I was fortunate to get three weeks of lessons in a row before I had to stop because of COVID-19 shelter-in-place. The consistency made a huge difference in my progress. I've started to put a few things together:
- Turning at the right time to be centered over a jump.
- Feeling the difference between collected and on the forehand so we jump better (and getting a trot to a good energy so he canters away from the jump)
The exercises that have helped with this:
- Jumping without stirrups, working up to two feet
- Putting jumps together in mini-courses with tough turns (I realize this is something everyone does, but we have a very small indoor, so it's rare for us)
One thing that is still really tough for me is making sure the horse doesn't take a hard turn after the jump. I have to remember to look in the opposite direction and make sure I don't have too loose a rein over the jump. I get mixed directions between having a loop and not having a loop in the reins over the jump. Is it making sure there's no loop when you've landed?
- Turning at the right time to be centered over a jump.
- Feeling the difference between collected and on the forehand so we jump better (and getting a trot to a good energy so he canters away from the jump)
The exercises that have helped with this:
- Jumping without stirrups, working up to two feet
- Putting jumps together in mini-courses with tough turns (I realize this is something everyone does, but we have a very small indoor, so it's rare for us)
One thing that is still really tough for me is making sure the horse doesn't take a hard turn after the jump. I have to remember to look in the opposite direction and make sure I don't have too loose a rein over the jump. I get mixed directions between having a loop and not having a loop in the reins over the jump. Is it making sure there's no loop when you've landed?
