remembering courses!!

[beauradical]

I have only jumped in a show once before! At Southern Cross. I alllmost forgot the courses and nearly went over the wrong jump before remembering last minute which one it was.


I know this has been asked before, but how do I remember the courses? Is there some general plan they usually follow? Help! It's my biggest fear for this show season.

Also, if you get cut off in an arena or there isn't much room, is it ok to circle? I circled a lot at the Southern show..especially when it rained because Beau got speedy.

I'm getting nervous thinking about this!

Thanks!

[Jessica]

I find the best way is to walk the course -several- times in advance, the visual works much better for me than just a sheet of paper. It's nice to walk it with your coach or someone who's also doing the same course, so you can discuss where you might have to collect your horse, extend, to get ready for this tight turn or watch out for this jump, etc etc.

[beauradical]

I'd walk the course a couple times if I had the chance. At Southern Cross, it seemed like the second it was put up people started, or had to start jumping. It would be such a great help if there was time to walk it. I had my boyfriend walk mine for me and shout out the order while it was being put up at the h/j show.

[Jessica]

Yeah I know what you mean, I didn't get a chance to walk it at that show either. But most shows you do get the chance to, which is great!

[Biz]

Yeah it's usually that way Aly, you don't really have the oppurtunity to walk the course, and the reason they put the courses up and then just go right into it is because that way it shows if you've studied the course, I guess. Hence why usually the courses aren't posted til the morning of as well. It just shows if you're able to think athletically on the spot, rather than have to really discuss it.

BUT one other helper is HOPE THAT YOU'RE LAST.. or somewhere in the middle, in terms of order of go! So that way you have the oppurtunity to watch others go over it. By the 4th or 5th person, if you don't already know where the next jump is, I don't think you'll ever get it!! Haha

[Sarah]

Walking the course really helps me remember it. I also nearly forgot my course at Centaur (actually, I think I did, and called out "where next" but I am not sure ...) and it was the first competitive course I had jumped in a long time that I hadn't been able to walk. Watching people really helps as well so Biz is right in that you should hope that you are last!! If you can't walk it though, and aren't near the end of the pack, then go over and over it in your head but make sure that you actually look at the course (as in not just the paper but the physical jumps) so that you can fully orient yourself and plan your ride.

[Eventing Bee]

A lot of courses are very similar, like you'll do outside line, diagonal, outside line, diagonal, then quarter line, something like that, maybe in different sequences. So that might be another way to remember, to remember the lines rather than the jumps themselves. But definitely walk the course if you can, although I'm not sure if you're allowed in hunter courses? I really don't know, I've never really shown hunter besides in little schooling shows when the course was so simple I didn't need to walk it, heh. ;D I think that you must be able to though...

[beauradical]

Thanks a lot! I think I have figured out what I'm going to do to be able to remember it.

I'm also terrified of going off course. (slash-embarassing the hell out of myself) Has any had experience with that? How did you deal with it? I'm extremly nervous of going off course but I probably don't even need to be.

Thanks for all the great advice!

[4x4]

Saly, this might make you feel better.. :-) About 7 years ago I was in an Open Jumper class. I made it to the jump off and by far had the horse that had the ability to do a speed round clear. I had one jump left to take, (all the others were left up and I had the fastest time) and I went offcourse and took an oxer backwards!!! He jumped the jump brilliantly, but it was very embarassing as I would've won the class if it weren't for me.

Don't worry... it's happened to lots of us before. :-)

[carly]

i find it farely easy to remember courses, i plan it over in my head. However my first year of showing i went off course at provincials but i didn't make a big deal over it .. i just laughed and left the ring , so dont stress about it to much everyone goes off course sometime

[chantal]

walking the course is always the best. to me, in jumpers my opinion is that you HAVE to walk the course. It's not knowing where the jumps are, but what to do at each jump. You have to know when to ask for a collection, where to extend, and being able to count strides between certain jumps is key. Walk the course, pay specific attention to the minor details, and remember each jump by something about it, not the number of the jump.
example, instead of saying jump one, to jump two, to jump three...etc etc,
think: blue oxer, to purple swedish, to jump with rainbow, to water jump... that helps me a lot.
once you have walked the course, then I like quickly once go over the course in one spot, by looking at each of the jumps in succesion. then I'll close my eyes, mentally go over the jumps, by thinking of their charactistics (blue oxer, rainbow etc etc), or ill stratch quickly a line in the sand at a spot (sand arena of course) with my whip...
most of the time I don't do all of this but its lil tips

[beauradical]

THanks a lot everyone! I'm hoping I don't go off course-but if I do..I'll at least feel a little better about it!

[rudyk]

hey aly, if your doing hunter, the jumps are just like longside diagonal line longside diagonal line. try to walk the course and then just go throught it in your head when your grooming. u can also watch the other people in your class.
Don't worry though!!! i had my first jumping show w/ rudy and i was sooooo afraid i was going to forget the course. but we did it perfectly and came second!! once you're out thier riding it'll be o.k if u want i'll walk the course w/u @ the show (only if u want me to