101 Jumping Exercises for Horse & Rider

by Linda Allen, Dianna Robin Dennis

Overview

Get jumping! This collection presents a logical series of fun and rewarding exercises that are designed to develop your horse-jumping skills. With straightforward instructions and clear arena maps, this guide can be hung on a pole and easily referenced from the saddle. In addition to clearly articulated goals and progressively difficult variations, each exercise also includes encouraging advice on what the rider should keep in mind while jumping. Saddle up and get ready to fly through the air with grace and confidence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603423946
Publisher:	Storey Publishing, LLC
Publication date:	05/01/2025
Series:	Read & Ride
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	241
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Linda Allen is an Olympic course designer and an internationally recognized clinician on riding, show jumping, and course design. She is a former rider for the United States in international jumping competitions, and she designed the show-jumping courses for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as for other major international competitions. She is a licensed judge and a columnist for The Chronicle of the Horse. She lives in Salinas, California.
Dianna Robin Dennis is a full-time equestrian writer and lifelong rider. She has written for many equestrian magazines in the United States and abroad, including The Chronicle of the Horse and Equestrian (Horse Show) magazine.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

Riding and jumping, like most other activities, are best learned by doing. Practice is as essential for riders as ongoing training is for horses, no matter their current level. The old adage "Practice makes perfect" works best when modified to say: "Perfect practice makes perfect."

Getting Started

This book is for riders and instructors alike. The exercises are fairly straightforward and can be used by horses and riders at every level of experience. Keep in mind that even the easiest exercise can be difficult to ride perfectly!

These exercises are designed to be used by:

- Pleasure riders who are simply looking for new ways to enjoy their horses. The ground pole exercises, even without any jumping, improve accuracy, security, balance, and control, while offering an easy and fun new aspect to riding in the arena.
- Riders who are totally new to jumping, feel the urge to try it, and wish to do so in a way that is simple, safe, sensible, and fun.
- Novice, intermediate or advanced riders looking for an effective way to improve their basics, correct their weaknesses, or brush up their technique.
- Instructors seeking a variety of ways to help their students learn and have fun in the process.
- Trainers looking for a step-by-step system to introduce jumping to the horse and ideas for overcoming some of the challenges faced with horses at every stage of training.
- Experienced competition riders eager for a fresh perspective on achieving and maintaining the competitive edge of horse and rider alike.

The majority of these exercises are rider exercises. To be done correctly, they require that the rider be totally focused and aware of each and every step taken by the horse. They also require, and thus teach, the important skills of keeping your mind focused ahead of your horse; your movements quiet, controlled, and ever so slightly behind those of your horse; and your balance perfectly in sync

Table of Contents

Foreword (ix)

Introduction (1)

1. Basic Exercises from the Walk and Trot (Exercises 1-25) (14)

2. Turning Pole into Jumps: Gymnastics (Exercises 26-40) (66)

3. Gymnastics with Varying Strides (Exercises 41-49) (98)

4. Using Gymnastics for Both Turns and Straightness (Exercises 50-53) (112)

5. Canter Exercises: Poles (Exercises 54-64) (122)

6. Canter Exercises: Jumps (Exercises 65-73) (146)

7. Encountering Challenges (Exercises 74-95) (166)

8. Exercises for the Most Advanced Horses and Riders (Exercises 96-101) (196)

Appendix (208)

Index (220)