Training Tuesday* Today we focus on jumping skinnies.

When you first introduce skinnies to your horse, it’s important to start with the basics. I always trot my horse over a skinny pole on the ground between two wings – this encourages the horse to focus on the small space he has to go through. That pole can then become a small upright, that you jump in both trot and canter. Some people would go straight into cantering over a skinny jump, but this doesn’t give the horse the opportunity to see the fence and to fully understand what is required. If the fence is very skinny and the horse hasn’t had that initial introduction, the wings and flags may be all he sees which can be quite alarming for him. Again, do some work on related distances, ensuring your corridor of poles are set for each fence.