Sweet Spot

In sports jargon, the word "sweet spot" refers to the point or area on a bat, club or racket that makes most effective contact with the ball. One could also apply the phrase "sweet spot" to that elusive, perfect takeoff point in front of a fence, that Holy Grail of distances that comes up exactly out of stride and results in perfect execution of the jump. Finding that sweet spot is the bane of many riders' existences. The quest to "see the distance" becomes the end-all, be-all. And if we don't see "it,"...we're screwed.

You've probably stood outside the hunter ring at the horse shows and watched in awe as the professionals put in seemingly flawless rounds. But are they really flawless? Look closely, and you'll see their horses jumping from a variety of distances. So how come all of them still look good??

I've observed two major things that separate a professional ride from an amateur ride. First, I don't think a professional has any greater ability than the amateur to see the "perfect" distance. What they do have is the ability to properly ride their horse to whatever distance they see.

I don't know about you, but it would be way too much pressure for me if I believed that there was one and only one "perfect spot" in front of any fence, and I had to worry about finding "the" distance eight times every time I stepped into the ring. The good news is there are a variety of distances from which your horse can make a perfectly beautiful jumping effort. Because the quality of the fence is less about the distance, and more about how you ride to it.

When an amateur sees a less - than - ideal distance, most respond by doing one of the following:
a) go brain dead and stop riding,
b) panic and make some boneheaded move three strides in front of the fence to try to alter fate.

But it's too late; the same way it's too late when you realize your car keys are still in the ignition after you've already started to swing the door shut.

You can help your horse jump in good form from a less than perfect spot. It's about maintaining the quality of the canter- the balance, the impulsion and the straightness. Whatever distance you see, a little long, a little short, or right on, you must learn to ride your horse all the way to it confidently and correctly, whether than involves collecting a bit and balancing to a short distance, adding leg and pressing to the "move-up", or staying steady to meet the fence out of stride. In every case, you are actively participating in the ride to the distance. Do this and you'll be surprised how many options you've got for a lovely fence.

By starting with poles on the ground, you can experiment with riding to all kinds of distances without fear of 'missing' and without using up your horse. Riding to poles can be more challenging than riding to a fence due to the fact that the pole won't back your horse off; you'll have to actually RIDE him every step to put him where you want him.

It's pretty easy to feel when you do it right. If your horse stumbles over the pole on your 'short' distance approach or hauls you forward at the long one, he wasn't balanced or back on his hocks or engaged enough. If he jumps deftly and lightly and lands in the same rhythm, you've done your job. No matter what distance you find to the pole, the quality of the canter and the rhythm shouldn't change. Eventually you'll be leaving short, long and in between and noticing 'wow, that wasn't an ideal takeoff point, but that felt really good.'

Once you and your trainer have honed your ride to the poles, you can start applying the skill to actual fences. As you learn to confidently ride to whatever you see, more distances will start feeling 'right.' You'll start riding every step up to the fence instead of prematurely throwing the reins away, or taking your leg off. You'll stop panicking if you don't see "the" perfect takeoff point every time. Instead of 'oh, crap, I'm gonna miss,' your body language will scream out 'I see a short distance. Watch how well I ride to it!' And if, heaven forbid, you don't see ANY distance? You'll have the presence of mind to keep riding and know how to maintain a quality canter that will greatly improve the chances of a good jumping effort when your horse does leave the ground.

Learning to ride well to a variety of distances is, in my opinion, one of THE most critical skills you should develop to gain a competitive edge. It's one of the two big things that I believe separate the wheat from the chaff in the show ring.

I'll discuss the other thing in the next blog.