How do you fix a horse that chips to every fence?

A horse that consistently chips to fences — inserting an additional short stride at the base of fences as its consistent pattern rather than occasionally — has developed a fundamental approach problem that typically reflects either a pace that is consistently too slow, a rider who consistently pulls to the base, or a horse that has learned to back off fences in the final strides and insert the chip as a defensive response. Identifying which of these causes is most significant guides the correction: a horse that chips because the pace is too slow needs a more forward, energetic canter established before fences; one that chips because the rider pulls needs rider correction of the pulling habit; and one that chips because it backs off defensively needs confidence work at appropriate heights before pace corrections are applied. For pace-based chipping, establishing a more forward working canter before approaching fences and maintaining that pace through the final strides rather than allowing it to compress — or worse, pulling back to collect it — is the primary correction. The classic instruction to kick to the base rather than pull to it describes the forward maintenance that prevents the pace compression that produces chips. For rider-based pulling, the trainer must work with the rider on maintaining a consistent following rein through the approach rather than pulling back in the final strides, which the rider typically does in an attempt to correct a perceived long distance that actually shortens into a chip. Gridwork with a placing pole before the first fence is particularly valuable for chipping horses because the placing pole ensures that the horse meets the fence on a forward distance regardless of what happens in the approach, allowing both horse and rider to experience repeatedly what a forward, non-chipping distance feels like and building the reference point that their independent work can then pursue.