Counting Canter Steps/Strides

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As well as knowing how a horse has jumped a fence, riders should be able to count the number of non-jumping canter strides their horse puts in between two poles or jumps. When two fences are set up in a line, they will be set with a ‘related distance’. This means that the jumps have been set to allow the horse to put a pre-determined number of non-jumping strides between them.

This distance will depend on many factors that the coach has taken into consideration. As a rider, it is important to know how many strides the coach expects and to be able to count. Again, it is best to start by watching other horses.

Start counting as soon as the horse lands after the jump/pole and stop counting as the horse leaves the ground for the second jump/pole.

Since counting strides is directly connected to stride control, it is an important skill. As the rider gains more experience, they will countless and depend more on the feel of the distance to know if the horse has covered the distance evenly.

Riding a line of two fences smoothly with even strides in between depends very much on how the horse jumps the first fence. If the line is set correctly for the horse, then it should be easy to make the distance work out well if the horse jumped the first fence “in stride”.

That is as long as the balance, rhythm, straightness, and pace remain the same. All things being equal, the horse and rider should arrive at the second fence in stride, as well.

When the rider trots into a line, an extra stride is added to the count. For example, if the line is intended to be ridden in four strides at the canter, the line will ride in five canter strides if the first fence was ridden from the trot. This happens because the trot will not carry the horse into the line with the same power as it would from the canter.

When a horse gets deep, or ‘chips’, in front of a fence, he will usually lose impulsion and jump up in the air, landing weak on the other side. The rider must apply the leg and send the horse forward to the second fence.

Normal canter stride for competition purposes is considered to be approximately

A good school horse may not have the correct length of stride required for competition purposes, but may be perfect to learn about jumping skills under the guidance of your certified coach.