I’ll Set It Up For You
           
I’m not going to ask you to deliberately find a “short distance.” Instead, I’ll use a line of three low verticals set at 45 feet – or a short three strides – apart so the deep distance is the one you’ll get automatically. As you ride this line over and over, you’ll start to feel how your horse jumps when he gets short and how you can make the uncomfortable distance seem good to yourself, him and the judge.
           
I’ll also set square oxers on two different diagonals so you continue to another jump – just as you would have to do in the show ring. After each oxer, you’ll make a tight rollback turn to reverse direction and repeat the exercise until you get the feel of it. In the process, you’ll not only figure out how to make an uncomfortable distance more comfortable, you’ll discover that …

• The exercise is friendly and unintimidating for you and your horse. The jumps are low and few, and the pattern is simple and repeatable so you can focus on your ability to land and react.
• You can tune up your eye. You can experiment with the release and position you want and see and feel how it affects your horse. You’ll improve upper-body control and strength and balance, and you’ll really refine communication with your horse.
• He, in turn, will get handier, more agile, more elastic and more responsive. He’ll develop “muscle memory” that reminds him, even when he does get deep, to think, “always jump up and around the jump.” Going around the exercise in both directions, you’ll begin recognizing the lead on which he is more comfortable landing and you’ll increase his ability to use both leads equally. And if he has trouble with lead changes (another BIG show-ring error), and you can make them nicer.

Get Set Up
           
Following the diagram, set a line of three 2-foot-9-inch verticals 45 feet apart along one long side of your arena. Give yourself ground poles on each side so you can jump in both directions. Roll them out to about the base of each standard to encourage your horse to bring up his withers and create a nice bascule (arc) in the air. On the opposite side of the arena, position a square 2-foot-9-inch oxer on each diagonal line about four strides or 48 feet from the corner, again with ample ground poles on both sides. Give the oxers a spread of about 2-feet-6-inches. That’s fairly wide, but if your horse is like many, he probably has more scope than you’ve identified. Jumping slightly wider jumps will start to develop his strength and comfort level with a scopier effort. Finally, put jump standards, flowerpots or traffic cones about 36 feet from the outside end of each oxer to help guide you through your reverse rollback turns.

Some Tips for Success

• The measurements I’ve given you are short for an average-strided horse, but to be absolutely sure they work as intended for your horse have a trainer or knowledgeable friend watch you ride the line and, if necessary, adjust it so it’s short for your horse’s length of stride.
• As long as you’re not at all dependent on your horse’s mouth for balance, these jumps are low enough to safely and comfortable start working on a following hand, or “automatic” release, in air. By maintaining a light, elastic contact as you “follow” your horse’s mouth through his arc, you’ll allow him to jump without restriction while retaining control in the air and on landing. You’ll regulate his stride and keep him from getting away from you. And you’ll be naturally better balanced and less likely to get ahead of the motion. This means that you can
• Land, react and be thinking of what’s ahead instead of just aiming your horse at the jumps. This in turn will add a greater depth to your knowledge of riding and make you a far more proactive participant in the entire process.
• Start easily with an energetic, forward-thinking but moderately slow canter on a medium length of stride. Do not ride backward. As you get more comfortable with the exercise, go ahead and raise the stakes by gradually adding pace and a slightly longer stride.
• I’m going to describe in detail how to jump the exercise in correct, balanced position with you horse’s motion. But I want you to first do it once or twice ahead of the motion, where you’re very much out of the saddle leaning over your horse’s forehand and giving an exaggeratedly long release, then once or twice behind the motion, where you’re sitting back in the tack. He won’t jump well, but believe it or not, by feeling these mistakes you’ll start to develop the body control, muscle memory and confidence to do it correctly. (The sign of a good rider is that he can do the “wrong” as easily as he can do the ‘”right.”) Then, go ahead and do the exercise correctly, with the motion because you always want to finish with what’s correct
• The only time you might get worse at this exercise is if you get frustrated. So remember, no matter what you do in the line, you ill always be short. I’ve set it up that way, and you can’t avoid it. But you can avoid it. But you can avoid frustration by letting the exercise teach to get comfortable with the deep distance and to get there in balance. Soon enough you’ll actually find that “getting short” is likeable! And that will be great, because the deep distance is going to happen in the show ring. You’ll be doing a big part of your job when you can make it feel good to your horse and look good to the judge.

Jump the Line
           
Pick up the moderately slow right-lead canter on a medium length of stride. Get up in a good, balanced two-point position: Drop your weight down into your heel, establish an even contact through your thigh, inner knee and calf, and keep your hip angle closed about 25 degrees. Carry your hands slightly in front of your horse’s withers and your elbows slightly in front of your hips, with straight line from your very elastic elbow to the bit.
           
Turn toward the line and as you approach the first fence, sink down into a slightly deeper seat that allows you to feel and judge your horse’s length of stride – in judging it, you’re better able to feel his reaction to the upcoming jump. Allow him to jump up to you, and in the air, use a following hand. Land and react! You know you’re going to be short to the second vertical, so sink again into the tack with your hips to the back of the saddle while you stay on the front of your seat, which will keep you in balance and better able to gauge the distance,
           
As you canter the three short strides to the second vertical, stay close to the saddle, feeling your horse’s motion, maintaining a soft, gentle hand and keeping your eye ahead. Maintain your correct, effective position – down in your heel, close to the saddle with your inner thigh and your hip angle slightly closed so he’s able to make a better, more athletic jumping effort. When you get to the jump, allow your horse to come up to you as he leaves the ground. The jump is low enough and the ground pole on the landing side is ample enough that even though the distance is very deep, your horse should make some effort over and across, and he won’t land extremely shallow. With repetition, this will automatically teach him that even off a short distance, he can jump around the fence.
           
Land, and again, because you know you’re going to be short to the third vertical, sink into the tack, gently feel your horse’s mouth, keep your hips to the back of the saddle and allow him to jump up to you. Land, canter away from the jump and if you need to, make a flying or simple change to the right lead.

Add the Oxers
           
Balance your horse through the right turn to the oxer – which is pretty close to the corner – by staying with his motion, not getting ahead so you’re weighting his forehand and not falling behind so you’re driving him. Touch the saddle with a little bit deeper seat, but keep your hip angle closed to allow him to canter forward.
           
Now, listen. The first time around, your horse may be a bit surprised by the jump, which is going to come up fast. But with repetition, you’re going to find that this short turn to a moderately low jump cures a multitude of sins. Turning improves your horse’s canter by requiring him to come back on his hind end, bring his balance up and take him time. His initial surprise at meeting the oxer will quickly encourage him to keep looking ahead for the jump. Soon enough, he’s even going to start “locking in” on obstacles.
           
Land from the oxer and react immediately – before you begin the left turn in front of the standards or flowerpots. If you land on the incorrect lead and your horse is schooled, ask for a lead change. If he’s green, allow him to make a simple change. And to make your whole performance smoother by eliminating the question of lead changes altogether, check out my article, “Land to the Lead You Want,” in the November 2005 issue. Continue around on the left lead in the same moderately slow, medium-strided canter and jump the line again. Jump the second oxer, ride another rollback turn and you’re back on the right lead and ready for the line again.
           
As you and your horse get more comfortable and confident with the short distance, gradually add pace and stride. Test his ability to “measure” a jump and your ability to feel the difference in his effort by slightly rolling in the ground lines. Ask yourself, “Does he jump differently? Is his form as good as it was? Are his withers still coming up?” Then experiment with what you can do with your hand, leg and eye to compensate and help him create a good jump.

Ride Different Patterns
With only five jumps, you can use this simple setup to ask and answer almost all the questions you would ordinarily encounter in the show ring. You have short distances in the line. You have a short approach out of a corner to an oxer. You have a tight rollback turn after the oxer. You can also jump the oxer going the other way, riding a long approach to it and having a short turn in the corner upon landing, And if he has trouble with lead changes, landing off the oxer going into a corner with a short turn at pace will encourage him to catch up behind to do a better change. You can even ride a bending line from one of the oxers to one of the elements in the original three-vertical line. Eventually, you can roll in the ground lines all the way so your horse gets even deeper and probably reverts to not jumping in such top form. Then, once again, use your position, hand, leg and eye to correct it.

Archie Cox

At his business, Brookway Stables, at Middle Ranch in Lakeview Terrace, California, Archie typically has 30 to 35 horses in training and 12 to 15 students/clients. “I manage to stay busy,” he says. In addition to his heavy teaching and showing schedule, Archie has his “r” judge’s license and is working toward his “R.” He judges about three shows a year. He also serves on the boards of directors of the US Equestrian Federation, US Hunter Jumper Association, American Hunter-Jumper Federation and Pacific Coast Horse Show Association. He gives about six clinics a year, saying, “I enjoy clinics. I like to see people get better. And I like coming up with exercises such as the one in this month’s issue that addresses so many problems that riders don’t even realize they have.”
           
Archie’s clients certainly get better, and he can point to 2006 as an especially outstanding year. “I am most proud of Lucy Davis and Harmony’s highest scoring round in the Junior Hunter division at the Capital Challenge and Laura Wasserman’s Overseas with John French receiving the show’s highest score at Washington in the Regular Working Hunters.” Laura’s Quality Time also was Reserve Champion in the Green Conformation at the Capital Challenge. Amy Brubaker was Reserve Champion in the Ariat National Adult Medal Finals and Lucy Davis finished in the top 20 in the ASPCA Maclay National Championship at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament. Lucy was also Grand Champion in the Show Circuit Junior Hunter Finals West Coast – making that the third consecutive year for a Brookway student. She won the Pacific Coast Horseman’s Association 14-and-under Medal Finals while Hilary Neff won the California Professional Horseman’s Association Foundation 14-and-under Medal Finals. “We were also fortunate enough to win three USEF Horse of the Year awards,” he says. “So as you can see, there’s no grass growing under my feet. In fact, I’m trying to figure out horse to cram eight days into the week. I haven’t found a way to do it yet but I’m trying.”

Reprinted with permission of Practical Horseman.