Latest from Horse & Hound in Horse-training

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

Ellie Hughes — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:15:47 +0000

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.

Icelandic ponies queueing up to jump a ditch in the wild – it comes quite naturally to most. (Image credit: Alamy)

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.”

Even though this four-star fence is daunting, the ditch provides a helpful groundline. (Image credit: Martin Dokoupil/ZUMA Wire/Alamy)

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.”

At the lower levels, ditches tend to be inviting, to encourage the horse to progress. (Image credit: Alamy)

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.”

For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

How to ride the perfect flying change

Horse & Hound — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:43:24 +0000

US dressage rider, trainer and author Jane Savoie, who passed away in December 2020, explains how to ride the flying change and what skills the horse needs to have established before you to introduce the movement

In order to learn how to ride a flying change, it is important to understand what the movement is. In the flying change the horse remains in canter, but changes the canter lead during the moment of suspension, when all four feet are off the ground. When competing in dressage it is important that changes are made cleanly, with both front and hind legs changing during the same moment of suspension.

A commonly seen mistake is when the horse changes in front in one stride and then behind in the following stride. This is less important when jumping, but the sooner the change is completed, the less balance in the canter will be lost. Cantering disunited to a fence is not giving the horse the best possible chance of cleaning that obstacle without incurring faults.

Preparing for flying changes

Before trying to teach a flying change the horse must be able to:

Produce a good simple change of lead (canter/walk/canter). The downward transition should be a clear transition to the walk, with no dribbly trot steps. Shorten the canter with collecting half halts before you ask for the transition. If the horse is travelling too fast he will lose his balance on to the forehand in the downward transition. The upwards transition should be quick off the leg without being rushed or explosive.
Be balanced in counter canter. Develop the counter canter until the horse can comfortably maintain it without tension on circles and lines. To test the horse’s balance ensure you can extend and collect in the counter canter without the horse switching leads.
Be comfortable in collected canter. As the flying change is another canter stride the quality of the canter is vital to its success. The canter should have big, round, expressive, “off the ground” strides. Any tendency towards a canter that is four-time or flat will not give the horse time to change his legs in the air. Develop and maintain the quality of the collected canter by working on exercises that increase collection such as shoulder-in, travers, frequent simple changes of lead (five strides of walk and five strides of canter), and collecting half halts.

Understanding the collecting half halt

During a collecting half halt the rider should close their legs, push with their seat and close their outside hand for a moment. This engages the horse’s hind quarters and encourages them to wait and “sit” on their hocks.

Ride three collecting half halts in the canter, while thinking about reducing the amount of ground your horse covers with each stride by about 50% but maintain the same rhythm and tempo. During the short, engaged strides, pick a spot on the ground and imagine that you’re cantering on top of it for three strides. Then, go forward for several strides, and ask him to collect again for three strides.

How to ride a flying change

The timing of the aids is very important in riding a successful flying change. Give the aids as the horse’s leading front leg is coming forward. You need to give the aid before the period of suspension because it takes your horse a moment to ‘hear’ your request and another moment to carry it out.

You can practice the correct timing of the aids in the walk and then the canter by watching when the horse’s inside front leg comes forward. Each time you see it coming forward, say out loud, “Now, now, now”. In this way, you learn to coordinate your voice with the inside front leg coming forward.

For a flying change from left to right:

Seat: Push your right seat bone forward toward your horse’s right ear.
Right leg: Close your right leg on the girth to ask your horse to go forward during the change.
Left leg: Swing your left leg behind the girth to signal the new outside hind leg to strike off into the new lead. (Don’t hold this leg back. Pretend your leg is spring-loaded so you give a quick aid.)
Left rein: Close your left hand in a fist to keep the left hind leg on the ground and maintain uphill balance. Imagine that you’re closing and opening your hand so fast that you can snatch a fly out of the air.
Right rein: Soften your right rein so you don’t block the new inside front leg from coming forward.

I like to introduce flying changes on a 10-meter figure of eight. Ride simple changes of lead in the centre of the figure of eight. Repeat until the horse understands and anticipates that he’s going to change leads. When you feel him anticipating, give the aids for the flying change instead of doing the simple change. If he changes, praise him a lot. If he doesn’t then stay calm and repeat the process.

Now you know how to perfect your flying changes, why not sign up to Horse & Hound’s eight-week e-training plan to give your training focus and perfect your flatwork basics?

Flying changes explained: what they are, how to ride one and how to teach your horse

Oscar Williams — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:43:24 +0000

Flying changes are unavoidably cool. I can still remember attempting my first – getting a friend to film me on their pixelated flip phone, beaming a stupid grin at the camera as my little pony leapt into her change and promptly bombed off. We’ll ignore, for now, that she was two strides late behind.

But there’s no doubt they can feel like a mystery until you get that “aha” moment where it finally clicks. And because every horse is different, there’s no single foolproof way to teach them.

The good news is there’s nothing magic about them. A flying change is a natural movement – your horse already does them loose in the field – and with the right foundations, most horses can learn to do them to order (making you look suitably cool in the process).

Here’s what a flying change actually is, how to ride one, and how to start teaching your horse – without flinging your entire bodyweight to one side as I did.

What is a flying change?

A flying change is when your horse switches their leading leg in canter, in one smooth motion, without breaking to trot or walk in between.

A quick step back, in case it’s useful: in canter, your horse leads with one front leg – it reaches further forward than the other, and you’ll feel that shoulder come through underneath you. On a left lead, the left foreleg leads; on a right lead, the right. Which lead you’re on matters for balance, especially on turns and circles, where you normally want the inside leg leading – so on the right rein, going clockwise, you’ll be on the right lead most of the time, and on the left rein, the left.

Canter has a three-beat rhythm, and after the third beat there’s a brief moment of suspension – a split second where all four feet are off the ground, and your horse is, fleetingly, airborne. A flying change happens in that instant. Your horse rearranges their legs mid-air and lands on the opposite lead, so instead of leading with the left foreleg, they’re now leading with the right. Done well, there’s no stumble and no change of rhythm – just a clean skip from one lead to the other, as if your horse has hopped across in the air.

You’ll come across flying changes in pretty much every discipline:

Dressage: they appear from advanced medium level upwards, ridden on straight lines and, higher up, in sequences down to one change every stride (tempi changes).
Showjumping: essential for jumping a course smoothly. A horse that lands on the correct lead – or changes to it – can balance through turns and meet the next fence in rhythm, without losing time or scrambling.
Eventing, showing, and general riding: anywhere you’re cantering, turning and needing your horse balanced, a change keeps things tidy and comfortable.

For a lower-level rider, it’s less about the wow factor – although that’s cool, too – and more about control. A horse that changes lead on request is one you can balance and steer through anything, whether that’s a jump-off turn, a dressage centre line, or just staying upright out hunting.

How to ride a flying change

Assuming your horse already knows how to change (see the next section for teaching it), here’s the sequence of aids. The key thing is that a change is prepared, not just thrown in – you set your horse up, then ask.

1. Establish a good canter first. Balanced, active and collected enough that you feel you could ride a few steps smaller at any moment. A flat, strung-out canter has nowhere to change from.

2. Prepare on the approach to the change. Sit tall, half-halt to gather and balance the canter, and make sure your horse is straight – not falling in or out through the shoulder.

3. Change your leg position. Say you’re on the left lead (left foreleg leading) and want to change to the right. Your left leg, which has been at the girth, moves back behind the girth, and your right leg comes to the girth. This new leg position tells your horse which lead you now want.

4. Change your weight and hips. As you swap your legs, allow your seat and hips to follow – so your weight shifts subtly to the new leading side. Keep it quiet; it’s just a rebalancing, not throwing yourself across the saddle.

5. Ask in that moment of suspension. Apply the new outside leg (the left, now behind the girth) with a clear but light aid, ideally timed to the moment your horse is about to spring into the next stride. That’s when your horse can swing their legs through to the new lead.

6. Keep riding forward. Ride positively out of the change on the new lead. The most common mistake is to ask and then freeze or pull back on the reins – we’ve all done it, but both stop your horse jumping through cleanly.

The rhythm to aim for is almost “prepare… now go!” A change asked for in one flat motion tends to come late or flat; a change that’s set up first has time to jump through the body.

How to teach a flying change

Before you teach the change itself, the foundations have to be solid – it’s not as exciting, but this is the most important part. Rushing to the change before these are in place is the single most common reason changes go wrong. Your horse should be able to:

Pick up either canter lead promptly, from a clear aid, on a straight line.
Ride balanced walk-to-canter and canter-to-walk transitions without falling onto the forehand. (“On the forehand” just means your horse is carrying too much weight on their front end, rather than pushing from behind. You’ll feel it as heaviness in your hands, your horse tipping downhill or leaning on the reins for balance. What you want instead is your horse staying light in front and stepping their hindlegs underneath themselves – think uphill, not downhill.)
Hold a counter-canter (cantering on the “outside” or “wrong” lead) in balance. This teaches your horse to stay on the lead you’ve asked for rather than swapping whenever they fancy.

Once those are established, here’s a simple and reliable way to introduce the change:

1. Use a change of direction. Ride a shallow loop, a figure-of-eight, or come across the diagonal – anywhere your horse is naturally changing bend and direction, so a change of lead makes sense to them.

2. Establish a clean canter, then rebalance. As you approach the point where you’ll change direction, half-halt and collect the canter, so your horse is balanced and listening.

3. Ask as you cross the line. At the moment you change direction, change your leg and seat position and apply the new aid. Because your horse is already changing direction, switching lead feels logical.

4. Reward the attempt. Even a scrappy first change – or one that’s “late behind” (the front legs change but the hind legs lag a stride) – is worth rewarding. You’re building understanding first; the cleanliness comes with practice and strength.

5. Keep it occasional at first. Ask for one, make a fuss of your horse, and move on. Drilling changes over and over tends to make horses tense or anticipatory. A few good attempts in a session are plenty.

If your horse finds it genuinely confusing, some riders use a raised pole or cavaletti on the change line to encourage your horse to jump through and swap behind – but I’d say use it sparingly at first, and only if plain riding isn’t getting there.

Above all, don’t panic if the first attempts are messy. Late, flat or over-excited changes are completely normal early on. They clean up as your horse’s balance and confidence improve – which, as any good trainer will tell you, is really where the whole thing lives.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Did you find this article useful? You may also enjoy reading…

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Practise changing leads over poles or jumps with this figure-of-eight layout

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Collected canter: how to introduce it and common pitfalls to look out for

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

The half halt: a simple guide on how to ride it

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

How to nail the perfect half pass for training and competition

The preparation for the perfect half pass

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Teach your horse to canter on the correct lead – and improve the transition – with this leg-yield exercise

Bethany Stone — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:21:46 +0000

Young, weak or unbalanced horses sometimes pick up canter on the incorrect lead. Over time, this has potential to become a habit.

Thankfully, there’s a simple flatwork exercise that requires you to ride a few steps of leg-yield to help your horse pick up the correct canter lead.

Aims

Correct your horse’s flexion
Connect the horse into the outside rein
Improve the canter transition

The setup

You need: a 20x40m or 20x60m arena

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once warmed up, turn onto the three-quarter line in trot.
As you pass X, begin to leg-yield to the track. You can sit or rise, depending on what’s best for your horse. Aim to hit the track just after the corner marker.
Ask for canter as you reach the track going into the corner.

Things to note

1. Avoid over-flexing

When ridden correctly, your horse should show slight flexion away from the direction of travel. Too much flexion often leads to the shoulders leading, and often means the horse drifts rather than crossing the legs.

However, ensure you maintain the flexion, and the connection into the outside rein, into the corner. Alongside balancing him, this is what helps set your horse up to lead with the inside leg in the canter.

2. Ensure your horse’s body is straight

While the shoulders should be slightly in advance of the quarters, they should not be dramatically so. Likewise, the hindquarters should not lead.

3. Maintain the rhythm

Look to maintain the same trot you had while riding large up the three-quarter line and throughout the leg-yield.

Some horses lose their engine in leg-yield, dropping behind the bit, while others might rush forward and away from your inside leg aid.

Ultimately, the contact and rhythm should be consistent. You may need to adjust your aids to help maintain them, or remain in a rising trot to help keep to a regular rhythm.

Want more ideas? Check out our full library of daily training inspiration

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

How to ride a square halt: expert tips from Carl Hester and other top riders boost your dressage marks

Oscar Williams — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 11:15:43 +0000

A square halt is one of the most underrated movements in dressage – yet it features in virtually every test from intro to the highest levels of dressage, so knowing how to ride one is key. It’s usually the very first thing a judge sees as you turn down the centre line, and a tidy halt is one of the easiest ways to put marks on the board.

Get it wrong, and you hand the judge a poor first impression before you have ridden a single proper movement; get it right, and you set the tone for a lovely, flowing test.

Yet the halt is deceptively difficult. Standing four-square, immobile and on the aids takes a surprising amount of training – and, crucially, it is a skill you build over months rather than something you can drill in a single session. Here is how to teach a square halt from the ground up, how to ride it under pressure in the ring, and how to fix the faults that cost riders marks most often.

What makes a halt “square”?

Before you can train a good halt, it helps to know exactly what the judge is rewarding. Most rulebooks ask for the horse to stand attentive, engaged, motionless, straight and square, with their weight distributed evenly over all four legs, the poll as the highest point, and the nose just in front of the vertical. The horse should stay on the bit and be ready to move off at the slightest aid.

In practice, that means all four legs in two neat pairs, no leg trailing or resting, no creeping or fidgeting, and at least three seconds of genuine immobility when you salute. It’s worth remembering that a halt does not have to be flawless to score well – a soft, straight, immobile halt that is fractionally open behind will still earn a respectable mark, whereas a crooked horse jiggling on the centre line will not.

How to ride a square halt from scratch

The single biggest mistake riders make is chasing squareness before their horse is standing still. Make sure to nail the immobility first.

1. Start with stillness, not squareness

When you first introduce halts, the priority should be for the horse to stand calmly. “The most vital part of the movement is for the horse to stand still and be submissive,” says event rider Coral Keen.

“Don’t make too many adjustments early on trying to make it square, or the horse starts fidgeting, and it becomes an issue. Once they’re happy and immobile, then you think about the squareness.” Make too many corrections too early on, and you’ll teach your horse to fidget – which becomes a far harder habit to undo later on.

Always reward a good halt and never tell your horse off for an uneven one – squareness comes from repetition and praise, not punishment. (Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

2. Build it progressively

Begin in walk and, at first, be content with the front legs square. Use the outside track and repeat walk-to-halt downward transitions, asking your horse to move forwards one small step at a time after the halt forwards until they’re level in front. Only when that is established should you move on to trot-to-halt, making the trot slower and smaller beforehand and allowing a few walk strides into the transition so your horse has time to organise themself.

“It’s fine for it to be a bit progressive to begin with – don’t expect it to be too direct,” Coral says. “Allowing your horse time in the movement helps them develop the feeling of positioning themselves into a square halt.”

3. Move on to asking them to square up behind

As your horse becomes more established, ask them to collect before the halt so their weight is back and their shoulders are light, allowing them to sit into it rather than fall onto the forehand.

International grand prix rider Samantha Thurman-Baker says the key to a square halt is your horse’s balance: “If he’s loading one shoulder or is slightly crooked, the chances are your halt won’t be square.”

Her advice from a faster gait is to bring the horse almost back to moving on the spot before you ask: “That ensures their weight is back and their shoulders are light, allowing him to sit into the halt.” A mirror or a pair of eyes on the ground is invaluable as you learn to feel it for yourself.

4. Remember the quality of the pace is everything

Whether you halt from walk, trot or canter, the transition is only as good as the gait before it. Keep your horse active and in front of the leg so the hindquarters stay engaged – if they drop behind the leg in the approach, the hind legs trail and the halt cannot be square. As with every downward transition, ride forwards into the halt, not backwards.

Riding a square halt in the test

Training at home is one thing; producing a square halt down the centre line with one or more judges watching is another. A few things make it more reliable under pressure.

Most horses are straighter on one rein than the other, so enter the arena on your horse’s better rein. Resist the temptation to ride too boldly at the halt transition – come in with enough collection that you can quietly drop down into a square halt rather than slamming the brakes on. But keep the principle of forward riding front of mind.

As Carl Hester puts it: “Dressage is about forward riding, so even a transition to halt means riding the horse forward, allowing with the hands to let him step under.”

If your horse anticipates the halt – stopping before you have asked, or jogging on the spot in expectation – school plenty of centre lines without halting at all, and practise your halts off the three-quarter line instead so the movement stops being predictable.

Carl Hester’s centre-line halt exercise

Carl has a go-to flatwork exercise to build straightness, responsiveness and a square halt all at once.

Ride down the centre line and halt; only when the horse is square, immobile and relaxed, move off in your chosen gait, immediately circle right, and return to the centre line to halt again. Repeat, this time circling left, and continue alternating left and right circles with a halt between each all the way up the centre line.

The turn before each halt does much of the work for you, helping to position the inside hindleg and encouraging your horse to step into a square halt rather than leaving a leg trailing behind. As an added discipline, train yourself to feel whether the halt is square without looking down: sit level in the middle of the saddle and notice whether both sides of the horse’s back push evenly up into your seat. If only one side does, the opposite hindleg is trailing.

Fixing the most common halt faults

1. The quarters swing left or right

If the hindquarters drift as you halt, think of riding a touch of leg-yield or shoulder-fore into the transition to keep them in line. Riding down the centre line in shoulder-fore, with a mirror or helper checking you are truly straight, is one of the best long-term cures, because a crooked approach almost always produces a crooked halt.

2. A hindleg trails behind

Correct the specific leg that is left out: if the left hind is trailing, use your left leg to ask for one small step, keeping a quiet contact on the rein, and ask your horse to bring it underneath. Reward even an imperfect response so they learn that coming into halt means organising their own legs into a square position.

3. Your horse won’t stand still

Keep your legs gently wrapped around your horse’s sides at the halt so they feel held rather than abandoned, and make sure they wait for you to move them on rather than deciding for themselves. Avoid over-correcting – often a halt the rider thinks is unacceptable is, in fact, perfectly respectable.

4. Whatever you do, correct forwards

Every adjustment within the halt should be made by walking the horse a step forward, never back, so they stay in front of the leg and thinking forwards into the next movement. That also sets up a positive, powerful move-off.

Top tips for a square halt

Practise, practise, practise. Halt squarely before you mount and dismount, and before every break in your schooling session – the more often your horse halts square, the more it becomes a habit
Sit up tall, step down into your heels and check that your own weight is even on both seat bones – a crooked rider produces a crooked halt
Always walk forwards to correct, never backwards
Reward generously and never tell the horse off for halting unevenly – squareness comes from repetition and positive associations, not punishment
Learn to feel the halt rather than look down for it – it keeps your test polished and your marks intact

Carl’s closing thoughts

Underpinning all of this is straightness, which Carl calls a lifetime’s work with every horse. One of the first lessons he says he learnt, going back some 35 years, was that whatever you are sitting on – pony, cob or warmblood – “there is no excuse not to ride straight lines and square halts.” Build the straightness, ride every transition forwards, and the square halt will follow.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Did you find this article useful? You may also enjoy reading…

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Execute smarter square halts with the help of four poles

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

How to ride the perfect centre line, with tips from Olympic medallist Laura Tomlinson

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

How to ride free walk for higher dressage marks – with advice from FEI judge Stephen Clarke and Carl Hester

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

How to ride accurate circles for higher marks – with advice from self-confessed ‘circles geek’ Becky Moody

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

How to ride better downward transitions for top marks with advice from an Olympic medallist

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Joe Stockdale shares a simple exercise for training your horse to stay straight over a fence

Martha Terry — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 08:00:06 +0000

In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, top British showjumper Joe Stockdale demonstrates a simple exercise with poles that he uses to teach his horses the leg aid can mean stay straight, not just go faster

Does your horse have a tendency to drift right or left over a fence? It’s a common problem, particularly with inexperienced horses that are still working out how best to use their body.

Joe Stockdale is riding Millfield Counterfeit (Cooper) for this jumping exercise. Cooper is a 12-year-old by Cooper VD Heffinck who is competing up to 1.50m classes. While Joe is demonstrating this exercise on a relatively experienced horse, he describes it as especially useful for young horses in teaching them what the leg aids mean in terms of keeping straight.

The setup consists of three canter poles 3.2m apart to an upright. On the take-off and landing side of the fence are “tramline” poles, creating a channel through which the horse must travel. He starts with the tramlines set at about two human strides apart, making it a narrower channel depending on the rideability of the horse.

Joe uses lightweight square poles for the tramlines: “If he did happen to jump left or right and step on a pole, they stay flat, it stops them rolling, so it’s a lot safer than using a round pole, particularly on the landing side, where there’s a chance they might step on it.”

Showjumping training for straightness with Joe Stockdale

How to set up the exercise. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“This is a simple exercise, especially for a young horse, to teach them the aids to keep them straight,” says Joe. “They must take off and land without jumping to either side. Most horses tend to jump a little to one side, which doesn’t matter at this height, but once the jumps get big or wide it can be problematic.”

Joe starts with the planks at about 90cm high, popping through a few times so that the horse understands the exercise, before increasing the height. While Cooper stays straight through the set-up, he initially cuts the corner afterwards, so next time Joe asks for a couple of extra strides in a straight line before turning.

Both the canter poles and the tramlines serve a purpose in this exercise that encourages the horse to stay straight without rushing.

The role of the canter poles

“The canter poles are to help the rhythm, because I want to use the leg for support to keep the horse in the middle of the jump,” says Joe. “The poles prevent them from thinking that the leg only means go faster.

Joe approaches the fence in a good rhythm over the canter poles. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“The poles stop them opening the stride, so they learn I’m supporting them to keep straight – not asking them to open up.”

Joe adds: “The line of poles makes it hard to fail. If it was an isolated fence, with the tramlines, when I put my leg on to support his straightness, the temptation for the horse would be just to go faster. The canter poles contain them.”

The role of the tramlines

“First I jump it with the tramlines nice and wide, making sure he’s confident, then slowly bring in the channel so he has to be really disciplined to stay straight,” Joe says.

At the start of the exercise, the tramlines are set wide on the landing side, but can gradually be brought closer together. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

“Even though I have the tramlines to keep the horse straight visually, I’m giving instructions with my legs to back it up. The young horse will then learn what the aids mean. The answer’s there, I’m just showing him how to get there.”

Joe explains how his own position is paramount.

“I need to focus on my position, staying centred, tall and light. For straightness, the first thing that will make him go to one side is if I’m unbalanced, so my priority on the approach is to keep my body and head in the middle of the horse.”

The beauty of this exercise is in the mix of the two arrangements of poles.

“If I was to take this all away and put a load of right leg on to keep him from jumping right, that’s when he’d get quicker,” Joe explains. “But because we’ve got the canter poles and the tramlines, he’s naturally going to stay straight because he has to. On the approach to the tramline channel I’m going to give him the leg aid at the same time so he starts to associate my right leg with not jumping to the right, but staying straight instead.

“So it’s like I’m giving him the answer to the problem, and then showing the aid that I want to use.”

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

If you found this interesting you might also enjoy reading…

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Joe Stockdale smashes high jump record following in his late father’s footsteps: ‘One I won’t forget’

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

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

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

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

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Teach your horse the art of patience and power with Alex Bragg’s five-fence training exercise

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Try this asymmetric in-hand exercise to build your horse’s topline and strengthen his weaker side

Martha Terry — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:25:20 +0000

Groundwork exercises can be highly effective for building your horse’s strength as they can develop core stability, balance and muscle tone without needing to compensate for the added weight and restriction of a rider.

All horses have a dominant side – like us being right- or left-handed – and with this exercise you can target developing the weaker side as well as building overall core strength. The use of raised and angled poles make horses lift their knees and bend the hocks, think where to place their feet, engage their core and and open their shoulders.

Aims

Develop weaker side
Engage core and get horse working through the back
Improve proprioception

The setup

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

Setup: You can use as many poles as you have time to lay out, but six is a good number. Arrange them in a zig-zag as shown in the diagram, raising the points where the poles meet on to 15–20cm blocks on one side.

Because this is a walk exercise, don’t worry too much about the spacing – they can be quite close together or at right angles. It’s up to your horse to work out where to put his feet.

The poles are raised on blocks on one side. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to do the exercise

Before you try the polework exercise, warm your horse up by leading him on both reins for about 10min. You should do transitions from walk to halt, to check he is paying attention to you. You can also ask him to rein-back from the ground or do some basic lateral work. Your horse should be walking actively forwards and straight, as you would expect under saddle.
Approach the zig-zag directly in the centre. As you are working in-hand, you should keep yourself parallel to your horse’s head but outside the poles, rather than stepping over them as this may affect how you lead and balance your horse.
Because the spacing between the poles varies, and they are higher on one side than the other, this will encourage your horse to think about where he puts his feet, constantly adjusting his balance and stride length. Stepping over uneven, raised obstacles asks your horse to lift their core, thereby building topline.
You should do this exercise several times in each direction, bearing in mind one side is higher than the other. To work on your horse’s weaker side, do more lines where he has to lift that side higher. For example, if his weaker side is the left, have the raised side on the left.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Alternate raised poles

This exercise is equally effective if you alternate the raised sides, so your horse has to keep adapting as they go down the line.

2. Don’t overface

If your horse has never done this exercise before, he may find the visual challenge of a line of asymmetric poles offputting. You can build up from three poles rather than going straight into six.

Likewise, don’t underestimate the impact of this polework exercise, even though you’re not riding. It requires plenty of physical and mental effort.

3. No drifting

Although you’re leading your horse and cannot use your legs and hands to keep him straight, the asymmetric layout should do the job for you as the angled poles channel the horses into a straight line. Give them plenty of freedom with the head and neck to assess the layout and use their back.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Develop your horse’s extended canter with this simple exercise on a 20m circle

Martha Terry — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 11:54:08 +0000

Extended canter is all about energy. Dressage judges want to see an increase in stride length and ground cover, not just more speed, with the horse staying straight and connected.

The same applies when jumping: you want lift, airtime and adjustability, maintaining your rhythm – not simply a faster canter that’s flat and hollow.

This very simple flatwork exercise works on boosting the quality of the steps in extended canter – not the quantity.

Aims

Increase stride length and ground cover
Develop an uphill, open frame
Maintain the rhythm while increasing the reach
Stay straight and connected, both into the extended canter and back out again

The setup

No setup required – simply the space to ride a 20m circle on the flat.

Short, repeatable efforts help develop the extended strides, rather than a long straight line where your horse may flatten and lose balance (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Many riders try to practise their extended canter by firing off down the long side of the arena. However, it’s best taught over short, repeatable efforts where the horse can learn to make a distinction in stride length.

Warm up in walk, trot and canter on both reins, including plenty of transitions to make sure your horse is listening and responding to your aids.
Establish an active working canter and go large.
Now go on to a 20m circle in working canter, and make a transition to five or six bigger strides, before collecting back to working canter. Use your inside leg to push the shoulder up without blocking. The circle should encourage your horse to step under with the hindleg, rather than running flat on the forehand.
This short effort discourages the horses from becoming flat and running, because they’ll anticipate the re-collection. It also teaches riders to feel a few good steps as the quality is developing and not chase for more.
Each horse will vary on how much you need to push and how much to hold. By practising, you’ll find your own horse’s sweet spot.
Repeat a few times on each rein.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Running

Keep the increases short, before collecting back. While the horse is developing the extended canter, he may only be able to manage a few good strides, then unravel, losing balance and energy. It is better to make the transition back before that happens. Prioritise quality over quantity.

2. Flattening

To extend properly, your horse needs to lift. Think shoulder-fore going into the circle, so you encourage you horse to keep his inside shoulder up, without establishing a full shoulder-in. The frame needs to be open to be able to extend, not overly flexed.

3. Too much hand

Some riders hang on to the reins to try to control the canter, so you need to work on your hands being independent. Work on giving and retaking the rein on a circle. And when you come back to a more collected canter from the increased strides, don’t just pull! Use a half-halt and soften.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

The versatile in-hand pole setup that will give your horse plenty to think about – even in walk

Martha Terry — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 07:30:42 +0000

This groundwork exercise is handy for keeping your horse engaged and stimulated in walk, because of the constant changes of direction combined with negotiating poles.

Aims

Provide mental and physical stimulation
Strengthen core and hindquarters
Focus on changes of bend while negotiating poles

The setup

Setup: Three sets of two poles set up in like chevrons, with about 4m between the points of each set.

You will need: training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to do this in-hand exercise

Just because you’re working in hand doesn’t mean you don’t need to warm your horse up. Before you start the polework exercise, spend 5–10min in walk. Your horse should be walking actively, as you would expect if you were riding. Incorporate plenty of transitions to check your horse is focussed and working with you, not being distracted.
First, approach the chevrons on a straight line (orange line above). The poles should draw the horse into the point.
Approach the points in the opposite direction, aiming for the points. Without the poles guiding you both into the point, you need to be accurate so the horse doesn’t meander to the side.
Now you can play around with the formation. Do circles and loops making a cross-section through the chevron, varying whether you cross near the point or where the poles widen out (green line). Taking the poles on an angle like this will increase the emphasis on footwork as the horse needs to work out how to lift and put down his feet.
You can also approach the sides of the chevron at a right angle, then dogleg off to the opposite arm of the next chevron (blue line). This works on changing the bend while negotiating poles. All the time, you are asking you horse to assess, react, be supple and precise with his footwork.

Make sure you work equally on both reins.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Layout

If you only have four poles – or are short on time – just two chevrons will also provide a great workout.

2. Accuracy

Striped poles are really useful for keeping disciplined on accuracy. If you decide to cross from, say, white stripe to white stripe, can you stick to it?

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Develop the quality and rhythm of your lengthened trot strides with this back-loosening, hindleg-engaging drill

Martha Terry — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 06:30:21 +0000

Lengthened or extended trot strides are often seen in a dressage test across the diagonal. The consequence is that many of us practise them by speeding across the longest straight in the arena, inadvertently encouraging our horses to become flat, hollow and rushed. The trot strides don’t so much lengthen as simply speed up.

Instead, we want to encourage our horse to push off the hindleg, with the strides getting longer but, crucially, not quicker. To do this successfully, the horse needs to be supple, which will produce longer steps with more airtime thanks to a looser back and more engaged hindleg.

This flatwork exercise works on suppleness alongside lengthening the steps to improve the latter.

Aims

Longer, but not faster, trot strides
Increased suppleness

The setup

No setup required. All you need is sufficient space – and an arena is ideal. If you are riding in the field, it’s helpful to lay out arena boards, poles or other markers so that you can be disciplined about where you make transitions.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Warm up in all paces, incorporating plenty of upward and downward transitions to ensure your horse is responding to your aids or cues.
Establish an active working trot and go large, riding around the edge of the arena.
As you come round the short side, turn up the quarter-line in the same trot, and leg-yield to the track.
When you reach the track, ask for a few lengthened strides, thinking “bigger, but slower” to prevent rushing. The leg-yield should help loosen your horse’s back, while engaging the inside hindleg so that it can push off more for bigger, longer strides. This is particularly helpful if your horse has a choppy trot.
Before you reach the end of the next short side, collect the trot again, keeping the energy but containing the stride length.
Do this exercise the same number of times in both directions. Because it loads the inside hindleg more, you need to work both sides equally.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Tempo control

If you do this exercise in rising trot, you can use your rising to help control the horse’s tempo. This is useful if your horse tends to go faster, not bigger, when you ask for the extension.

2. Rushing

For horses that rush or hollow, you can practise lengthening on a circle. The curve of the circle will encourage you to ride from inside leg to outside rein to engage the hindleg. You can change between rising and sitting trot to help your horse by allowing the back to swing more in the longer strides.

3. Trouble re-collecting

For horses that struggle to come back into a balanced more collected trot after lengthening, ride a 10m circle at the end of the lengthened strides. This will encourage you to keep your horse in balance so that he is ready to do a small circle, rather than allowing him to rush down the side of the arena.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Did you find this exercise useful? You may also enjoy reading…

(Image credit: Verity Johnson)

Boost the length and power of your horse’s medium trot with this helpful exercise

(Image credit: Verity Johnson)

Test and improve your horse’s adjustability with this eventer-favourite two-pole canter exercise

(Image credit: Verity Johnson)

How to teach a horse extended trot – and other training tips from Anna Ross

(Image credit: Verity Johnson)

How do I teach my horse to do extended trot? H&H explains

(Image credit: Verity Johnson)

Why the horse’s trot is the easiest pace to improve, plus other interesting facts

(Image credit: Verity Johnson)

How a straight line of poles can improve your horse’s agility and hoof-brain coordination from the ground

Martha Terry — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:30:51 +0000

This polework exercise can be done in-hand or ridden, but it’s best to teach it as a groundwork exercise first to give your horse the chance to learn the concept without the additional weight of a rider. The act of simply stepping over a line of poles can bring huge benefits to your horse in terms of both stimulation (mental and physical) and building strength, coordination and horse-rider harmony.

Aims

Develop your horse’s core strength
Improve foot-brain coordination
Develop horse-rider relationship and understanding

The setup

Setup: Four poles laid end to end in a line. They can be on the ground or sightly raised on small blocks or bricks. You need to have space either side, so ideally down the middle of an arena or field.

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle.

Keep your horse facing forward and raise the poles once he understands the exercise. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to do this in-hand exercise

Begin by leading your horse in-hand around the arena or field for five minutes or so, checking he is walking purposefully without pulling you around. Do transitions to and from halt to ensure he is responding.
Approach parallel to the line of poles so that they lie just to right of your horse. When you are level with the first pole and their right foreleg is about to leave the ground, ask the horse to step over the pole until all four legs are on the right side of the pole.
Walk in a straight line away.
Next, approach so that the poles lie to your horse’s left. When their left fore is leading, ask the horse to step to the left over the line of poles and walk away in a straight line.
Once the horse understands the concept, you can link up several step-overs. Starting with the poles on the right, step over the line leading with the right fore, then take an odd number of steps parallel to the pole until the left fore is leading, and ask the horse to step to the left back over the line of poles. Again walk an odd number of steps and then move sideways right.
Continue until you reach the end of the line.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Difficulty level

This exercise is more demanding the higher the poles are raised, and the more frequently you ask the horse to step over. Start with seven steps on each side, progressing to five or then three as your horse understands.

2. Stay parallel

It can be tempting to serpentine over the poles, but the aim is to step laterally, one foot after the other. Stay parallel and don’t meander!

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Boost the length and power of your horse’s medium trot with this helpful exercise

Martha Terry — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:45:55 +0000

In this exercise to improve medium trot, we are using lateral work – specifically the half-pass – to improve the push in the more extended paces. Half-pass should only be attempted once your horse is established in both shoulder-in and haunches-in (travers), being able to bend around the inside leg, maintain a forward rhythm and move sideways in good balance.

The half-pass enhances a horse’s longitudinal and lateral suppleness, enabling the hindleg to step under more and therefore boosting the power and push, to encourage ground cover without your horse losing balance. It also frees up the shoulders, which gives your horse more reach in the medium trot.

Aim

Improve impulsion and engagement

Setup

No setup required: This flatwork exercise is easiest to do in an arena. If you are riding it in a field, we suggest marking out an arena to help your accuracy.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once warmed up, establish an active working trot and go large.
As you come out of the corner, ask for half-pass across the diagonal.
After six strides or so, straighten the horse and ask for some lengthened or medium trot strides.
Proceed in medium trot across X. This should improve impulsion and engagement.
After around six strides of medium trot, half-halt and position your horse in half-pass again.
Half-pass back to the track.
Repeat on both reins and from both ends of the arena.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Failing to prepare

Without preparing your horse properly either for the half-pass or the medium trot, he will lack engagement and balance. Try a couple of steps of shoulder-in before the half-pass to engage the hindleg and establish the bend.

When it comes to the medium trot, make sure he is straight before asking him to lengthen.

2. Too much, too soon

Half-pass is a lateral movement for established horses. If your horse is twisting his head or struggling with his balance and bend, go back to basics. He should be well established in shoulder-in before you start attempting some steps of half-pass.

3. Twisting head

This can occur when the inside rein is forcing the bend, with the outside leg pushing the horse, which blocks the inside leg from coming through.

Or, the rider is asking for more sideways movement than the horse is ready for.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Did you find this exercise useful? You may also enjoy reading…

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

What is medium trot, and what are the benefits for your horse?

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Encourage your horse to lift and lengthen with the help of this zig-zag polework layout

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Improve your horse’s bend in walk with this simple polework exercise

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Boost the quality of your horse’s canter with this straightforward poles routine

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Boost your horse’s suppleness and manoeuvrability using five poles on the ground

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Improve your horse’s lateral work from the ground with this single-pole exercise

Martha Terry — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:29:55 +0000

Teaching sidepass and other lateral work from the ground encourages your horse to “think” with his feet, as well as listening and reacting to what you are asking of them. It can take a while initially for the penny to drop for some horses learning this lateral sidepass pole exercise, but it’s great for creating engagement and learning how to move the hind and front end.

The pole provides a visual and tactile boundary, which is a tool in this exercise. All you are asking the horse to do is move sideways along a pole which separates the hind and front end. However, it is quite a demanding exercise mentally, requiring your horse to understand your cues to move laterally and not to step forwards over the pole with the hindlegs.

Before you attempt this groundwork exercise, your horse needs to understand how to move his front end and his back end from your cues on the ground. These are simple movements that you would do, for example, when you open and close a gate.

Aims

Develop lateral coordination, suppleness and precise footwork
Engage the core as the horse learns cross their legs over in balance
Improve your horse’s overall manoeuvrability and responsiveness

The setup

You will need:

A pole on the ground – ideally a heavy one that doesn’t roll easily when kicked or stepped on
training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle
Lunge line, long rope or reins
Schooling whip (or you can spin the end of your line or reins as the cue)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Once your horse is comfortable standing over a pole, ask him to move sideways along the pole, keeping his hind and front legs on either side

How to do the sidepass pole exercise

First lead your horse towards the pole, asking him to halt when just his front legs are over it, and the pole is dividing his front and hindlegs. It may take some adjustment and steps of rein-back for him to understand where you want him to position himself.
Make sure that your horse is comfortable standing squarely with the pole dividing his front and hind end. This may take time initially, especially if he is used to walking over poles rather than stopping halfway.
In the middle of the pole, stand facing your horse and slightly to his left side, and ask your horse to move to the right, away from you.
Your left hand should steer the horse sideways to his right, containing any forward movement so that he does not walk over the pole with the hindlegs.
To move the hind end laterally, either spin or shake the loose end of lead rope in your right hand, or point to the horse’s ribcage with your schooling whip to ask him to move right.
The moment your horse makes a step or two sideways, release the pressure and praise. Over time he will understand to move laterally along the whole pole, crossing his legs over as he goes.
To start with, just try going from the middle of the pole to the edge, and eventually you’ll be able to side pass along the whole pole.
Repeat in the other direction.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Patience

Break this exercise down into small steps, so you do not overface your horse – it takes time. In one session, you may only get as far as standing quietly over the pole.

2. Confidence and competence

To start with, your horse may move the front end and hind end separately, but as they grow in confidence and understanding, they will step sideways with both fronts and hinds simultaneously.

3. When to step away

If your horse starts to get frustrated with the exercise, which can feel claustrophobic as he gets used to the pole in between his legs, break it up with some forward trotwork.

4. Ridden work

You can also do this exercise ridden, and having already taught your horse from the ground, it should be much easier to achieve.

5. Progress

You can develop this exercise by adding further poles, for instance into an L shape or a zigzag so the horse they have to negotiate corners, requiring a little turn on the forehand or haunches to move onto the next pole.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Develop your horse’s straightness in canter with the help of this shallow loops exercise

Martha Terry — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 07:39:25 +0000

We know straightness is a crucial element of how our horse goes, and one of the scales of training. Canter, being asymmetrical, is the hardest gait to achieve straightness, with many horses falling out at the shoulder and swinging the quarters in.

This flatwork exercise uses shallow loops to straighten the canter, improving engagement and encouraging your horse to accept the outside aids. Straightness still applies when the horse is bending. The horse is straight if their hindlegs are following their front legs travelling on the same two tracks in self-carriage.

Quarters-in is a common fault at lower levels. As the outside hindleg strikes off (and starts each canter stride sequence), it carries the most weight. Horses may try to compensate for this by swinging the quarters in so this weight-bearing leg doesn’t have to step under so far.

Aims

Straighten the canter
Teach your horse to accept the outside aids
Achieve self-carriage

The setup

No setup required: This exercise is easiest to do in a school to help you be disciplined about the size of loop. If you do it in a field, we suggest you mark out an area to work in.

If your horse struggles to maintain canter on the correct lead on the wider loops, start with a shallower one (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride this exercise

Once warmed up in walk, trot and canter on both reins, go large in a balanced working canter.
At the first quarter marker on each side of the area, ride a 10m shallow loop. The bend of the horse’s head and neck should follow the direction of travel.
Repeat, progressively decreasing the size of loops to 8m, 5m, 2m and 1m.
Finally, ride the same exercise with barely noticeable loops of 20cm – with the aim that your horse is completely straight.
Repeat on both reins.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Your horse goes disunited or hollows

Just come back to trot, try to relax, and then try again starting with shallower loops.

2. You lose the quality of canter

Some horses rush as they anticipate cantering across the diagonal. Perform a half-halt in the corner before starting the loop to keep him on the aids.

3. An unintentional flying change

Maintain the existing canter lead (the lead you started the loop on) with your true inside leg and the outside leg slightly behind the girth. While the horse’s body should bend around the loop, their nose should be slightly pointing toward the leading leg to prevent the horse from interpreting the turn as a cue for a flying change.

Want more ideas? Check out our full daily training inspiration library

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Find the key to your horse’s suppleness and core strength with this maze exercise in walk

Martha Terry — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 11:30:37 +0000

This S-bend or maze exercise is designed to be done in walk. However, you can choose either to ride it or do it in hand – both have benefits. As your horse navigates their way through the maze of poles, it’s a mentally stimulating challenge to encourage suppleness, build core strength and balance, while teaching your horse to take care where he puts his feet.

I personally love this polework exercise and find it to be really beneficial. Plus, walk is a very effective pace for polework because there is no moment of suspension, which means your horse has to use muscular effort, thereby building core strength.

Aims

Improve proprioception
Boost balance and core strength
Provide mental stimulation

The setup

Setup: six poles arranged in a maze or S shape

You will need: if working in-hand, a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle. Otherwise, your usual tack.

How to ride the maze exercise

Whether you are riding or working in-hand, warm up the horse for 10 minutes or so, including transitions and circles. Check he is responsive to your aids, listening and ready to work.
Let’s say you want to ride the exercise. Approach the entry to the maze (blue line) in a nice active walk.
The corners will be tight. Open your inside hand to encourage your horse to bend through his body in the direction of travel. Control the shoulder from falling out with the outside rein. Apply pressure with the inside leg, to encourage him to step under and cross over with his hindlegs, like you would in turn on the forehand. The outside leg behind the girth should be in contact with their side to stop the quarters swinging out.
To do this exercise in-hand, you will need to use your body positioning, line and stick to encourage your horse to bend and step under.
You can also use this layout to walk and trot over the poles as shown in the diagram by the orange and yellow lines.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Start simple

Start with wide channels (around 1.5m) when introducing this layout. You can reduce them to about 1m when the horse is proficient at this exercise.

You can also start with a basic L or U shape rather than the full maze while the horse works out the challenge.

2. Rushing

Horses can feel trapped by the narrow boundaries and rush, or try to go over the poles rather than chicane around them. If this happens, widen the channels. You can also walk the horse around the layout first so they can inspect it.

3. Steering problems

Your horse may be confused by the layout and what you want him to do in the tight space, or lack lateral suppleness. Take it slowly, using clear aids whether you are doing the exercise ridden or in-hand

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Boost your horse’s balance, symmetry and core strength with this simple in-hand polework pattern

Martha Terry — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 08:16:39 +0000

This simple groundwork exercise might not look demanding, performed at a walk on a loose rein, but it works your horse’s back, strengthens the hindquarters and core, and improves their proprioception as the negotiate poles of different heights and angles.

Aims

Provide mental and physical stimulation
Strengthen core and hindquarters
Focus on footwork

The setup

Setup: four poles set up in a cross shape, with the outer ends raised on blocks

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

Raise the outer ends of each pole to improve proprioception (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to do this in-hand exercise

Warm up your horse first in straight lines in walk by leading him around the arena or field for around 10min, checking that he is active and obedient to your aids. Do frequent transitions from walk to halt to ensure your communication and your horse’s responses are working well. You can also do some rein-back in-hand.
This polework exercise has two patterns – one a circle and the other in straight lines.
For the circle, stand toward the middle of the circle and ask the horse to circle around you, stepping over the poles. You can touch your horse behind the girth to encourage him to bend around you. (You will need to be in one quarter, and step over the poles as you turn). The bigger the circle, the higher your horse will need to lift his feet to clear the raised poles.
Give your horse plenty of rein or rope so that he can lower his head and use his back. The uneven heights require him to look down, assess, and improve hoof-brain coordination.
For the straight lines, simply lead your horse into the middle of the cross so that he has to take a big step over the X.
You can add variants, such as small circles over each pole, or making serpentine shapes.
Perform these exercises equally on both reins to promote symmetrical muscle development.

Tip

Circle sizes

Asking the horse to circle around the edge of the poles requires less bend, but for the horse to lift and engage his core more as he’s travelling over the raised ends. If you bring the circle in closer to you, it will require more bend and suppleness. Either size brings benefits.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Improve the quality of your horse’s paces using just three poles

Martha Terry — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 07:52:18 +0000

While a horse’s paces are largely down to natural talent, there’s plenty you can work on to improve their quality, scope and cadence. Paces will typically improve as your horse strengthens and you can use poles on the ground to help them develop.

This polework exercise uses just three poles, but by putting them on a fan, you can vary the line and therefore the adjustability of your horse. This works on the ability to collect, lift and lengthen, while staying in a rhythm to negotiation the poles.

Aims

Improve your horse’s paces
Encourage a forward, balanced rhythm
Stop your horse falling in round the corner

The setup

Setup: place three poles in a fan anywhere in the arena, as long as you can ride a straight line towards the fan and away at a right angle. Ideally you will use matching poles so that you can visually ensure you stay on the same curved line.

To ride the exercise in trot, set the poles at around 1.25–1.50m apart (approx 4.5 to 5 toe-to-heel steps for most adults)at the centre point, making a wedge shape.

To ride the exercise in canter, set the poles at around 3–3.5m apart (approx three adult walk steps) at the centre point.

Ponies will need shorter distances (or to take a tighter inside line).

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to do this exercise

Once warmed up, pick up an active trot and ride over the fan crossing the centre of the poles making a smooth curve around the corner.
Keep the rhythm and ride over the inner line, again with a smooth (albeit tighter) curve. This is to shorten the stride and encourage your horse to use his hocks.
Then try the outer line, encouraging your horse to take a longer step, while keeping the rhythm. He cannot simply go faster, as the poles will guide his stride length.
The inner and outer lines enable you to practise lengthening and shortening the stride, using the poles as an aid to help the horse to stay engaged as he has to lift his shoulder and use his hocks.
Once your horse is working well over the fan in trot on both reins, widen the distance between the fanned poles for canter.
Repeat the exercise in canter, working on inner and outer lines and always maintaining a smooth curve.
If your horse is confident with this exercise, you can then raise the middle pole into a small fence.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Falling in or escaping through the shoulder

Make sure you are following the line through the poles, looking forward around the bend and keeping the contact from inside leg to outside hand. Identically marked poles can help you stay on the same curved line throughout the fan.

2. Shorten and lengthen

This is a great exercise to help your horse’s medium or extended trot. Ride the fan on the inner line to encourage a correct collected trot, giving your horse more lift. Then take that energy and put it into a medium trot across the diagonal or down the long side.

3. Simplify the setup

If you have six poles, you can set up two fans – one at trot and the other at canter distance so that you don’t have to get off and reset the poles.

For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

How to start riding bridleless by establishing the ultimate connection with your horse

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 09:14:53 +0000

You may be keen to know how to start riding bridleless if you’ve been inspired by recent events.

Much of the interest generated recently is a result of the first British Bridleless Competition. Mia Rodley of The Heart of Horsemanship, who organised the show on 31 May 2026, has long said that any horse and any rider can go bridleless – but not straight away.

Her number one top tip on how to get started in bridleless riding is:

Leave the bridle on.

Steps to riding bridleless

“The bridleless riding is the pinnacle, it’s almost showing off!” Mia says. “It’s showing that you’ve got that connection with your horse.”

So if you want to start riding bridleless, as is the case with anything to do with horses, there’s a lot of work involved to get to that point, but it’s something you can start on straight away.

Relaxation

“First and foremost, you have to have relaxation,” Mia says. “Your horse has to be calm, and able to stand still, on the buckle, without having to halt them. You’d be amazed how many people can’t just stop and chill on a long rein – that’s the first step.”

Once you have relaxation at halt, you need it in all paces; you must be able to walk, trot and canter, on the buckle, at all times and in all situations.

“Can you do it on a hack?” Mia says. “Can you do it in a warm-up at a competition? Is your horse really calm enough to not have to pick up your reins? That’s the first game and challenge a rider can give themselves; if I want to ride bridleless everywhere, or in a competition, can I do it in a competition environment with my bridle on?

“The game is ‘Don’t touch my reins’, or count, how many times do you need to pick up the reins in a ride. That’s another really good exercise, because any time you touch your reins, if you were bridleless, that could be a dangerous situation.”

Connection

Once relaxation to this level has been achieved, the next step is connection. The phrase Mia uses is “calm, confident and connected”; the horse must be calm and confident in his environment, and have the connection with his rider.

“My favourite way to read connection with a horse is their ears,” Mia says. “Can you sit on your horse and cause the left ear to flip back on to you without touching the reins? It’s gauging the level of connection you have with your horse’s mind; can he think back to you or is he looking into the distance at the sheep?”

If so, the test is, can you then keep this while successfully asking for the basic yields; a turn on the forehand and haunches, backing up?

“You have to be able to go forwards, backwards, left and right where you want, without touching your reins,” Mia says. “Then again, in walk, then trot, then canter.

“Count how many times you have to touch your reins while doing this as that’ll give you a really good gauge of whether you’re ready to go bridleless.”

Bridleless riding is the “pinnacle” – there’s a lot to master before you get to that stage. (Image credit: Evelyn Young Photos Legend Photography)

Emergency brakes

“Your horse has to be able to stop, from a canter, if things get emotional,” Mia said. “Unfortunately a whistle stop and a treat isn’t going to cut it in that moment; verbal signals will not work in an emergency. If the horse has bolted, you have to be able to push the turn to slow them down.”

Mia carries a stick, used to inform rather than ever to punish; she has explained before that using the stick to “push the air” by the horse gives him the information to turn, or when needed in an emergency, to stop.

“You’ve got to make sure your horse is ok with the stick,” she says. “A lot of horses have trauma around sticks but once they’re trusting and confident with the tools, you can use them for communication. It’s like a one-rein stop, but rather than pulling on the inside rein, you’re pushing the outside. You can pair that with a whistle, and really reinforce the behaviour to interrupt a bolt or spook, but it’s got to be so solid.

“You need to practise and rehearse your emergency stop a lot – and that’s all before you take the bridle off. Because although this is more natural for horses, most haven’t been trained in it; it’s a new form of communication with the rider and they have to learn it too.”

The relationship

But what if the relaxation, the first step to master if you want to start riding bridleless, isn’t there? This is how it becomes clear that bridleless riding is the means rather than the end; without building the relationship, it is not possible.

“Relaxation first, in all gaits, all environments, on the buckle first and foremost, and that’s massive,” Mia says. “It takes a long time just to get to that level with any horse, whether it’s a warmblood or a cob. That’s where most of us do a lot of groundwork already, a lot of personal development. We’re really looking to improve our own awareness of our horses.

“That’s where liberty work comes in so much for me with bridleless riding, because really it’s the same thing, you just take it under saddle.”

How long does it take to go bridleless?

The main thing to remember if you want to start riding bridleless is that this will take time; no one should just “give it a go” without the foundations.

“I was doing a step by step, how to ride bridleless, at a demo and someone said ‘What happens if your horse won’t stand still?’ and I said ‘Then you’ve got a lot of work to do before you take your bridle off’,” Mia said. “If you can’t just stand on a long rein and let go, you’re not going to be able to do anything else; the horse is not relaxed if they can’t just stand.”

Safety

Safety is of paramount importance. At the British Bridleless Competition, all who competed had to apply, by sending in videos of themselves riding bridleless, including evidence of the ability to perform three different emergency stops, and the class they wanted to enter. All warmed up in some sort of bridle, watched by Mia, while horsemanship expert and relationship judge Lyla Cansfield had the final say on whether each combination was allowed to compete.

“And obviously when horses are learning, it’s really important they’re in a secure space as well,” Mia says. “You have to have checked out every scenario and situation and rehearsed it with your bridle on before you take the bridle off.”

Benefits of bridleless riding

Many people, including dressage judge Mary-anne Horn, have commented on how relaxed and tension-free the horses at the British Bridleless Competition looked – but again, this is a result of the process rather than the bridleless riding itself.

“It’s because we’ve put so much emphasis on the connection first,” Mia says. “Serena Kullich is such a good example; her horses all go so beautifully and that’s because of the work she’s done to get them riding bridleless.”

Not having reins to rely on also means the rider has to use their seat and legs more effectively.

“A great quote is, ‘You exaggerate to teach, but you refine as you go’,” Mia says. “When you’re not using your reins, you might have to exaggerate your body language a bit more to get a turn or a stop – and that’s really good for the human to do as well, as it’s the conscious competence to get what you’re asking, and then it becomes second nature.”

Equipment

The neck rope is important but this is not about neck-reining; it sits at the base of the neck, which has plenty of musculature to protect key structures and minimal nerve endings, and it should never go more than halfway up the neck.

Neck ropes will not be needed for those who are looking to start riding bridleless, but for when you get to that stage, they should be made at least partly of leather so if, in an extreme situation, your horse gets its head down or stands on it or it catches anything, it will break.

Bridleless training

There are many ways to get help to start riding bridleless. Mia gives lessons and clinics, and there is plenty of information on how to work towards it in her online academy for subscribers.

Lyla Cansfield and Tracey Duncan are among the other trainers recommended.

Bridleless competition opportunities

A series of British Bridleless Competitions is planned; there will be at least one more this year, although the date and venue are yet to be confirmed, and the plan is also to include bridleless competition at next year’s British Liberty Show at Hartpury. Follow the British Bridleless Competition social media for updates.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Execute smarter square halts with the help of four poles

Tania Grantham — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 07:29:43 +0000

A correct halt is not achieved by simply closing the rein, it is the result of preparation, engagement and control in the preceding strides – and this polework exercise will help you get one step closer to riding a perfect square halt.

The halt is a key movement at every level of dressage. Whether it appears at the end of the final centre line, at X on the first centre line, or any other location during the test, it offers the judge a clear opportunity to assess balance, straightness and obedience. This exercise to improve your square halt will help develop all of these skills.

Aims

Help the rider create an active balanced trot
Help with accurate placement of the halt
Create a square halt

The setup

You need: four poles

Setup: place two parallel poles either side of the centre line at X, spaced approximately one trot step apart (around four to five heel-to-toe steps), with two additional poles placed before and after them to frame the exercise.

The horizontal poles should be one trot step apart to create a narrow channel. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride this exercise to improve square halt

1. Before introducing halt transitions, it is essential to establish an active, balanced trot. Ride over the pair of trot poles on the E-B line. They will encourage the horse to step more actively underneath with the hind legs, promoting engagement and rhythm.

2. Start by practising trot–halt–trot transitions on the track. The long side provides a natural guide for straightness, which means you can focus on the quality of the transition without worrying about line. At this stage, the higher scales of training (impulsion, straightness and eventually collection) become increasingly important.

As you prepare for the halt, maintain an active trot with a closed leg and steady contact. Use your seat and core to ask for the transition, thinking of the horse stepping into the halt rather than stopping abruptly. A good halt should feel balanced and attentive, with the horse ready to move off again without resistance.

3. Ride the trot-halt-trot transitions on the centre line within the pole layout. As the horse steps over the pole into the halt, the hind legs naturally engage more deeply beneath the body, often resulting in a straighter, squarer halt. Moving off again over the following pole encourages an active, forward transition back into trot while maintaining alignment.

Ensure your hips remain level when riding a halt. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Halt not straight

When preparing the halt ensure your hips stay square and level, a horse wanting to be crooked will often push one of the rider’s hips forward or upwards. For example, if your horse is halting with their haunches to the right, they will have pushed the riders right hip up or forwards.

2. Knocking pole on the way in

This often means your halt is not square. Make sure the trot is active without being quick. While the upper leg helps maintain the straightness of the trot, the lower leg encourages activity. Your horse should feel short and bouncy as opposed to slow and flat.

3. Overshooting the layout

This is often due to lack of preparation, or the preparation being too late. If you overshoot by a stride, next time try starting the preparation a stride earlier. Half-halts should be clear and quick, followed by a release. If you hold for too long the horse will likely lean on the rein and be slow in their reaction.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

How to ride free walk for higher dressage marks – with advice from FEI judge Stephen Clarke and Carl Hester

Oscar Williams — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:30:34 +0000

In this guide for H&H subscribers, FEI judge Stephen Clarke and four-time Olympic medallist Carl Hester explain why the walk is so often where dressage tests are won or lost – and what riders can do to improve their marks

Back when I was training, I can’t remember ever spending much time on how to ride the free walk on a long rein. It was one of those movements where you get to the test, throw the reins forward, mumble a quick prayer that no one slams a car boot or drops a coffee, and hope for the best. Sometimes, on a trickier horse, it was a brief pause to think about how I’d disgraced myself in the previous movements, casting apologetic glances at the judges.

And I don’t think I was alone. Even at the top levels of dressage, you see horses scoring eights and nines for their trot and canter, then plummeting down to sixes for the walk.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The walk is the pace that reveals more about a horse’s training than almost any other. It’s the first to go if there’s tension in the back, and in most tests it carries a coefficient – meaning a low score hurts more than other movements.

Get it right, and you score handsomely. Get it wrong, and there’s nowhere to hide.

Why the walk matters more than you think

The walk isn’t just one movement in a dressage test – it runs through the whole horse’s training picture. As FEI judge Stephen Clarke puts it: “The extended walk is the tell-tale movement, because you see whether the horse is truly relaxed and supple, obedient and confident.”

A correct walk shows a regular, four-beat rhythm with the hindleg stepping clearly under the body – the foundation that every other gait builds on. (Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

He’s particularly emphatic about how revealing the free walk is: “It is a good safeguard – it makes sure that riders and trainers always look after that freedom of movement. As the horse reaches the higher levels, there is such an emphasis on collection that, sometimes, freedom is lost.”

In other words, free walk isn’t a break from the real training – it’s the test of whether the training is honest or not.

How to ride free walk: what the judge wants to see

In the free walk on a long rein, the judge is looking for:

A horse seeking the contact forward and down, with the rider allowing the rein
Long, free, purposeful strides – not slow, lazy ones
A regular, four-beat rhythm with clear overtrack
A relaxed, supple back, with the horse lengthening the frame naturally
Light contact maintained throughout – the rein lengthens, but doesn’t disappear
A smooth, balanced return to a medium walk before the next movement

As Stephen explains, the score reflects “the regularity of the four footfalls, as well as all of the qualities described in brackets within each of the collective marks: rhythm, suppleness, contact and co-operation.”

Where free walk goes wrong

Most riders, when they reach the diagonal for free walk, do one of two things: they drop the contact entirely and lose all influence on the horse, or they hold on and never let the horse genuinely stretch down.

Neither approach produces what the judge wants to see.

Stephen sees the pattern repeatedly: “Often it is the extension and collection which cause the problem. Riders sometimes fall into the trap of restricting the horse with the reins to collect, which constrains the neck and stiffens the back, thereby limiting the steps. This will have a damaging effect on the regularity of the four beats. At worst, this ends up as almost a two-beat movement, where the horse moves his limbs in lateral pairs.”

A lateral walk – where the legs on the same side move together rather than in true four-time beat – is one of the most damaging faults a dressage horse can develop. And once it appears, it’s a sign that something in the training has gone wrong.

Stretch without losing the contact

The technical heart of free walk is allowing the horse to lower and lengthen the neck while maintaining a light, elastic contact through the rein. The reins lengthen – they aren’t dropped.

Carl Hester puts it simply: “The use of the head and neck is so important in walk. It should be like a rowing motion. The horse has to take your hand forward and not fiddle and get behind the vertical.”

That “rowing motion” is a useful image to hold onto. The horse is actively seeking the bit forward and down, and the rider is allowing that movement without losing the connection. If the horse curls behind the vertical, the stretch isn’t honest. If the rider holds the rein too short, the stretch can’t happen at all. If the rider drops the reins, the contact is lost.

Slower is usually better

A common mistake – particularly in tests – is for riders to push the walk forward, driving with the seat in the hope of looking impressive. “When you walk, make it a slow walk,” Carl says. “The quicker it goes, the smaller the overtrack.”

The mathematics of the walk are a little counter-intuitive. A horse that hurries will shorten his stride; a horse that takes his time will lengthen it.

Carl adds: “If we have a one-hoof overtrack, the horse needs time on the floor – he doesn’t need to come off fast. A one-and-a-half overtrack is better. And if the front legs move too quickly for the hindlegs to keep up, the horse has to learn to use his shoulder. Then we will get closer to two hooves overtrack.”

How to practise the free walk at home

We all know this, really, but the free walk shouldn’t only be ridden during dressage tests. Stephen emphasises that the walk needs work every time you’re in that pace: “Whenever you give the horse a period of rest between movements, be aware of what’s going on underneath you. You should feel the rhythm and swing in the back – and should be influencing the walk, always.”

Try incorporating these three practical exercises into your schooling to help improve your walk:

1. Improving overtrack with leg-yield in walk

A shallow angle of leg-yield on a circle or straight line can encourage a longer stride. Feel down the inside rein for a slight bend and ask the horse to move away from your inside leg. The pace becomes more relaxed, and the overtrack will improve.

A shallow leg-yield on a circle can help improve overtrack by encouraging the horse to step further across the body with the inside hindleg. (Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

2. Riding the free walk as it appears in your test

Sit centrally with loose hips and soft hands. Slowly let your arms move forward while maintaining a slight inside bend. Push the walk forward gently with alternate legs until your horse is reaching for the bit. The reins lengthen progressively, not all at once.

3. Practising the transition back

Some horses predict the upward transition and jog. Make a series of halt transitions in walk during training, then remind your horse in the test with a half-halt. Keep a soft leg contact to reassure him, and gather the reins carefully – keeping a slight inside bend through the transition.

4. Get eyes on the ground

The walk is one of the hardest movements to accurately feel what’s going on underneath you. The footfalls are slower, the overtrack can be deceptive, and tension in the back is easy to miss when you’re focused on the contact. A second pair of eyes can confirm whether the rhythm is genuinely four-beat, whether the overtrack matches what you think it is, and whether the horse is honestly swinging through the back.

If you don’t have a coach available, video yourself again and again – ideally from the side – and check that your sense of what’s happening below you matches what’s actually showing up on the ground.

When the walk goes bad

Although we often consider the walk a natural pace, a poor walk often isn’t the horse’s fault.

Stephen is direct: “A bad walk is usually created because a rider has a disturbing influence on the horse – either a backward influence on the reins or a poor riding position. If the rider is stiff, then the horse will be stiff.”

The walk is the gait where rider faults show up first. A tight seat, busy hands, or a fixed contact will all interfere with the natural rhythm. Even small habits – pulling on the reins when the horse curls, pushing too hard with the seat – can disrupt the four-beat pattern.

Stephen’s solution is patience: “It is important not to try to collect the horse too early. Collection develops naturally. Wait for the horse. It is the gymnastic training which makes the horse strong enough to collect within all the paces.”

Common mistakes and fixes

1. Your horse jogs into the free walk

Fix: Use small half-halts before the diagonal to settle the horse, then allow the rein gradually rather than all at once.

2. Your horse drops the contact entirely

Fix: Maintain feel through your fingers. The rein lengthens, but the connection doesn’t disappear.

3. Your horse curls inwards

Fix: Encourage him forward to the bit, not down. Think “out” rather than “down”.

4. The walk becomes lateral

Fix: Slow the walk down. Resist the temptation to push for more overtrack with speed. Allow the horse to find the rhythm naturally.

5. The return to medium walk is abrupt

Fix: Gather the reins progressively as you approach the next marker. Don’t snatch them up at the end of the diagonal.

Marching on

The most important thing, Stephen says, is to remember that the walk reflects everything else in the training: “Honest training is the only way to preserve the walk. The work is done before the walk happens – it is all about whether the horse is truly in front of the leg, in real balance and self-carriage.”

Carl agrees that the answer is more straightforward than riders often make it: practise correct walk at home, ride forward without rushing, and trust the horse to march resolutely.

Or, as Stephen puts it: “Just let it happen”.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Did you find this article useful? You may also enjoy reading…

(Image credit: Getty)

How to ride accurate circles for higher marks – with advice from self-confessed ‘circles geek’ Becky Moody

(Image credit: Getty)

From ‘needs more suppleness’ to ‘could be more uphill’: what dressage judges’ comments really mean (and how to use them when training at home)

(Image credit: Getty)

How to ride better downward transitions for top marks with advice from an Olympic medallist

(Image credit: Getty)

Why in-hand work could be the missing piece in your dressage training: four simple exercises to build your horse’s strength, suppleness and focus

(Image credit: Getty)

Add structure and intent to your hacks with this simple transition exercise

Martha Terry — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 12:47:03 +0000

It’s all too easy when out hacking to do long stretches in one pace. By mixing it up and incorporating transitions, this will ensure your horse is listening to your aids and engaged, and improve your flatwork while you’re at it.

If you’re hacking out in company, you can still do this flatwork exercise. Count strides together and make it fun!

Aims

Improve your accuracy in making upward and downward transitions
Be disciplined about making the transition at the intended moment, rather than drifting into the new pace
Ensure your horse is listening to you in a distracting environment, and that your aids are clear

The setup

No setup required. You can do this in an arena, field or out hacking.

This is an example structure – you can vary the striding and paces to include canter and halt, according to what you want to practise. The important thing is to stick to what you’ve set out to do. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Decide on a sequence of transitions that you will stick to. For example, trot 20 strides, walk 10 strides, trot 20 strides, walk 10 strides. You can also include canter and halt.
Be disciplined about when the transition happens, rather than drifting into walk or trotting two strides after you intended. Prepare early, using one or more half-halts, so that your horse is ready, then execute the transition at the designated point.
If you’ve nailed the straightforward transitions, work on transitions within the gait, for example lengthened strides, free walk to medium walk, collected trot to working, or skipping a gait, like halt to trot or walk to canter and back again.

You may find your horse is more easily distracted out hacking than he would be schooling in the arena, so this is a great way to keep him listening.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Lack of response into trot

Your horse does not have enough impulsion. Transitions are an excellent remedy for helping the horse be sharper off the leg, so try doing more frequent transitions. Also use transitions within the gait to build responsiveness and engagement.

2. Falling into walk

This reveals a lack of engagement, and could also mean the rider is leaning forward or collapsing through their core into the downward transition. Wrap your leg around your horse’s belly, close your thighs, sit up tall and maintain a consistent contact to keep the quarters engaged as he steps forward into walk.

3. Horse hollows

Your horse may hollow its back and lift his head as you make a downward transition. This can occur when the rider blocks with the reins. Soften your hand slightly during the transition, without losing the contact completely, to allow the horse to lift its back and step under.

For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

No time to ride? Use this quick and easy to set up in-hand pole layout to engage your horse mentally and physically

Martha Terry — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:31:29 +0000

When you don’t have the time or motivation to ride, but still want to give your horse a constructive session, incorporating polework exercises as part of your groundwork training is one solution.

This in-hand groundwork exercise is ideal for establishing good communication with your horse from the ground, engaging them physically and mentally, as well as building their core strength and proprioception (body awareness). With one groundwork setup, you can practise a variety of lines and work on different areas of the body.

Aims

Encourage accuracy and precision on the straight lines
Develop flexion, core strength and engagement over the poles and round tight corners
Mental stimulation and increased proprioception

The setup

Setup: four poles arranged in a square shape with each one touching end to end

You will need: a training halter, lunging cavesson, or your horse’s usual bridle

This one simple pole layout gives you several options (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to do the exercise

First lead your horse around a few laps of the arena on each rein, checking he is listening to you by making frequent transitions to halt. You can also ask him to rein-back or do some basic lateral work. Your horse should be walking actively forwards and straight, as you would expect under saddle.
Approach one side of the square in the centre of the poles and walk directly through, keeping on the same straight line as if you were riding a centre line in a dressage test (see green line above). Repeat this on the opposite axis and on both reins. You can incorporate halts in the middle of the square.
Next, try diagonal lines through the square (see orange line above), walking in and out over the corners. This requires a bigger step from the horse to clear the right angle. Always focus on staying straight – it’s easier for the horse to veer away from the point. Also incorporate transitions to halt in the middle.
To introduce bend, set up a curved line which asks the horse to step over each pole on an angle (see black line on the left above). You can adjust the curve to make the bend easier or harder to improve your horse’s flexibility and work on both reins.
Another pattern to try is loops in and out of the square, changing bend through the centre – it’s a small space, so your horse will have to be clever with his footwork
Work up to walking a complete circle over one corner of the square (black line top right), which requires your horse to bend through their ribs and be aware of their foot placement to clear the poles. Adjust the size of the circle to suit your horse.
Finally you can ask your horse to work on his suppleness by turning a small circle around the inside of the square (black line inside the poles). This will require him to engage the inside hindleg and develop his flexibility (see note below).

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Larger circles

If walking a tight circle around the inside of the square is too taxing, try initially circling around the outside, which gives your horse more space. However, he should be able to work up to manoeuvring around the inside with practice.

2. Progress

To increase the difficulty level, raise the poles (using risers like these) to place a greater demand on the core strength and hindleg engagement.

For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Test and improve your horse’s adjustability with this eventer-favourite two-pole canter exercise

Bethany Stone — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:51:17 +0000

When it comes to lengthening and shortening the canter, this simple exercise is a must-try

Speak to any event rider about how to improve canter adjustability and, more often than not, they’ll recommend this polework exercise – but it’s not just useful for competitors.

When you’re schooling at home, this simple two-pole setup takes the guesswork out of lengthening and shortening the canter stride. It will reveal much about your horse’s strength, as well as just how effective your aids are, all while you’re working on improving the canter.

For young horses, it offers a framework for learning to shorten – establish the aids and mechanics here to set him up for dressage movements, variations within the pace (such as extended canter and collected canter) and course riding.

Aims

improve canter adjustability
refine the rider’s aids
engage the hindleg

The setup

You need: two poles placed on the three-quarter line – it doesn’t matter about the distance between them

No need to stride out the pole distance – that’s for your horse to work out. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once warmed up, approach the poles in an active, rhythmic working canter. Aim for the middle and to maintain the rhythm without interfering too much. Your horse should look and adjust to meet the poles in the middle of the stride.
Repeat, noting how many strides your horse fits comfortably and consistently down the line without interference.
Now, still your seat over the first pole and make the shortening adjustments needed to fit an extra stride.
Re-establish the working canter pace. Then ride forward over the first pole and open the canter to travel down the line in one stride fewer.
Repeat, varying the number of strides you aim for each time.

Things to note

1. Don’t panic about half strides…

… or if your horse breaks into trot. This only means your horse is finding it tricky to engage the hind leg to shorten or maintain the power for a longer stride. Practice will improve his ability and interpretation of your aids.

2. The exercise doesn’t end with the second pole

Be mindful of your approach and getaway; you should still aim for a straight line and a quality corner. Furthermore, ensure the canter retains its quality, balance and control away from the second pole, and that your horse doesn’t lose momentum or get too onward bound.

3. Take breaks

Your horse may get tired, and some may become excited as they anticipate what’s to come. Take care to walk your horse if he’s blowing, or spend a couple of minutes working on something else if he lights up. It can help to give young or sharper horses a shorter approach to the poles. As ever, match the length and intensity of a schooling session to your horse’s age, fitness and ability level.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Transform your 20m circles into a productive schooling exercise for increased suppleness and focus

Martha Terry — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 08:30:54 +0000

This spiral circle exercise can help you avoid getting stuck in a rut of riding aimless 20m circles. With a bit of focus, you can turn those circles into a really productive flatwork exercise.

Aim

to improve your horse’s suppleness, engagement and focus.

The setup

Setup: No setup required. All you need is enough space to trot a 20m circle.

Spiral in gradually, and then leg-yield back out on one circle. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the spiral circles exercise

Once warmed up, pick up an active trot on a 20m circle. Make sure your horse is bending correctly on the line of the circle, with your inside leg on the girth and outside leg just behind.
Use the outside leg to spiral in to a 15m circle, then 12m then 10m.
Your horse should not be falling in or out, but maintaining the bend through his body as the circle gets tighter.
Leg-yield back out to a 20m circle, using your inside leg to outside rein.

You can repeat a few times, working on your horse’s suppleness and response to your aids, and they should soften. Adjust the size of the smaller circle, and how quickly you return to the larger circle, to be appropriate for the horse’s level of training.

Repeat the exercise in canter if you’re both ready for it. When you spiral in, your horse will need to collect the canter strides a little while maintaining their bend and impulsion.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Falling in

All horses will be stiffer on one rein and this spiralling exercise will help. Keep the inside leg on the girth, encouraging your horse to bend through his body, and your weight on the inside seat bone. Support the outside shoulder with the outside rein.

Check you are not pulling the horse’s head round and back with your inside hand, instead opening the inside hand to guide him. Turn your shoulders in the direction of the turn, don’t lean inwards.

2. Falling out

Use your outside leg behind the girth to prevent the quarters swinging out. The outside rein should guide and contain the shoulder.

The inside leg should encourage your horse to lift through his ribcage rather than sinking. Keep your weight on the inside seat bone.

3. Slowing down

This is a sign that your horse is finding this exercise is challenging. Stay in trot and repeat little and often in your schooling schedule as it will gradually improve their suppleness. You should find that he is much softer on a 20m circle after doing this exercise.

In canter, your horse will have to take shorter strides to make the tighter circle. Keep the rhythm and impulsion to enable him to maintain the canter quality throughout the spiral.

4. Flying changes

Sometimes in canter, when riders apply the inside leg to leg yield back out to the 20m circle, the horse does a flying change. Make sure your leg is on the girth and not behind.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Encourage your horse to lift and lengthen with the help of this zig-zag polework layout

Tania Grantham — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 07:30:13 +0000

This zig-zag polework exercise is particularly useful for encouraging more lift, cadence and expression within the paces.

Polework exercises are a really effective way to develop a horse’s strength, balance and way of going. The unusual shape created by the zig-zag poles, combined with the spacing between them, encourages the horse to sit more on the hindquarters, lift through the core and open the shoulder. It is an excellent exercise for horses who tend to run onto the forehand or become flat through the body.

Aims

Improve your ability to keep your horse straight and upright
Encourage your horse to push more actively from behind
Develop greater lift, cadence and shoulder freedom within the pace

The setup

You will need: four standard 3m poles

Setup: Set the poles out in a zig-zag formation along the three-quarter line. The gaps between each section should be approximately the length of one pole. A simple way to build this is to create an initial triangle shape, then move the base pole to begin the next section of the zig-zag.

Set out a zig-zag of poles along the three-quarter line (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

1. After your usual warm up, start by riding walk-trot-walk transitions, focusing on your horse reacting promptly from the leg, stepping forwards into the contact while remaining balanced and waiting for the half-halt.

2. Before introducing the full exercise, ride over a single pole on different lines across the school. This allows the horse to understand that poles are part of the session and helps establish relaxation. You can ride over the single pole in walk, trot or canter.

3. When ready, turn onto a line that takes you directly through the centre of the zig-zag. Make your turn early enough that both you and the horse are completely straight before reaching the first pole. Ride through in an active, forward-thinking trot, maintaining rhythm and balance throughout. Straightness is crucial. If the horse drifts left or right, the distances immediately become uneven and the exercise loses its intended effect.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Loss of straightness

If the horse drifts off line, the distances between the poles will no longer ride correctly. Practise riding straight lines away from the track before attempting the exercise. When riding through the poles, some horses benefit from the rider carrying the hands slightly lower and wider, with a more supportive upper leg to help maintain straightness and alignment.

2. Spooking or stopping

The unusual pole angles can look visually challenging to some horses. This is partly what makes the exercise effective, as horses do not naturally have strong close-up vision and must learn to assess the question while staying relaxed.

If your horse feels tense or unsure, begin by riding the line in walk to allow them time to process the exercise. You may also choose to remove one or two poles initially until their confidence improves.

3. Rushing or breaking into canter

Horses who find lift and lengthening difficult often try to solve the question by quickening or cantering. Focus on the clarity of your trot aids. Use more half-halts if needed, alongside a quieter, slower seat.

Some horses find the exercise easier with the rider rising; others prefer a sitting trot. Whichever you choose, stay tall through your upper body, avoid tipping forwards and remember the value of the voice. A quiet “steady” or “trot” can often help maintain rhythm and confidence.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Master your corners with this simple walk transition exercise to improve accuracy and impress the judges

Martha Terry — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:45:16 +0000

One of the easiest ways to impress a dressage judge is by riding accurate corners. But it’s not just about scoring high marks; improving how you ride corners encourages the correct bend, suppleness, straightness and balance from the horse with the rider prioritising using their seat and leg, over their hands. This is the foundation for all lateral movements and more advanced work.

Here’s how to work on your discipline and accuracy round the bends with the help of a simple flatwork exercise.

Aims

to ride into the corners of the arena
achieving bend through the horse’s whole body, without drifting in or out
to encourage straightness and suppleness
improve your transitions

The setup

Setup: No setup required, but you do need an arena – whether permanent or marked out in a field – so that you have corners to ride into.

Rebalance for the corners by making a transition from trot to walk before turning. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once you’re warmed up, ride a 20m square in trot, turning across the school from E to B (or B to E, depending on the rein).
Two strides before each corner, ask your horse to walk. Imagine your horse’s whiskers touching edge of school so that you ride deep into the corner, then turn and trot out. The downward transition should help rebalance your horse.
As you approach each corner your horse should begin to naturally take their balance back on to the hindleg as they anticipate the downward transition. When you feel this, you can continue around the corner in trot without walking.
Build up to a consistent trot rhythm on the whole square, without changing tempo or cutting any corners, then repeat on the other rein.
If you feel the horse fall in or try to cut a corner, do the next one in walk.

Tips

1. Stop the drift

If your horse tries to cut the corner, half halt and check your inside leg is there to encourage them to bend their body around your leg through the corner.

2. Building up

Once your horse is becomes more consistent, instead of walking in the corners, just half-halt to rebalance the trot before the turn.

3. Progress

As the balance of both horse and rider develops, you will be able to ride a consistent trot rhythm through the whole square without cutting any corners. If you lapse at any stage, go back to walk and establish correct corners again so the horse understands what you are asking him to do.

Want more ideas? Check out our full daily training inspiration library

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Did you find this article useful? You may also enjoy reading…

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Learn how to ride perfect corners with this simple exercise

Does your horse tend to fall in or out on turns meaning you don't end up on the line you

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

How to improve your dressage mark by riding perfect corners

Corners can be your best friend if you learn to ride them correctly. Follow Sue Carson's simple technique and you'll

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Use this 10m loop exercise to build your horse’s strength, balance and suppleness – and test your aids

(Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

Practise changing leads over poles or jumps with this figure-of-eight layout

Martha Terry — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:45:46 +0000

Being able to change your horse’s canter lead while in the air over a jump might seem daunting, but it’s a necessary skill if you want to ensure a smooth jumping round – and be competitive. Plus, horses do flying changes naturally in the field all the time. Use this figure of eight jumping exercise to master lead changes in the air at home so you can save vital seconds when it counts.

Aim

use a four-fence set-up to practise and improve lead changes over a fence

The setup

You will need: four fences – you can use cavaletti, full jumps with wings, or ground poles – and cones or markers if you have them.

Setup: construct two sets of two fences at right angles with a distance of approx 20m between the points of each set as shown in the diagram. You can set the fence at whatever height is appropriate, or even start with poles on the ground.

If you have cones, place them as a guide about 10m from the point where each set of two fences meet, at each end.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once warmed up and ready to jump, in left lead canter ride around the cone to the first fence (red) – follow the black line in the diagram above.
Change lead in the air. By looking round to the next fence in the sequence (yellow), the natural shift in bodyweight and direction sends the message to the horse to land with the new leading leg. If you and your horse have not yet established changing leads over fences, see “tips and troubleshooting” below.
Go round the outside of the other set of fences (blue/green) on the right leg.
Jump the next fence (yellow), changing to the left lead in the air.
Go round the cone and repeat. After a rest, repeat on the other rein.

For a more testing challenge, you can come inside the second set of fences making a tighter circle (following the white line), increasing the focus on your rhythm and balance.

Do the same over the blue and green fences to mix it up. Just switch the direction of the set-up, starting on the left of the diagram above, so that you jump the blue and green jumps and go around the yellow and red ones.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. My horse won’t change leg

All horses have a favourite leg to land on, so training them to land on a particular lead takes practice, starting by making sure your aids are super clear and consistent.

Do not lean into the new direction as this can throw your horse off balance. Instead, sit straight and balanced, looking ahead in the new direction.

Support your horse with the new outside rein, and put the new inside leg on at the girth while opening your new inside hand in the direction you are turning.

2. Course-building tactics

If you build one set of fences small and the other slightly higher, you can start over the small set and not have to dismount to adjust before jumping the bigger one.

3. Mix it up

With this set-up you can also practise riding dog-leg turns.

4. Keep it smooth

Being able to change legs in the air will save you time and enable you to produce smooth, rhythmic rounds in competition. Keep thinking ahead, preparing for the next fence as you jump each one.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Hone your horse’s responsiveness with this super-simple exercise you can practise anywhere

Martha Terry — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:30:32 +0000

Improving your horse’s way of going doesn’t require a perfect arena or a strenuous workout – this halting exercise is an excellent example. You can make significant gains using simple transitions without ever moving faster than a walk. You can ride this flatwork exercise out hacking, in the field or in an arena.

Aims

to improve your horse’s responsiveness
hone your horse’s walk-halt transitions, so you can perform them on demand with light aids
for the horse to understand that go means go, and stop means stop

Setup

No setup needed: You can practise this exercise in an arena, field or out hacking.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride this exercise

Once warmed up, establish an active walk. Choose a marker, whether it’s a letter in the school or a bush on a hack, where you will aim to halt.
Sit up tall and reduce the amount your core and hips are following your horse’s back, then gently close your fingers around the rein to ask for halt.
If the horse doesn’t stop within two strides, check your aids. Were they clear? Repeat and be black and white. As soon as your horse halts, release the rein and praise, with the voice or a stroke on the neck. How long it took to achieve the halt will give you feedback on how early you need to prepare next time, but your horse should become more responsive as you practise.
Take a moment to assess the halt. Is it balanced? Is your horse square? Does your horse stand still when you release the reins?
Ask your horse to move off in walk by giving a light leg aid. If he doesn’t react positively from first touch, immediately reapply the leg clearly. If he still doesn’t react, don’t nag, but give a stronger leg aid – it doesn’t matter if the horse trots off as long as he goes forwards. More refined seat and back aids can come later, but the horse can only interpret a limited amount of information, so start with the basics.
Practise this exercise at regular intervals until your horse is responsive while remaining soft and in a good balance through both the upward and downward transitions. You can do it after four strides or after 40 – what matters is that the horse is listening and responding to your aids.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. It’s a conversation

Give your horse a chance to understand what you’re asking him and try to make it enjoyable. When he tries, show him you appreciate his effort.

2. Don’t fidget with your hand and leg

Many riders never stop twittering with their hand and leg, so the horse learns to ignore them as he doesn’t understand what’s being asked. Ride with clear intent. Ask for a reaction and then leave your horse alone as a reward. Be decisive and have clear boundaries.

3. Let your horse find his balance

If your horse needs to put his head up initially to find his balance, let him. To start with, it’s about the legs: do they go, do they whoa?

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Boost the quality of your horse’s canter with this straightforward poles routine

Martha Terry — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:10:11 +0000

Poles are a useful tool to improve the quality and balance of your horse’s paces, strengthening the core and boosting cadence. You don’t need intricate patterns and dozens of poles to work on the canter – this polework exercise to improve canter quality requires just three or four poles.

Aims

to improve your horse’s canter quality
work on the quality and balance of your horse’s canter
help the rider to feel the canter rhythm and see a distance

The setup

You need: three or four poles

Setup:

Place three or four poles on a straight line with approximately 3m between each (adjust this according to what suits your horse or pony, aiming for an easy, balanced canter).
If setting up in an arena, place the poles in the middle of the long side, so that you have sufficient space both to approach and after.

Adjust the distance between the poles so the striding is set at a comfortable canter for your horse (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once warmed up, ride a good corner to give a straight approach to the canter poles, counting your horse’s strides out loud.
Focus on the centre of the poles and aim to canter smoothly over them in the same rhythm, without your horse having to stretch or chip.
If your horse is rushing, sit up and half-halt. If your horse is struggling to reach each pole, keep your leg on, and if that still doesn’t work, shorten the distance so he is comfortable.

You can repeat this exercise several times on each rein, aiming for a regular, relaxed canter rhythm without resistance.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. I can’t see a stride

If you keep getting the distance to the first pole wrong, the whole exercise can disintegrate with poles flying everywhere. It may be too much for your horse to handle mentally, so start with just one pole and practise cantering into that. Once you’ve nailed meeting a single pole correctly, build back up to three or four poles – avoid two as that encourages your horse to jump the lot.

2. My horse rushes towards the poles on the approach

Sit up and ask your horse to halt and stand as soon as he grabs the bit. Reassure him, then quietly turn away and approach again. Keep asking him to stop and stand until he approaches on your terms.

3. My horse jumps the poles

Some horses just do! Repeat the exercise a few times until hopefully he relaxes and canters through quietly. Don’t worry too much if he jumps them, so long as he’s maintaining his canter quality.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Teach your horse to rein-back from the ground to engage their core and release tension

Martha Terry — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 10:32:11 +0000

Rein-back from the ground involves working with your horse, unridden, to train him to step backwards calmly and without resistance in response to simple cues.

We use groundwork exercises to teach our horses cues from the ground, so that they clearly understand what is being asked, while also improving balance, suppleness, coordination and core strength.

Aims

establish good manners, relaxation and softness from the ground
engage your horse’s core and achieve response to your cues or aids
release tension and relax your horse

The setup

You will need:

Usual bridle, without reins (or twisted and secured inside the throat-lash), or a training halter or lunging cavesson
Lunge line or long rope
Schooling whip

No setup required: you can do this in an arena, outside the stable, in a field or on the yard if you have sufficient space.

Your horse’s legs should move in diagonal pairs as they step back (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to rein-back from the ground

If your horse is wearing a bridle, attach the lunge line or long rope to the opposite bit ring to whichever side you are standing, and thread the line through the inside bit ring. For a headcollar, have the rope attached behind the chin. For a lunging cavesson, have the line attached to the central ring at the front.

Position yourself facing the horse’s tail while standing slightly to one side of the horse’s head, with the horse standing fairly square.
Applying gentle downward pressure to the rope, to ask the horse to step back, while using your voice to say “back”.
You can also point the whip towards the horse’s front hooves or chest to encourage the horse to step backwards.
As soon as the horse takes one step backwards, release the pressure and praise the horse.
Wait for a moment to allow the horse to process what they’ve learnt, then repeat the cue or ask.
Halt and stand still for a few moments.
Lift the rope and step backwards yourself to encourage the horse forwards one or two steps, then stop to stand again.
If the horse doesn’t understand the cue to walk forwards, point the whip behind the girth, following up with a light touch if needed.

You can repeat this exercise several times until the horse understands what you are asking and will move forward and back confidently without resistance. To start with he may only manage one or two strides, but you can build up to six or more.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Diagonal pairs

You want to see the horse stepping cleanly backwards moving his legs in diagonal pairs, rather than shuffling or dragging their feet.

2. Good foundations

Reaching rein-back from the ground early in a horse’s training can help prevent the horse from learning to lean on you when you are handling them from the ground. Once it is established on the ground, the horse should understand the movement much more easily when ridden.

3. No rushing

The aim is for the horse to step back deliberately and confidently, in a relaxed frame with his poll at a similar height to his withers. You want to avoid the horse becoming tight in the neck or back and raising the head during this movement. If this happens stop, give the horse a moment to relax, and then ask again.

4. Pre-ride softness

This is a great warm-up exercise to do before riding, especially if your horse is sharp, as it encourages him to slow down and work with you without too much pressure. You can also do it tacked up, just secure the stirrups so they don’t bang on your horse’s sides.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

A simple polework exercise to help distinguish between sharper corners and rounder circles

Tania Grantham — Sun, 31 May 2026 09:30:15 +0000

Riding accurate corners is one of the simplest ways to improve a dressage test. Just as importantly, riders must be able to show a clear difference between the corners of the arena and a 20m circle at either end.

Too often, horses drift through the corners as though riding part of a circle, losing both balance and accuracy, but this polework exercise will create a visual guide to help you clearly distinguish between riding a corner and riding a circle.

Aims

Improve rider understanding of the accuracy points of a 20m circle
Encourage your horse to bend correctly through the body
Maximise the benefit of riding purposeful corners in a test

The setup

You need: two poles

Setup: Place one pole in each corner either side of C, positioned slightly off the track and pointing diagonally towards the centre of the arena.

Pole placement should suit your horse’s training level – more advanced horses will be able to ride deeper corners (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

1. Begin in walk. Ride around the end of first pole, then continue straight along the short side towards A or C. Focus on maintaining a straight line after the turn without allowing the horse to drift.

2. From A or C, begin a 20m circle. Your horse should leave the track to cross the first pole, touch the long side at the correct point, cross the centre line in the middle of the circle, touch the opposite long side evenly, then cross the second pole before returning to A or C.

3. After completing the circle, continue straight along the short side and ride around the end of the pole through the corner. The key is to clearly show the difference between the circle and the corner. For the corner, think about pushing the horse into the turn from your inside leg while controlling the line and balance from the outside aids. Once the exercise feels established in walk, repeat it in trot and then progress to canter.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Lack of bend on the circle

Many horses fall through the shoulder or overbend in the neck without truly bending through the body. Prepare the circle before leaving the track by asking for a slight flexion at the poll to the inside. Then focus on riding a genuinely curved line, turning every stride rather than making one large steering movement. Keep the inside leg at the girth to encourage bend and maintain the horse’s balance.

2. Rushing

Some horses anticipate the poles and quicken towards them. Maintain a consistent tempo by paying attention to your seat and rhythm in each pace. Use well-timed half-halts to rebalance the horse and encourage them to sit more on the hindquarters rather than running forwards.

3. Breaking from canter

In canter, horses often lose balance in the corners and drop back to trot. Think of riding a shorter, more collected canter through the corner, keeping the strides active and bouncy. On the circle, allow the canter to travel slightly more forwards before rebalancing again for the next corner. Pole placement should always suit the horse’s training level. A prelim horse will not be expected to ride as deep or as collected a corner as a horse working at elementary or above.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Develop your horse’s engagement in canter with this quick transition exercise

Martha Terry — Sat, 30 May 2026 13:45:24 +0000

You can practise this simple flatwork exercise in just five minutes, or use it every now and then in a regular schooling session to encourage engagement. All you need is to establish shoulder-in in trot, and you’re away.

Aims

to improve your horse’s engagement in canter
to use shoulder-in to encourage your horse to engage his hindleg in the upward transition from trot

The setup

No setup required: you can do this in the arena or even out hacking, but the arena fence is handy to help you judge the alignment of your shoulder-in.

Making the canter transition out of shoulder-in will encourage hindleg engagement (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once warmed up, trot down the long side of the arena in shoulder-in, showing the appropriate amount of bend.
Your horse’s footfalls should be on three tracks: the outside hind, the diagonal pair (inside hind and outside fore) and the inside fore, with your horse bending uniformly around the inside leg from poll to tail.
Ask for a canter transition as you move on to a circle. As your horse should be nicely engaged from the shoulder-in, this should encourage an engaged uphill canter with the hindquarters working well.
Maintain the quality of canter as you continue around the circle.

When riding shoulder-in, your horse’s footfalls should be on three tracks. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Tips and troubleshooting

1. The correct bend

In the shoulder-in, as a rider you should be able to see your horse’s inside eye if you glance down. If you use too much inside bend, the outside shoulder will fall out, which will compromise your canter transition.

If the hindquarters drift out, your outside leg needs to support your horse more strongly behind the girth.

2. No crossing the hand

A common problem is to cross the inside hand over the neck as you try to flex the horse to the inside. This encourages the shoulder to fall out, so keep each hand on its own side of the neck with the outside rein to support the shoulders.

3. Starting collection

This exercise will be even more beneficial if the horse is able to collect a little in the trot, as this lightens the forehand for an uphill, balanced transition.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Boost your horse’s suppleness and manoeuvrability using five poles on the ground

Martha Terry — Fri, 29 May 2026 09:15:32 +0000

This polework exercise using five poles is designed to improve your horse’s suppleness and manoeuvrability in trot. The poles are used as focus points to structure your training exercise, rather than for stepping over.

Aims

to improve rider accuracy
to confirm correct use of inside and outside leg
to improve the horse’s coordination and suppleness

The setup

You need: five poles

Setup: place five poles on a straight line with five metres between each. Then pull the second and fourth poles to one side but keeping them in the same plane.

Ensure there is sufficient space to the side of each pole so that you can walk around the ends – don’t place them against the fence line.

The poles help to keep your focus as you work on your horse’s correct bend (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once warmed up, establish an active trot.
The aim is not to trot over the poles, but around them, ensuring a uniform bend through your horse’s body on both reins.
Start with the first pole in the line of three poles and ride a pear-drop shaped loop around that, ensuring the horse is bending through his whole body. Then change the bend in an offset figure of eight to perform another pear-drop shaped loop around the first of the line of two poles.
Repeat with the next two poles in the sequence.
When it comes to the final pole, make a wider loop and come up the middle of the two lines in a mini slalom. Instead of big wide loops with lots of bend, it’s now about creating a little bit of bend in the ribcage. The horse needs to be listening to the rider and have quick reactions.

The challenge is to do it efficiently with the horse maintaining the ideal tempo and creating the correct shapes, neither falling in or out through the shoulder and quarters.

Tips

1. Start slow

If this exercise is too demanding in trot, try it first in walk (or try this exercise) until the horse understands your aids and what you are asking of him.

2. Perfection by polework

Polework is a great way for riders to monitor whether they are achieving something when riding on their own, because they require accuracy. If you aren’t accurate, you will miss or hit the poles. When you’re just riding around the arena without physical markers, it’s harder to judge your accuracy.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Try this exercise to encourage your horse to engage his hindleg from the ground

Martha Terry — Thu, 28 May 2026 13:10:07 +0000

Teaching your horse cues from the ground can show them what you are looking for, as well as improving suppleness, core strength and coordination. This groundwork exercise is useful for helping the horse understand how to engage the hindleg, and for developing suppleness.

Aims

step the inside hindleg under and through
lift the core and engage the back
release tension and relax your horse

The setup

You need:

Usual bridle, without reins (or twisted and secured inside the throat-lash) or training halter or lunging cavesson
Lunge line or long rope (like this one)
Schooling whip

No setup required: you can do this in an arena, in a field or even just outside the stable if you have sufficient space.

The horse should pivot around you, similar to doing a turn about the forehand, stepping the hindleg forward and under the body. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to do the exercise

If you are using a bridle. attach the lunge line or rope to the opposite bit ring to whichever side you are working from, and thread the line through the inside bit ring. For a halter the rope will be underneath the horse’s jaw. On a lunge cavesson, have the rope or line attached to the central ring on the front of the nose.

Turn your horse around you, in walk, almost as if lungeing on a 2m circle. Bring the line towards you and point the whip slightly behind the girth.
You are asking your horse to bend through the body, pivoting around you with his front legs on pretty much the same spot, and stepping underneath the belly with his inside hind leg.
Gently maintain your ask until the horse takes the correct forward and under step with the hindleg that is closest to you while softing through their body.
Allow the horse to rest for a moment before asking again.
You can repeat this three or four times on each rein, gradually building up the number of steps.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Your horse avoids the step under

It’s easier for your horse just to walk around in a circle rather than stepping under and through, but that step underneath the belly is key as that is when they lift their core and soften through the back.

2. Good foundations

Just like ridden lateral work, this exercise helps them soften and become more supple. But sometimes when you’re riding them they don’t understand what they’re asking, so this can be a useful first step.

3. Pre-ride softness

This is a great warm-up exercise to do before riding, especially if your horse is sharp, as it encourages him to soften. You can also do it tacked up, just secure the stirrups so they don’t bang on your horse’s flanks.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Sharpen your transitions using this simple exercise on a circle

Martha Terry — Wed, 27 May 2026 14:46:43 +0000

Perfect your trot-canter transitions in this straightforward flatwork exercise, which you can do in the field or an arena.

Aims

to improve your accuracy in making canter-trot-canter transitions exactly on the marker
learn how far in advance you need to prepare your horse for accurate transitions
build communication and harmony in the horse-rider relationship

The setup

There is no setup required. All you need is space to ride a 20m circle.

Be disciplined about where you make your transitions. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once warmed up, ride a few 20m circles in trot to establish bend and check your horse is listening.
Pick up canter and ride a continuous 20m circle, noting four markers where you will make your transitions, at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock.
When you’re ready, canter round three-quarters of the circle from 12 o’clock to 9 o’clock, where you will ride a downwards transition to trot.
Trot round half the circle from 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock, where you will make a transition to canter.
Canter three-quarters of the circle from 3 o’clock to 12 o’clock, and so on.
Eight transitions will bring you back to where you started – however if you are late on your transitions it may take time to perfect the sequence.
Give your horse a break at walk before repeating on the other rein.

Tips and troubleshooting

1. Work on an incline

If you have access to a sloping field, and have mastered this exercise on the flat, performing these transitions on a hill is a great way to improve your horse’s balance, outline and core.

2. Accuracy

It’s all too easy to get late on a transition, and then miss the next one. To execute each transition bang on the correct point of the circle, you have to refine how far in advance to ask for the aids on a particular horse on particular terrain (the hillier, the more testing).

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Develop your core strength and balance by practising these positions in the saddle

Martha Terry — Tue, 26 May 2026 12:18:31 +0000

Going for a hack needn’t be a lob-about on a long rein – it’s a great time to work on your own position and fitness. Try this exercise in trot to boost your own strength – and see how much you improve each time you do it. If you prefer, you can also try this exercise in an arena or field.

Aims

to improve your balance in the saddle
to put your lower leg in the correct position with the weight in the heels
to make your seat more secure
to stretch and build up the necessary muscles

The setup

No setup required: you can do this in an arena or out hacking. Using a neck strap will help you balance without pulling the reins.

Three positions to practise in trot, to help develop your balance and strength (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride this exercise

Put your stirrups at cross-country or galloping length.
Go into an active trot, and slip two fingers under the neck strap in case you need to balance. Adopt a racing position (pictured above, left), tucked up with your bum out and your hands low. Push your weight through your heels, allowing the ankles and knees to absorb the horse’s movement. Do not rise to the trot. You should feel the burn!
Sit up slightly as you move into a light seat as though you were preparing to jump a fence (pictured above, centre), with your bum lightly brushing the saddle but not full rising trot.
If you can balance well in these two positions, try the extreme version which is to stand upright in the saddle (pictured above, right), with your legs straight (still no rising), absorbing the movement through your ankles, knees and core. Do not rely on your hands. Keep the weight in the heels, using the neck strap if you need to balance.

The more you practise these three positions, the more you will hone your balance, strengthen your muscles and develop a correct lower leg position.

Start with short intervals to avoid fatigue, gradually building up your stamina over several weeks.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Leaning too far forward

This puts weight on your horse’s neck and forces your lower leg back. Instead, push your weight through the heels and slide your bum back to redress the centre of balance.

2. Gripping with knees

This causes the lower leg to slip backward and destabilises you. Keep the weight through the heels, using your calves to keep you in place.

3. Swinging legs

Try shortening the stirrups, so that you can hover more efficiently above the saddle allowing your horse to move underneath you without you interfering.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Improve your horse’s bend in walk with this simple polework exercise

Martha Terry — Mon, 25 May 2026 08:35:57 +0000

This simple polework exercise is designed to help you create the correct bend in walk, using just five poles.

Aims

to improve rider accuracy
to confirm correct use of inside and outside leg
to improve the horse’s coordination and suppleness

The setup

You need: five poles

Setup: place five poles on a straight line with four metres between each. Ensure there is sufficient space to the side of each pole so that you can walk around each end – avoid placing them along the fence line. Down the centre line is the easiest spot!

How to set up the exercise (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Once warmed up, establish an active but unhurried walk.
Walk your horse between and around the poles – not over – turning left or right at the end of each one to create a wide serpentine (see diagram above). Your horse should follow the line with a uniform bend through their body through each turn without falling in or out off the line.
When you reach the end of the line of poles, make a three-quarter of a circle turn and ride straight over the centre of the poles before changing direction and repeating the turns the other way.

The challenge is to do it efficiently with the horse going at the correct tempo and creating the correct shapes, neither falling in or out through the shoulder and quarters.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Keeping discipline

Stiffer or younger horses who lack control are likely to fall out through the shoulder, or get confused with so many turns, so it’s a good acceptance exercise and requires them to mature in their thinking. Be really clear with your inside and outside leg aids.

2. Walk quality

Experienced horses may automatically slow down in this exercise to make this challenge easier, so you must ensure they maintain an active four-beat walk, walking forward through all the bending, but without rushing or jogging. Here are some tips on how to improve your horse’s walk.

3. One-sidedness

Nearly all horses have a stiffer side so this exercise gives the rider a good way to work on improving this, by supporting the horse with their legs. The frequent changes of bend should gradually improve the horse’s suppleness on the more challenging side, interspersed with the easier direction so they don’t become sore or resistant.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Refine your centre lines using just two poles and two cones

Tania Grantham — Sun, 24 May 2026 11:30:44 +0000

In dressage, first impressions count. From the moment you turn onto the centre line, the judge begins assessing the quality of your horse and the harmony of the partnership. A straight, balanced and confident entry immediately suggests organisation, attentiveness and correct basics, setting the tone for the entire test.

I created this polework exercise to help you practise riding the perfect centre line.

Aims

improve balance in the turn onto the centre line
improve accuracy and straightness of centre line
improve your horse’s engagement and suppleness

The set up

You need: two poles and two cones

Setup: Lay the pair of poles as a tramline either side of D, and place the cones on the inside track of the short side at the ¼ and ¾ lines.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

1. Starting from the corner marker, think of the turn as half of a 10-metre circle. This encourages a smoother curve and helps maintain suppleness. Use the cone as the halfway point of your turn, creating a symmetrical curve either side of it.

2. Use the pair of poles as a visual guide for riding forward from the curve and straight onto the centre line.

3. Look up towards the C marker and ride forwards towards it.

Use the cone on the ¼ line as the halfway point of your turn. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Loss of balance in the turn

You have a crucial role in maintaining balance through the turn. Stay level through your shoulders, turning from the waist, and allow the weight to go down onto your inside seatbone without tipping your hips.

Use your outside rein and upper leg to support the horse’s outside shoulder, while the outside lower leg prevents the haunches from drifting. The inside leg at the girth maintains activity and bend. Focus on guiding your horse’s shoulders and hindquarters onto the centre line, rather than simply turning the head.

2. Loss of straightness on the centre line

True straightness means the hind feet follow the forefeet, with energy travelling forward evenly. For the rider, this requires even rein contact, softly supporting legs, and a centred, balanced seat. Focus on your hips staying level and square, a crooked horse will try to shift the riders weight or push one hip forwards.

3. Drifting off the centre line

If your horse drifts, avoid overcorrecting with the lower leg as this often results in them simply going crooked or drifting the other way. Instead, keep your hips square, upper legs steady, and hands even. Focus on keep the upper leg and upper arm closed, potentially with slightly more pressure on the side they want to drift.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Use this 10m loop exercise to build your horse’s strength, balance and suppleness – and test your aids

Bethany Stone — Sat, 23 May 2026 07:30:17 +0000

Add this 10m loop exercise to your next schooling session – no equipment required

An oft-forgotten exercise, the 10m loop benefits every horse’s strength, balance and suppleness. They can also work as a gentle introduction to counter-canter. Plus, it’ll sharpen up a rider’s use of aids.

If you’ve never ridden one before, it’ll be handy to look up how to ride a 10m loop before trying this flatwork exercise. This will help you get to grips with the aids.

Aims

to improve rider accuracy
enhancing the horse’s balance and suppleness
to introduce counter-canter

The setup

You need: a 20x40m or 20x60m arena

10m loop in a 20x40m arena (Image credit: creditUnknown)

How to ride the exercise

Warm up and establish an active, rhythmic trot.
Execute the loop, ensuring you ride a quality corner and don’t linger on the centre line – you should just brush it at X.
Return to the track, using the corner to rebalance.

To dial up the difficulty, do the exercise in canter.

The challenge is to maintain the horse’s rhythm, energy and your line without drifting or the horse coming up and against the hand.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Know your arena

10m loops follow different gradients depending on the length of the arena. In a 20x60m, the curve is fairly gradual, but in a 20x40m, the line is much steeper. Make sure you plan ahead for shape and symmetry, remembering that briefly touching the centre line at X is correct.

10m loop in a 20x60m arena (Image credit: creditUnknown)

2. Prepare and support

This exercise serves to make you very aware of your corner riding. It takes discipline to ride deep into the corner and balance your horse to set him up well to curve away from the track. Look where you are going, be really clear with your inside and outside leg aids and use them to help your horse maintain his shape and rhythm, especially in canter, where outside rein connection is vital. It should feel like you’re using your outside aids to steer him out of the corner and away from the arena wall, and not the inside rein.

3. Not too much bend

Your horse should stay on two tracks throughout the movement; the body should stay straight with no drifting through the shoulder or quarters. If he doesn’t, it’s likely you have asked for too much bend when all you require is slight flexion.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

How to ride accurate circles for higher marks – with advice from self-confessed ‘circles geek’ Becky Moody

Oscar Williams — Wed, 20 May 2026 07:40:51 +0000

In this exclusive article for H&H subscribers, World Cup champion Becky Moody explains why good circles start with knowing your arena, your horse and yourself

We ride more circles than anything else in dressage. So it’s a bit of a problem that many of us don’t fully understand how to ride a circle for optimum benefit, whether that’s in tests or during our dressage training.

The 20m circle looks innocuous on a test sheet. Easy, even. You pick it up at the marker, swing round, and from the saddle it feels fine. Then the sheet comes back: “Loss of bend.” “Not round.” “Falling in.” “Falling out.” Sometimes the full set – or my most common comment: “Not 20m.”

The 10m circle, meanwhile, is where a lot of riders first learn the hard way that a circle isn’t a steering exercise. It’s a test of balance, suppleness and awareness rolled into one.

How to ride the perfect circle

Becky Moody is, by her own admission, a geek about riding a circle.

“When I was younger and even more of a geek, I used to have my little to-scale arenas that I would draw, and then I’d draw my tests so that I could really understand the distances,” she says. “I’m quite a visual person.”

The work, in other words, starts long before you actually start turning. Here are Becky’s tips to help you ride the perfect circle – and they’re relevant to riders at all levels.

1. Know your arena

“My first thing is, know the dimensions of an arena,” Becky adds. “And I don’t just mean 20×40 or 20×60. I mean the distance between the letters.”

In a 20m by 40m arena, the markers down each long side sit at 6m, 14m, 14m, 6m from the short side, shown below.

The distances between markers in a short dressage arena. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

In a 20m by 60m arena, it’s 6m, 12m, 12m, 12m, 12m, 6m.

The distances between markers in a long dressage arena. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Which means K, F, M and H sit only 6m from the short side – they’re not where a 20m circle from A or C should touch the long side. That point – where the circle brushes the track – is 10m from the short side, which is four meters beyond K, F, M or H in both arenas.

This matters because most circles drift towards markers. They feel like circles, but they’re really ovals with squared-off ends. A correctly ridden 20m circle from C in a short arena (shown below) touches the track at C, momentarily touches the track on the long side halfway to B (or E), crosses over X, then mirrors that on the other long side and returns to C. No straight lines. No corners. You should, in effect, never not be turning.

There are no corners in a correctly ridden 20m circle. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“If you understand technically where it has to go, then it’s about having your horse between two legs and two reins so you can actually steer properly around where you’re trying to go,” Becky says.

2. Know your horse – and yourself

This is where the most-repeated phrase in dressage – inside leg to outside rein – needs a closer look.

“The whole inside leg to outside rein thing really depends,” Becky says. “A lot of horses tend to over-bend on the left rein and fall out through the right shoulder.

“So if you ride inside leg to outside rein on that rein, and you’re not on it enough with your outside rein, you can actually make it worse. You can push that outside shoulder out further.”

A correctly ridden 20m circle from C touches the track only briefly at C, brushing each long side 10m in from the short side – never at the corner markers. (Image credit: Isabel Pearce)

But no single rule fits every horse. “Horses are like us,” Becky adds. “They’ve all got a bendy side and a straighter side. It’s understanding that, and then that will help you know what you need to do.”

Riders have a dominant side, too. “If you’re a bit dominant with your left hand, the likelihood is on the left rein you’re going to bend the horse too much to the inside and let it fall out the outside,” Becky says.

The fix isn’t something that’s easy to put down in words as a simple formula. It’s awareness, feel, of where your horse is genuinely supple and where they’re compensating, and of which of your own habits are making things worse.

3. Bend, not neck-bend

A circle asks the horse to bend uniformly along the curve. The judge wants to see the body follow the shape, with just enough flexion at the poll to glimpse the inside eye, ear and nostril. That’s it.

The classic error is hauling on the inside rein and producing a neck-bend – the horse’s head turns in, while the shoulders, and ribcage carry on in the original direction. The horse falls out through the outside shoulder, drifts wide, and loses the very thing the circle is designed to show: that your horse is actually supple and listening to the rider’s leg, not their hand.

Riding out of a circle is just as revealing. The return to a straight line should be immediate – shoulders in front of the quarters, neck straight, body aligned. If straightness is a problem, riding on the inside track rather than against the wall or edge of the arena stops your horse from using the boards as a crutch to lean on.

How to ride a 10m circle

A 10m circle is quite an effective test of a horse’s balance.

“One of the biggest factors in being able to turn a really good smaller circle is balance,” Becky says. “If a horse is out of balance, then it’s difficult to turn on a smaller circle. So another thing to come back to is think about your scales of training and how it impacts your ability to influence the horse.”

In practice, that means a 10m circle exposes whatever is missing further down the scale. A horse lacking in rhythm loses a regular tempo on the turn. A horse struggling with suppleness resists the bend and pops the outside shoulder. A horse without honest contact down the rein hollows or curls. The circle isn’t the problem, it’s a diagnostic for the problem.

Flexion at the poll, not neck-bend: the judge wants just enough inside bend to glimpse the eye, ear and nostril. (Image credit: Isabel Pearce)

When your circle keeps going wrong

Some riders – like myself – ride consistent 16m circles and call them 20m. Some ride lopsided shapes and never realise. The fix, Becky says, is honest feedback.

“If you rode a 16m circle despite everybody telling you that you were riding a 16m circle and you needed to make it bigger, you have to understand, or your coach has to help you understand, why.

“Is it because the horse is falling in? Is it because you’re being idle and not forward-planning and steering properly? You have to understand what is causing your circle to go wrong consistently, and how you’re going to fix it.”

Good eyes on the ground are the gold standard. Failing that, Becky rates video.

“You can think as a rider that one thing is happening, and then when you actually see it back, you understand that maybe that’s not what’s happening at all,” she says.

“You think you’re riding a horse that’s between leg and hand, and aligned in the suppleness, and then you watch a video, and you’re like, ‘Holy crap, I’m bending their neck way more than I think I am, and I just need to take better control of that outside shoulder’.”

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Did you find this article useful? You may also enjoy reading…

(Image credit: Isabel Pearce)

How to ride the perfect centre line, with tips from Olympic medallist Laura Tomlinson

(Image credit: Isabel Pearce)

Lacking inspiration? Mary King’s three simple exercises on a 20m circle will improve your riding skills – whatever your level

(Image credit: Isabel Pearce)

How to ride extended canter for higher marks, balance and control – with advice from Laura Tomlinson

(Image credit: Isabel Pearce)

How soon can you ride after giving birth? Experts and top equestrians share their advice

Victoria Goff — Tue, 12 May 2026 11:47:36 +0000

How soon can we get back in the saddle and ride after giving birth? It’s a question riders ask online again and again, but the answer is different for everyone. If you’re Ros Canter, then it’s possible to win Mars Badminton Horse Trials less than four months later, while other equestrians find they need much more time to recover, and this can be for a wide range of reasons.

If there is one topic that’s almost guaranteed to cause fierce debate, it’s motherhood. Natural births versus caesarean sections, breast or bottle, spoon-fed or baby-led weaning – the list goes on, and the arguments are endless.

Then you throw horses into the mix and things get even more complicated. Is it safe to ride while pregnant? Can you find the time and energy to ride when you have a small baby to look after? How do you feel about doing what’s essentially a risk sport now you have an infant depending on you?

Ros, pictured with her family, won Badminton on Lordships Graffalo less than four months after giving birth to her second daughter Seneh. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

How soon can you ride a horse after giving birth?

All this has been widely discussed, but what isn’t talked about as much is the physical effect that pregnancy and childbirth can have on women, and when we should return to the saddle, regardless of whether riding is your hobby or your livelihood.

Riders are generally a hardy bunch, and there can be the attitude that having a baby is something you do in the off-season, that you’ll be out for a hack as soon as the epidural wears off and be back in your best competition breeches by the following weekend. The official advice, however, is to wait until around six to eight weeks postpartum before you start strenuous exercise, for those who had straightforward vaginal births, going up to three months if you had a caesarean section.

“Healing time can really vary from woman to woman,” says Justine Elliott, a chartered physiotherapist who specialises in women’s pelvic health. “The advice is to wait until your postpartum GP check before starting to do any strenuous exercise, but in reality it’s difficult to put a time-frame on healing from childbirth.

“It depends on how the pregnancy was, the difficulty of the birth, how the mother is feeling postnatally. Nor are C-sections the easy option – it’s major surgery, which involves cutting right through the stomach muscles, and these need time to heal.”

Results of a survey showing how long riders took to recover from childbirth and the common physical issues they experienced. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

The early factors

Everyone knows that labour isn’t exactly a hack in the park, but perhaps we are guilty of downplaying just how traumatic an event it can be in our hurry to get back into the saddle.

“Unlike an injury, recovery from childbirth is multi-faceted – physically, emotionally and hormonally – and one aspect might recover more quickly than another,” says Pilates instructor and former midwife Chloe Beazley.

In the days and weeks following the birth, there may be obvious short-term issues – soreness and swelling, particularly if there was any tearing or an episiotomy, pain around a C-section scar, uncomfortably full or leaking breasts, postnatal bleeding and bladder weakness, to name a few. By the two-month point, a lot of these will have healed or at least improved, but some of the other effects of pregnancy and birth might continue for much longer.

“Even if a new mum feels well enough to start riding again, she might find her balance is affected and her reaction times are slower, which can be an issue particularly if your horse has had some time off during your maternity break,” says Justine, who has owned and ridden horses from a young age.

“One of the risks of returning to exercise too quickly is prolapse, particularly as altered oestrogen levels from pregnancy and breastfeeding can cause some ongoing laxity to these structures, plus the process of giving birth puts a huge amount of pressure on these internal muscles.”

One mother and dressage rider had to stop riding early in her pregnancy after a freak riding fall while hacking left her with fractured vertebrae in her neck. Fortunately her baby was fine and she made a good recovery from her neck injury, but a lengthy break from riding followed by a quick return afterwards ended up causing problems.

“I had a quick birth with no external tearing, and I was back on my horse about two-and-a-half weeks after my baby was born,” she says. “But then I had an internal prolapse, which might have been caused by returning to riding too quickly or doing too much yard work in late pregnancy.

“I wish the postnatal information given to me was more in depth, especially regarding the risk of prolapse. My health situation could have been avoided with proper guidance, and I’m now paying the price mentally, physically and financially as I’m having to see a private physio and gynaecologist.”

Another potential issue is that of diastasis recti, which is a partial or complete separation of the rectus abdominus muscles (or the six-pack muscles, for those lucky enough to be familiar with them).

“These muscles have to adapt throughout pregnancy to allow space for the growing bump” says Justine. “As many as one in two women will be left with a gap in these muscles, which can take time to heal and may need special targeted exercises. But seek professional advice, as doing the wrong type of exercises can end up doing more damage than good, and take longer to repair.”

Ongoing challenges after birth

Pelvic floor issues – and accompanying bladder weakness – is another barrier for making a speedy return to the saddle. A bit like running and trampolining, the impact and the “squatting” position of riding can put extra pressure on a weakened pelvic floor and make it harder to switch on these essential muscles.

It’s a common issue, and women of all ages, even elite athletes and teenage gymnasts, can suffer from pelvic floor weakness. That said, it isn’t something to be ignored or classed as normal, and these conditions can often be improved with professional help.

The pelvic floor muscles form a big part of your core, something that many mothers find to be lacking after childbirth.

“Core strength is vital to riders, whatever their discipline,” explains Justine. “Many new mothers find a sudden disconnect when riding, that their bodies no longer do as they want them to do and they struggle with a lack of balance. So much changes in your body throughout pregnancy and it can take time for things to settle; plus there may be weight gain, postural changes, muscle weakness – all of this can affect your riding.”

There are lots of physical changes that can affect when you’re ready to get back on a horse. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Grand prix dressage rider and trainer Sarah Sjoholm-Patience found her core strength to be the biggest challenge after the birth of her daughter.

“All the basic skill set was still there, but my core strength was so much weaker,” she says. “It took six months for it to return to how it was, while my pelvic alignment has never quite been the same since.”

Sarah was back to riding and coaching “as soon as the stitches were out”, which isn’t uncommon among professionals when riding is your income and career.

Showjumper Yazmin Pinchen rode up until five months pregnant, with her doctor’s consent, and returned not long after the birth of her son, but even a short maternity break saw her dropping down the rankings.

“There was huge pressure to get back competing and getting my points back up so I could compete at certain shows,” she says. Since then, the FEI has announced changes to the maternity rules for dressage, showjumping and driving to offer further flexibility.

Most women will change shape during pregnancy, with postural differences and weight gain commonplace, despite what we see on celebrity mothers’ Instagram feeds. Even if the baby weight drops off quickly, women might find their shape has changed and their pre-pregnancy clothes don’t fit as they did before. Showjumper Jessie Drea got a shock when going to put on her Team GBR jacket after the birth of her first son.

“It didn’t fit, so I asked for a bigger one, and the replacement didn’t fit either!” she says.

Jessie stopped riding early on during both pregnancies for medical reasons, but was back in the saddle within days of giving birth both times. Like many new equestrian mothers, riding provided her with a big psychological boost and gave her a break from mum duties, but she did feel a degree of pressure to bounce back.

“One year I was on Nations Cup teams and going to the World Equestrian Games – the next I was having a baby,” she says. “I thought once I went back I’d be exactly the same as I was despite having had a break and a baby, but of course you’re not the same, your body changes so much.”

How preparation can help a smooth return to the saddle

Whatever your views on riding during pregnancy, doing some form of exercise and keeping active while you’re expecting may well mean a more straightforward birth and quicker recovery.

“Being in great physical shape prior to and during pregnancy is the best way to ensure a quicker and easier recovery from labour and delivery – studies have shown this,” says Chloe Beazley.

Badminton winner Piggy March missed an entire eventing season when she had her son Max in 2016.

“I’d missed the whole season so I wasn’t under any pressure to rush back,” she says. “It meant I had the whole winter to get fit again, so once I started riding again I just built things up gradually.”

One thing Piggy did was to start weekly sessions with a personal trainer.

“I was keen to start doing some rider fitness work, which I hadn’t really done before, and that was very beneficial. She got me back into shape and back into my breeches in time for the following season.”

Pictured at Badminton in 2019, Piggy says she “built things up slowly” following the birth of her son in 2016. (Image credit: Badminton Horse Trials/Kit Hougton)

It is a challenge to get back to feeling like the rider you were pre-pregnancy, but it is doable. Some riders even report feeling better after childbirth, as it led to them focusing on improving their core strength. It’s all a case of managing expectations, taking things gradually and allowing yourself to enjoy your new role as a mother as well as retaining your identity as a rider.

“Be kind to yourself,” says Sarah Sjoholm-Patience. “Give yourself time to recover, put less pressure on yourself. Your baby is only going to be small for a short period of time, and our sport will still be there when you go back to it.”

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Olympic rider shares favourite jumping exercise to develop horse’s technique and rider balance

Martha Terry — Sun, 03 May 2026 07:30:52 +0000

Olympian Vittoria Panizzon shares her “baseline” gridwork exercise, which can benefit horses at any level, in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

This gridwork exercise for improving technique is a favourite of Vittoria Panizzon. It uses wide parallels to develop jumping technique and is particularly useful for training horses for eventing. It can help horses regain their jumping bascule after a cross-country session where they are likely to jump with a flatter technique.

It’s also a great gridwork exercise for improving the rider’s balance, as it requires a light seat and giving hands so that the horse has total freedom to use his back and neck fully.

How to ride this gridwork exercise to develop technique

The aim: to develop the horse’s shape over a fence and build strength, as well as rider balance.

The setup: the final grid will be a cross-pole, with a placing pole, followed by at least two parallels with ground lines, three for experienced horses. But you should build up gradually, fence by fence.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

You’ll need a helper on the ground to put up poles and move wings forward.

Jump the cross-pole a few times until the horse is jumping calmly.
Add in the subsequent elements of the grid one at a time, with ground lines at each fence. Initially, the distances between each element should be about 7m.
Each time the horse jumps through well, pull the wings 5–10cm forward. You can raise the fence a hole as the horse understands the exercise. This makes the distances between fences shorter, as the fences get higher and wider. The parallels shouldn’t be too high (90cm–1m is ample for most horses) but well over 1m wide for experienced horses.
As the fences get wider, you can add a diagonal pole on top of the parallel. This encourages the horse to make a good shape but also prevents the horse misreading the fence as a bounce.
Jump through each altered grid once or twice. Don’t hang around between each approach as you don’t want the horse to switch off.
The number of times you do this exercise, and the height to which you raise the parallels, will depend on the horse’s experience, level and fitness.

Start small and build up gradually so that the horse understands the exercise. You want to set them up to succeed. (Image credit: Jasmine Punter)

How this gridwork exercise helps you and your horse

Vittoria explains that this is her baseline exercise, which she was taught by Sarah Bullen.

“As the parallels become bigger and wider, it helps develop the bascule and strength of the horse, as well as the rider’s balance,” she explains. “It encourages the horse to use themselves really well, getting stronger with their push from behind and making a big, round shape.

“I tend to have the groundline a little in front of the fence because I like to help them learn to make the best shape by spelling it out for them. There are times to let a horse make a mistake to sharpen up and learn, and there are times to set them up to succeed, and as this exercise gets harder I want to be encouraging them.

Vittoria emphasises that this exercise relies entirely on the rider dropping their hands so the horse has full use of his neck.

“This style is the way I was brought up to ride in Italy, with a military instructor who had us riding through grids with no hands, and would make us jump off drops cross-country with no reins,” she says.

“So I did it a lot as a child, and similarly Sarah would also make me release a lot, to give the horse plenty of freedom. Horses gain so much trust in the rider if they know they will always get the freedom they need to jump.

“Horses gain so much trust in the rider if they know they will always get the freedom they need to jump.” Vittoria demonstrates a giving rein. (Image credit: Jasmine Punter)

Vittoria offers another challenge to teach horses to look after themselves, to sort out their own technique.

“While the grid is still small, I like riders to go through with no hands, and then putting their hands over their eyes. It’s not a gimmick; it helps the rider, which helps the horse. It’s the best way to get the rider in the right place – the horses jump beautifully when the rider has their hands over their eyes!”

Learning to be well balanced to make the horse’s job easier is a major factor.

“The rider must always stay in jumping balance, in a light seat between the fences,” Vittoria explains. “This is because as the striding gets shorter and the parallels wider, the horse needs to stay round in his back, which they cannot do if you are sitting into the saddle.

“I like to come into the grid in trot, because that means you can’t just hang on to the reins and be pulled over the fence. The rider has to get the timing right to fold, and the horse has to push over the fence, so it fine-tunes both rider balance and the horse’s reactions.

“You don’t need speed to jump big, but the right technique and balance.”

Variations

The grid above can have multiple variations and tweaks to improve certain horses’ weaknesses, such as:

An upright rather than a parallel as the final element. I build this higher than I would the parallel. This encourages the horse to really lift his shoulders because they have to combine first the stretching and pushing for the parallels, and then lift high for the upright.
Start the grid with a bounce to make them sharper.
Use wing poles to keep the horse straight on whichever side they drift.

About Vittoria Panizzon

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

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

How elite riders cope when their warm-ups go awry, plus tips to overcome blips in your best-laid plans

Ellie Hughes — Sun, 15 Mar 2026 08:25:56 +0000

The ideal warm-up will be perfectly executed to produce success in the ring – but horses aren’t machines. Ellie Hughes finds out how to cope when the warm-up throws you a curveball in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

As hard as we might try, not all warm-ups go to plan – and some go really wrong – even for the elites of our sport. Becky Moody and Jagerbomb were minutes away from dancing into the main arena at last year’s London International Horse Show when the big bay stepped one foot onto another and wrenched off a shoe.

“One of the founding principles of sport psychology is to control the controllables, and I’m not sure pulling off a shoe falls into that category,” says Becky, reflecting on the moments leading up to their grand prix test.

By the time the shoe had been nailed back on the pair barely had time to draw breath. But, cool as cucumbers, they went on to deliver a plus-75% score and take third place.

No matter how well-honed your warm-up routine, sometimes a crisis can unfold when you least expect it. From lost shoes and practice-fence tumbles to weather disruptions and tack malfunctions, there are myriad ways your last-minute preparations can go pear-shaped. How do top riders deal with these glitches? And how can you minimise the impact of a crisis on your own performance?

Becky was given the option to slot in at the end of the grand prix class, but decided against it.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“I didn’t think that would have suited Bomb either. I was happy with my decision even though our normal routine went out the window and I knew it wouldn’t be our best test,” she explains. “Usually, I get on 45 minutes beforehand and give him a couple of breaks. The last 15 minutes is important as he doesn’t naturally rev himself up ready to go into the arena – I have to do it for him – and we missed that window.”

Keeping a cool head when warm-ups go wrong

Having the mental strength to deal with glitches takes practice, which is why professional riders, who have years of experience to fall back on and are generally well-versed in sports psychology, can keep a clear head when circumstances conspire against them.

Hickstead Derby winner Trevor Breen recalls a particularly eventful warm-up while preparing for a five-star ranking class at Gijon, in Spain, several years ago.

“The horse I was riding completely misjudged a practice fence and we both ended up clean upside down,” he says. “We had to dust ourselves off and more or less go straight in and jump round a 1.55m track. Amazingly, we jumped clear. Situations like that are never ideal, but these things happen and you need to try to stay calm and not panic.

“If something goes wrong it’s always worth speaking to the steward to see if they will give you a little more time,” he says. “Most are very accommodating and will allow you to take a moment and jump a couple more fences if you need to. If things aren’t going to plan you need to stop, take a breath and work out what you need to do to be able to go into the ring in a confident place.”

Equestrian mindset and performance coach Janine Lamy explains that it is important to have a mechanism of recovery to get you back on track if necessary, and explains some of the tools and techniques that can help.

“The warm-up is the place where your mind can wander as there is so much else going on,” she says. “Horses tend to mirror our energy and nervous system, so it’s important to stay as grounded and present in the moment as you possibly can.

“Slowing your breathing and using grounding techniques, like feeling your hands or massaging your earlobe, can work well,” she continues. “Like anything, you need to have practised these to find out what works for you. The idea is that you activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which tells your brain to communicate with your body so that you can respond to a situation, not react to it.”

If another rider falls off in the warm-up area, for example, and there’s a loose horse causing chaos, it is important to be able to redirect your focus back quickly onto you and your horse.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

“The really good riders have tunnel vision,” continues Janine. “They have a blueprint of what they want to achieve and a process they need to go through to get themselves there.

“You need to ask yourself whether you can have a positive influence over a situation and if you can’t, then you need to let it go.”

International event rider Storm Straker was given little choice in the matter when she hit the deck over a practice fence moments before starting the cross-country at Ballindenisk CCI4*-L in 2024.

“I decided to string a line of fences together as my final prep, but my horse was distracted by something, left a leg and I went straight out the front door,”

she recalls. “We were both fine, but Fever Pitch galloped off back towards the stables, my air jacket had gone off and before I knew it, I was being marched off to see a doctor. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to start.”

Storm was eventually given the all-clear and ultimately went on to secure her first win at the level.

“In hindsight, it was probably a good thing I didn’t have too much time to think about the fall as it made me ride in the moment,” she says. “Once I was allowed back on board, I jumped the fence that I fell at, so that I could put that behind me, but then I just had to trust that Fever Pitch would do his job. We both knuckled down and went on to have a brilliant round. I would say the fall sharpened us up.”

The uncontrollables

The weather is something that is completely outside your control and yet may exert a considerable influence over your warm-up. Former World Class performance manager Yogi Breisner recalls day two of the eventing dressage at the London 2012 Olympics when a monsoon-like thunderstorm descended on Greenwich Park moments before British team member Tina Cook was due in the ring.

“There was no better person to have to deal with a difficult situation than Tina because she was so cool, calm and collected,” he recalls. The competition was held briefly to allow the worst of the storm to pass over, leaving those in the collecting ring completely drenched and with their carefully considered warm-up routines disrupted.

“We had prepared our horses the best we could for the challenge of a home Olympics – during team training we had even bussed in some local school children to wave banners and flags to try to recreate a bit of the atmosphere – but we couldn’t control the weather,” he continues.

The storm passes over as Tina Cook rides her dressage test at the London 2012 Olympics. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Yogi explains that although it is crucial to have a warm-up plan, it is also important to be able to adapt it.

“It is always worth looking at the weather forecast because that might dictate how long you warm up for,” he says. “If it is very wet or very hot, you might not want to spend as much time on board before your test. If it’s very cold you will likely need an exercise blanket, so make sure you have someone on hand to help take it off.”

Taking care of the factors that are within your control will leave you more able to deal with other issues should they arise.

“Sometimes there is more than one warm-up area, so do a recce before you ride and make sure you know where you need to be at what time, and also where the steward is,” advises Yogi. “Both you and your groom should locate the farrier in advance and know where to find spare tack, so you’re not wasting more time than is necessary if the worst happens and you lose a shoe or have a tack malfunction.

“At a championship we make sure the only people in the warm-up are the ones who are part of a rider’s close team,” he adds. “This helps minimise the chance of outside distractions and helps riders focus on what’s most important.”

Ultimately, that means peaking in the ring itself. While the warm-up is designed to set you up for success, a bad dress rehearsal can still lead to a polished show.

Can warm-ups go too well?

Psychologically, having to deviate from the best laid plans just before a big moment can be unsettling. But what happens when plan A goes too well and you feel your horse has peaked too early? This was exactly the conundrum last year’s Burghley runner-up Austin O’Connor faced before his dressage test on Colorado Blue. Fifteen minutes before his test, Austin hopped off and rolled up his stirrups.

“I’d already worked ‘Salty’ in the morning and had gone up to the warm-up 25 minutes before my test,” recalls Austin. “After about 10 minutes he felt great and was exactly where I wanted him to be.

“It wasn’t the plan at all to get off, but at that moment I felt he was exactly at the point where I wanted in the ring. If I’d have stayed on board I would have been tempted to carry on working him, which could’ve led to him being over the top. I took a gamble and jumped off so we could both just take a breath.

“At this level, with an established horse like Salty, it’s all about fine lines and small margins. I knew I was taking a bit of a risk getting off and if it hadn’t worked out I’d have looked like a bit of an idiot, but fortunately for me it did and we went in and did a great test.”

The duo went on to record a personal best five-star dressage score of 27.8.

More examples of top warm-up recoveries

Champion unshipped at Dublin Horse Show

Germany’s former world eventing champion Sandra Auffarth, who is now a top-draw showjumper, was unshipped from Quirici H in the warm-up just before her first round in Nations Cup showjumping at Dublin Horse Show in August 2025. She was permitted to take a little extra time to recover, so jumped a couple of horses later than the original running order, and went on to record an impressive clear round, ultimately helping Germany to second place.

A snapped stirrup at Boekelo

New Zealand five-star eventer Amanda Pottinger suffered a snapped stirrup iron while warming up for cross-country at the final leg of the FEI eventing Nations Cup series at Boekelo on Good Timing.

“It’s part of the sport – there are pressured situations and things don’t always go to plan,” she said at the time. “You learn to adapt to get the job done.”

Testing the nerves before Blenheim Europeans gold

Moments before she was due to canter down the centre line at the 2025 European Eventing Championships, eventual individual gold medallist Laura Collett had to contend with her often comedic partner, London 52, trying to scupper her last-minute prep by grabbing the bit and trying to run off.

“He does test the nerves in that respect,” she said afterwards.

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Top riders share their tips to turbocharge your jump-offs and win rounds against the clock

Ellie Hughes — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:45:25 +0000

We find out why having a plan in place is crucial, while top rider and British Showjumping accredited coach Joao Charlesworth shares his favourite exercises in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

The best riders in the world never look like they are in a hurry, yet they are able to shave seconds off the clock. The key to being competitive in a jump-off is to focus on a positive rhythm, smooth lines and tight, balanced turns.

British five-star showjumper Jodie Hall-McAteer is well known for turning on the turbo and delivering killer turns when it really matters, but the former Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) leading rider explains that while technical skills win jump-offs, so too does a solid mental game. When it comes to training in how to ride a faster jump-off round, that’s a good place to start.

“Mindset is so important if you want to be competitive,” says Jodie. “If you’re not cantering into the ring with 100% belief and conviction of what you’re riding for then it likely won’t come off. You have to say to yourself, ‘this is what I want to do today’, and be prepared to push yourself out of your comfort zone. This positivity will filter through to your horse, too.”

Choosing the right time to try to be competitive is important.

“You’re not going to be competitive every time you go into the ring and nor should you try to be,” she continues. “But when you are in good form, feeling confident about how your horse is jumping and you have a well thought-out plan, that’s the time to go for it.”

Jodie adds that being more competitive doesn’t necessarily mean winning.

“It depends on you, your horse and how the competition pans out on the day,” she says. “You don’t need to go all out to win a class, but by upping your tempo and cutting a corner or two you can aim to be fifth, sixth, or just a little bit faster than you were the day before. If you ride like this regularly then it becomes second nature and gives you something to build on.”

If you decide that today is the day to win some money, having a game plan is crucial.

“You’ve got to have as good a plan for your jump-off as you do for your first round,” says Jodie.

“When the jump-off happens separately after the first round it’s tempting not to want to think about the jump-off until you get that far for fear of jinxing it – that’s how I used to feel – but you soon realise that having an idea of your jump-off strategy isn’t going to change anything and now I actually find it makes me ride with greater conviction.

“There’s nothing worse than being first or second in a jump-off when you haven’t had a chance to walk or think about a new line or where there’s an option of a route that you haven’t properly looked at.”

How to ride a faster jump-off round: 3 key elements

There are three key ingredients needed to be competitive in a jump-off: a forward, stronger tempo while still retaining accuracy, the ability to ride good turns and the adjustability to take strides out. All these skills should be honed at home.

“Smooth rounds win jump-offs and this relies on setting out in a good, positive rhythm so you’re not pushing and pulling,” says Jodie. “This starts with your flatwork. If you have fences set up in your arena at home, practise riding in and out of them and circling round them in a stronger canter,” she advises.

“This extra tempo can take a bit of getting used to, but the more you practise it the more natural it will feel. Remember to ride forward out of your turns and circles as this is important training for your turn-backs.”

Jodie has two basic rules for riding successful turns in the ring — both depend on looking early.

“You should stick to your line and go with the first stride you see,” she says. “I was always taught to look to the inside wing around the turn as it will help ensure you go on the first stride you see rather than waiting and hooking. Keep your outside leg on to keep the horse coming round the turn.”

Look early, round the turn – and keep your outside leg on. (Image credit: Alamy)

Joao Charlesworth, who has coached numerous riders to win big classes, advises riders pick and choose places to make up time.

“There will usually be three or four places around a jump-off course where you can choose how tight a line you take or come inside a jump — you don’t have to do them all, especially if you are new to a level. Instead, choose one or two to attempt,” he says.

Which turns you attempt will depend on variables such as how well your horse turns left or right, or whereabouts in the course they come.

Exercises for training how to ride a faster jump-off round

Joao has two go-to exercises for helping riders master smooth and efficient turn-backs.

1. Half turn practice

“I build an upright and a square oxer on a two-stride distance [35ft] apart. Both fences should be able to be jumped both ways,” he says.

“Start with the upright, angling past the oxer to jump it. Make a half-turn back, bypassing the upright to jump the oxer on an angle.

“This is a fantastic exercise for practising the half-turns you will need in the arena,” he says. “Look up where you are going, keep the horse in an even, forward tempo and commit to your line off the turn. Keep repeating it until you are comfortable with the half-turns.”

2. Serpentine fences

Joao uses a serpentine of small upright fences placed on the centreline.

“The fences shouldn’t be big – 90cm maximum – but by riding the serpentine shape you are recreating the left and right half-turns you will get in a jump-off,” he says. “Think about your balance and tempo, and the smoothness around the turns. Always turn your head and look in the direction you want to travel.”

Should you cut strides out?

Another way to shave off valuable milliseconds is to take one less stride between two fences on a related distance — but this should be considered with the caveat that it might not necessarily suit every horse, or save time.

“With my shorter striding horses I would be cautious about taking strides out and pushing them out of their rhythm,” says Jodie.

Easy for some! Explosion W takes a stride out en route to individual gold at the Tokyo Olympics. (Image credit: Alamy)

Joao adds: “It’s also important to look at how the fences are situated because taking a stride out might not gain you anything if you have a tight turn after the second fence. In this case you would want a smaller, neater jump so that you have control on landing.”

It is generally safer to lose a stride on a curve or a dogleg because you have the option of riding an inside line.

“Make sure you look early, jump the first fence on the inside and ride positively on landing, keeping exactly to your line,” says Joao.

“You should always make up ground immediately on landing after the first fence to allow the last few strides before the second fence to be regular and balanced. If you are too slow to react you may be left chasing a stride in front of the second fence and this will inevitably cause a flat jump.”

For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

If you enjoyed this article you may also like to read…

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

How to improve a horse’s jumping technique and encourage tidy front legs, with tips from gold medallist Will Fletcher

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

#SundaySchool: Laura Renwick — how to improve jump-off turns

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

‘A horse needs to feel like a conquering king’: why Matt Sampson’s showjumpers want to perform for him

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Can’t get that winning feeling? How to halt a losing streak, with practical advice from Olympic riders and other experts

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

If you’ve lost your jumping mojo, check out these 5 nuggets of expert advice to get your confidence back on track

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

How the right mindset can make all the difference when stepping up a level

Catherine Welton — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 08:30:09 +0000

They say growth begins at the edge of your comfort zone, but how can riders successfully move up the levels without overstretching themselves or their horses? Catherine Welton investigates in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

The psychology of moving up a level in equestrian sport might not be something you think about until you’re faced with the challenge. When amateur eventer Gemma Atkin returned to riding after an 18-year break, she found 60cm showjumping courses terrifying. But, over five seasons, she moved up the eventing levels and last year completed her first four-star.

“I was nervous at every level but crossing the finish line at Scone Palace, clear with only a handful of time-faults, was a moment I’ll never forget,” she says.

Her advice? “I believe in pushing slightly beyond your comfort zone but there is a balance to be had.”

Finding this balance is key to successfully moving up the levels, as Leonie Lightfoot, a sport psychologist for the British Equestrian World Class Programme, explains: “There needs to be a match of what you’re doing and the skill set required. It needs to be just challenging enough but not too far, because then you tip into the fear and anxiety zone.”

Leonie encourages riders to plan their progression based on facts rather than emotions.

“With our brain, there are two systems, one of which operates with feelings and emotions,” she says. “The problem with that is the emotional thinking system is not very reliable. Its job is to keep you safe, so it will never feel ready to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable.

“With dressage, there can be a reticence not to go until it’s perfect but you’d be potentially waiting forever. With eventing, if the rider starts thinking too much about the risk then the emotional system kicks in, which can be fear or excitement.”

So Leonie encourages riders to use the other thinking system, which is based on evidence and operates logically, rather than relying on emotions.

“To compete at that level, what are the facts?” she asks. “Which movements are you able to perform competently, or what heights are you comfortably jumping at home?”

Is there a right time to move up a level?

British Horse Society Fellow Danny Anholt has a few rules of thumb to help assess when the time is right to move up.

“Consistent plus-65% scores in pure dressage,” he says. “In jumping, you’re looking for consistent double clears at the current level – not rosettes, that’s determined by the opposition.

“It should also be consistent with your long-term planning. Slow, steady steps are needed to achieve both the technical skills and the confidence.”

The right partnership of horse and rider is fundamental and, as someone who coaches a lot of younger riders, Danny always advises gaining mileage on a horse that’s not only experienced but also happy being ridden by a less experienced rider.

“If the horse has been accustomed to clear signals and a confident approach, when he finds himself under the guidance of an inexperienced jockey, the pin can very quickly drop out,” he warns.

Before moving up a level, consider your own performance rather than your final placing. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

An amateur rider who has produced their own horse may fall into a slightly different trap.

“There’s a real danger of a ‘blind leading the blind’ scenario,” says Danny. “An objective view at this stage is essential. The best decisions are made through a collaboration between the rider, the coach and the horse himself.”

Leonie says this is another area where thinking logically is important.

“Riders will be emotionally attached to their horse, so it’s harder to look at the situation objectively,” she says. “Get someone you trust, with knowledge about what the horse needs to compete at that level, to give you honest feedback.”

When Alice Pullem thought she might have an unlikely grand prix dressage horse on her hands, she asked her trainer Eilidh Grant for a second opinion.

“Cheeky Wee Red is a barely-15hh former racehorse I bought as a project,” says Alice. “After a month I took her to her first competition at novice level and she scored 68%.”

As “Rosie” continued to progress in her dressage training, Alice continued to move her up the levels of the sport.

“We had a leg-yield so we went off and tried elementary. We mastered shoulder-in and half-pass so we tried medium. I asked Eilidh if she was up for the challenge of taking us to grand prix, and she took us seriously. In March 2023 we cantered down the centre line in our first one and scored just under 63%.”

Once the decision has been made to step up, Leonie explains how the right mindset can help the transition go smoothly.

“Look at the things you can control and identify the ‘key processes’, some of which will be the same, which is quite comforting,” she advises.

“For example, the fence might be higher but your jumping position is pretty much the same.”

She also says to be prepared for some discomfort.

“That’s just your body getting ready to meet a new challenge. It’s a positive thing, you’re going to jump those higher fences, let’s get some blood to the muscles – you’re not nervous, you’re ready.”

Preparing to move up a level

There’s a lot of practical preparation a rider can do too.

“With dressage, if you’ve learnt the new test, do an arena hire and if that goes well that’s the evidence that you can do it in a competition,” says Leonie.

Danny also advises considering the venue for your first outing at a new level.

“For eventers, we all know that there are stronger courses and softer courses; more or less technical; bigger atmosphere versus quieter events,” he says.

Doing some background research can really pay off.

“In showjumping, it’s worth finding out the methods and style of the particular course-builder, the size of the arena, the footing, the atmosphere,” he adds.

Choosing a venue where you’ve had a positive experience at lower levels can pay off when moving up. (Image credit: Andrew Sydenham)

The same goes for dressage.

“Choose a familiar venue where you’ve competed happily at the lower levels, a welcoming atmosphere, a good-sized warm-up arena with good footing,” Danny suggests. “You can even seek out judges who have been favourable to you and your horse in the past.

“It’s also worth checking out whether it’s a venue frequented by professionals with strings of horses, as the less-experienced rider can find this quite intimidating at first,” he adds.

Event rider Rupert Hyde, 18, is currently competing at two-star and looking to move up to three-star this season. The first time he stepped up a level, choosing the right venue for him was part of his strategy.

“I had an Andalusian pony who was amazing at dressage and had been showjumping at 1m but she wasn’t so confident across country,” Rupert says. “So we did a lot of cross-country schooling with her, especially ditches, and then chose Mendip Plains for the first competition as it was a venue she knew well having trained there.”

It paid off, and although the pair were slightly down on the time, the ditches caused no issues.

Riders should be prepared for some steps up to feel more challenging than others, however.

“Going from BE100 to novice is a difficult one,” says Rupert. “The movements in the dressage become more complicated, the courses become more technical, plus the height. My mindset changed for novice; I was more focused and practised a huge amount.”

When things don’t go to plan

Of course, even the best-laid plans sometimes go awry. When this happens, Leonie returns to the idea of the two thinking systems.

“The emotional one is about expectation and how things should be,” she says. “Everyone’s version of that is seamless and easy, you start here and get better and better. Then the world doesn’t live up to that and you get unwanted and unhelpful emotions like frustration.”

Instead, Leonie says to work with reality: “Progression isn’t neat and linear. You might step up and think, ‘Oh, the evidence now is that it wasn’t the right time. I’ve got more information now, so I’ll go away and work harder.’

“Keep your perspective – just because you’ve not done it when you thought you would, doesn’t mean it’s never going to happen,” she continues. “You just need to think about what you’re going to work on before the next time you try.”

Gemma’s step up to intermediate coincided with three falls in the space of a couple of months.

“I questioned whether I was ready to be at that level at all,” she says. “I lost all confidence in my ability and very nearly gave up. But over the winter I watched hours and hours of video footage of top riders alongside my own competition footage, and realised the mistakes I had been making.

“I worked with my trainer to correct my rein length and made the decision to step back down to novice to practise the new technique and rebuild my confidence.”

For Gemma, these videos were the “evidence” she needed.

“Understanding why it had happened and how I could prevent it in future was key, and that’s why video analysis has become one of the most valuable tools I use. It’s done wonders for improving my technique and confidence.”

In fact, even if your first outing at a new level goes well, there can be an advantage to dropping back a level.

“I’ve always found that ‘toe-dipping’ is a wise strategy,” says Danny. “It’s worth going back to the previous level next time out to confirm confidence. We can’t always be sure how the horse is feeling and the first upgrade outing can be overwhelming mentally, even if the technical performance was satisfactory. One of my maxims is: ‘You can never make a horse too confident.’”

Finally, Leonie advises making sure to celebrate what you’ve achieved.

“The mind has this tendency to go, ‘When I reach this level, I’ll be happy,’ and then when you get there, instead of celebrating success, you think, ‘I need to be better,’” she says. “Build in time to reflect on how far you’ve come, and the hard work and effort that has gone into it.”

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You might also enjoy reading:

Olympic rider shares simple polework exercise that can improve flexibility and rideability in horses at any level

Martha Terry — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:22:24 +0000

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.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

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.

Raising the outside of the poles encourages the horse who isn’t turning enough. (Image credit: Jasmine Punter)

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

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

If you found this article useful, you may also like to read…

(Image credit: Jasmine Punter)

Olympic rider vindicated as four-year ban overturned –‘but I’ll never get that time back’

(Image credit: Jasmine Punter)

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

(Image credit: Jasmine Punter)

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

(Image credit: Jasmine Punter)

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

(Image credit: Jasmine Punter)

How to stop the drift and correct a horse that swerves over a fence

Ellie Hughes — Sun, 22 Feb 2026 08:30:25 +0000

Like humans, most horses have a dominant side, but too much drifting left or right in the air can land you in trouble, especially when courses become more technical. Top showjumpers Trevor Breen and Jodie Hall McAteer discuss why it happens and what you should do about it in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

There are several factors that will affect how you stop your horse drifting over a jump, and the key lesson is that even top-level showjumpers do it, so don’t lose heart. Drifting one way or the other in the air is a common error in showjumping training and competition and one that can have a multitude of causes.

“Straightness is really important in everything you do, but I’ve had plenty of very good horses that have either jumped left or right in the air. Some I’ve been able to correct, some I haven’t,” says reigning Horse of the Year Show leading rider Trevor Breen, who cites two of his top rides – one past and one present – as prime examples.

“I used to ride a very talented stallion called Classic who always jumped to the right as a young horse, but the more I worked with him the more I was able to iron out the drift and by the end of our partnership he was basically straight,” he says.

“By contrast, [current five-star ride] Highland President, has always drifted right in the ring and still does. The important thing for me is that I adapt my riding accordingly and that I’m very aware of where his drift might put me off my line and alter a distance, making it too long or short, or how it might affect a turn in a jump-off. That’s all part and parcel of my job as a rider.

Trevor Breen adapts his riding to cater for Highland President’s tendency to drift – it hasn’t stopped him succeeding at the highest level. (Image credit: Alamy)

“There are many good horses who have their own, unique styles, but the careful ones figure out a way of leaving the poles up,” he adds.

Nevertheless, it is important to know why a horse jumps to one side. There are generally three reasons:

1. Physical discomfort

If a horse suddenly starts drifting left or right, they might not be using themselves correctly because of pain. If you suspect something’s amiss you should always get them checked by a physio.

2. Natural one-sidedness

Most horses have a stronger and a weaker side. If, for example, your horse jumps to the left, it is probably because his right hindquarter is stronger and has more push. It’s your job to train him to become more even.

3. Rider influence

Without necessarily knowing it, the rider might be more dominant on one side than the other and this will affect the horse’s balance on take-off. If you lean just an inch to one side, almost all your weight will shift off-centre.

How to stop your horse drifting over a jump

Exercise 1 – canter poles

Teaching your horse to stay straight on a line should be ongoing within your daily training.

Top rider Jodie Hall McAteer regularly defaults to a very simple polework exercise to check her horse’s straightness.

1. Set out three or four canter poles in a straight line down your school two, three or four horse strides apart depending on the length of your arena.

2. In canter, practise cantering over each pole right in the middle. It sounds easy, but it’s much harder than it looks and you have to be very self-disciplined.

3. You need to get ready to correct your horse’s balance and straightness immediately with your aids (legs, seat and reins), which are light if he stays on track but become more pressurised if you feel him starting to drift. Simply cantering over a few poles on both reins tells you a lot about whether you and your horse are truly straight.

4. To ramp it up a notch, a variation on this exercise is to aim for a different point on the poles, for example on striped poles you could aim for the second coloured band from the left-hand side and keep exactly to this line over all the poles.

Exercise 2 – landing pole

To help a horse stay straight in the air, Trevor and Jodie advocate using a carefully positioned pole on the ground on landing to encourage the horse not to drift mid-air.

“If your horse jumps to the right, for example, I would put a pole on the floor at right angles to the fence, around halfway between the centre of the jump and the wing [pictured below], to encourage him to stay straight on landing,” says Trevor. “It is best to use a soft, foam training pole rather than a solid pole in case the horse accidentally lands on it.”

Laying a soft pole at a right angle to the fence can encourage horses not to drift (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Jodie adds: “Don’t be tempted to over-correct a drift with your hand as you will likely lose the softness through the horse’s body. Instead, look up, ride to a point in the distance and let the pole do the work.”

The rider’s influence

If you are struggling with how to stop a horse drifting over a fence, don’t forget to analyse the influence from the saddle. A horse’s straightness when jumping can be directly impacted by the rider and staying straight and balanced in your own position – looking up through the horse’s ears is crucial.

“Most riders will carry some degree of asymmetry, but a lot don’t realise it,” says Jodie. “If you’re stronger down one side of your body than the other then you’re not going to be using your aids equally, which can cause the horse to jump to one side.

“There are often tell-tale signs that you have a dominant side — the leather on the inside of your boot may be worn on one leg more than the other, or your gloves may wear out at different rates, for example.

“If you can recognise your own positional faults – video analysis can be helpful with this – then you’re in a position to do something about it.”

It’s important to work on straightness out of the saddle as well as on board, and what works for one rider may not work for the next. Jodie is a big fan of reformer Pilates.

“It’s great for working on my weaknesses and for improving my symmetry, strength and balance, plus I really enjoy it, which is a bonus,” she says.

Reformer Pilates is useful for improving balance, strength and the all-important symmetry. (Image credit: Alamy)

If it ain’t broke…

Jodie warns that while it’s vital to work the horse in a way that always promotes straightness, it’s important not to get too caught up in over correcting a horse that naturally jumps right or left, especially if he is experienced.

“Remember, if an older horse is jumping successfully at a good level, his way of going has already got him there,” she points out. “I’d be more likely to try and correct a young horse jumping to the side before it becomes an ingrained habit.”

Enjoyed reading this? For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Did you find this article useful? You may also enjoy…

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

How Alex Bragg’s training exercise uses turns to master straightness while jumping

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

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

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

How to improve a horse’s jumping technique and encourage tidy front legs, with tips from gold medallist Will Fletcher

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

No more poles down! Training exercises and tips to sharpen your horse’s reflexes and ace those important showjumping clear rounds

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Top event riders share their tips for training horses to tackle drops with confidence

Ellie Hughes — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 09:10:05 +0000

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.

A big drop to a skinny at Pau CC5*, but drops to accuracy questions start at novice level. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“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).

A novice version of Chris Bartle’s exercise, with five small jumps set up as bounces on a curve, so the rider can practise keeping their balance and line without relying on the rein. (Image credit: Jasmine Punter Photography)

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.”

Felix Vogg shows how to jump the drop fence into the second water at Badminton, allowing the horse to drop her neck and look where she’s going. (Image credit: Alamy)

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

How to make the most of cross-country schooling with advice from top trainers

Pippa Roome — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:44:33 +0000

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.

If you want to focus on a particular type of fence, do it early in the session while you are both feeling fresh. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

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.

If you want to practise skinnies, ensure you can hold a line over a straightforward fence first. (Image credit: Jess Photography)

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.

For more training advice, whatever your level and discipline, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

85 cross-country courses and schooling venues for hire across the country

Georgia Guerin — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 17:04:12 +0000

We’ve put together a list of cross-country course hire venues across England, Scotland and Wales, so that you can find the perfect place to take your horse cross-country schooling, whether it’s just for fun or to prepare for the season.

Most cross-country schooling venues, if not open all year, tend to open between February and April as riders start training for the eventing season ahead. Depending on the ground conditions and the time of year, you might prefer to school on grass or on an all-weather surface and we have plenty of examples of both options listed below.

Some courses are available for hire all year round, with the exception of during events and the preparation period, and in extreme weather. We’ve included seasonal opening times where these are available.

One important cross-country schooling tip is to choose a venue to suit your needs – for example, if your horse needs practice in water, opt for a venue with a water complex and splash area – so where the information is available, we’ve listed the fence heights and features of each course to help you find the best option.

If you run a cross-country course or schooling venue for hire that is not listed, please email georgia.guerin@futurenet.com to be added.

East of England

Includes cross-country course hire in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Berwick Farm XC

Stanford Rivers, Ongar, Essex CM5 9PY

berwickfarmxc.com

01708 688232

Open Apr–Oct
3.5 miles of tracks
Two water features
Three sunken roads
Two woodland areas
More than 100 fences

Blackwater Farm Equestrian Centre

Great Witchingham, Norfolk NR9 5PH

blackwaterfarm.co.uk

01362 688227

Open all year
Fences 60cm–1.15m
Natural copses
Clear natural water complexes
Wide variety of fence types
New fences every season

Ely Eventing Centre

Little Downham, Ely, Cambs CB6 2TY

elyeventing.co.uk

01353 698839

Open all year
Fences 60cm–1.15m
Two water complexes
Ditches and coffin combinations
Sunken road complex and step/bank area

Keysoe International

Keysoe, Beds MK44 2JP

keysoe.com

01234 708400

Arena XC only
Jumps from 70cm
Water, ditches, inclines
Built by Eric Winter

Kimpton Cross-Country Course

Kimpton, Nr Hitchin, Herts SG4 8HB

kimptonxcountry.co.uk

Open all year
More than 45 fences
Fences 50cm–1m+
Annual membership available

Poplar Park

Hollesley, Suffolk IP12 3NA

poplarpark.co.uk

01394 411023

Open all year
Fences 60cm–1.20m
Six full courses
BE standard
No time limit
Updated yearly

Radley Green Equestrian

Radley Green, Chelmsford, Essex CM4 0LU

rgequestrian.uk

Two arena courses
Fences 70cm–1.10m and 40–70cm
Steps, ditches, water and trakehners
Additional all-weather canter track

Stratford Hills Equestrian Centre

Stratford St Mary, Colchester, Essex CO7 6PA

stratfordhillsequestriancentre.co.uk

01206 322494

Opens February
Fences 35cm–1.10m
50 permanent and temporary jumps
Water jump and splash
Ditches and steps
Jumps in woodland

East Midlands

Includes cross-country course hire in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, South Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.

Arkenfield Stables

Gunthorpe, Notts NG14 7ER

arkenfieldstables.co.uk

Fences 50–80cm

Aston-le-Walls

Washbrook Farm, Aston-le-Walls, Daventry, Northants NN11 6RT

astonlewalls.net

Grass schooling Feb–Nov
All-weather available

Aylesford Equine

Shoby, Melton Mowbray, Leics LE14 3PF

aylesfordequine.com

01664 812834

More than 100 fences
Fences 30cm–1.15m
Mini course (25–60cm)
Additional all-weather arena
No time limit on grass
Water complexes, coffins, sunken roads, drops, banks and skinnies

Barrowcliffe XC

Queniborough, Leicester LE7 3RX

barrowcliffexc.co.uk

Opens early spring
220 fences
40cm–1.20m

Eland Lodge

Ashbourne, Derbys DE6 5HD

elandlodge.com

Open Apr–Sept
Fences 50cm–1.10m
BE standard
All-weather take-off and landings
No time limit

Field Farm

Mumby, Lincs LN13 9SL

field-farm.net

Open all year
Fences 50cm, 70cm and 90cm
Variety of fences

Field Farm Cross Country

Wymeswold, Leics LE12 6ST

fieldfarmcrosscountry.co.uk

Open all year
Fences 70cm–1.10m
BE-standard fences
600m all-weather track with fences
Water, ditches, skinnies, banks and hedges

Grange Farm Cross-Country

Ingham, Lincs LN1 2YD

facebook.com

07711 238266

Opens early spring
More than 200 fences
Fences 40cm–1.15m

Golden Valley Equestrian Centre

Alfreton, Derbys DE55 4ES

goldenvalleyequestriancentre.co.uk

07377 853677

Seasonal opening (weather dependent)
Part woodland, part silica fibre surface
Range of fences

Vale View Equestrian Centre

Old Dalby, Melton Mowbray, Leics LE14 3LX

valeviewequestrian.co.uk

All-weather arena open all year
Fences 60cm–1.10m
BE-standard fences
Natural undulations, water complex with steps of varying heights, several ditches and steps

Well Vale Country Ride & Schooling Field

Well, Alford, Lincs LN13 0EU

wellvalecountryride.co.uk

01507 466644

110 fences
Fences 30cm–1m+
Water complex, steps, mounds and ditches
Additional 8 mile off-road ride with 30 optional fences (40–80cm)

Winters Equestrian Cross-Country

Thornton Manor, Market Rasen, Lincs LN7 6JD

wexc.co.uk

Opens in spring
70 fences
Fences 30cm–1.10m
Water, steps, banks and coffins

North East

Includes cross-country course hire in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham and North Yorkshire.

Breckenbrough Helen Bell Equestrian

Thirsk, N Yorks YO7 4EL

helenbellequestrian.co.uk

07708708967

Closed in winter, but access to winter training area
Fences 45cm–1.20m
Three water complexes
Two bank complexes and ditch combinations

Foxberry Chasers

Caldwell, Richmond, N Yorks DL11 7QL

foxberry.co.uk

More than 100 fences
Fences 45cm–1.05m
Full range of fences, plus track with all-weather take-offs
Water complex, steps, corner, arrowhead and coffin
Course regularly updated

Gloucester Lodge Farm

Blyth, Northumbs NE24 3PH

gloucesterlodgefarm.co.uk

01670 353633

Three courses – 60cm, 75cm, 90cm

Little Whittington

Corbridge, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE19 2LA

littlewhittingtonxc.co.uk

Open Apr–Sept
Fences 50cm–1.20m
Large water complex with ramp in
Steps, corners, skinnies, walls, ditches, logs, brush fences, combinations and tiger traps

Thornton Lodge

Easingwold, N Yorks YO61 3QA

thorntonlodgefarm.co.uk

Open March–Oct
More than 70 fences
Fences 45cm–1.05m
Water complex, two stream crossings and miles of grass

Todburn Equestrian Centre

Longhorsley, Morpeth, Northumb NE65 8QZ

todburnequestriancentre.co.uk

Opens April
Fences 40cm–1.15m

North West

Includes cross-country course hire in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside.

Charity Farm

Wrightington, Lancs WN6 9PP

charityfarm.co.uk

19 fences

Kelsall Hill Equestrian Centre

Organsdale Farm, Kelsall, Cheshire CW6 0SR

kelsallhill.co.uk

Opens early spring
Fences 50cm–1.10m
Water complex complete with quarry, ski jump, trakehner, ditches, coffins and steps

Nord Vue

Armathwaite, Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 9TN

nordvue.com

Open Apr–Sept
Fences 40–90cm

Somerford Park

Holmes Chapel Road, Congleton CW12 4SW

somerfordpark.co.uk

Grass course open all year
All-weather Dec–March
More than 100 fences
Fences 75cm–1.20m
Designed by Andrew Heffernan
Combinations, drops, arrowheads, ditches, banks, chase fences and large water complex

Scotland

Greenfields of Avondale

Strathaven, South Lanarkshire ML10 6QF

greenfieldsofavondale.co.uk

07775 782296

Open all year
Fences 60cm–1m

Ian Stark Equestrian Centre

Greenhill Farm, Selkirk TD7 4NP

ianstarkequestriancentre.co.uk

01750 20202

Fences 70cm–1m
Built by Ian Stark

Lindores Equestrian

Newburgh, Cupar, Fife KY14 6HU

lindoresxc.co.uk

07736 044058

Open March–Oct
More than 180 fences
Fences 30cm–1.10m
Ditches, spreads, corners, skinnies, uprights, log piles, whisky barrels, ski jumps, combinations, pheasant feeders, trakheners, beehives, brush, cottages, keyhole and 20x20m water complex with run ins, run outs, steps, an upturned boat and a jump into water

Loch Lomond Pony Trekking

Tullichewan Farm, Balloch, West Dunbartonshire G83 8QY

lomond-ponytreks.co.uk

07745 277320

Open all year
Fences 15cm–1m
Steps, logs, ski jumps, corners, skinnies, tyres, barrels and ditches

Totley Wells

Winchburgh, West Lothian EH52 6QJ

totleywells.com

Open all year
31 fences
Fences 40cm–1m
Skinnies, banks, ditches, water splash, barrels, pigeon feeders, sharks teeth and tiger traps

Wilder Ways

Glen Kerran Farm, Southend, Argyll PA28 6PJ

wilderways.scot

Open Apr–Sept
25 fences
Fences 40cm–1m

South East

Includes cross-country course hire in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey, and West Sussex.

Bonfleur Cross-Country Course

Maidstone, Kent ME17 4BD

bonfleurcrosscountrycourse.co.uk

07976138120

Opens March
Fences 45cm–1.05m
More than 120 fences
Water complex, ditches, banks, coffins, trakheners and combinations

Boomerang Stables

Chilton Foliat, Hungerford, Berks RG17 0TW

boomerangstables.co.uk

07711 499596

Open all year
Fences 30cm to BE Intermediate-plus
Water, ditches, steps, skinnies and spooky questions
Fences moved regularly

Bucklands Farm

Balcombe, W Sussex RH17 6JT

bucklandsfarm.co.uk

07754 076108

100 fences
Fences 30cm–1m
Ditches, trekehner, shallow steps, water, woodland areas and sunken road
No time limit

Chilham Park

Chilham Castle Estate, Canterbury, Kent CT4 8DB

chilhampark.co.uk

01227 730811

Chiltern Cross-Country

Woodcote, Oxfordshire RG8 0PH

chilternxc.co.uk

07767 370148

Open Feb–Nov
Fences 60cm–1m
Extensive water complex
Banks, steps and ditches

Coombelands Equestrian

Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 1BQ

coombelandsequestrian.com

07990 054863

Opens March
Fences 70cm–1.10m
Area with smaller arena-type fences for warm-up, lead-rein and small ponies
More than 100 fences

East Bysshe Equestrian

Newchapel, Lingfield, Surrey RH7 6LF

eastbyssheequestrian.com

Opens spring
More than 50 fences
No time limit

Fair Oak

Rogate, Petersfield GU31 5HR

fair-oak.co.uk

Open March–Oct
Wide range of fences

Felcourt Cross-Country Course

East Grinstead, W Sussex RH19 2LQ

facebook.com/felcourtcrosscountrycourse

07817 422923

Opens in spring on Thursdays, Fridays, weekends and Bank Holidays
60 fences
Fences 20–70cm

Gasston Stables

Headley, Epsom, Surrey KT18 6DY

gasstonstables.co.uk

07746 815796

Opens in spring
40cm–1.50m
More than 150 fences
Water complex, ditches, skinnies and steps
Woodland area

Hickstead Showground

The All England Jumping Course, Hickstead BN6 9HS

hicksteadschooling.co.uk

All-weather arenas open Oct–Apr
Fences 60cm–1.10m and advanced
Water complex with steps
Step complex ranging from novice to advanced
Permanent ditches and banks

Homelands Equestrian

Partridge Green, W Sussex RH13 8EQ

homelands-equestrian.co.uk

01403 711076

Opens March
100 fences
Fences 90cm–1.15m
Drops, gullies, mounds, ditches, sunken road, hollow, steps and water complex
Season pass and coaching available

Hurstwood Farm

High Hurstwood, East Sussex TN22 4AN

equestriantrainingcentre.co.uk

Fences 40cm–1.15m
Water complex
Separate mini course

Littleton Manor Equestrian

Littleton Manor Farm, Reigate Heath RH2 8QZ

lmeq.com

07771 600033

Open all year
150 fences beginner to intermediate
Water complex, coffin, steps, sunken road, bank, skinnies and corners

Lockskinners Equestrian

Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7ND

lockskinners.com

Open May–Oct
Technical course of 150 fences (70cm–1.35m)
Introductory course of 161 fences (40cm–1m)
Mini course (up to 40cm)

Lodge Farm

Matfield, Tonbridge TN12 7ET

lodgefarmcrosscountry.co.uk

Opens March
More than 90 fences
Fences 60cm–1.10m
Ditches, corners, arrowheads, skinnies and steps
Lots of combinations and two water complexes

Lyneham Heath Equestrian

Lyneham Heath, Nr Chipping Norton, Oxon OX7 6QQ

lynehamheathequestrian.co.uk

All-weather loop open all year
Grass opens approx end of April
Fences 70cm–intermediate
Mini fences (up to 60cm) in separate field
More than 200 fences

MK Equestrian Centre

Hanslope, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK19 7HQ

mpbeesleyandson.com

07810 120498

More than 200 fences
Fences 60cm–1.10m
BE-standard course
Two water complexes, range of steps, banks and ditches
Two additional mini courses (15–60cm)

Munstead

Godalming, Surrey GU7 1UN

munsteadhorsetrials.com

Open all year
70cm–1m

Nurstead Court

Meopham, Kent DA13 9AD

nursteadcourt.co.uk

07957 495146

BE-standard course

Parwood Equestrian Centre

Normandy, Guildford, Surrey GU3 2JE

parwood.co.uk

Open Apr–Oct (Tues–Sun)
Fences 50cm–1.15m

Prime Ponies

Bridgehill Farm, Horsham, W Sussex RH12 4RN

prime-ponies.co.uk

07853 081669

Opens May
35 fences
Fences 20–80cm

Snowball Farm

Burnham, Bucks SL1 8EH

snowballfarm.co.uk

01628 666222

Open for a limited time in spring
Fences 70cm–1m
Variety of fences, including water complex

Swalcliffe Park Equestrian

Swalcliffe, Banbury, Oxon OX15 5EX

swalcliffeparkequestrian.co.uk

01295 780206

Open all year
Fences up to 1.10m
Mini fences (30–60cm) in separate field
More than 150 fences
Ditches, sunken roads and water complexes

Tweseldown Racecourse

Church Crookham, Fleet, Hants GU52 8DY

tweseldown.co.uk

Open all year
40cm to BE Intermediate (Jan–May)
40cm–1m (May–Dec)

Wakes End

Milton Keynes, Bucks MK17 9FB

wakesendfarm.co.uk

Fences 60cm–1m

Wheatlands Farm

Finchampstead, Berks RG40 4LZ

wheatlandsfarm.com

0118 9731918

Open early spring to late Sept
More than 140 fences
Fences 30cm–1m
Two waters, two banks, ditches and steps

South West

Includes cross-country course hire in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire.

Ace Cross-Country

Twyning, Tewkesbury, Glos GL20 6DA

acecrosscountry.co.uk

Main course and separate mini course
Water complex

Bicton Arena

East Burdleigh, Budleigh Salterton, Devon EX9 7BL

bicton-arena.co.uk

01395 441162

Course hire selected days only
Arena XC hire (70cm–1m)

Castle Farm

Wickwar, Glos GL12 8NS

castlefarmliverycrosscountry.com

Open Apr–Oct
Fences 40–90cm

Cricket St Thomas (Amanda Taylor Eventing)

Puthill Farm, Cricket St Thomas, Chard, Som TA20 4EJ

amandataylor.co.uk

07980 625546

Opens in spring
60 fences
Fences 75cm–1.10m
Two water complexes, two step complexes, two banks, ditches and combinations
Designed by BE-accredited Simon Bere

Deer Park Cross Country

Brockhampton, Glos GL54 5SR

deerparkcrosscountry.co.uk

07964 660702

Open all year
Fences 45cm–1.05m
More than 100 fences
No time limit

Everleigh Equestrian

Quickset Stables, Everleigh, Marlborough, Wilts SN8 3EU

everleigh-equestrian.co.uk

07990 571463

More than 35 fences
Suited to novice riders and young horses

Larkhill Eventing

Knighton Down, Larkhill, Wilts SP48QT

larkhilleventing.com

Opens specific dates
Fences 60cm–1.10m
BE standards

Oxstalls Cross-Country

Stroud, Glos GL6 8HZ

oxstallsxc.co.uk

50cm–1.20m
BE standard fences
Waters, steps, banks and drops
Range of ditches
Decorated fences
Regularly updated
Separate mini course

Pontispool

Norton Fitzwarren, Taunton, Somerset TA4 1BH

pontispool.co.uk

01823 461196

Grass schooling area open from Feb
All-weather open Nov–Mar
More than 200 fences
Fences 70cm–1.15m (from 40cm at certain times of year)
All-weather take offs and landings at permanent fences
Three water complexes and two quarry complexes

Rectory Farm

Duntisbourne Abbots, Cirencester, Glos GL7 7JW

rectoryfarm.com

07824759655

Open selected dates
Fences 70–90cm
Steps, ditch, water, corners and skinnies

Rein & Shine Equestrian Centre

Buryhill Farm, Braydon, Wilts SN5 0AD

reinandshine.co.uk

01666 860068

Opens in spring
Fences 30cm–1m
Variety of fences

Rosamund Green Farm

Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 4JG

teamdumas.co.uk

07511078285

Opens in spring
Fences BE100–5*
More than 350 fences
Two water complexes
All-weather take offs and landings

Stockland Lovell

Stockland Lovell Manor, Bridgwater, Somerset TA5 1JJ

stocklandlovell.com

01278 652224

Open 10 months of the year
Fences 50cm–1m
More than 100 fences
Two water complexes
All-weather take offs and landings
No time limit
New fences each year

Stour

Spetisbury, Blandford, Dorset DT11 9EE

stourxc.co.uk

Open March–Oct
38 fences, including mini course
Fences 30cm–1m
Logs, banks, ditches, water complexes and brushes

Wales

Coxlake Cross-Country

Robeston Wathen, Narberth, Pembs SA67 8EJ

facebook.com/coxlakecrosscountry

app.acuityscheduling.com

07837 989767

Open all year
Fences 40cm–1m
Ditches, banks, water and steps
Built by the Willis Brothers

Marian Bach Equestrian Centre

Babell, Holywell, Flintshire CH8 8PZ

marianbach.co.uk

No time limit

Mostyn Farm Ride and Cross Country

Wern Home Farm, Whitford, Holywell, Flintshire CH8 9AR

mostynfarmride.co.uk

07765 402738

Open all year
9km farm ride with more than 100 fences
Built by BE course builder
Ditches, trakehners, water, banks, drops, steps, skinnies and road crossing

West Midlands

Includes cross-country course hire in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and the metropolitan county of West Midlands.

Berriewood Farm

Condover, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 7NN

Open June–Sept
30 fences
Fences 70cm–1m
Water, ditch and step

berriewood.co.uk

Lincomb Equestrian

Lincomb, Nr Stourport-on-Severn, Worcs DY13 9RB

crosscountrycourse.co.uk

07986200777

More than 100 jumps on grass
Arena XC available
Fences 45cm–1.05m
Built by BE Gold level course builder

Radfords Equestrian

Lower House Farm, Llanymynech SY22 6LG

radfords-equestrian.co.uk

01691 831523

Open Apr–Oct
Fences 30cm–1m
Water features, ditches, steps and banks
Additional arena XC hire available

Yorkshire and the Humber

Includes cross-country course hire in East Riding of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire.

Epworth Equestrian

Epworth, Doncaster, Lincs DN9 1LQ

epworthequestrian.co.uk

01427 872293

Fences 70cm–1m
2 mile course with 21 fences (70/80/90cm/1m)
Additional single fences

Hopton Horse Centre

Mount Pleasant Farm, Mirfield, W Yorks WF14 8EH

hoptonhorsecentre.co.uk

Open all year
All weather
Mini course

For more expert training advice from top riders and coaches, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Latest from Horse & Hound in Horse-training

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

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

When ditches are your friend

Ditches through a course-designer’s eyes

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

You may also be interested to read…

How to ride the perfect flying change

Preparing for flying changes

How to ride a flying change

Flying changes explained: what they are, how to ride one and how to teach your horse

What is a flying change?

How to ride a flying change

How to teach a flying change

Did you find this article useful? You may also enjoy reading…

Teach your horse to canter on the correct lead – and improve the transition – with this leg-yield exercise

Aims

The setup

How to ride the exercise

Things to note

You might also enjoy:

How to ride a square halt: expert tips from Carl Hester and other top riders boost your dressage marks

What makes a halt “square”?

How to ride a square halt from scratch

Riding a square halt in the test

Carl Hester’s centre-line halt exercise

Fixing the most common halt faults

Top tips for a square halt

Carl’s closing thoughts

Did you find this article useful? You may also enjoy reading…

Joe Stockdale shares a simple exercise for training your horse to stay straight over a fence

Showjumping training for straightness with Joe Stockdale

The role of the canter poles

The role of the tramlines

If you found this interesting you might also enjoy reading…

Try this asymmetric in-hand exercise to build your horse’s topline and strengthen his weaker side

Aims

The setup

How to do the exercise

Tips and troubleshooting

You might also enjoy:

Develop your horse’s extended canter with this simple exercise on a 20m circle

Aims

The setup

How to ride the exercise

Tips and troubleshooting

You might also enjoy:

The versatile in-hand pole setup that will give your horse plenty to think about – even in walk

Aims

The setup

How to do this in-hand exercise

Tips and troubleshooting

You might also enjoy reading:

Develop the quality and rhythm of your lengthened trot strides with this back-loosening, hindleg-engaging drill

Aims

The setup

How to ride the exercise

Tips and troubleshooting

Did you find this exercise useful? You may also enjoy reading…

How a straight line of poles can improve your horse’s agility and hoof-brain coordination from the ground

Aims

The setup

How to do this in-hand exercise

Tips and troubleshooting

You might also enjoy:

Boost the length and power of your horse’s medium trot with this helpful exercise

Aim

Setup

How to ride the exercise

Tips and troubleshooting

Did you find this exercise useful? You may also enjoy reading…

Improve your horse’s lateral work from the ground with this single-pole exercise

Aims

The setup

How to do the sidepass pole exercise

Tips and troubleshooting

You might also enjoy reading:

Develop your horse’s straightness in canter with the help of this shallow loops exercise

Aims

The setup