My mare is starting jumping!!

[aliw]

I ride a 5 year old mare who has never jumped before. How do I get her started and then how do I build her up and progress?

[jUmPingIsLifE]

how much experience do you have with jumping?

and are you working with a trainer at all?

[aliw]

I have lessons with my instructor once a week (not at the moment because she is ill) and I have been jumping for quite a long time and I have jumped 3ft. I am jumping spreads, uprights, crosspoles etc.
I am already teaching an 11.2 to jump, and he is going quite well (he had never really jumped before as he was used as a lead rein).

[jUmPingIsLifE]

a good start is troting and canter poles. then small cross rails...small stuff.

galadrial has some great webpages you may want to look at. just be carefull not to push to hard. and don't jump to often, flat work is just as important so make sure you spend the same amount of time, if not way more working on the horses flat.

[Elvengirl]

I am just starting out a young mare over fences, She is a 14.2hh Morgan. She has had about 1 year of solid flat work and about 2 months of free jumping no more than once a week, but more like once every couple weeks. I am now starting her over small grids with a mix of crossrails and 12" - 18" verticals, some with light fill (like small barrels or a box). Also we do some course work at a trot and canter through lines etc. I am doing the riding but our jumping is monitored and instructed by a qualified trainer. I jump her once a week and do flat work 3 or 4 times a week for 20 to 40 min at a time. I ride at about the same level you do.

[aliw]

I started doing jumps with Bella yesterday. First I did trotting poles (her first ever coloured poles!) and then I did an upright and cross pole a few times and she only ran out a couple of times! She was sooooo good!