Training Tips For Showjumpers

Get help and information to help improve your showjumping, with tips and articles from showjumping riders and trainers from around the world. Stableexpress also has showjumpers listed from all around the world, helping you find a trainer near you able to help improve your riding and showjumping.

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Showjumping Training
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Training Tips For Showjumpers

Showjumping is a sport that takes a lot of skill and hard work. Professionals make it look so easy and effortless, but getting that perfect position that perfectly moves with your horse is no easy feat. Surprisingly, some of the best training tips for showjumpers don`t even include jumping at all. So are you ready to improve your showjumping skills and be arena ready and prepared to win that blue? Let`s get to it.

Poles and More Poles

You`ve probably heard it a million times, but poles are such an effective training tool. They help with your flatwork, but they also help you make your position neater and more lined, while also helping your horse stay straight and lift up their shoulder, without actually needing to execute the jump itself.

Flatwork

Related to pole work, flatwork is crucial to showjumping. If you can`t master flatwork then you can`t jump, period. Flatwork is about fitness and building strength and connection on the ground before you begin to soar through the air. Work on balance, strength, muscle, connectivity and even more so you have a solid base before you add the extra level of a jump to it.

Don`t Rush

This is a big problem for many horses. They see a jump and they get excited and they just go for it. Allowing your horse to rush is a huge mistake, before or after the fence. This is not only a bad habit, but can also be dangerous when you`re trying to execute tight turns in a course.

If your horse has this problem, the best way to try and fix it is by completing a jump and stopping at the end of the straight line for a good few seconds. Don`t let them move and don`t let them pull you. You`re in charge and you`re going to tell them how they behave. If you allow them to do this at home, they`ll do it in the ring.

Trot Jumps First

Before you go into jumps at the canter, it`s best to go at them a trot first and make sure you can keep your horse at a trot throughout, building on the point before. Trotting will help teach your horse to remain calm and approach the jump correctly, as they have to do it slower. Once you`ve mastered this, then you can move onto the canter.

Ride Consistently

No matter what you do, ride consistently and don`t change things up. If you ride one way and you go into the ring and ride another you aren`t going to end with a good result since your horse won`t be used to it. Consistency is best for the both of you.