Horse jump gymnastics. Ok… so we’ve all done gymnastics… How about a gymnastic track though. This exercise has four gymnastics all strung together to make a gymnastic track. It’s a lot of fun to ride, but it requires a lot of balance and control. Which is usually something we all should be working on. It’s great for your horse and also great for your riding.
The horse jump gymnastics in this exercise vary from a long six stride gymnastic to a short three bounces on a curve. There are four of them, and they’re all strung quite close together, so you have to be on your toes to ride this exercise well. It’s great for balance and control from a riding perspective. And will really work on your horse’s agility and a little bit of scope as well.
How to set up these horse jump gymnastics
Right, so this is how we set it up.
Jump 5
Let’s start with the line at the top of the arena. So it’s an oxer, one stride to a bounce one stride to another oxer. And these are the measurements. It’s seven paces from the first oxer to the bounce. Then the usual three paces between the bounces. And then another seven paces from the last bounce to the last oxer. I went 7.5 paces here but I found it rode a little too long, so I think seven will ride a bit better.
Jump 1
Next, we set up the line down the bottom of the arena. So this is a vertical three strides to three bounces, and then another three strides to an oxer. And here are the measurements. So you walk 15 paces from the vertical to the first bounce. Then three paces between the bounces, followed by another 15 paces from the last bounce to the oxer.
Jump 2 and 4
Then in these two corners, you set up these two fan-shaped bounces. If you’re a little OCD like I am they can take a little time to set up… but they’re actually pretty easy setup. So this is how you measure them out. They measure two paces on the inside, and four paces on the outside. And then shift them around slightly until you get the fan shape. Much easier to do all this with the poles on the ground first, before you build the jumps. Be sure to watch the pressure points part of the video below. They can be tricky to ride if your horse hasn’t done them before. So I’ll give you a few tips on how to get it right.
Jump 3
And then finally you set up this oxer in the middle of the arena that you basically use to change rein through the arena.
Some of our latest exercises:
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