Ebba Johansson's

Gymnastic Exercise Down the Center Line

"A perfect gymnastics exercise or concentration drill before competition.”

Greta

Fri 17 May - 24

Instructions:

"Set out a series of a pole, vertical, vertical, oxer, vertical in a straight line. Refer to the image below for the recommended distances between each obstacle. Position the poles so that you have the chance to alternate between right and left canter lead. The first obstacle should be the lowest, and the height increases gradually up to the final vertical. The objective is to start the exercise with a trot over the first pole followed by one canter stride to the first vertical, one stride to the second vertical, one stride to the oxer, and two strides to the last vertical. Start low and increase height when it gets easier and more relaxed.

To make the exercise more challenging, you can widen the oxer and have a relatively short distance to the last vertical. This makes it even more important to concentrate on your own balance, keep a steady hand, and let the horse figure out the task. The goal is for the horse to remain relaxed and straight between and after all jumps.

If your horse tends to rush over or between the obstacles, you can adjust the exercise by adding a pole for each canter stride between the jumps. If your horse is strong or fast after the series, you can also add a pole after the final vertical. Make sure there’s a minimum distance of three meters between the last jump and pole.

If you want to use the exercise for young horses with less experience, you can simplify the exercise by replacing the oxer with a vertical. Once the horse understands the exercise, you can set up an oxer as the final jump. Here too, it can be helpful to place canter poles between the obstacles to make it easier for the horse."




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