Need some help!

[Sam and Blake]

hi everyone i need your advice.not sure if any of you know know about Blake but i have had him since December last year and brought him back into work after he had lived out for at leats a year proabaly longer with no work due to his owner being pregnant and having a baby.the first time i rode him i trusted him and we clicked.first time i rode him after his break he was as good as gold and did a little trot on him.second time i took him on a hack with my YO walking beside me and he didnt even flinch at the cars or anything and the YO didnt have to help me once.then after about a month i managaed to hack him on my own and he was as good as gold.as we have no school i dont get to school him except for when i occcasionally go across the road to use my friends school.we have done some pole work but because we don't do it regularly i think he forgets that the poles aren't going to eat him.i have been told that he has done everything before including jumping but now i cant seem to get him over a pole.on friday i trotted over one pole and he started doing little bucks.nothijng dangerous or trying to get me off his back though.so the point in this thread is basically what can i do to get him back into jumping because once hes over his fear of poles he really enjoys it as you can see in the videos i posted a while ago.we are having a school built at th emoment which should be finished soon so i can do some proper schooling but i was just asking what advice you could give me and where to start to getting him back into jumping which is what i love doing best.

[charlotte+jill!]

ummm biggest thing I think is to take it all slow, seening as hes scared and even though you have been told hes jumped before id treat him asthough he hadnt.

Work on one pole get him walking over it confidantly, then leave it there, then the next day say walking over 2. the next trotting over one etc... everyday leave it on a good note and dont push it :D

then when you start with jumps gridwork is good at every level from 18inch cross poles upwords :)

just take it slow getting his confidance and confidance with you jumping :D

and good luck!!

[shirley]

Why not walk across to the school opposite and just walk him around in hand over poles, he will probably follow you over them very willingly, then lunge over them, put them up to small cavelletti height etc. Again gradually and slowly. But also once going over them in walk in hand do you have someone who can go over them in front of you whilst you are on his back etc. Then drop the person in front and walk him over whilst you are on his back and progress from there.
Instead of going over them, how about putting them some 2 meters apart and walking through the middle of the them, so he has them either side. This will get him used to the different colours / shades, etc.
Build things up in small bits and set him up for succeeding and in no time you will be jumping and by sounds of things winning.
He seems a very willing, obliging type - ready to please and if you have clicked sounds successful already.
Good luck .

[ColouredChaos]

Patience and Persistence as mentioned above will win out.

Another tip to get him used to poles, would be to see if you could borrow/buy a pole and put in in his paddock (as long as he doesn't crib), he'll get used to seeing it all the time and realise they don't leap up and bite. It would also give you a chance to get him leading over and around poles.

[Sam and Blake]

Thankyou sooo much everyone.That has really halped me.he is very willing.we have poles at the yard ready to put int he new school so maybe i could borrow one of them and use it in his field.He is very willing to please, he tries his hardest bless him.Thanks again.

[Jessey]

Bo was scared of wooden bridges when he was younger and he would just really panic and runs over them as fast as he could, which was fine until we had to cross one with no sides and he aimed for the edge with a 20 foot drop :( so after that I got a big board and put it in his paddock with food in the middle, food almost always gets the better of him, not that I like to use food with him but it kept his attention on it long enough for him to get over his fear. Could you try putting 4 poles in a square with his fav. treat in the middle and just let him figure it out, this way he would have to acctually walk over them to get the treat. :D

J x