Jump Training

[Waikato Valuta]

My horse is a 14.3hh mixed breed.

He is a very keen little jumper when i lundge him but have a cupple of problems.

I was a very bad rider when i got him and although i have improved through lessons and other horses. I jerked him in the mouth and fell of several time when jumping and he got scared. He had never jumped before i got him so he had nothing to build from. He was an ex trail ride horse who was only ridden about a dozen times in his eight years before I got him he is ten now and has come a long way.

He is now good at the walk trot and canter and trasitions i can do a little leg yeild, turn on the forhand and shoulder-in(only at walk). But he dose rush his canter and this can be a little frightening at times. I also have started to lunge him over poles and jumps. He is very keen he will aproch steadily and as soon as he sees the jump his ears prick he collects more and jumps it. He has not refused a jump in ages.

My main concers are that he jumps like a cat. and often knocks them with his back legs. He has a bow back and an upsidedown neck. But all this has improved wildly sinice i got him.

Also he like to buck after a jump not all the time but he gets very frisky. I am worried about jumping with me on his back because he might buck after or remember my jerking his mouth and stop.

Any training tips would be great.

[Evol_or_revert]

Hey, Not sure how much I can really help, But I sounds like you have done a great job with your horse so far. And it's great that you are admitting you had problems it really does make them easyer to get over.

(I had a few ideas i thought i might share with you, take anything you feel would help you, forget anything that is not good for you and your horse)

The lunging is a good start, How about trying lots of lunging, walk, trot and canter with lots and lots of transitons this will help him balance better for both the jumping and canting side of things, also voice commands are really helpful :D.

Once all the lunging is really sorted out, lots of lunging over poles (trot poles, canter poles) then over smaller jumps, This will hopefully make him more forward over the jumps (making your job easyer) givening him more confidence in jumping and in himself in gerenal.

Once you have done heaps of lunging and he is going freely and calmly over the jump and is cantering calmly try jump Riding start with trot and canter poles, This will help your balance and his, Remember To put a neck strap on him :D or don't pull his mane hehe thats my trick. Once you feel fine and controled over both trot and canter poles try going over a small cross, and i mean small :D then slowly raise it inch by inch Doing everything slowly gives both you and the horse more confidents in each other and in what you are doing, this long term with strenghten your relelationship.

Starting out slowly is better in the long run. Once they began to trust you more over jumps there confidents soon flys and they jump anything :D


Good luck, Tell us how u are getting on, Hope this post gave u a few ideas, im sure you had already throught of all i said :D

[Sarah B]

Sounds to me like you would benefit from reading some of Galadriels (http://trainersnotes.lorienstable.com/) trainers notes on jumping!

She has lots of exercises and advice in easy to understand notes - have a look!:D