This is another Jo May special – ideal for horses who anticipate jumping, are rude and rush or riders who need to improve their turns and balance. This exercise is great if you jump by yourself as easy to set up and very little changes need to be made.
Step 1
Start with two cross pole bounces – with the uprights set as above. Just jump the bounce a couple of times going through the middle of the two furthest uprights.
Step 2
Build up to jumping the two furthest uprights on left and right. Jump off the rein you intend to ride (right rein = right upright). The horse should be polite and listening. You should be able to put in a balanced 10m round the closest upright as a test of control and balance. If the horse is not listening you may need to pull up a couple of times before the 2nd upright but DO NOT DO THIS TOO CLOSE TO THE JUMP. Once the basics have been established the 4 stride uprights can be incorporated.
Step 3
Move the bounce into a straight bar parallel that can be jumped both directions. From this all the jumps can be jumped in any direction so you can keep coming round off the left and right rein, jumping different routes in different directions. The horse should be listening and attentive.
Make sure riders think about your turns as some will be quite tight, rhythm, looking ahead and straightness over the fence. Its very easy on this exercise to angle rather than have smooth turns because its easier.
