Flat work makes the dream work, no matter your discipline. It’s key to keeping show jumpers fit, adjustable and on the aids.
Ellesse Jordan Gundersen, a grand prix dressage rider and trainer based in Wellington, Fla., has ridden show jumping horses and worked with jumper riders on increasing their horses’ suppleness and fitness over the years. She competed at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, N.C., and was the first ever athlete to represent the Philippines at the FEI Dressage World Cup Final.
Ellesse shares her tips, tricks and methods she’s learned by working with show jumpers on improving their the flatwork and how incorporating dressage methods into show jumping routines will improve a horse’s ability ten-fold.
Why should my jumper work in a frame? He isn’t a dressage horse…
“Riding a horse in a frame isn’t discipline specific. Put a horse on the lunge with loose side reins and he will eventually work on his own in a frame. Why? Because being in a frame and working over their back helps their balance, allows them to distribute their weight evenly on all four legs and activates their core muscles. By encouraging your horse to work in a frame (this means round over the back not just in the neck) you are encouraging better balance, better muscle development and evenly distribute yours and the horse’s weight, resulting in a sounder horse long-term.
I like to explain to my riders that athletes, like a sprinter, will not only practice sprints every day. A sprinter will train other workouts and other muscles to enhance their performance and prevent injury. Same goes with equine athletes. It’s our job as their rider to give them the most well-rounded, beneficial training.”
What else can flat work do for jumping horses beyond improve balance?
“Aside from the health, soundness and muscle benefits, having strong flat work is helpful and important for show jumping horses and riders when it comes to course riding and jump-offs.
When you take a look at show jumping, it really is obstacles with flat work in between! Your related lines, your combinations, your rollbacks, your turns, this is all dressage. How you ride your related distances, whether it’s a waiting line, or a forward line there’s your medium, collected and extended canter.
For the combinations, the straighter your horse is, the more push your horse has behind to make the scope. And the better and quicker he can lift his shoulders is so important – that all stems from lateral work. Finally the efficiency and accuracy of your rollbacks and tight turns are all practiced at home on the flat with serpentine exercises, transitions and even working pirouettes.”
Can dressage can improve the shape of a horse’s jump?
“Besides your horse’s natural talent and the help of gymnastic exercises, dressage can help how your horse actually styles and shapes the jump. This comes from how much stronger they get in their core, how much more balanced they become and their ability to push off evenly. It improves how much their back and spine are able to round and flex. Dressage work overall improves their suppleness.”
Fine-tuning your flat work helps you get to know your horse better.
“Riders who take the time to work with their horses on the flat create a closer bond and are able to read their horses personality and ‘quirks’ quicker and more accurately. The best riders are able to jump a course quickly and efficiently, but still react to what happens as the course progresses.
Horse are creatures of habit, so most of the time you experience many of the same problems repeatedly in your courses and may even experience them in your flat work. By taking the time to work at home on the flat, you can practice exercises that will improve the issues that may be repeatedly happening with a certain horse. This way when the error or issue happens in the show arena, you are able to identify it quickly and support the horse in a way he already understands, hopefully resulting in the correction. You will be able to feel your horse, make any corrections and help him in the course before any mistakes may happen. This is because of that closeness and readability you’ll develop with your horse because of the time you took to work on your flat.”
If you could pick one exercise for jumpers to practice, which would it be?
“There are so many exercises I believe are useful for jumpers. Counter-canter, correctly ridden transitions (in dressage seat and half-seat), serpentine patterns, etc., but if I had to pick one I rarely see done enough or correctly, it’s lateral work.
The term ‘lateral work’ can often sound scary to jumpers but it’s all simplicity. It is the horse respecting and moving away from the riders leg pressure. Lateral work comes with other benefits too, like horse flexibility, suppleness, engagement, strength and rideability, just to name a few. It’s so important for me when teaching riders and when training jumpers on the flat to use lateral work several times in an average ride.”
Dressage exists out of the arena, too. Here’s how to incorporate it into your hacks.
“Dressage is often thought to only exist inside the four walls of a lettered arena but that isn’t the case. Whether you’re in a huge jumping ring, a grass field or on a trail, dressage can and should be practiced regularly.
A few simple tricks are: when you’re riding in a large arena, don’t get lazy and allow your horse to choose his own line and motor through the corners. Ride your corners and lines with purpose and make sure your horse is waiting for you to tell him where to go.
When you’re on a trail, it’s fine to let your horse have a gallop and let loose to keep his brain happy, but practice when you come back down into a collected canter and then trot or walk, don’t let your horse fall apart and get long and strung out or strong.
Be disciplined about that transition so that the next time you ask your horse to wait, perhaps while jumping a course, he doesn’t think that it’s even an option to lean through the bridle and get long.”