A whole course of jumps!!!!??

[Karen/Folly]

Hi guys!

I feel a little silly sending this, as I am fairly novicey at jumping!

However, I am trying my best to improve, but my TB mare can be a little irratic!!!

I have just recently bought a little horse box for us to travel to local shows!

We went to our first one on Sunday!!! Yippee - it was so much fun!

However, at my jumping lessons at home, we start with one, then move onto a double and if we are doing well onto a triple jump.

However, the classes that we went in for - 2ft and 2ft 3, there was no more than a double, but I found it hard to jump a course on her!!! I felt she was getting faster and faster as we went round, and as I am quite novicey, my folding jumping position is only stable when she is steady - so in the piccies of me I was just standing in my stirrups - aah!!! I had worked so hard on folding properly at home!!!

Is this something you pick up with experience or do you guys set up courses of jumps to practice at home?

Any tips or advice would be really appreciated!!! (I jump her in the snaffle setting of a dutch gag, I would rather not put her in a stronger bit, as I do sometimes accidently pull at her mouth when she jumps earlier than I expect!!!)

P.S. We only got 4 faults in the 2ft and 8 faults in 2ft 3!!!!! Not bad four our first travelled to show!!!!

[Torie]

Hi!

I'm actually quite surprised that you havn't jumped a course before going to a show, I would have thought that your instructor would have got you jumping around courses at home so that you knew what to expect when you jump away at competitions.

The first thing I would suggest is to have some jumping lessons on an experienced jumping horse to sort out your position. You can't expect your horse to jump well and in a rhythm if you cannot give her the support and riding that she needs. Have a few lessons to stabilise and correct your position and it will also give a chance to jump courses on a well schooled horse, so you get the idea of jumping a course of jumps.

The canter you need for jumping needs to be a nice, forward going bouncy canter, if our horse rushes it can be tempting to rely to heavily on your reins and forget to use your legs, this will only have the effect of giving your mare something to pull and fight against and the canter will become long and strung out and it will harder to jump from. Work on the flat over poles can help improve the rhythm of the canter and it will give you the chance to improve your jumping position without the worry of jumping a fence! If your mare does start to rush and become strong, use half halts to steady her and keep your leg on to encourage her to use her hind legs effectively - producing the bouncy canter.

When you begin to jump only jump single fences to begin with, concentrating on the quality of the canter and your postition and effectiveness as a rider. Don't let your mare rush after the jump, if she tries to use your half halts and keep your leg on, even riding a transition or school movement if you need to reorganise her. You can then begin to introduce a course of fences to your mare - they need not be paricurly big fences nor does the course need to be long, just enough so you can practise riding a whole course, changing canter leads and approasching the fences from different approaches all the time concentrating on the quality of the canter, not letting her rush and your position.

Torie xx

[kedwards]

Congratulations! It sounds like you did very well considering you'd never even put 2 lines together before.

You don't necessarily have to do full courses at home, but you will want to put some lines together and set up exercises that involve bending lines, turns, changes of direction, etc.

Even just 3 fences can be ridden in such a way as to make quite a bit of variety. After riding through as a line, you can roll back from the 3rd jump to the 1st. You can also bend back to the second jump, circle around the 1st jump, then jump the 2nd again (requiring a lead change) to make a figure 8.

If you have a few more jumps to work with, you can set up 5 jumps to create a figure 8 pattern, which will allow you to work on angled lines, bending lines, and combinations.

Have fun!

[Karen/Folly]

Firstly, a big thank you to your replies!

I dont think you professional types realise how much us novices appreciate your advice and help!!!

I had another jumping lesson with my instructor last night, which worked on leaving a placing pole before the jump and rather than just siting there and folding over the jump, actually counting her strides in and pushing her or holding her back to jump at the correct place!! Wow - did I find it difficult!!!

We must have been over this jump about 30 times and got it perfect maybe 7 or 8 times!!! Still I am very determined to get it, but those times we got it right it felt wonderful!!! I now know why you guys love it so much!!!

Although, I have to be honest I am not looking to make her into a competition jumping horse!! I am looking for her to a nice allrounder that I can hack out and feel comfortable (we have achieved this), maybe do a few prelim dressage test (getting there) and be able to take her comfortably and controlled round a course of fences at local shows (only just starting)!!!

The trouble is with wanting an allrounder is that there is so much to practice with her!!!! Although hopefully if we get the basics of dressage then this will help her jumping by making her better balanced!?

Anyway, I have chattered on again for ages, when all I really meant to say was thanks for the advice and I will work on it and let you know any progress!!!

When I get the hang of my new digital camera I will post some jumping pictures up, so you can see my pretty girl!!!

[Torie]

Hello again!

I can only speak for myself, but I can assure you that I'm no proffessional :D You're definately right though when you say that working on the flat with definately help your jumping - if your horse is balanced and responsive on the flat, jumping will become much easier. After all, jumping is supposed to be a dressage test with jumps in the way, but you'd be amazed at the amount of people (pretty much the whole of my yard!) who think that the flatwork is boring and unneccessary.

It's great that you're working so hard to improve both yourself and your horse, and by the sounds of it it's really paying off! Keep at it and be sure to keep us updated with your progress! :D

Torie xx

[kedwards]

A mere struggling amateur here as well. But I agree, it sounds like you are on track.