Tim Stockdale's Page

Correct Fundamentals help you “do the right things right”.

As a rider, you need to put the fundamentals in place so that the right things happen by habit. Good riders ride well, because their right habits are so ingrained into their philosophy and their thought processes that they do routine things without thinking.

Developing the correct habits is a bit like instilling good manners into children and teaching them to say “please” and “thank you”. This can be quite a laborious process to start… Continue

Always have in your mind that horses are unpredictable animals, not machines. Our familiarity can lead to taking liberties and accidents occurring.

How many of these practices are on your own safety list?

1. Always wear clothes and boots that are designed for riding.

2. ALWAYS wear a riding helmet that fits you correctly and complies with current standards.

3. If you are young, your horse is misbehaving, you are out of practice or you have lost your confidence, wear a body prot… Continue

Wherever I travel, I am asked questions about training the show jumper. It is very encouraging that so many riders are interested in furthering their education, and it is my hope that this series of training blogs will help everyone do just that.

Each week, I shall discuss a different aspect of training, referencing some of the most important points from my training books, but before I start specifically into training, let's talk about the welfare of your horse.

No two horses are the same, so… Continue

Please enjoy these final tips. I hope they have been useful for you and your horse!


31. Don’t come in to the grid too fast in an effort to clear a bigger jump at the end of it. The secret is to maintain a rhythm throughout.

32. If you attack the first fence and then try to shorten the stride, you will confuse your horse and he will resist, and that may cost you a fence. Be disciplined in your approach to the first fence and establish the rhythm you want to maintain to the second.

33.… Continue

Please enjoy tips 21-30. I'm a big fan of number 23!


21. Good technique isn’t just about what the horse does over the jump.

22. When jumping a combination, don’t ride into it with too much pace because your horse will learn to jump flat and run on the landing. Give him time to adjust his weight onto his hocks.

23. Canter, rhythm, line. Get it right every time.

24. The better the approach the better the chance of the horse jumping clear.

25. Ask your horse to develop and improve. Don… Continue