Harry Meade: how to get the perfect showjumping canter [VIDEO]

Harry Meade explains the basic principles of establishing the perfect canter and what to do if you have a horse that rushes at its fences

The basic principles

The whole of showjumping can be refined down to three fundamental areas, which are the right approach canter, the quality of the canter and the right line and then not interfering, which encompasses what the rider does in the last few strides and through the air, says Harry Meade.

Coping with a horse that rushes

Theres a common pattern for horses that rush and charge at their fences and often it goes hand in hand with horses that are held up or stalled on the corner, explains Harry.

Not always, but a lot of the time its connected with a rider who, without meaning to, can just put on the handbreak and hold up the stride. And a horse is intelligent enough to learn that if theyre being put in a non-jumping place its going to be very difficult for them to jump without hurting themselves or without putting in a huge effort.

So they normally learn to deal with that in two ways: either by stopping when they get there or by taking over and running at their fences.

Often people think that the easy way of stopping the horse from charging is by putting on the handbreak and thats actually the cause in the first place. And so the key to being successful with riding a horse that stalls and charges is to make sure that in the moment that they stall and shut down, you keep the canter big and forward and you go against the instinct to draw back.

The more you can eliminate the stalling bit, the less there is a need for the horse to charge and they end up hopefully being able to come in a level rhythm.

Continued below

See original here:
Harry Meade: how to get the perfect showjumping canter [VIDEO]