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Try this five-fence exercise, which you can ride in 60 different ways, to practise landing on the correct lead
The butterfly jumping exercise offers multiple variations of bending and straight lines, with the focus on landing on the correct lead and maintaining the canter quality on a curve
The butterfly jumping exercise was first developed by showjumper Luciana Diniz. It uses more fences that we usually set up for a daily training exercise, but it’s worth it as if offers some 60 different lines. You can leave it up for the week and revisit.
The focus is on riding through the turn and concentrating on landing on the correct lead. At the same time, you’ll be building your canter rhythm as you jump from fence to fence.
There are several different version of the butterfly jumping exercise. Here, we outline the simplest version.
And it’s not just for jumpers; it’s a handy pattern for those who enjoy polework exercises, too.
Aims
Land on the correct lead
Course visualisation
Link fences in a good rhythm and quality canter
The setup
(Image credit: Future)
Set up five jumps in a butterfly shape. One obstacle forms the butterfly”s body in the middle, and four obstacles as its wings.
Build the fences at a height at which you are comfortable. It’s best to start small, as you will be jumping a lot of fences in a session. It’s less about the height, more about the quality of canter through the turns.
Although the butterfly is primarily used as a jumping exercise, you can do this with poles on the ground, cavaletti, or fences that you can adjust. You might also want to incorporate an oxer on either side to give a variation of uprights and spreads.
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How to ride the exercise
Start small – even with poles on the ground – and only once you are taking the lines you intend smoothly and confidently should you consider raising the fences.
With some 60 different lines that you can take around this set-up, you can simply play around. The diagram shows one potential sequence.
Decide before each line exactly where which route you will take, as you need to be accurate with your aids.
Visualise your course before starting, so that you are ready over each fence to influence the correct lead on landing.
Focus on riding through each turn in balance and landing on the correct lead.
To land on the correct lead, look in the direction you want to travel, towards the next fence. Very slightly open your inside rein. Do not lean to try to influence the horse as this will throw him off balance.
You’ll also practise switching from jumping off a turn to in a straight line over the “butterfly’s body” fence.
Tips and troubleshooting
1. Landing on the wrong lead: rider influence
Do not lean to the inside as your horse may try to counterbalance. Look and turn your head as you leave the ground in the direction you want to travel.
Slightly open the inside rein but don’t overdo it, and keep a steady, supportive outside rein.
2. Landing on the wrong lead: help with poles
You can also add a pole on the landing side, on a diagonal at least 3m from the fence to close off the rein he favours (see example below).
For instance, if he always wants to land on the left rein, place the left side of the landing pole 3m from the fence so there is no chance of landing on it, at a slight angle as shown in the diagram below. This forms a natural barrier, encouraging him around the turn to the right and automatically landing on the right lead.
Set up a ground pole at a diagonal on the left to help your horse land on the right lead
(Image credit: Future)
Or you can add a half cross-pole behind the fence, with the side raised of the horse’s favoured leg. Putting it behind the fence is safer as if your horse hits it, it will simply fall down.
Half a cross-pole can help direct your horse on to the correct lead – in this case the right
Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
