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.
“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.
