Learn How To Use Your Eye to Find a Good Distance to Fences, Part 3

The Hunter Track

After landing from the oxer, you'll ride a long canter up the side and a wide, sweeping, "hunter-y" right turn around the third cone. Then you'll have a long approach back down to the vertical.

In the air over the oxer, look "out of the windshield" with soft eyes. There is no jump to go to next--there's just your track toward the end of the ring and around the third cone. Land and keep your soft eye all the way up the long side and as you make a nice, smooth turn around the traffic cone. Begin your turn to the vertical and as soon as you're straight, perpendicular and committed to it, sharpen your eye and focus on the middle of the top rail. Remember, though, that you always track the jump first and look for a distance second.

A long, hunter approach can be difficult for many riders, usually because they lose their focus. Prevent that by keeping your eye on the ball! I'll sometimes tell a student, "STARE at the top rail! Your eyes will measure the distance for you." Again, keep looking until you get there and you feel your horse's front feet leave the ground.

The Equitation Track

Everything is going to happen a little faster this time, because you're going to land from the oxer, ride halfway up the long side and turn right between the second and third cones to come back down toward the vertical. Your track will be shorter so you'll have less time to use a soft eye, but even though you have to sharpen your eye sooner--again, as soon as you commit to the vertical--you still have to maintain a steady pace and rhythm throughout.

The Jumper Track

This could also be a more advanced equitation-type turn. You go as close as possible around the first cone, and because the turn and the vertical come up so fast, you have almost no time for "sightseeing" with soft eyes. Again, keep your eye on the ball. You have to track the jump quickly, and once you're committed, you must resist the very strong temptation to look away. The tighter the turn, the more likely it is that you'll lose your track if you look in, look away to check where you are or what's in the way, then look back.

If you really want to get slick, try riding the equivalent of a jump-off turn by cutting in front of the first cone. But be ready: This turn requires you to get a sharp eye on the vertical while you are in the air over the oxer. With this turn and track, you can't afford to look away, even for the blink of an eye.

Variations on a Theme

Here are just a few ways to stretch the possibilities of these exercises, even if you don't have very many jumps or cones:

• Begin to raise the jumps gradually, so your eye gets used to following the top rails up as the jumps get higher.

• Ride the pattern in reverse--turn off the short end of the arena to the vertical, then continue on to the oxer so you're tracking to the left. (Be sure to reverse the ramp on the oxer first.)

• Test your eye's accuracy and adjustability by adding a low trot fence after the vertical. If you're like most riders, your "mental" eye will stay up at the height of the vertical, making you look past the trot fence so you climb up your horse's neck in front of the jump! Come back and try it again; make yourself lower your eye to the middle of the top rail (or the center and lowest point of the "vee" if it's a cross rail) and there's your distance. Remember that your horse also has to look down a bit to see what's below him.

Happy Riding!

Winning college coach and "R" judge, Andrea Wells, explains why "keeping your eye on the ball" help you find a good distance to your fences and results in a good jump almost every time. Reprinted from the December 2007 issue of Practical Horseman magazine.

ANDREA WELLS

AUG 2, 2009