Show jumping challenges both the horse and rider to go through a course of jumping obstacles in a short amount of time.Since many jumping events don't show the course until the day of the show, it can be difficult to memorize the path you need to take.You will not forget the order of the jumps you need to make if you memorize the strategies.
Step 1: Take pictures of the layout.
The day of the show jumping event, the course layout is usually released so riders don't have much time to prepare.Take a picture of the overhead layout and the actual course.If you want to learn the order of the jumps, use the pictures as a reference.You should try to get pictures of the course from as many angles as possible.
Step 2: You will hit all of the jumps if you draw the path you will take.
To find the path over the picture you took, use your finger.Follow the numbers and arrows on the obstacles so you know what to do.Refer to the text on the course layout to see what obstacles are included or not.The picture of the course layout can be uploaded with apps like Jump Off and CourseTool.You can draw the path with your finger and save it for future reference.A dotted line may be the only way to trace the path you are supposed to follow.
Step 3: Say the path you are travelling.
Talk yourself through the turns and lines you need to complete while you go over the course.You have a better chance of remembering them if you say them loud.After you have gone through the course a few times, look away from the layout and try to remember the path you took.
Step 4: If you can, watch the other riders jump.
If you are lucky, you can watch other riders go through the course.Pay attention to how they make their turns and the obstacles they are jumping.When it is your turn, you can get an idea of how to plot your path.You can see the course from all angles if you sit in different locations.
Step 5: You have to walk the course to run it.
You can walk through the course at least once before you run it.Count your strides to know how far away the obstacles are from one another.It is possible to plan how you will run them while you are on your horse.When it's your turn, pay attention to the obstacle numbers and colors as you walk.You can focus on the terrain and other strategies to get the fastest time if you walk through the course multiple times.You should have a picture of the course layout with you when you walk it.
Step 6: You can find lines between jumps.
It's better to remember paths between jumps that are in line with one another.Think about the direction you need to go if you have 2 or 3 jumps in a row.It's easier to remember if you group the jumps together.Cut the amount you have to memorize in half.If there are 12 jumps on the course, memorize them as 6 paths you need to take.
Step 7: You can use word associations to remember the path you want to take.
If you know what movements you need to make as you go through the course, you can use rhymes or alliterations.It is easier to remember when you run if you come up with clever phrases.You could say something like, "Lope left after logs so you don't forget to change speeds" to help you remember how to turn your horse.You can easily recite the lines if you put your rhymes to a simple tune.You could use your own rhymes in the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Step 8: Don't forget the colors of the obstacles.
You can memorize the colors of the poles by writing them down.If you want to remember the jumps and numbers later on, think of their colors in order.List the colors out loud so you can remember them.
Step 9: You might be able to work through your route backward.
Take the path you are going to take from one of the last jumps on the course.When you reach the end of the course, go back to the jump before you started and run through it again.It is easier to remember the middle of the course than it is to rehearse from the beginning.
Step 10: Ask a friend to show you the route you are going to take.
Give the picture of the course to a friend or family member and ask them which path you are taking.Use the techniques you have used to memorize the jumps.You can memorize the course from any starting point if you have them ask specific questions.