Having a good canter rhythm is one of the most important things while jumping, right? So why does it sometimes feel like an epiphany to realize that fact?
Like, duh.
In my last lesson, Artie and I had great rhythm going. Steady and mostly forward, and right up to the base of the fence (except for one long-spot flyer but we were in sync so it was pretty smooth). I was very happy with our final course of the night:
There are so many ways to keep the rhythm in your head and body. I tend to count: 1, 2, 1, 2. Or 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4. That gets a little confusing if I’m counting down strides to a fence though (which, fun fact, you can hear me quietly chanting at the very end of the video). So, sometimes I find myself four strides out, mid-chant and having to switch to another number like, “1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 4, 3, 2, 1, over.” Very confusing. Especially if, like me, you are not a numbers person.
I’ve also heard people chant things like, “stead-y, edd-y, stead-y, edd-y,” and “ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum,” and “Jack, and, Jill, went, up, the, hill.”
And then of course there are the little things that your trainer says again and again that stick in your mind. The latest one for me with Trainer B is, “for-ward to the base.” I can just hear that cadence in my mind so clearly.
Centered in the Saddle 
I count 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1 etc. 90% of the course. It distracts me from worrying with my hands, or pumping body. Or at least helps. My trainer calls me out for it all the time (in a good way)!
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