horse and rider time to get straight and to assess the test.

Create your line by placing a trot pole to mark the start then, approximately 2.5m away, build a cross-pole, followed, roughly on a 6.5m distance, by an oxer. The size of the fences depends on the horse’s experience.

As this exercise asks the horse a variety of questions in a restricted space, it is excellent for reinforcing eye/foot coordination, agility, collection and then sharpness and dexterity as the horse opens up over the final oxer.

Exercise

• Use the whole school and ride the turn to the fence line in a controlled, rhythmic trot, which is the tempo you need to maintain as you ride down to the first part of the exercise.
• The rider should sit up straight and soften their hand as the horse negotiates the pole and obstacles so that he can use his head, neck and body without restriction. Less is more from the rider — let the exercise work the horse.
• Ensure that you keep the horse straight on the approach and when he lands. Precision is the key.
• Each time I tackle this exercise I do so off alternate reins in a figure of eight. Provided the horse stays correct throughout, one approach on each rein is sufficient before the test is altered slightly, maybe by making the oxer larger or wider, or the cross pole a little higher.

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Tips and pitfalls

• Some horses drift sideways. You can add V poles and tramlines (parallel poles) on the ground to encourage the horse to stay straight.
• It’s important to maintain a collected trot over the trotting pole to the cross-pole.
• For horses that gain too much distance over a fence, put a landing pole after the cross-pole or oxer to encourage a more accurate landing.

After completing this exercise confidently, jump the oxer on an angle in canter without removing the cross-pole. Ride past the cross-pole close to the upright/wing to get to the oxer. Do this on both reins in a figure of eight. This exercise ensures the horse is coming up through his shoulder and is useful for cross-country riding.

Don’t miss all the latest training advice in Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Caroline Moore, former five-star eventer and British Eventing national under-18 coach and junior team coach, explains how you can use this raised pole exercise for horses to develop your horse’s hoof/brain co-ordination. It is an exercise she regularly uses when warming up for jumping or to help a young horse develop elevation in its paces.

The aims of the exercise are to improve:

• Hoof/brain co-ordination
• Accuracy
• The use of the hind leg through the transition
• Rider’s posture
• Rider’s technique in preparing for transitions

Caroline explains: “I’m using dressage boards, one metre apart from each other, but you can also use raised poles. Around 10-12m away, I have an area where I’m going to ask the rider to ride a transition. We can use the energy created from riding over the dressage boards to help the hind leg with the walk and halt transition. We then move on to some more boards coming out of the exercise — this is all about the transition forward into trot and gaining balance and rhythm as early as possible to successfully negotiate the second half of the exercise.”

The grey horse being ridden by Ros Canter in the video is just four-years-old.

“You can see how this exercise encourages the mare to use her eye, and you can see that she is raising her toes just enough,” says Caroline. “This helps improve the core stomach muscles and raising the shoulder, so it’s a great exercise for a young horse — it’s like taking them to the gym.

“Then in the downwards transition, you want to get four to five good steps of walk with the horse staying relaxed — it’s important to prepare this transition as early as you possibly can. Then move forward back into the trot and this is where you really have to work at regaining the energy to ride through the second set of boards.”

Caroline warns that this is a fairly difficult exercise but a really useful one: “This exercise also shows how important it is to look where you’re going and stay in symmetry with the horse so that you stay in perfect balance, allowing the horse to soften.”

After successfully executing the exercise with a walk transition between the two sets of raised poles, the difficulty is heightened by changing the downwards transition to halt.

“Riders need to prepare by using some half halts and thinking forward into the transition. Think of riding forward from behind so that you finish the halt off square. Then you ask the horse to move forward into the trot and it’s really important to gain activity in the step. The poles or the boards afterwards help with this because it focuses the horse on going forward.”

Points to be aware of:

• Maintaining rhythm
• Energy levels
• Fatigue
• Praise and reward

More expert training advice from Caroline:

Caroline Moore: How to train your horse to jump an angled skinny fence

Caroline Moore, former five-star eventer and British Eventing national under-18 coach and junior team coach, we learn how to teach

Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Caroline Moore, former five-star eventer and British Eventing national under-18 coach and junior team coach, we learn how to teach a horse how to jump this technical cross-country question

Developing the horse and rider’s eye to stay straight across an angled skinny is a crucial part of the training when moving up through the grades. This is how Caroline trains this particular skill in an arena before moving onto grass.

Aims of the exercise

• Develop confidence to jump across an angle
• Take-off and land in the corresponding spot
• To advance the horse’s eyesight to pick up a line

Start with two narrow fences on a straight line on a 24 yard distance (approximately 22 metres). Your horse should jump through these very squarely and straight with confidence.

Once you have achieved this, you can start putting a small amount of angle on the second skinny fence. The horse will probably hardly notice it to start with, but it’s important for you to maintain your focal point. Keep riding straight, all the while giving the horse confidence.

Then you can add some more angle onto the second skinny fence to make it more of a significant question. On the last couple of strides before take-off, the horse might question what you are asking him to do. As a rider you have to work very hard to make sure the horse stays straight.

If you are working with a younger horse, always go back to the building blocks of their education by using poles on the ground for example, to help hold them in to the narrow fences. This will help them to gain confidence and to learn to stay straight.

Developing this exercise further, I have built a skinny fence to a corner. It is important that you give a horse a good stride pattern to a corner in a combination to start with to give them confidence. I have then tested horse and rider more with this combination by placing another skinny after the corner as a third element. This way horse and rider always have something to focus on. It’s important that the rider keeps their eyes looking through the flags.

Another exercise I use a lot, is a flatwork one. It is all about focal point. I place two narrow poles on the ground on a related distance. This is all about developing a rider’s inside and outside aids so the horse sits between the leg and rein. Using shoulder-in or travers between the two poles is important because it makes the rider really look where they are going. Make sure that you don’t take your eye or body off the line. Straighten your horse up coming out over the second pole and you will find your horse will learn to go where your eyes go.

Continued below…

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Points to be aware of:

• Being reactive
• Rider sighting the next fence
• Maintaining rider balance
• Making sure the horse doesn’t fall onto his shoulder in-between fences
• Always praise and reward your horse

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Event rider and coach Nick Gauntlett (pictured) explains how you can use poles to improve the rhythm that will give horse and rider confidence in their approach to a fence

Aim

The aim of the exercise is to help the rider stay in a level rhythm as they approach a fence. My feeling is that too many riders focus on trying to see a stride when in fact, riding in a really good rhythm, with energy and with good balance is far more important than the spot you actually get to.

An exercise to improve horse’s rhythm over fences

1. Set up the poles as per diagram one. On the long side establish a good canter and really ride the power through the turn. If you don’t meet the first pole perfectly, don’t worry too much — the bounce will encourage your horse to meet the following pole in a good rhythm. Depending on the level of the horse, the height of the fence can be increased or the upright can be expanded to an oxer once you’ve checked the horse is happy and in good rhythm.

2. The exercise can then be progressed by removing the pole which is 10.5 yards from the fence (diagram two). Rather than just riding two strides on your own, and using the third pole as a check and measure, see if you can make it to the fence in five strides after the second pole. If you lose rhythm, put the pole back in.

3. A lot of riders jump the first fence of a course really well and then get a little onward-bound, tending to land in a canter that isn’t as good as the one they took off from. To correct this, try jumping the line in the opposite direction, fence first, then the poles. Initially lose the 10.5-yard pole after the fence to give yourself a little more time to find the rhythm. The remaining poles act as a visual aid for the rider to land, make a half-halt and put the horse back together in time to ride the pole, bounce, pole.

4. Put up a fence on the other side of the arena (diagram three) and keep the template that’s set out for you in the approach to fence one in your mind’s eye, making sure you keep the canter level and maintaining the rhythm to fence two. From here you can build a course of fences, using the poles to remind you (at fence one and fence five) to keep that lovely rhythm within the canter.

Article continues below…

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Tips and pitfalls: maintaining the horse’s rhythm over fences

• This exercise requires someone on the ground. If you clip a pole and it moves, the second time you come round the striding will be wrong and you’ll get into trouble.
• It’s very easy to turn five strides into four or six — and then you’re not staying in that level canter you’re trying to establish. Don’t let the poles do all the work — it’s good discipline to count your poles and strides out loud.
• Try to establish a good canter at the start. In an ideal world the poles are to prove you right, not to fix everything.

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The five-star eventer shows how the figure-of-eight jumping exercise can help develop balance, rhythm and the ability to land on the correct canter lead

Aim

This is a very versatile exercise because, depending on the experience of the horse and rider, it can be started in trot with just poles on the floor and built up to canter over a variety of fences, including oxers and skinnies.

It is also great for overly fresh or erratic horses as the rider has to concentrate quietly on the rhythm, balance and line of the circle, which maintains the horse’s focus. Additionally, the rider has to think ahead, always looking up and forwards to the next fence or risk missing it, as it is only a handful of strides away.

The exercise can also stop horses anticipating the route, because you can change the course by continuing straight down the long side occasionally instead of staying on the circle.

The exercise

1. Set up the poles on the circle as shown in diagram one (above). Ride over the middle pole at X and continue on a circle. Begin with poles on the floor, then when horse and rider are confident with the exercise, build the poles up into small fences. Start off on a 20m circle on each rein, then progress to changing the rein over the fence at X to ride a figure-of-eight.

2. Aim to keep the horse balanced and rhythmical to the middle of each fence by staying central in the saddle; keep the line of the circle by steering with your legs. The horse should be encouraged to land on the correct lead if you keep your weight in the inside stirrup; allow the outside leg back and open the inside rein slightly as the horse takes off. He should switch leads when changing the rein over the fence at X.

3. To increase the technicality, you can add a further fence at A and C (as shown in diagram two, below), or change the fences down the long side to skinnies or make the fence at X into a parallel. The fences don’t need to be big — I keep the height to around 80cm — although the fence at X could be increased if you want to incorporate something a bit bigger as you master the exercise.

Tips and pitfalls

• Make sure that your horse is properly warmed up before starting, especially in colder weather.
• Keep the exercise simple — don’t increase the difficulty too soon.
• Ride from the inside leg to outside rein to bring the horse’s shoulder round on the turns — don’t pull the inside rein or you’ll lose the shoulder to the outside of the circle.
• Keep your hands down and soft, using your legs to keep riding forwards to the poles or fences.
• When changing the rein, step into the inside stirrup, looking up in the new direction. To aid the change, you can slightly open the inside rein out to the side.

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Subscribe to Horse & Hound magazine today – and enjoy unlimited website access all year round

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Anyone who has experienced competition riding nerves will know just how debilitating they can be. We asked Danielle Olding, of From The Neck Up, how to eliminate competition riding nerves.

Danielle says: “Nerves are the brain’s way of alerting us to potential dangers and protecting us from doing anything rash. Many of us experience clear symptoms from anxiety, doubt and negative thoughts, through to nausea, sweating, migraines, or an increase in breathing and heart rate.”

Sound familiar? Well the good news is, nerves can help our riding — they speed up our reactions and make us ride with more purpose. The bad news is, for some, they have the opposite effect, making competing an emotional trial.

The trick, Danielle says, is to learn to work with your emotional responses, channelling them into the job in hand rather than trying to eradicate them altogether. Here she explains how.

1. Understand the positive intention behind the nerves. Are you concerned for personal safety, delivering a competent performance in front of others or is it something else? Find a positive, practical way to satisfy this concern, so your brain can relax and not feel the need to press the warning buzzer.

2. Identify any possible causes behind your nervousness, such as a previous bad experience, and get some professional help to scramble your brain’s recollection of events.

3. Notice what process you are going through in your head to generate your nervous reaction. Are you creating pictures of everything that might go wrong, or are you using a running commentary to talk yourself into a negative state? Try changing the order in which you do things in your head. Change the volume, location or tone of the voice. Make colour pictures black and white, big pictures small, close pictures far away, movies into still shots, disaster into success.

4. Take the word “nervous” out of your vocabulary, both in your outward conversations and in your inward thought dialogue. Replace it with the word “excitement”. You’ll be amazed how your brain will adapt and generate a totally different state.

5. Keep yourself in the present. There is nothing a ‘What if’ junkie loves more than to catastrophise and create a damn good drama. If this is you, get a job writing thrillers. This marvellous skill has no place in the real world. Our horse has no comprehension of the nightmare you have on continual replay in your head. Learn to stay firmly rooted in what is actually happening underneath you right now. There is more chance of Richard Branson toppling out of his hot air balloon half way through your round than your elaborate script joining the ranks of reality. Try to recall any rare occasions in your riding career when you didn’t die, or get banished from the venue on account of your hopeless riding, and compare this to the number of times in your career when you did. This should give you a better sense of reality.

6. Learn to keep your body physically relaxed. If you can keep your body soft and relaxed, your brain finds it very hard to generate a negative emotional state (because it associates a soft, relaxed body with a happy, confident emotional state). The best way to keep your body soft is to breathe. Learn to ride with slow breathing based low, behind your belly button. If you get really good, you can synchronise your slow breathing to the horse’s strides in any pace, this will help you maintain your breathing and a good rhythm.

7. Learn to ride with a soft jaw. Think back to how your jaw felt last Saturday night on your way home from the pub. Your jaw needs to be totally floppy and ‘disconnected’ and the rest of your body will soften with it. It is impossible to have a soft, relaxed body if your jaw is tight. So all you actually have to do is open your mouth very slightly and keep the jaw ‘floppy’. Learn to do this in downward transitions, lateral work, collection and coming over poles and fences until you can keep it totally uninvolved all the time.

8. Start riding in peripheral vision. Peripheral vision is another thing that your body naturally does when it is relaxed. Put yourself into it directly, and your brain assumes that you must be relaxed and everything is ok with the world. It is that soft, blurry gaze where your eyes remain firmly fixed on one spot out in front of you whilst taking in everything around you by way of vague shapes, colours and movement. Learning to ride like this makes it difficult for your brain to generate a negative state because it is not natural. It will also improve your balance and sense of feel.

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9. Actively create images and movies of you riding confidently. You have to teach your brain to do this. Take a few minutes three times per day to mentally rehearse yourself using one or more of these tips every time you ride, out hacking, or in competition, until your brain starts to develop them as a habit.

10. Remember, confidence is like a muscle, the more we use it, the stronger it gets.

From the Neck Up is led by Danielle Olding. Danielle is an experienced business, executive and sports coach who is CIPD qualified and is also a trainer member of the the Association of NLP and the International Coaching Federation. She is an NLP Trainer, Master Sports Practitioner and UKCC Level 3 Accredited Coach.

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Australian event rider Sam Griffiths, who has been based in the UK for two decades, won Badminton in 2014 with Paulank Brockagh. A member of several championship teams, Sam’s best individual placing was fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Training the stars

In the early 2000s, I was competing an advanced horse called In The Groove. He ran out at a skinny fence approached off a turn. I knew that he was totally honest, so I had to find a way to alter the way he looked at a skinny when there was only a few seconds before he was to jump it. It was then I devised this exercise.

With consistent training at home it is possible to solve this issue.

You can even use this exercise to prepare for specific designers’ tracks as you go up the grades. For example, if I’m heading to a French event with a Pierre Michelet cross-country course I’ll build a three-star sized skinny in my arena with the oxer three strides away.

Tackling the problem

1. Build a small skinny fence (approximately 4-5ft wide) across the diagonal. Use

jump wings to prevent a run-out initially and only begin to remove these when your horse is feeling confident and jumping consistently.

2. Approach the single fence on a straight line in a rhythmical canter.

3. Build a fairly imposing oxer four strides in front of the skinny on a 45-60° angle. Place an object, such as a large pot or a jump wing, halfway along the bending line.

4. Jump the oxer in a forward canter, curve around the pot/wing and jump the skinny (still with wings initially), to which your horse will only have locked on a couple of strides out. Approach half a dozen times from each rein, although if your horse is weaker in one direction, jump up to eight times off the weaker rein.

5. Speed up around the turn as your horse gains confidence and experience.

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Consider this…

• This is a training exercise, not a test, so avoid making the skinny too big or so narrow that it encourages your horse to run out.
• Only make the angle tighter or the skinny higher or narrower when your horse is feeling confident.
• If he runs out, go back a step and reinstall the wings on the skinny.
• Put your weight into your heels and focus on having a strong lower-leg position — avoid gripping with your knees. This will make you more secure and less likely to be unseated by the sharp turn.

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Eventing world team gold medallist Gemma Tattersall advises on how to target your warm-up strategy once shows start again and explains how she adjusts her basic plan to suit different types of horse...

Many riders gallop continuously around the showjumping collecting ring, jumping numerous fences, wearing out their horses and getting in everyone’s way. I feel strongly many competitors could improve their performance by planning their warm-up.

Confidence is key. Don’t overpush yourself in the warm-up – you want to go in the ring feeling confident, not that the last fence was a bit big and you held your breath over it. When I help pupils, I rarely put them over a big fence in the warm-up; everyone needs to get their eye in, but the most important thing is to feel good over a couple of fences.

The length of your flatwork warm-up at a one-day event will depend on the time since your dressage.

If it’s been a couple of hours since your test and the horse has stood on the lorry, he will need five to 10 minutes of limbering up in trot and canter to get him loose and warm again.

If, however, you have done your dressage test, changed your tack and headed to the showjumping, a little trot and canter on each rein is all that’s needed; there is no point in wasting the horse’s legs with unnecessary work.

The aim of warming up is to get your own and your horse’s eye in and you should have done your homework at home. You have to use your common sense, but I always think that if I have to teach the horse in the warm-up, he is not ready for that event.

I would pop a cross-pole, jump two or three verticals and then no more than three oxers, followed by one bigger vertical before going in.

In general, I wouldn’t jump more than eight fences. If I felt the horse needed a couple more to build his confidence, for example if the ground was muddy, I might add two more ascending oxers which are not too big relative to the horse’s competition level.

Create a good canter, but don’t do circuit after circuit in canter. Jump a fence, then come back to walk, pat the horse, wait while the fence is adjusted, perhaps let someone else jump, then pick up canter and jump again.

It’s good to practise creating the right canter, and walk to canter can help make the horse sharp. Whether it’s from walk or trot, practise making a proper transition to canter – and back down from canter after jumping.

Saving their jump

I don’t jump my horses in the morning after the trot-up at a three-day event. A lot of riders do, but I wouldn’t jump a horse at a showjumping show before their third day jumping in a row, so I follow that principle.

My horses often have a little stretch in trot and canter, either on the lunge or ridden before the trot-up, so they have already been exercised once and I want to save their jump for a clear in the afternoon, hopefully.

I do more flatwork at a three-day than a one-day as the horses haven’t done dressage, but they have had the rigours of cross-country the day before so often feel tired in their bodies.

Make sure the horse is supple with 10 to 15 minutes of stretching, but don’t do strenuous work. Ride big serpentines and changes of rein, staying light on his back. Transitions – trot to walk to trot, walk to canter – and leg-yielding will get the horse paying attention.

The exact jumping warm-up depends on the horse, but I would try not to jump too many fences; save your jumps for the ring. Part of being a good horseperson is understanding how to get the best out of each horse.

Confidence is key with Arctic Soul (Spike). I start his jumping warm-up over a 90cm vertical and then quickly build to a 1.20m or 1.25m vertical, using only three or four jumps to get there.

I then go to an oxer and I don’t start off too tiny because he will only jump it three times. The first time it will be about 1m tall and square (front and back poles the same height), then we put it up two holes in front and three behind, so it becomes an ascending spread, and pull it out wider.

We then put it up two holes in front and one behind to square it up again – it’s about 1.25m high by this point – and pull it out wider again. If Spike jumps it well, I pat him and leave it there; if I feel he needs to do it again, I jump it once more.

I then find out how long I have before my round and do a bit of trot work while I wait. I am careful at the bigger events not to go near the arena too early. I keep Spike moving and trotting, paying attention to me and busy in his mind. If I walk around too much, he thinks too much and becomes worried about the crowds and the clapping. For the same reason, I always trot into the ring.

I do one more tall upright before the round, but not bigger than 1.30m, probably 1.25m. I’m not looking to catch Spike out – I want him to go in feeling he’s the best jumper in the world, as then he goes clear. If he makes a mistake in the warm-up, he gets worried because he hates having fences down.

‘A big fence to wake her up’

I aim to jump Santiago Bay (Kizzy) over quite a big fence before her round. She is very brave and careful, but she needs a big fence to wake her up and make her work. If I come to the first fence with no leg on, she’d quite likely spook and drop me at the bottom of it – which she has done at home!

In the warm-up and in the ring, I almost pretend I’m doing a jump-off as the more I dare her and say, “Come on, let’s go,” the better she jumps. Being buzzy and excited is a good thing for her. Kizzy is hard to beat in the pure showjumping ring because she’s used to going fast and she can angle fences – she’s brave, scopey and careful.

Johan-Some (YoYo) is a new ride for me – a lovely jumper and very careful. He won two BE100s this spring before the lockdown and both events were pretty muddy, so the key was to ensure he stayed confident. On both occasions, I had come straight from my dressage test, so I didn’t have to do much flatwork. After a quick canter round, I was ready to pop a cross-pole.

I didn’t jump big at all in the warm-up or jump many fences – a maximum of seven. I rode really forward because of the holding ground and timed my warm-up so I could jump a fence and go straight into the ring with him feeling really confident.

If the ground is bad in front of or behind the warm-up fences, it’s worth moving them if there’s space. Even if you can only shift them a yard to the left or right, the horses are jumping out of fresh turf and that gives them confidence.

MGH Candy Girl (Candy) is an incredible jumper and throws a huge, scopey jump. She needs a few more fences than most before she goes in the ring – if I don’t do enough, she jumps sky high.

I start over a tiny fence and build it up quite slowly, jumping five or six verticals up to about 1.30m – Candy is currently jumping 1.30m classes, aiming for seven-year-old classes at 1.30–1.35m level. Then I’ll do the same with an oxer.

I then give her a breather, walking for a minute, before picking her up before I go into the ring. I go into sitting trot and push her sideways a couple of times to get her round my leg. I train all my jumpers the same way as event horses on the flat – they all go sideways and do proper transitions, within the pace as well as between paces.

Then I jump a smaller fence – about 1m – as a sort of sweetener. I’ve found in the past few outings that this helps give Candy confidence and while she still jumps high, it’s a little less extravagant.

I never need to catch this horse out or make her careful as she does that by herself. It’s just a case of persuading her that 4ft over the top of the fence is too much; 1ft is plenty!

Ref Horse & Hound; 9 April 2020

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Individual World champion Ros Canter shares a simple jumping exercise to help develop your horse’s balance, turning and accuracy, using just two fences

Aim

The overall aim of this exercise is to improve your horse’s straightness, turning and balance. Jumping on an angle will test your horse’s responsiveness, and confirm he is on the aids. From a rider’s point of view, this exercise tests your ability to hold a line, and your awareness of where the horse’s body is travelling beneath you.

The exercise

1. Set up two fences in the school, one stride apart. I prefer two oxers, but it can be two uprights or a spread and an upright if you prefer.

2. Work in, and establish a good jumping canter. Begin the figure-of-eight exercise by approaching the first fence at approximately a 45° angle. Hold your line through the jump (keeping your aids firm to keep him straight), and then change the rein, turning a half-circle towards the second fence and jump this on the same angle, but in the other direction. The exercise should form a figure-of-eight over the two fences.

3. If you’ve set up the exercise towards the corner of the school, the approaching fence line will naturally encourage the horse to start turning and is a good way of teaching a horse to land on the correct canter lead.

4. To pick up where the horse’s weaknesses are, try setting up the exercise in the middle of the school. You’ll find the half-circle in one direction may be really small (the horse may try to fall in) and larger in the opposite direction (falling out). Riding this exercise in the middle of the school will test the rider’s accuracy if they are disciplined about the size of their half-circles.

Tips and pitfalls

• Make sure the rider is always looking ahead so the horse learns to follow the rider’s eye.
• Do not allow the horse to start anticipating and turn early — the rider must hold a straight line over the fence.
• Do not allow the horse to fall in or out on turns.

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Andrew Nicholson and Robbie Power have been riding at the top of their games for many years now. Olympian Andrew has been victorious at both Badminton and Burghley numerous times, while Robbie has wins in the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup under his belt and is also a former showjumper.

The duo of top horsemen combined their expertise during the International Eventing Forum at Hartpury College on 3 February to reveal the essentials for a perfect showjumping round.

Racing vs. showjumping

“The main difference between being a jockey and a showjumper is that in jumping you are working with the same horse every day, you will probably get to ride it six or seven days a week,” says Robbie. “As a jockey, I am riding horses I have never sat on before. Therefore, it is important to ride down to the first fence in a forward rhythm and wait to see what the horse does at the fence — you have to be prepared for anything.

“By the second fence you can relax, but you have to adapt very quickly to different horses and ride as you feel.”

Andrew adds: “Horses are bred and used for different jobs but their way of thinking is the same. As a rider, you have to think on the horse’s wavelength and train him to not only do what you want, but also train him to both his strengths and weaknesses.”

Maintaining rhythm

Both Andrew and Robbie highlight that rhythm is the most important factor in a successful jumping round.

“My father, [former Irish showjumper] Con Power, would always say that in a jump-off, you win over the first three fences, not the last three,” says Robbie. “So it’s all about getting into a good rhythm once you’ve gone through the start.”

It’s similar in eventing, explains Andrew. “A forward rhythm is important, coming out of the start box across country you need to be in the rhythm you want coming into the first fence.”

Staying positive

Riding positively is also crucial in a good jumping round.

“At the start of race, I always make sure I am feeling positive vibes,” says Robbie. “If you’re feeling negative as a rider, that will only pass onto your horse. So heading to the first fence, always ride positively and get away from the fence the other side and get going — if you get a positive start, chances are, you will have a good round.”

Find a strong canter

“Maintaining a good, strong canter is important,” says Andrew. “You should be coming off the bend in a good canter and rhythm, letting the jumps come to you and you need to be looking for a stride from the rhythm you have.

“Sometimes you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone and go for that bigger canter. Across country, coming into a coffin for example, you have to be able to change your horse’s stride pattern without breaking the rhythm.”

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Balanced in the saddle

“As a jockey, my job is to have the horse going forward in balance. Coming into fences at 30mph, over three miles, the horse cannot be standing off every fence because that is a waste of energy,” highlights Robbie. “When a horse jumps from a nice even and rhythmical stride, he can remain in his comfort zone.

“It is the same in jumping, the rider has to sit quiet but maintain the forward momentum. The sports are similar in that you are always wanting to get from A to B as fast as possible.”

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H&H recently spent a day at Pippa Funnell’s yard watching her train six young riders who are on The Windrush Young Eventers’ Programme, part of the Windrush Equestrian Foundation.

Here are seven horse management and season planning tips we picked up from the 2019 Burghley winner:

1. When making a season plan, work backwards from your main goal and don’t be distracted from it. If your goal is Burghley, you might have to pass up the chance to run fast and win the British open championships at Gatcombe, even if it’s against your own competitive instinct.

2. Keep your options open on the prep runs. Burghley winner MGH Grafton Street is likely to go to Spain on a showjumping tour with Pippa this spring — “I don’t want to be away from him and it’ll be good for him to jump in the ring with no pressure” — and then he may only run at Thoresby Park before a spring five-star. “If he has a cracking round, I might not risk him again, but if I feel he lacks match practice, he would need to run again,” she says.

3. If a horse goes green, you may need to take a step back — confidence is key to a good partnership.

4. Riders mustn’t be so competitive and driven to get to the next level or event that they miss the early physical or mental signs that a horse is not ready for that competition.

5. Pippa likes to see her horses trot up when they come off the lorry the evening after an event. “It’s important because one might be a bit off but be ok by the next morning, but if you hadn’t trotted them off the evening before, you wouldn’t know they had been a bit off.”

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6. She believes riders should be familiar with how their horse usually looks on the lunge, on a hard and soft surface. That way you have a comparison to his baseline “normal” gait if he ever needs to be lunged as part of a lameness investigation. Similarly riders should be familiar with how their horses’ backs feel and whether tightness in certain places is normal for them.

7. Pippa hates to see riders using herbal calmers. “The horses’ brains are good from the approach we take, because they know where they stand. We get their brains from discipline, structure and attention to detail — repeat, repeat, repeat.”

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Can you imagine what would you learn if you spent five days with all-round eventing legend Pippa Funnell?

The Windrush Equestrian Foundation was founded in April 2018 in memory of event horse owner and enthusiast Christina Knudsen. Each year, a small group of riders are selected to take part in the The Windrush Young Eventers Programme and they receive all-round training and education.

This year’s Windrush scholars have just spent five days training at Pippa’s yard, with those on the full-time programme riding their own horses and the riders on the part-time programme enjoying sessions on Billy Stud horses.

H&H was invited to attend the final day of training and we asked the six riders to tell us their main takeaways, so we could also pick up some of Pippa’s brilliant advice too:

Connie Copestake: “A focus on the basics. It sounds simple, but it’s the base of everything. I get too hung up on the technical side and Pippa has stripped everything back to basics and highlighted things I could make better, so when I went up a gear, everything fell into place.

“For me it’s a focus on rhythm for jumping; consistency of rhythm and balance and not getting hung up on striding because if you are in balance and rhythm, the stride will always be there. It’s a confidence thing for me and then I can give the horse more confidence as well.”

Will Furlong: “There’s been a lot of focus on us as riders — going into everything in so much detail. We’ve spent time making sure we are sitting correctly in balance so we allow the horse to work and we don’t get into the habit of hindering them. We’ve all got our weakness and for me it’s being conscious of not tipping my left shoulder forward.

“When jumping, Pippa pointed out I was riding too strongly with my seat. I hope that by getting the horses more in front of the leg and having them more travelling in the canter, I won’t feel I need to drive to the fence and I can be less dominant in my seat.”

Alicia Hawker: “The rider’s balance, so that whether the horse spooks or takes a big step over a trotting pole, we make sure we are not losing our balance because then we can get the horse back into balance more quickly.

“With young horses, making sure the horse is off our inside leg to outside rein. And always to be asking them something, to get their brain and settle them quickly. Also, to be clear in the system, so that every time I ride them, it’s the same system. Then if they get fresh or excited, it’s clear to them what I want because it’s the same system every day.”

Max Warburton: “Attention to detail with each horse. It’s not drilling them, but putting perfect on everything we do and seeing it through. If you have a mistake and it takes two hours and 100 times to see it through, you don’t just call it a day and think it’s ok.

“Rider position and straightness is another one — it’s easy to be slouchy or collapse on one side so you have to be on it all the time, so that’s definitely something to work on.”

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India Wishart: “The importance of the basics and that if they are in place, it all comes easier. Pippa really gets you to think about what you do and why you do it, to unpick why you do certain things. But she doesn’t overcomplicate it, she keeps it simple.

“She’s encouraged me to be more creative in the way I think about the horses, to experiment so that if horse is struggling to bend, for example, I play around with different things. She says the horses will teach more more than she ever could.”

Yasmin Ingham: “When I stop or steer, I always go to my inside hand; it’s easy to swing the horse round the corner with the rein. Pippa encourages you to make the correction with your leg and is a sucker for inside leg to outside rein. When you are coming round a corner to an over, you might make a bit of outside flexion so the horse doesn’t fall out of the outside shoulder.

“Straightness affects rhythm and balance and if one goes, it’s like dominoes so you have to nail each aspect of the scales of training. Pippa has drilled that into us.

“From riding the Billy horses, I have also learnt to react to each horse as an individual and that it’s all about adapting your riding to what suits each horse.”

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