Advanced Jumping: XC

So a huge part of the fun of XC is the variety of things you get to see:
you've still got your standard verticals (usually stone walls, fencelines, or something like that) and oxers (esp logs. You will get to jump lots and lots and lots of logs throughout your XC career).


banks: up and down, and of course steps -- which are really multiple banks on a related distances. Up banks tend to be very easy. They require a lot of power on the part of the horse, but for the rider all you have to do is keep your leg on and your upper body out of the way and you're good to go. The key to jumping down is balance. Both for the horse AND the rider. Keep in mind also that young horses will tend to launch out as much as down when going off banks for the first time.




table: essentially a solid oxer that's wide and flat.









corner: this is a table that is super wide on one side and very skinny on the other. The trick to riding this is accuracy -- if you drift too far one way the jump becomes impossibly wide, while if you drift too far the other way it invites an easy runout.





ditches: technically the most easy thing out there. It's literally a canter stride. Nothing to it. Except that ditches house horse-eating monsters. Really scary ones. In the wild, a running horse who steps in a ditch is likely to end up dinner for the lion that's chasing them -- do you see now why your horse might not be overly inclined to jump it when they could so easily go around? As with everything else, this should be introduced gradually and in a non-threatening fashion. Make sure your horse doesn't see a ditch for the first time ever in competition. Or you may very well end up in it! Keep your nose behind the pommel coming into this!


coffins: just the name alone inspires fear. Gotta love xc! A coffin is a combo of fence, ditch, fence on related distances, usually with the ditch down lower than the two jumps (so jump at top of the hill, down two strides to a ditch, up two strides to another fence). The fences are also often both skinny. This is all about technical riding. The horse gets to the first fence, sees the ditch on the landing side and quits. Or jumps that fence and goes around the ditch. Or manages the first two but then runs out of the third. The possibilities are endless. The key to riding coffins successfully is to have all the pieces well schooled to begin with. Is the horse cool with ditches? Jumping up and down hill? Holding a line? Triple combinations? When you can do all that, the coffin will be a non issue. Theoretically >;-P These are usually ridden with a nice bouncy reasonably collected canter (recognizable to all eventers as the "coffin canter" -- creatively named eh?). Flying at something this technical at top speed would be a very bad idea.


ski-jumps: look pretty much like, well, ski jumps :) An angled fence at the top of the hill where you land significantly lower than you took off. These are tricky in that you jump the first part like a normal fence and then you have to bring your body back a bit as per a drop fence to survive the landing. If you jump ahead on these you will, at best, land alone. The trick for the horse is regaining their balance after the drop -- esp as you're usually going downhill at that point.



brush fences: these are good gallop fences. They're sloping and are stuffed with brush which sticks out the top. These can be higher than competition height because theoretically you can go through the brush.







water: horses often don't like jumping into water because they can't judge either the depth or the footing for the landing. As with ditches, introduce the concept easily in a confidence building environment so that by the time they actually have to do it in competition it's all fun :) Keep in mind that the horse will feel the drag of the water when they jump in and be prepared for that as you ride it. At the lower levels you usually get to run in and just jump out. And even that can be exciting some days :) Keeping up the impulsion through the water can be more difficult, so remember that any out jump will ride as though it were bigger than it actually is.


Everything you had to consider while walking stadium, also applies to XC:

• terrain is likely to be far more dramatic on XC and also more likely to change. Uphill, downhill (sometimes both in the same combination!), water (be sure you walk *through* the water yourself so you know what the footing is like), changes between dirt, gravel, wood chips, grass, and anything else!
  
• shadows often play far more of a role on XC, especially when jumping in/out of tree-lines or in the woods. Be aware if the shadows will cast a false groundline or make the landing seem inhospitable -- either of those things can lead to a stop at an otherwise easy fence.
  
• jump judges will be found in the vicinity of every fence. The best ones manage to blend in to their surroundings or be far enough away not to matter, but every once in a while they'll be right before or right after a fence and your horse could well be startled by them so make sure you ride accordingly and keep the horse focused on the fence.
  
• cows and other related monsters. Suffice to say if you have a city horse, cows are equivalent of alien beings; and decidedly unfriendly ones at that. Llamas and sheep are also in that category. So if the farmer next door has any of these turned out, consider how your horse may react to jumping next to the fenceline!
  
• fencelines: we spend all our lives teaching horses to stay inside fences, so asking them to jump one often leads to a very confused pony.
  

Now when you're actually out on course, not only do you have to remember where you're going, how you're going to navigate the various terrain and obstacles, but you also have to be aware of pace. Every course will have an optimum time -- you must come in within 30 seconds of that time. If you are more than 30 seconds earlier than the time, every second is a penalty; slower than the time you have a then .4 penalty for each second. (ie, if the stated time is 5 minutes, you must come in somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00. 4:29 will have 1 penalty added, 5:01 will have .4 of a penalty added -- make sense?) And to make this even more challenging at the low levels (@ least in Canada) you cannot wear a watch. So you need to know, by feel, how fast you are going AND how fast you *should* be going :) The easiest way to learn this is to measure off set distances, and time it. Gallop the distance and figure out how fast you were going. (ie if you're aiming for 400 mpm - meters per minute - and it only takes you 45 seconds to go 400m, you're going too fast! Likewise if it takes you 90 seconds to get there, you're too slow.) Adjust until you get the pace you should be doing. Then practice till it feels normal and you can accurately hit the time regularly. Keep in mind when you're riding the actual course though that there will be places that you'll have to slow down, so that time will have to be made up elsewhere. Always remember though that safety outweighs time -- if it's not safe to go fast enough to meet the time, don't.

And now the fun part -- some of the masters from a couple decades ago. First, just watch it and enjoy! Then watch it again. Look for the different types of fences. Watch which fences they take at speed, and which fences they balance and slow down before they jump. Note also how they change their body positions based on whether they're going up or down hill and how they slip and regain their reins as necessary to allow the horse to jump freely.



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Intermediate Jumping: Stadium

The trick to riding a good stadium round isn't so much the jumps themselves as the flat work inbetween. Dressage with speedbumps. Can you get the "right" quality of canter; that is, the canter that combines the ideal combination of speed (neither too fast nor too slow), balance (rocked back on the hindquarters), and impulsion (power!)? Can you turn? Can you turn without losing your speed, balance or impulsion? (hmmmm tricky I know :), Can you hold a straight line? Can you adjust your stride? And can you do this all while going downhill? Uphill? On an excited horse? Because that's what'll be required in competition! Once you can do all that, then we can consider adding speed-bumps to the equation.

So you have basically two types of jumps in stadium: verticals and oxers.

Verticals have no width (well negligible width, if there was no width you wouldn't be able to see it. Maybe THOSE are what Zel used to jump in dressage w/u?!?!?! hahaha sorry - lightbulb moment. It took me nearly four years, but I finally figured it out! Those of you who knew my last horse @ age 4 will know what I'm talking about :). Ok back to our regularly scheduled program. Verticals -- straight up and down, one set of standards.

Oxers, conversely, have lots of width :) Or @ least some. They can be a variety of styles:

ascending: the friendliest type of oxer, the back rail is slightly higher than the front, which helps the horse to judge where the highest point of his arch should be. Triple-bars are an often seen version of these that use three sets of rails instead of two. A rider fence (as in one that freaks out the rider but not the horse), they often *seem* quite intimidating, but in reality they usually ride really well.


square: these are when the back rail is in line with the front rail (theoretically creating a square with the ground -- or a rectangle depending how wide/tall the jump is :) These are by far the most common in competition. A green horse will tend to way overjump these, putting the highest part of the arch over the back rail rather than the middle, but once they learn to size them up accurately it's all good :)





swedish: this looks like a giant floating X. The top rails are angled, so the front rail has the left side higher and the back rail has the right side higher (or vise versa). These can be intimidating since the "official" height is where the two rails cross -- meaning the sides could actually be higher than competition height. These can be jumped right in the center, in which case they ride like a square oxer (personally I find them slightly easier than a square oxer, but that might be just me :), or slightly off-center to the side where the back rail is higher, creating an ascending oxer. - fan - this has one standard on one side and several (usually three) on the other. The trick to these is to find the line you want to ride and hold it. If you can do that (remember the whole steering thing above?) you're set.

So you're at the show. There are people walking around the course. Maybe you should walk around too? It's a nice day out, what else is there to do? hahaha but why are you walking? Well to memorize the pattern of course! Well yes, that is true. But eventually you get really good at memorizing patterns from the beautiful little sketch posted near the in-gate. My suggestion would be memorize the course BEFORE you walk it. So that you know where you're walking and can focus on other things.

What other things? Ah now there's the question of the day. What things should you be considering while walking the course?

• where you're going: Not just the *order* of the fences. Admittedly that's step one, but not nearly enough. Exactly where are you going to turn, how wide is the turn going to be, where you're going to take off, where you're going to land, where you're going to be looking while doing each of those things. You need to have a plan. Then you need to ride the plan. But if the plan only states "jump fences 1-12 in order" or even "jump fences 1-12 in order, on the first try" you're still not likely to have a brilliant round.
  
• how you're going to get there: what is the correct speed/balance/impulsion to approach that fence. An uphill oxer away from home may require a very different ride from a downhill vertical towards home.
  
• what's the footing like: common sense here. If it's slippery, slow down. Check for any rocks, holes, hazards etc. Does it change throughout the course (esp grass to dirt, hard to soft, etc). Depending on the conditions it might be worth considering putting studs in too (see shoeing)
  
• what spooky items are out there: is there a path just the other side of the ring? Where are the spectators? Where is the judge? Where are the shadows (and keep in mind these can change between when you walk and when you ride!)? Are there any dirt patches that are a strange colour?
  
• what are the "trappy" fences: on angled terrain? oddly spaced related distances? really flat cups on a maxed out vert? optical illusion (esp when combined w/ light/shadows)? skinny fence off a tight turn on a half stride? All things you should be aware of and have a plan to ride.
  
• what's the striding on any combinations: not much to say about this. Know the distance. Know what that means for your horse. Ride accordingly. Ie) short strided horse, away from home, uphill, to a really long two -- you're either going to really gallop or really collect and do it in three. Either could work, but you need to know before you go out which you're going to do. A long strided horse, downhill, towards home, to a short one -- I'd strongly recommend coming in in a reasonably collected and very balanced canter. Triple combinations become even more fun as the distances between each pair of obstacles work together to make it easy or not to clear the combo.
  
• terrain: uphill, downhill, across-hill, flat... How does the land lie? And what are you going to do about it? Remember we want a good combination of speed, balance and impulsion. Going downhill, horses tend to loose their balance (falling on the forehand) and often pick up speed -- your ride needs to account for this. Uphill speed and/or impulsion are more likely to be lost. It does no good to get to the fence if you don't have enough power to jump it!
  
• towards/away from home: not rocket science here -- most horses accelerate towards home (and home is almost always the in-gate) and decelerate away. Keep it in mind as you're planning your ride.
  
• how are you going to enter: gate's open, now what? What gait will you enter in? Are you trying to energize your horse -- if so, power canter it is! If you're trying to chill them out a quiet trot or even a walk might be appropriate (the walk may not be ok if you have to go a long way to the judge because you'll waste everybody's time). Where will you stop to salute? Can you strategically trot by the really scary fence on the way so your horse can see it? Think it through.
  
• how to ride the first fence: the hardest one because you're really not in the zone yet and still have ALL the rest of the course spinning through your mind. How are you going to approach? What gives you the best line? How much time/space do you need to establish your canter before that? Where are the start flags (make sure you go through them!)?
  
• how to finish: you've cleared the last fence AND gone through the finish flags (important!) Now what? Just galloping out the gate is not exactly recommended both because it's incredibly unsafe and because it's poor training. Where can you circle or stop safely?

So now you see why I suggest you memorize the course before walking it? :)

Now lets see how the best in the world do it. Notice him showing his horse a scary fence and some of the spooky things (ummm people :) before he starts. Look at the different types of fences and see how the ride changes -- from sitting way up and balancing to a tall, skinny vertical, to letting the horse get longer and more forward to a wide liverpool or an oxer.



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Review Beginner Jumping: Gymnastics

What's it called when you do gymnastics on horseback?

What are three reasons you might choose to school gymnastics?

What is the standard distance in this gymnastic:

. . . X | ||


Which would you rather jump:
| 21' | 24' ||

OR
| 21' || 24' |

OR

|| 21' | 24' | Why?

My answer to that last question here :)
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Beginner Jumping: Gymnastics

Ok gymnastics. No I don't mean handstands on your horse -- that would be vaulting, which is a sport all in itself and is an absolute ton of fun, if you ever get the chance try it :)... But that's not for today.



Today's gymnastics involve a series of jumps or poles in quick succession (often, but not always, in a straight line).

Here we have the most traditional gymnastic ever; I suspect you've seen it before:

. . . X | ||

Three trot poles, an X, one stride, a vertical, one stride, an oxer. Numbers, cause everybody loves numbers: 4'5" between each of the trot poles, 9' between the last pole and the X, 18' between the X and the vert, and 21' between the vert and the oxer. That's your text-book basic gymnastic. Learn those numbers. Esp if you're ever planning to jump without a coach present OR take any of the RiderLevel/PonyClub exams. It's a pretty standard question.

Now that you've made the effort to learn what it *should* be, you have to know the types of fences and the striding between them can vary in endless ways depending on:

• your riding ability
  
• your horse's level of training
  
• your horse's strength
  
• the purpose of the gymnastic/the effect you're trying to achieve
  

So why bother? Gymnastics are good for all sorts of things:

• focus on the rider. An experienced horse will jump through a well set gymnastic like there's nothing to it. It basically idiot-proofs the whole jumping concept; just get to the first fence and let the horse do the rest. This enables the rider to focus entirely on their position and their body's response to jumping. It's also good for learning to fold and go with the motion of a jump, because while you may be able to fake it over a single fence, multiple in a row will clearly show if there's a lack of stability of timing.
  
• to teach the horse to think. The horse has to figure out the striding, what to do with their feet, and to jump, land, balance, and jump again. When they're good at this, there's a much better chance they'll be able to help you if you get to that less-than-perfect distance on course.
  
• to try going a little bit higher. Because the gymnastic, set properly, will ensure the horse gets to the right take-off spot, this is often used as a method for having either horse OR rider jump "a little higher" successfully. Higher than what? That'd be higher than whatever's easy.
  
• to build strength in the horse. This is the equine equivalent of running hurdles. It takes a LOT of power and is good for building hind-end muscles.
  to slow a rushing horse down. Used with caution by an experienced trainer, a gymnastic can be used to back a rushing horse off a bit and get them to think about what they're doing.
  
• to improve jumping form -- particularly for the horse who prefers to jump long and flat, strategically place poles on take-off and landing can encourage the horse to get closer to the base and jump rounder. Again requiring strength and balance. The pole on the landing side also conditions the horse to think about the landing (useful for that bounce into water!)
  

What gymnastic you'll use, depends on what you're trying to achieve. If you're fixing the rider, set a very simple one (like above) and adjust the striding to be easy for the horse. Then away you go :)

Bounces (where the horse lands and takes off again with no striding inbetween) are good for teaching coordination. These (especially if you have multiple in a row) get tiring fast so be sure to be aware of what your horse is telling you.

Changing the distances around adds another level of both thought and elasticity required. To go from a short one to a long one the horse has to land, collect, jump, then have enough power to land stretch out and still clear the last fence. Arguably harder is the long one to a short one where the horse has to rebalance and shorten on landing or risk pulling the rail of the third fence. Changing between verticals and oxers will also have a similar affect -- a vert to an oxer (esp if the dis is long) is generally technically easier than an oxer to a vert (esp if the dis is tight).

Gymnastics don't have to involve fences. Poles flat on the ground (or cavelleti) can have just as powerful an effect. 4 canter poles each 12' apart is a great way to evaluate rhythm and stride length. The horse should be able to canter through those easily -- but you'd be amazed at how many tries it'll take the first time you try it!

There are hundreds of different types of gymnastics out there for all sorts of scenarios -- particularly when you get into jumping on a bending line or on angles. Check out the books in the Reference section for lots of ideas!

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Review Int/Adv Preventative Care

What are three things you can do other than deworming to help control parasites?

What are four signs your horse may have a parasite infestation? How can you find out for sure?

How often should you deworm your horse? Why is it important to rotate dewormers?

What are three things you can vaccinate against?

What do you need to prove your horse is not a carrier of EIA? Why does it matter?

What is quidding? What causes it? How can you fix it?
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Int/Adv Preventative Care

Preventative care includes the things we do to avoid the horse getting sick in the first place. There are four important preventative care considerations: parasite control, vaccinations, teeth, and introducing new horses.

Parasite Control:

All horses have parasites. Let me repeat that: All horses have parasites. Since most cause problems and we do everything we can to eradicate them. There are a few things you can do to help control parasites:

• De-worm your horse (more on this next paragraph :)
  
• Avoid overgrazing pasture
  
• Avoid keeping too many horses in one pasture
  
• Rotate pastures (horse parasites won't live in cattle and vise versa)
  
• Keep hay and grain away from manure
  

So deworming -- horses should be dewormed every 8-12 weeks (most people seem to do once/season). Different dewormers kill off different parasites in different phases of their life-cycles. It is important to rotate dewormers so as to eliminate a wide variety and to help prevent any of the worms developing an immunity to the dewormer. Some of the common worms include:

• Large Strongyles: these can cause serious damage. A blocked mesenteric artery (which supplies the intestine) can lead to severe colic, or a blocked iliac artery (which supplies the hind legs) can cause lameness or paralysis.
  
• Small Strongyles: also cause serious damage. Signs include weight loss, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and colic.
  
• Ascarids: most common in foals. These are disgustingly large worms. Signs include: poor coat, coughing, diarrhea, lack of appetite, pot belly, apathetic behaviour, and stunted growth.
  
• Bots: these are less harmful and among the easier to avoid. They lay their eggs on the horse's legs, chest, etc where they get licked off and swallowed. They look like little yellow dots, and if you make a point of removing them when they appear you'll help cut down significantly on the bot population. They can cause sores in the mouth, and sometimes stomach ulcers.
  
• Pinworms: not overly harmful in itself, but a sign that your strongyles dewormer probably isn't working overly well since they're killed off by the same thing. Pinworms lead to the horse rubbing its tail and sometimes you can see gray or yellow eggs around the anus. Pinworms are very rare in horses that live outdoors 24/7.

You'll notice the signs for most of these are similar. In general, any combination of inexplicable weight loss, poor coat condition, rubbing the tail, lethargy, and constipation or diarrhea should have you de-worming your horse or at very least having a fecal test done. Colic is also a sign of parasites gone horribly wrong (really you should catch it before then), but since it can be caused by so many other things may not be a sign in itself.

In areas with winter, the only things you'll really be able to kill after the frost are small strongyles -- so a Moxidectin based dewormer is best used in the winter months. This should be followed with an Invermectin based wormer in the spring to kill off any adult strongyles that survived the winter. Through spring/summer/fall you can alternate between Ivermectin-based and Pyrantel-based. There are multiple brands and types of each of these. Twice a year a Praziquiantel (which is a relatively new super-wormer) is a good idea.

So just for the curious, here's a sched for one horse as an example for the year. This is a 5yo TB mare in good health who lives in Ontario and will be competing from May though Sept. Keep in mind this is just a sample -- your plan should be created in consultation with your vet.



Vaccinations

Like people, horses can be vaccinated against common diseases. Most vaccinations need to be boosted -- some annually, some more often. What you vaccinate against will depend, among other things, where you live and how much contact your horse has with outside horses. If you have a private farm with two back-yard ponies who never go anywhere, they're far less likely to catch something than a competitive horse at a large boarding barn where they get shipped to multiple shows, all obviously with other horses, AND all the ones they live with at home are doing the same thing. Anybody could bring something home and spread it.

Some of the common ones include:

• Tetanus -- aka Lockjaw. Just as with people, this disease affects the nervous system. Usually caused by a dirty would, signs include stiffness of the head, neck and hind end, muscle spasms of the jaw, and the appearance of a third eyelid. There is an 80% mortality rate. Annual boosters are required. If you are working on a farm you would be smart to make sure YOUR tetanus vaccination is also up-to-date (although requires far less often booster).
  
• Rabies -- affects attitude and behaviour. Rabid horses will become violent -- biting, striking and rolling. It is almost always caused by a bite from an infected animal. This is also one of the few diseases that is transmissible to humans. Usually fatal.
  
• Encecphalitis (Eastern: EEE, Western: WEE, Venezuelan: VEE) -- a viral disease often transmitted by mosquitoes. 50-90% mortality rate. Booster shots annually if you have winter, every 6 mths if not.
  
• Influenza -- same concept as with people. Highly contagious but rarely fatal viral disease characterized by a high fever, cough, nasal discharge, depression and loss of appetite. Bi-annual vaccine, usually given spring and fall.
  Rhinopneumonia -- a highly contagious viral infection with signs much like flu. This is most common in young horses.
  
• Potomac Horse Fever -- believed to be carried by ticks (uncommon in this area). Signs include depression, loss of appetite, profuse watery diarrhea, distended abdomen, severe colic and sometimes laminitis. May be fatal. Annual vaccination.
  
• Strangles -- highly infections viral infection which affects the lymph nodes in the upper respiratory and cheek mucous membranes. This has been going around Ontario for the last few years, so be very aware if you're in this area and showing at all, you might want to consider this vaccination seriously. Signs are inflammation of the throat and cheeks, a fever of 39.5-41C (103-106F), reluctance to eat, and a moist cough. Annual Vaccination.
  
• West Nile -- a mosquito-spread neurological infection. Symptoms include listlessness, muscle twitching, weakness or paralysis in limbs, sometimes a fever. Can be fatal or have permanent complications. Annual booster.
  
• Equine Infections Anemia (EIA) -- aka Swamp Fever. Very serious, and any horse who survives it could become a carrier (who looks and acts normal while infecting the rest of the barn). Highly contagious, signs include a really high fever (40.5-41.2C, 105-106F0, rapid weight loss, anemia and hemorrhages of the mucous membranes. There is no cure, and most provinces require any horse that tests positive for EIA to be humanely destroyed. Most farms require proof that a horse is EIA negative before allowing any horse on the property. This proof is in the form of a Coggins test -- a simple blood test done by your vet. An annual coggins test is required for horses showing on most recognized circuits. There is no vaccination or cure for this disease.

As always, check with your vet about what they would recommend in your area.

Teeth:

Horses teeth continually grow. A horse's upper-jaw is wider than his lower-jaw. When they graze, the jaw moves in a side-to-side motion, and the molars wear out unevenly causing sharp points ("hooks") to appear on them. These can hurt. So every six months they should be checked and the sharp points need to be "floated" or filed. This is not a painful procedure but it is awkward and some horses really don't like the noise.



If a horse's mouth seems sore (particularly evident when the previously accepting horse starts flipping their head with any bit contact), or if they start quidding (which is when food dribbles out the side of their mouth as they're eating) they should absolutely be checked.

More on teeth another Thursday :)

New Horses:

When a new horse comes to a facility, proof of negative coggins should always be required. They should also be quarantined until their health is assured and introduced to the other horses slowly. Similarly, when bringing your horse away (ie to a show) it is important to keep them from the other horses. No rubbing noses, no sharing water buckets, food, or brushes. Little things that will keep your horse much healthier in the long run!

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Review Beginner Preventative Care: TPR

So what does TPR stand for?

Honestly, if you don't know the answer to that first question go back and reread. A few times. Then try again.

What are three "normals" you should know about your horse?

What should a resting horse's temperature be?

What should a resting horse's pulse be?

What's the next logical question?

What's the answer to the next logical question?

How do you check capillary refill time? What is the acceptable time-range?

Where are two places you can take the pulse?

Got all that? Great! Now go find out what all the normals are for your horse!
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