How would you help a rider who struggles with measuring and riding through in-and-outs or combinations?
Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect and also probably much more similarity.
This week’s question posed is: How would you help a rider who struggles with measuring and riding through in-and-outs or combinations?
Here are their answers:
“The key to measuring correctly into an in-and-out (or any related distance) is to measure to the out element. On the approach, the rider should set their sight to the top/back rail of the out and the focal point in one big plane of vision. Keeping eyes set through the in, count and measure from the same quality canter rhythm. If you measure to the out, you’ll always find a reasonable distance to the in!” -Claire Gordon-Neff
Read more from Claire here.
“I’d begin with just a simple one-stride, helping the rider understand how their horse relates to two fences at a time. Once that feels consistent, we’d build into longer combinations. As they ride through, I’d have them count strides out loud, it keeps them present, prevents getting lost in the line, and naturally encourages breathing. Most importantly, I’d remind them to ride the stride they feel, since every horse has its own rhythm and balance.” -Katie Jones
“I find that the most common habit from riders approaching combinations is pulling when they second-guess their eye. We’ve all been there! Not seeing the right distance into the combination or in-and-out, and then adding a stride in and having a launch distance or bad chip out, even a refusal.
A trick that I find helpful is to have riders count down from 3 to the first jump (3-2-1) so they don’t have the opportunity to change their minds at the last minute. Once they land in the combination, count up (1-2, or 1-2-3, etc., depending on the striding). Developing the habit of counting down in and then counting up on the way out helps riders trust their eye initially and rely on their pace, and they’re less likely to doubt themselves at the base.” -Ariel Univer
Read more from Ariel here.
“When a rider struggles with measuring and riding through in-and-outs or combinations, I like to bring the focus back to rhythm and track. Instead of overthinking the stride, I have them practice on poles and low fences where they can feel the natural step of their horse. Once the rider gains confidence in keeping a consistent pace and straight line, the distances begin to come up naturally, and measuring becomes less intimidating.” –Michael Meyers
This article originally appeared in the Trainer Tuesday Series from The Plaid Horse Magazine and is published here with permission.
There are more informative articles in our section on Health & Education.
