Exercises to Help Create
the Perfect Distance

Finding a distance? (In this economy?!) Finding a distance is something riders are told to do in order to have a successful jump, but what even is a distance? Finding, or creating, a distance refers to the takeoff spot for your jump. When a horse leaves the ground, they are going to leave short, long, or from an appropriate distance. Getting a short spot is also called a "chip" and means that the horse had to squeeze in one more stride in order to take the jump, or rather they took off after the ideal take-off spot. When a horse leaves long, also known as a "gap," this means that they left before the ideal take-off spot which results in a launch-style jump.

To help achieve the ideal take-off distance, we have paired with sponsored rider Amanda Garcia to better understand how to ride for a successful jump. In this article, she explains her three go-to exercises that help riders develop their "eye," or their internal takeoff distance calculator. Even if you feel confident in your ability to find a distance, you might find a new favorite training idea, so read along as we dive deeper into finding the perfect distance!

Establishing Your Eye

When jumping, it's easy to think that the horse does all the work. While they do handle a lot of the process, the rider is equally responsible for the preparation portion. This means that you should ride your horse confidently toward a decided distance, and developing your eye is an essential part of the equation. Ideally, you can establish your rhythm ahead of time and then continue the same ride to the jump, resulting in a fluid distance. Sometimes, we're not so lucky and have to produce the desired distance.

While you are learning to see a distance, it is good practice to "make a distance." This means that you are in control of your gait, and ultimately placing your horse where you would like to take off. This involves having established flatwork and adjustability within your gaits. For example, if you are working in the canter, you should have the ability to ask your horse for more or less canter without losing power and impulsion. Just because you slow down doesn't mean your horse should lose the spring in their step.

All of the exercises below are designed to be used with jumps and poles, but if using just poles makes you more confident, that is totally fine! You shouldn't feel that the only way to get better is by using bigger jumps. If you're interested in more ground pole exercises check out How to Set Ground Pole Exercises for You and Your Horse.

To practice adjustability, Amanda recommends this basic exercise: two poles, four average strides apart. While it seems simple, there are a lot of options and opportunities with this setup. Practice getting different amounts of strides in between the two poles by approaching and maintaining a different canter.

When you feel confident in achieving an average five stride, a going four stride, and a waiting six stride, you can challenge yourself with more collection or by raising the poles into jumps. Just remember to change up your direction to keep your horse even, and do a mix of stride goals to keep you and your horse working.

To practice quick and clean footwork, Amanda puts forth the pole jump pole exercise, which encourages the horse to jump rounder and to think about where their feet are falling. For the rider, it helps bring the focus to the approach and develops the rider's eye for finding the appropriate take-off distance. To start, set up a single fence with a ground pole on either side, 9 feet from the base of the jump. This creates a bounce pattern for the horse, where they have to consolidate their stride length but maintain their push power in order to take off as soon as they land from the previous obstacle.

Amanda explains that you should look and ride to the first rail and let that help you through the rest of the exercise. By riding to the first rail rather than the jump in the center of the exercise, you learn to ride to an appropriate distance every time. Without that first pole, you are more likely to change your canter as you get closer, which can result in a chip.

When jumping through, land and let your horse figure out the footwork; just focus on keeping them straight. This whole exercise is great for the rider and the horse and can be changed to increase the difficulty. If you and your horse find that the basic pole jump pole isn't enough, try using cavalettis or small standards to raise the two poles. This raised bounce exercise can deliver all the same benefits as the pole version but with more emphasis on push and power. Just remember that no matter how you set up your exercise, do it equally on both sides!

To practice the concept of truly seeing your distance, Amanda presents a challenging exercise for riders. Exercise #3 involves choosing a number of strides to a jump and either counting up or down until you take off for the jump. For example, if the agreed number is eight, then the rider should start counting down from eight when eight strides away. Alternatively, they can start counting up when they are eight strides out.

If counting down, the rider should get to one on their last stride, making the take-off 'stride' their zero stride. Vice versa, if the rider is counting up, their last stride should be eight and their take-off would be their nine stride. Counting and focusing on the stride prediction helps keep riders from nit-picking their horse on approach, ultimately disrupting the canter and throwing their horse off balance. Counting can also give riders an easy rhythm-keeper tool.

To take the exercise further, riders can pick larger numbers and start counting further away from the jump. There are two ways to further practice this; you can ride for the number of strides or you can wait and see. Riding for the number would involve picking a number and choosing a canter that can produce that amount of strides. For example, if you are 10 strides away and you pick eight as your goal number, you have to make your canter cover a lot more ground in order to take off on the zero stride. As Amanda put it, "Pick a number and get it." This is more advanced and a true test of a rider and horse's adjustability. Alternatively, if you are 10 strides away but hoping to be eight away, keep counting to learn more about what eight strides feel like. This is a useful way to avoid rushing or changing the canter in the last few strides.

Pro Tips

• Always do exercises on both leads and approach from both directions.
• Using poles is great, but don't feel that the only way to get better is by using bigger jumps. If you're interested in more ground pole exercises, check out How to Set Ground Pole Exercises for You and Your Horse.
• Mix it up! Changing the details of exercises is a great way to add more challenge to a familiar task.
• Don't forget to have fun! The goal is to have a good time with your horse. Do what feels good, and take it slow if you need to.
• Keep your eyes up and the horse moving from behind.

Closing Thoughts

Having a perfect take-off distance is something every hunter, jumper, and eventer wishes for. Although the jump is related to the distance, in reality, the true distance comes from the approach. Amanda's helpful exercises are great ways to learn how to manipulate the approach canter, even when the approach to the jump follows the landing of another jump.

Knowing how to ride, change, and maintain your canter will ultimately determine how you leave the ground. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our customer service department at 1-800-620-9145 or at info@ridingwarehouse.com. Ride on!