Without the pressure of high profile competitive outings on the immediate horizon, winter provides the perfect opportunity to hunker down and get some working hunter pony training hours in the bag. While the off-season provides a chance to take a break, if you have ambitions of jumping any of the circuit’s most challenging rustic courses this year, then you’ll need a training plan in place. With up-to-height fences, challenging lines and spooky obstacles to tackle, riders need to do their homework if they want to mix it with the best in working hunter pony classes.
Training for working hunter pony classes requires a three-pronged approach. As well as a fault-free and stylish jumping round, combinations must then perform an equally impressive show on the flat, before the pony is presented for the conformation phase.
Under British Show Pony Society (BSPS) rules, working hunter classes are scored out of a total 100 marks. During phase one, 50 marks are awarded for a clear jumping round, with 10 points being deducted for a knock down, 15 for a first refusal and 20 for a second refusal. A third refusal results in disqualification. A total of 20 marks are then awarded for style and manners while jumping. In the second phase, 20 marks are on offer for manners and way of going during the indvidual show, and 10 for conformation, type and freedom of action.
Success in working hunter pony classes does not just come from a clear round, as in showjumping; style during the jump phase is essential and ponies must then retain their manners and way of going on the flat, which can be a challenge for some.
Working hunter pony training: common problems
H&H chats to some of the showing world’s most consistent working hunter pony riders and producers to gather training tips designed to solve some of the most common problems seen so you can ensure your winter programme is finely tuned ahead of the upcoming season.
Georgia Darlington is a leading working hunter pony rider who has won at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) and the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS) on multiple occasions. She was M&M working hunter pony champion at HOYS in 2015 on Tynwydd Good Friday (Smartie) and she also won the intermediate final there in 2022 on Jara. She has also won the RIHS twice as well as multiple BSPS and county show championships.
1. Bullfinches
“If a pony is going to be spooky, it’s usually at a water tray or a bullfinch,” Georgia explains. “A bullfinch can cause trouble if you’re on a particularly careful horse as they think they must go over the top of it. They will often jump it too big first time and worry themselves, or they simply don’t understand what you’re asking of them from the off.
The aim is to jump through and not right over the bullfinch. Credit: Trevor Meeks Photography
“At home, I would start by opening the brushes up really wide on each side of the jump so the horse can see their way through the middle, gradually moving them in each time they go over it. Then, I’d fix the brushes so they gently skim the underneath of the horse. I’d work it up until they’re confidently jumping a full bullfinch.
“I’ve had a few ponies who always wanted to jump over the top of a bullfinch. Both Smartie and Jara would leap it as they are such careful jumpers. Though once they knew there was a path through, there was no problem.”
2. Water trays
A water tray is often the bogey fence of the course and, as Georgia explains, some horses never become fully confident with them. This should be a key part of training for working hunter pony classes.
Jump as many water trays as you can at home, or all sizes and shapes. Credit: Jon Stroud Media
“My worker Lisa’s Dream can be cheeky with them, and I can still never completely trust her with one, even at 18 years old,” she says. “Some never get better and you must always be ready for them to spook in the ring, though you can put the practice in at home. Before every single show, Lisa will jump a water tray the day before, and when I first go into the ring to jump, I will trot past the water tray so she can see it and knows it’s there.
“When training, it’s important to try and jump as many water trays as you can, of all sizes and shapes. At home, we have a water tray which is made up of four separate squares, meaning you can start with two squares under the jump but pulled apart so the horse can go through the gap in the middle. Then, we’d put a pole over the top so the horse pops the gap but over something. You can build it up to putting the squares together to make a full tray before adding water.”
3. Being unsettled during the show
“Many riders can overlook the show section of a working hunter pony class, which is just throwing away marks,” Georgia says. “Some ponies can be buzzy after jumping so ensuring you do enough flatwork at home can help. A pony needs to realise that they must settle back down after they jump.
“My top 14hh worker, Conan Spartacus, was particularly buzzy after his round. So, after practising his jumping I’d always do some flatwork on him, mimicking the situation as if I was coming out of the ring. Also, I’d make sure I started my show quietly, never pushing off into trot too fast and consequently hyping him up.
“My flatwork schooling is never overly exciting, just lots of basic work; lots of leg yielding, including circles, pushing out onto a bigger circle before leg yielding back in again. This works on suppleness as well as ensuring they’re always off my leg, which is vital.”
4. Lacking straightness
Amy Canavan-Smith is one of the circuit’s most consistent native pony specialists. She has produced ponies to the top on both the flat and over fences and she’s also a popular trainer. She has won HOYS and the RIHS several times and has been champion at both. She has also been champion at Royal Windsor and has won all major M&M working hunter championships on the circuit. Her most prolific worker ride is Connemara Laburnum Richard.
“The biggest issue I see in ponies I haven’t started myself, irrespective of breed or type, is a lack of straightness,” Amy says. “It’s so important to consider, especially when you’re jumping some of the courses built by the likes of Lisa Kelly and Graham Barclay, which always have offsets in them. If you’re coming around the corner and the pony throws a shoulder and has too much inside or outside bend, it’s going to make getting the right line 10 times more difficult.
“I would be improving straightness by working away from the side of the arena and riding plenty of transitions while staying off the track. I notice that, especially during indoor winter training clinics, that many ponies turn on the inside bend and stay on that same bend down the side.
“I would, therefore, be working down the three-quarter line and adding in transitions, walk to canter, and canter to walk. It’s discipline work but it’s also keeping them moving between your hand and your leg. The more you take with the hand, the more a pony throws its hindquarters out, too.
“The heavier breeds are harder to straighten. My former 133cm contender, the Highland Aigas Of Achnacarry, was a pocket rocket, but he was on the front end. If someone less experienced had got him, they might have put him in a stronger bit, but it wasn’t just a case of lightening him in the mouth, he needed bringing up from the leg. Initially, he would dive into the bottom of a fence, just going faster when you put your leg on him. He would turn from his head, not his body, so I’d do lots of work on a straight line.
“In the collecting ring, I would jump a fence, keep him straight and ask him to halt. It’s very tempting, while warming up at a show, to jump and get into the rat race with the others and constantly stay on a turn.”
Amy Canavan-Smith’s working hunter pony contender Highland Aigas Of Achnacarry, who benefited from lots of work in straight lines. Credit: Trevor Meeks Photography
5. Walking the course
“I cannot stress how important the course walk is,” Amy says. “So many riders walk the course but only to learn the route. In workers, it’s all about style and how you jump your round. Of course you want to go the right way, but you want it to look as smooth as possible.
“Take your time while walking; you can socialise with your friends later! Look at the angles to each fence and consider which approach will work best. It’s not just jumping fence one, two, etc, it’s judged as a collective. It doesn’t always go to plan, but if you go in with a plan at least you’ve given yourself the best chance of success.”
6. Uneven rhythm
Kelly Ward, a leading working hunter rider who has won HOYS, the RIHS and Windsor as well as all other major shows, has some useful advice on rhythm. As well as her own achievements, she has also trained and produced combinations to win at all major championships and finals. Her daughter Ruby Ward is a star working hunter pony rider, who has also reigned at HOYS, the RIHS and Windsor on various heights, plaited and M&M. In 2022, Kelly and Ruby’s 133cm contender Noble Peppermint was supreme at HOYS after winning the working hunter pony of the year championship with Elsie Lynch.
“A lot of riders think that they must work on their rhythm around a course of fences, but there’s no reason why you can’t begin by nailing your rhythm and flow around a set of poles on the ground,” Kelly explains. “If you can canter around six poles on the floor with ease in a good rhythm, then you can move up to a course of cross poles, then add the fillers, and so on.
“Improving a pony’s canter will also improve the rhythm over jumps. If a pony can’t canter in a good rhythm on the flat, you can’t expect it to produce that around a course of fences. A good exercise to improve the canter is working over poles on related distances. You can also work on lengthening and shortening the canter on the flat, pushing on and then bringing it back. This will make it easier to collect within the pace when needed in a tighter arena, but lets you push on when needed if jumping in a big open space.
Cantering over poles on the ground is a great way to develop rhythm and ultimately a better jump. Credit: Lucy Merrell
“Ruby’s current 143cm working hunter pony Lady Dublin Of Corderry, who was champion at the RIHS and a winner at HOYS this year, struggled with her canter when she arrived. We spent a lot of time on lengthening and shortening her up. She’s a very forward pony and would struggle with collection at times.”
7. Riding on different surfaces
Kelly says one common problem she notices is that younger riders don’t have experience of riding on enough different surfaces, a symptom of modern day showing where so much takes place on artificial surfaces.
Getting out of the arena to ride on varied terrain when conditions allow will stand combinations in good stead for success in grass rings. Credit: Philip Barker
“Years ago, you’d be riding on grass week in week out, but today most shows are held at equestrian centre on surfaces,” she says. “Therefore, come summer, some jockeys won’t have jumped on grass, causing them to panic, especially over the bigger tracks at shows like the RIHS final at Hickstead.
“Riders aren’t used to jumping on uneven ground with inclines, and they get a bit lost without the railings around them. They then forget everything else they’ve learnt! My advice is to practise on grass as much as possible, so you’re prepared once you get to some of the lovely county shows which have big grass rings.”
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