Visual Challenges in the Course: A Confident Horse

How to train visual challenges at home

Did you know that horses rarely spook because of the height of a jump? It is usually the design that makes an impression on them. A bright plank, a striking filler or a water jump: those are the elements that can cause hesitation or even refusals at competitions. That is exactly why it is so valuable to train these visual stimuli at home.

Modern course designers are becoming increasingly creative. They use color contrasts, patterns, shapes and decorations to make a course more technical. This makes competitions more challenging, but also requires riders to be prepared for these types of courses. You don’t need a huge arena to train this; with smart choices in jump fillers you can recreate a competition experience even in limited space. A new plank or filler in your training equipment can already provide a completely new stimulus. With the customizable materials from Nedlandic you can choose a different design on both sides, giving you two designs in one plank or filler.

Visual challenge

The physical training of a horse is of course important. A horse must be fit, with enough strength and endurance to comfortably complete what is asked. But remember that jumping a course is not only a physical challenge, but also a mental one. The location, other horses and the decoration of a course are factors that a horse does not experience at home. These can distract the horse from jumping the course correctly. That is why it is important that the horse does not also get startled by what it has to jump.

5 visual challenges for your horse in a course

1. Depth perception

Horses have a wide field of vision but less depth perception directly in front of them.

Challenges:

• Water jumps (reflection disturbs depth perception)
• Shadows or light–dark transitions
• Wide oxers or verticals with lots of decoration

4. Unusual shapes

Anything that differs from their normal environment can feel exciting.

Challenges:

• Statues, animal figures, large flowers
• Irregular shapes such as gates, panels or walls
• Jumps with “eyes” or patterns

5. Landing depth

Horses look less downward right before the jump.

Challenges:

• Jumps with a downhill landing
• Jumps toward a dark corner
• Jumps toward spectators or an open space

Mental and visual training – how to train this at home?

With the right equipment, such as that from Nedlandic, you can gradually build a horse that goes through every course relaxed and confident.

1. Depth perception: water, shadows and wide jumps

Horses have a wide field of vision, but less depth perception directly in front of them. That is why water jumps, shadows and wide jumps can feel exciting.

How to train this at home?

• Water tray or water jump
  Let your horse first look at and walk alongside a ditch. Build up gradually. How do you approach this? Read it in ‘Jumping a water tray without wet hooves’.
• Wide jumps
  Use fillers, planks or a water tray to decorate an jump.
  Nedlandic offers water jumps, fillers and planks that are ideal for practicing these combinations.

2. Colors and contrast: what does a horse actually see?

Horses mainly see blue and yellow, while red and green stand out less. They have dichromatic vision. High-contrast jumps stand out more, but a red jumps may blend into brown sand.

Training at home with Nedlandic

• Vary with colors
  Use different colored poles and combinations.
• Decoration that stands out
  Place flower boxes and fillers next to or under the jump.
  With the colorful poles and decorations from Nedlandic you can endlessly vary and practice different combinations.

3. Moving objects: wind, spectators and shadows

As prey animals, horses react strongly to movement. Fluttering flags, banners or even moving shadows can create tension.

Exercises for home

• Hang flags or ribbons
  Start at a distance and gradually ride closer.
• Practice with shadows
  Occasionally ride when shadows appear on the ground, for example when the sun is low and jump poles cast shadows.

4. Unusual shapes: from animal figures to striking fillers

Anything that differs from the daily environment can feel exciting: striking wings, printed fillers or animal figures.

How to approach this

• First let your horse become familiar with striking fillers from the ground.
• Place decoration next to the jump first and later under the jump.
• Combine different shapes to create variation.
  Nedlandic is known for its creative wings, planks and fillers, ideal for training your horse broadly.

5. Landing depth: what does a horse see after the jump?

Right before the jump, horses do not look at the jump itself but forward, seeing what awaits behind it. It can feel exciting if something behind the jump is difficult to judge.

Practice at home

• Jumps toward a dark corner or arena wall
  Start low and build up once your horse shows confidence.
• Jumps toward open space or spectators
  Place a jump toward the arena exit, spectators or the open side of the arena.

Do you want to take your course to the next level? Level up your course with Nedlandic materials. Benefit from discounts on jump fillers and water jumps from 23-01-2026 to 13-02-2026!

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