awkward turns

[lamprellsarah]

i am not a brave showjumper, nor is my mare i did a class today 2ft 6inches, we did well had one refusal on a the last part of a double, but my mare hesitates before every jump, even though i practise at home and she is fantastic.
i can't keep her cantering around the corners she is very long not supple enough and the ring is very small??
also i have the guts to jump high in a show but not on my own so this doesn't help which obviously means my mare has to jump higher and a course at a show!!

help any tips appreciated.

by the way our x country is fantatsic and we are regualarly placed!!

[TheMoose]

Why did you go if you we not ready? So many people go to shows and ask their horse to jump bigger courses that they are jumping at home. It's unfair to the horse and yourself because it only leads to disapointment.
Firstly i would school your horse regularly on the flat, leg yeliding etc to get her more supple throughout her back. This will also encourage her to use herself whilst jumping. Then i would set up a course of showjumps and school round at the height ( and bigger) than you will be jumping at a show, your mare will then get used to the idea of bigger fences.

[lamprellsarah]

well i jump 3 ft 6 in x country, it's not the fact we can't it's the fact i am a scardy cat!!
i have jumped bigger than that height a bit at home but only if i am watched or challenged nad that is hardly ever, we also have few jumps and the ground is very bad so i have to be very very careful

[saddlesore]

i don't think you can ask your horse to do something that you are not comfortable doing. i do believe a horse can sense fear and apprehension in the rider and that's what leads to hesitation (and refusals) on the horses part. you have to be comfortable and confident jumping at those heights before you can ask your horse to jump them. and if it's a question of you not being relaxed around the other competitors, you have to learn to block them out and just have fun as if you were in your back yard...

[rocketman]

I agree with saddlesore in parts. Perhaps you are telegraphing your own hesitation to the horse when in the confines of the show jumping ring, especially since you sound like a whizz at cross country. The tighter the ring, the quicker the jumps seem to come up, leaving less time to get reorganized in between. One awkward turn and it's easy to approach the fence unbalanced and disorganized. Even if you succeed in hopping over it, the horse can land even more off balance and the problem is compounded by the next fence a few strides away. To me, this would explain your success at cross country, where the jumps are far apart, and what may be happening in the ring.

I think you are wise not to push it at home, without someone there to at least spot you while practicing, especially if the footing is bad and you don't have a full set of jumps anyway. However, I think the only way you will overcome your nerves in the ring is to keep on doing it. It sounds sensible, since you're confident over 3'6" cross country jumps, to keep it far smaller in the show jumping arena until you become equally confident.

My advice would be to keep trying over small courses, but think cross country while you're doing it. Make sure you use the entire ring. Many beginners tend to inadvertantly cut the corners, making the approach to the next obstacle tighter than it need be. Also, concentrate more on keeping up a regular pace, perhaps a bit stronger than average to start with, but not a cross country gallop. Don't worry about fences down until you feel bolder about getting around. I also find it helps if you focus on only the line of fences before you and stop thinking about the course as a whole. Then, when you land the last fence in that line, think where you are going and about giving yourself the widest possible turn for an approach, mentally and physically reorganize, pick up the pace if need be, and then focus only on the next line of jumps.

Your mind may be getting ahead of your horse. Try to break the course up into segments, one piece at a time.

[FreedomStar]

try doing some suppling exercises, that helps your horse turn better. Make sure that she is flexible to both sides, and do lots of bending exercises and circles to make sure she can turn. If bending and such is not a problem, all I can say is keep practicing, starting with a wide turn, going tighter and tighter until you can turn as tight as you'd like.

[Lgd]

Flat work, Flat work and more flat work. I'm now primarily a dressage rider (back injuries make jumping uncomfortable) so I would say that, but good flat work will give you the control and balance needed. Our next door neighbour is a professional showjumper and eventer and she trains quite a few people as well. All of her horses work more on the flat than over jumps and her pupils are told not to jump more than twice a week. In fact her top horses don't jump at all when at home unless there is a specific problem.

[TheMoose]

I totally agree with LGD on this one! Flatwork is the basis of jumping. Think of it as a dresage test with fences inbetween. A good quality canter is very important. Your want to encourage your horse to work from behind, making her less long throughout and comming off her hocks. Once you have established your flatwork the jumping will follow.

[lamprellsarah]

thanx yeah i do work on her flatwork, although in the winter this is impossible due to groung restrictions and a very small amnege that my mare hates.
in the summer she is better as we have a 5 acre feild with jumps to train in.
thanx for all your help, you have given me loads to think about and a confidence boost, i am going to try and focus, and think about what my body is doing which i think can be forgotten when a jump is loaming.
thanx rocketman for that great bit of advice!!

[Lucy J]

god, you sound so much like me, I am a scardy cat but if my friend is there or I am at a show i'm not a chicken.

have you tried grid work? ie 4 trotting poles then 2 little jumps and turning at the end on each rein? work for weeks at trot before going faster.

placing poles before and after jumps?

i am currently teaching my youngster and we are doing lots of flat work interspersed with pole work (when there are 2 of us so one can put the poles out) and even in the few days we have been doing it it makes a big difference.

also, to get the horse's confindence over higher jumps than i am used to i loose school/lunge her over 4-5ft.

lots of turns in flatwork is good, start out with lots of trot, canter can come afterwards.