Video Discussion # 93: More than a "missed distance"!
Many people will see this near mishap as a simple "bad distance," but it is important to see and realize that the actual cause was the quality of the canter in the final strides.
Because this horse was in a canter that was on the extreme open end of the scale of compression (read all about that here), with a nearly completely uncoiled spring in the last strides, that desperate long spot was this horse's only option. And this is an easy thing to have happen when the rider is riding desperately forward to a very big jump!
Since the type of canter stride on the approach dictates the takeoff spot that will develop, a more packaged gallop stride would have changed this outcome, and given the horse the opportunity to smoothly and easily add one more stride in this situation.
So, question: How can you tell if the "spring" of your horse's hind legs is becoming uncoiled on the approach? In other words, when he is getting too long and flat in his gallop to be able to be nimble and add a stride when necessary? And when you do feel this is happening to you on the approach, what can you do about it? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
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