A 10 minute exercise to boost your pony’s jumping technique

Who doesn’t love jumping? Here at Team PONY it’s one of our fave things to do! But if your pony tends to knock poles or doesn’t make a picture-perfect shape over fences, you might be looking for a way to help improve his technique. Your new secret weapon? Look no further than a square oxer!

Set it up

All you need is two wings or blocks and four poles for this exercise, although you can use placing poles or build extra fences nearby if you want to ride a course. Build a low, wide oxer at E or B around 1m away from the outside track.

How to ride it

Use your warm-up to get your pony moving forwards and listening. Focus on cantering in two-point position (without any weight through your seat into the saddle) so he can drop his head and neck and lift over his back – this is the position you’ll want him to be in over the fence. Here’s how to ride the oxer…

1. Establish an active but balanced canter that’s a bit more forward-going than normal. Go large around the arena, then ride a turn off the outside track to approach the oxer.
2. Keep your legs pressed close to your pony’s sides to give him confidence and let him know what you want him to do.
3. As you reach the fence, look up and over and push your hands forward on take-off to allow your pony to use his head and neck as he jumps.

You should find that your pony makes a nicer shape because the oxer will help him to stretch his body and lift his back to jump it cleanly. An upright often encourages ponies to jump up and down, but the wide oxer will help him stretch over the fence. 

Focusing on allowing with your hands will stop you restricting him, which also helps him drop his head and neck, making a better shape as a result.

Top tip

If you want to further boost your pony’s carefulness, try adding V-poles to the fence.