It may surprise you to find out that one of the keys to developing the high, slow jump so beautiful to watch is not specifically in just more jumping practice. It is certainly not to continue to increase the height of the jump in an effort to increase performance either.

In reality the best way to help your horse jump higher and slower is to increase their control, balance, flexibility, position and centeredness both going into the jump, impulsion and the landing. With increasing athletic ability and mental focus on the jump your horse can and will become better and better.

Gymnastic jumping is a simple and very low cost addition to your jumping routine that will achieve all the goals listed above. By placing ground poles, short jumps and obstacles specific distances from each other the horse and rider too, are forced to focus on balance and position to hit the pole or jump correctly aligned. It also allows the horse to gain confidence in his or her foot position and allows them to reposition their weight on the move for a more effective jump.

In most basic terms gymnastic jumping allows the horse to actually shift or rock back on his or her haunches, providing more impulsion and launching the horse higher. This in turn allows the speed to and over the jump to be more controlled, since the horse isn’t scrambling to try to make the jump. The centeredness of the rider through gymnastics helps to establish the cues that help the horse in the arena for those beautiful, showy jumps.