Edwina Tops-Alexander's simple guide to walking strides!

Learn from one of the best with Edwina Tops-Alexander's simple guide to walking strides and why it is important!

What are show jumping distances?
In order to ride combinations and distances confidently, it is important for the rider to know how to measure how many strides are needed.
 

How big are horses strides?
An average horse has a 3.6 meter stride which is approximately  12 feet, or 4 human steps. When measuring the distance between two jumps leave 6 feet for the landing of the first jump and 6 feet for the take off of the second one.

What is the 4-feet step stride?
One way to keep track of how many strides you have walked, once you have stepped out 2 steps for the landing distance, is to replace your fourth step with the number of the stride, for example
1,2,3,1 1,2,3,2 1,2,3,3 and so on, until you only have the room left for 2 steps for your take off at the next jump.

Take a look at Edwina's simple guide below: