Running Out...Help!!!

[Tonno]

We've just got some new jumps and poles at the stables and they are coloured! The pony i ride (usually a brill jumper) has started running out all the time at these. Some people say she is just nervy of the coloured poles some say she is trying it on. i think she is trying it on becaus she jumped real big last week over them its usually the second part of a double that she runs out at and I have had to resort to the stick and shouting but sometimes she still ignores that.

Please help because it really embarrassing

Tonno:)

[Pixie]

You don' say how high you're jumping. The trouble is once a horse does something three times it becomes a habit and it is useless to keep trying the same thing repeatadly. Try lowering the second part of the double to make it easier for her and if you have sccess for a few times gradually out them back up.

You have to try and almost con the horse into what it's doing by stacking the odds in your favour, i.e. start on easy things and gradually introduce things over time so that both of you gather confidence.

Make sure that you too are determined as any doubt you may have passes to the horse, by going back 2 or 3 steps will give you both confidence and hopefully your problem will be solved :p

[floppy]

runnign out can also be caused by a not so confident rider..any small doubt will cause the rider to uncontiously make the horse run out instead of jumping...this use to happen to me when the jumps got higher and higher for the frist time but after i plucked up the courage to go for it the horse never ran ot

[Sharon H]

She may that the distance between the two parts of the double is not right for her stide. Have you tried measuring her stride and adjusting the distance between them or altering her stride so that she can meet it properly? If you are happy that she should be able to manage it, try lowering the second part of the double and putting poles across so that you 'box' the whole jump in, that should help to keep her straight.

[KarlR]

I agree with what's already been said. Try to reduce the pole height. If you have to restart by walking over poles on the ground, that okay.

Each time you get over use lots of praise and increase the height by a few inches. You'll be back up to your old height in no time! :)

[Miriam]

We were always taught that if your pony is running out keep you leg on against the side they are running out to ie if they are running out to the right keep you right leg on. It has also been suggest that to turn your horses head slightly to the left if they are running out right and vise versa.

HTH

[kedwards]

Sounds like everybody gave you some great suggestions here. When you said you shouted, though, I wondered if you two aren't playing off each other's fears a bit. After she started refusing, you may have become more anxious and frustrated, making it hard for you to be the source of confidence that she needs. If you tighten up and/or shout that may make her even more flighty. Now she may be thinking there really is something to be afraid of.

Whatever the case, think of approaching the jumps the way you would approach a scary new object on the trail; keep her attention, insist on forward movement, but stay calm and relaxed to show her there is nothing to worry about.

Good luck, and keep us all posted on how's she's going. I'm sure sure the novetly will wear off for her after a number of successful repetitions (especially at a lower height like the others have suggested).

[Tonno]

Well...this time we tried the boxing thing but it sort of went a bit wrong! We went up to it she jumped the first bit, then realised she had no choice but to jump the second bit, then at that time my instructor shouted at her (unwise i know!) (but it was about the 5th time of trying) so she shot forwards jumped it awkwardly then bronced sideways afterwards and i fell off!! not the plan at all
And getting forward movement isn't a problem its containing it so i have a certain degree of control because the more she runs out the more wound up she getsand the faster she gets the more she pulls. as for the confidence issue i feel pretty confident because i know she can do it and i know i can do it and i don't really worry about falling off and things like that-its bound to happen so why sit waiting for it to happen, i always think that you'll be annoyed with yourself if you dont do something that you know you could do. so more advice please (jumping competition at christmas and she won it last year (diff.rider) so alot to live up to) thanks for all the help so far!!

Tonno:)

[kedwards]

Wow, sounds like you've got quite a handful there.
If it were me, with the show closely approaching, I too would have a hard time containing my enthusiasm. Horses don't seem to understand our timelines very well, though, do they? Still, a few steps back will likely land you up farther ahead in the long run. Have you tried just working on the fences at a really low height until she's calm and steady over them all? You may be confident, but she really sounds like she needs to experience some success with these new bugaboo fences.

[Tonno]

the reason that i, and every one else thinks that she is just trying it on is that she was trained to be a showjumper and can jump them in her sleep it's not like the coloured poles are new to her. All the ponies are going through the trying it on stage at them but te horses just don't care. The frustrating thing is that i know she can do it i jumped the highest i've ever jumped on her a couple of weeks ago on a loose rein and she did it easily.Hmm... maybe she finds the smaller jumps boring? comments? I've got a lesson on her tomorrow and we'll probably stick to keeping the jumps along the side instead of the middle of the arena so it's easier to keep her straight, believe me sometimes she defies physics with the gaps she squeezes though!:p also can somebody tell me how to do sitting trot more comfortably (much harder coming down from a horse to a pony) my instructor tells me just to lean further back but it doesn't feel right and she just either stops or goes faster and faster! Oh well i'll update you on ow tomorrows date with the scary poles goes (they eat ponies you know)

Tonno:)

[LindaAd]

At the Equus exhibition last year, someone asked Lucinda Green how to stop running out, and she said just go slower until the horse doesn't run out any more. So if he runs out at canter, try trot, and if he runs out at trot, then walk. And of course you make the jumps lower too, until he realises it's easy and doesn't think about running out any more.


I know about those scary horse-eating coloured poles.... they're related to the pony-eating plastic bags, aren't they! lol!

[schimmer]

as for sitting trot, Heather, as always, says it best in the kinder way section: sitting trot (http://www.newrider.com/Kinder_Way/The_Paces/sitting_trot.html)