1 . POLEWORK
Introduce poles early and use them often in small courses . I find that placing poles will help give a green horse confidence off the floor , especially when approaching them in trot . They will give the horse a steer on the correct take off point and the use of a pole encourages them to bring both hind feet together to push for take-off . This is perfect when they first jump a course and might not be sure which fence is coming next , so they need a little help !
2 . RIDER ’ S LEG
Don ' t be afraid to use plenty of leg a stride or two before take-off . It ' s better to get the horse in front of the leg and give them plenty of confidence at the early stages of jumping a course .
“ It ' s better to get the horse in front of the leg ”
EVERYTHING HORSE MAGAZINE : JULY 2021 • 25