In Part 1 of this two-part series, we explained how to create a tailor-made warm-up plan to bring out your horse’s best qualities in the hunter ring and offered tips on how to properly warm up over a vertical and an oxer. In Part 2, we’ll look at five key warm-up exercises to correct common problems on course and to finesse your hunter’s form over fences.

As we previously discussed, the qualities judges look for in the hunter ring make warming up for these classes uniquely challenging. You want your horse to jump with excellent technique while also obediently listening to your aids; he should canter forward but in a relaxed, steady rhythm with soft contact. Developing a warm-up plan specific to your horses needs can help you achieve these sometimes seemingly contradictory goals. (See Part 1 for our key questions to consider regarding your particular horse to help you create a successful warm-up plan.)

As we look at the following five exercises to correct common problems and improve your horse’s shape over fences, continue to focus on the two most important factors we discussed in Part 1: straightness and ambidexterity (the ability to take off from and land on either lead comfortably). The more ambidextrous your horse is, the straighter he’ll be. The straighter he is, the better-quality jump he’ll produce.

5 Exercises to Finesse Your Horse’s Form Over Fences

If your horse struggles with any of the problems we discuss below, practice the applicable tool at home until he’s comfortable jumping correctly. Then give him a brief refresher in your warm-up at a show; two or three repetitions should be plenty.

Use the following exercises to correct common problems we see in the hunter ring:

1. Placing Rails

The problem: You’re having difficulty producing consistent distances.

The fix: If you’re having trouble arriving at consistent distances, place a rail four strides in front of the fence (about 56 feet, depending on the size of your horse’s stride—add another 2 feet if he has an especially big stride). As you canter over it, count the next four strides to the fence out loud to help you stay patient and still. This will help you and your horse produce consistent distances to the takeoff spot.

2. Counter-Canter

The problem: You’re struggling to maintain your horse’s balance and/or you can’t keep him straight on the approach.

The fix: If you’re having trouble maintaining your horse’s balance and/or keeping him straight in the approaches, try counter-cantering around the turn on his difficult lead. For example, if your horse struggles more with his right lead, ride the right lead in a counter-canter around a left turn to the jump. This will allow you to sit in the saddle, put your leg on and keep him more organized. It will also give you better control over his shoulders, so it’s easier to keep him straight.

3. Landing Rails

The problem: Your horse shifts in one direction over fences or drifts on landing.

The fix: If your horse tends to shift right or left over jumps or on landing, place a rail on the landing side perpendicular to the fence on the side he tends to shift toward. For instance, put it on the left side if he tends to shift left. When horses see an obstacle like this on the landing side of a jump, they naturally straighten themselves in the air to avoid landing on it. In the schooling areas at shows, we bring a vinyl-covered foam rail for this purpose, but you can use a regular pole as long as you’re careful not to let your horse land on it, which can lead to serious injury. According to U.S. Equestrian Federation rules, a landing rail must be at least 9½ feet from the jump.

Start with the rail on the outer edge of the track. Then ask your trainer or ground person to roll it in several inches more after each jumping effort until your horse notices it and straightens himself out—again, being careful never to roll it so far into his path that he might step on it. How far in you have to roll the rail will depend on how reactive your horse is. As you ride to the fence, don’t try to straighten him with your reins. Let the rail do the work.

4. Swedish Oxer

The problem: Your horse gets crooked in the air over jumps and/or he needs to square up and tighten his front legs.

The fix: The Swedish oxer is another useful tool for correcting a horse who tends to shift right or left or get crooked in the air over jumps and to help him square up his front legs. After you’ve jumped a square oxer a few times, turn it into a Swedish oxer by lowering one side of the front rail and raising the other side the same amount, then lowering and raising the opposite sides of the back rail.

Be sure the difference in height between the high and low sides is no more than 18 inches, as required by USEF rules. Make the high side of the front rail the same side toward which your horse tends to drift. (If he drifts right, make the front rail higher on the right side and the back rail higher on the left side.) Like you did with the landing rail, ride to the jump as you normally would and let the rails do the work.

5. Angle Jump

The problem: Your horse struggles with straightness.

The fix: Jumping a fence at an angle is another good way to straighten a horse who tends to get crooked. Canter a wider turn than usual, so that you slightly overshoot the normal straight line to the fence and have to turn back toward it. If you’re approaching on the right lead, for example, this will put you on a line angled from left to right (still jumping over the center of the fence).

Every horse is different, so try angling the jump from both leads to see which one improves your hunter’s technique more. Old habits die hard—and it takes a lot of repetition to correct them. But horses are smart: They’ll hold themselves straight when the jump requires them to.

End on a Good Note

After schooling the above exercises (or the ones you feel your horse will benefit most from), if you feel compelled to practice just one flying change on your horse’s more difficult direction, ride away from the jumping area and practice that change just once on the flat. Then return to the jumping area for your final fence or two.

Try to make the last jump you do before entering the ring a good one, which we know is easier said than done. The first jump or two on course are typically verticals, which require your horse to balance differently than oxers. He needs to sit back on his hocks more on takeoff to produce a good arc over them, so go back to a vertical with a nice ground line for your final jump.

If you’re unhappy with how your horse jumps it, try one more time—but be careful not to fall into the “just one more” trap. Jumping too many times in the warm-up can overtire your horse, draining the energy he needs to produce his best performance in the ring. Don’t be a perfectionist! Err on the side of doing too little rather than too much, and finish on the best jump you can achieve in no more than two or three tries.

Each time you show, take note of which variations of this warm-up routine seem to suit your horse’s particular needs. With enough practice, you’ll develop a plan that brings out his best performance every time.

You can read Part 1 of this series here.

About Cassie Kahle and Emil Spadone

Cassandra (Cassie) Kahle grew up in Canada riding at her mother’s Silver Fox Horse Sales. In 2009, she won the ASPCA Maclay Regional Finals in Washington state, was the reserve national champion in the Canadian Equestrian Team Medal Final and competed in the ASPCA Maclay National Championship. Since then, she has become a top contender in both the hunter and jumper rings and won the $30,000 World Championship Hunter Rider Professional Challenge at the 2019 Capital Challenge Horse Show.

Kahle works with well-known hunter/jumper trainer Emil Spadone at his two Redfield Farm locations in Califon, New Jersey, and Ocala, Florida. In addition to competing at A-circuit shows up and down the East Coast, Cassie and Emil train students of all levels and buy and sell top-quality hunters and jumpers.

This article originally appeared in the winter 2019 issue of Practical Horseman.