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.
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.”
