Rushing Fences

[Tarlor]

I have have recently started riding a new horse that has only just recently come up from grass. He is fit, a little hard to handle and a fantastic jumper. The only thing is, he spots the fence and bolts towards it. I try to slow him but he ignores me. He always clears the fence and he loves jumping but I have no control. I was eliminated from the show jumping today 'cos he ran out of the arena! Did the first 4 fences before I lost my stirrup and he went faster. What can I do to get him under control before and after the jump?

[galadriel]

Try this:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/jumping/200-rushing_jumps/

[Painting Horses]

my ex racer did/ does the same thing. What i did is i would work on keeping her slow over ground poles and slowly go up. If possible get a bit that will give you more controll and sometimes trot him to a jump or pole and stop him infront of it then go voer once then stop so he can learn you wont always want to go over and he should wait for what you ask.

[galadriel]

A lot of the time, te bolting at jumps has to do with anticipation--for example, being concerned about having the bit yanked over the jump, or being held back so that the horse doesn't have impulsion enough to clear the jump.

Putting in a "stronger" bit is more likely to add to the anxiety of anticipation, and make a horse less comfortable with jumping. Schooling to help the horse be more calm is a much, much better option.

[Jessey]

I think horses that rush jumps are often those who have been overfaced early on, I would take it back a few steps and work on small, easy jumps until he settles down then gradually build it up, also you could try doing flat schooling in an area where there are jumps so he learns you don't always go over them.

Just a thought I would be careful about teaching any horse to stop in front of a jump, I would have thought that would be teaching a horse how to refuse :p

J x

Edit to add: I would agree that a stronger bit is not often the key to a strong horse, although sometimes for saftey it can help in the short term.

[galadriel]

Just a thought I would be careful about teaching any horse to stop in front of a jump, I would have thought that would be teaching a horse how to refuse :p

I wouldn't recommend it *except* in this situation. The horse has learned to bolt towards the jump; asking him to stop before the jump teaches him to be more attentive to the rider, not just block out all aids and run for it. He has to pay more attention.

[buster]

if he bolts in turn him in a circle befor fence and trot or canter around fence untill he is calm then slowly turn him in to fence but not from a long distance. when jumping go in from short ditance say 5 striads out so he can't think of rushing also do it with a placin pole in front. we we're tort this in pony club. :) hope it works out!!!

[Rips]

Be surprised also, sometimes the tighter you try and hold him to that fence the more he'll fight and the faster he'll go, after doing LOTS of work with poles, my mare is still hard to handle and theres a bit of a knack you have to develope to get her to approach a fence properly. Before you turn for the jump get him to the pace you want with loads of half halts, when he slows try giving him the rein completely, if he speeds up check him again. Don't be afraid to pull im out of the fence if he starts the dead run, make sure he knows he's not running out by circling around and making him stand in front of it.
If he likes jumping (like my own mare) don't reward him by letting him jump the fence badly. Make him learn that he only gets to jump if he does it your way.

After the fence is the hard part, you've got to check him the second before you land. It took me a month to get my mare to trot away from a fence.
Putting trotting poles before and after the jump works but it can also be SO dangerous when you've a horse who will literally try to clear the whole thing!

[pedilia]

have you had his tack checked, I had the same problem with my horse who I have had a few weeks, I got him fitted for a new saddle last week and the difference is amazing, so I can only conclude that he was rushing away from pain before.

I had a jumping lesson on him and we used trotting poles on the ground before each jump which slowed him down, and got him into a working trot and kept at that same pace all the way round the course, if he tried to rush fences then I circled him until he was back at the pace I wanted.

[Tarlor]

Thanks for all the help. I know the tack is right and I don't pull his mouth when jumping because I asked my instructor to check. I just need to practise with him. I want to take him in cross country, he is fearless on the course.