Whose horse says 'why are we running at the FENCE?' whenever faced with a jump?

[HashRouge]

I swear this is what Lou thinks
She CAN jump, and will do it if she's given a lead, but lord forbid we try to jump on our own . She simply HAS to refuse each jump three times before she'll go over it. I'm convinced she's a) trying to make sure that I absolutely do want her to JUMP it (as opposed to looking at it, for instance!) and b) making sure that it's not suddenly going to come alive and EAT her. I might then get her jumping okay (though we have to do this with EVERY jump) for the rest of the session.....but she will do EXACTLY the same the next day. We've done jumping on the lunge and in hand, but apparently she can't work out what to do unless I first lead her over the jump several times from both directions (hey, at least if it DOES turn out to be a blood sucvking monster there is a 50/50 chance it'll get me and not her ). She's smart, she really is, and it never took her long to learn to do leg yield or extended trot when we used to have regular lessons.....but jumping? She just DOESN'T do it! Natural fences are a different matter, though she prefers a lead and won't do anything TOO big, but poles and jump stands are just too much. I love her too pieces, I really do, but her inability to 'get' jumping is actually hilarious!
Anyone else have a horse who shares this attitude, and thinks (the horses that is) that showjumpers are eejits?

 

[Kc..]

Lol i think if i had a horse like that i'd find it funny to. Lantern was similar when i got him, his daddy is a showjumper and yet he had the inability to jump a show jump. He is getting there now but he's hard work, either he'll run out or do a massive leap then jump normally. Takes a bit of getting used to, i guess some horses don't quite get the whole jumping concept lol!

 

[~*Saree*~]

My first pony would be like that with smaller jumps, anything under 2ft he would grind to a halt in front of and refuse to step over...get him above 2ft6" ish and he would fly, he was 11.2h and we jumped 4ft plus in the end I'm sure he thought little jumps were 'below' him and he'd turn him nose up! Cheeky bugger!

 

[xJenniferx]

Tyler throws in the 'Whats the point' and anything nder 2ft. He will canter up to it, stop then step over it Drives me mad

Anything 2ft3 and above is fine. I hink I am just like an annoyng voice in his head (or on his back) that he point blank ignorse and does his own thing!!!

 

[XxXAmeyXxX]

Mine was and sort of still is like this but is getting better. Being an ex-racer fairly early on in his riding education i'm quite understanding

What i found was he was lacking confidence and i left him too much to his own devices with looseish rein and not much pressure so he wimped out and refused until he had had baout 4 or 5 looks at it then he would do it. One day i decided enough was enough got a firm contact, not to tight just to let him know i was realy there, sat up right into the fence with my hands "funneling" him into it and really squeezed him with my entire leg and my god has he been flying over them amazingly since then!

Still get the occasional relapse but 9 times out of 10 it's my fault and the rest is scary fillers!

 

[pink-pony101]

rosie doesnt refuse but she just really doesnt put any effort in if it is under about 2ft or so, i have to put it up to about 2ft3/6 before she really starts flying but once she does shes amazing

 

[Ashlea]

I swear this is what Lou thinks
She CAN jump, and will do it if she's given a lead, but lord forbid we try to jump on our own . She simply HAS to refuse each jump three times before she'll go over it. I'm convinced she's a) trying to make sure that I absolutely do want her to JUMP it (as opposed to looking at it, for instance!) and b) making sure that it's not suddenly going to come alive and EAT her. I might then get her jumping okay (though we have to do this with EVERY jump) for the rest of the session.....but she will do EXACTLY the same the next day. We've done jumping on the lunge and in hand, but apparently she can't work out what to do unless I first lead her over the jump several times from both directions (hey, at least if it DOES turn out to be a blood sucvking monster there is a 50/50 chance it'll get me and not her ). She's smart, she really is, and it never took her long to learn to do leg yield or extended trot when we used to have regular lessons.....but jumping? She just DOESN'T do it! Natural fences are a different matter, though she prefers a lead and won't do anything TOO big, but poles and jump stands are just too much. I love her too pieces, I really do, but her inability to 'get' jumping is actually hilarious!
Anyone else have a horse who shares this attitude, and thinks (the horses that is) that showjumpers are eejits?

My gelding does a similar thing- he will jump anything with a rider - hasnt refused anything yet....But he refuses point blank to jump anything at all when lunged - he just runs through it (he doesnt run to the side, and he doesnt skid to a "halt"!) I think he'd make a great police horse - they actively train their horses to run through "barriers"!
Have you tried "riding" her over a jump? Does she do the same then? I was watching a Parelli clinic not long ago, and they were teaching a horse (who has the same habbits as you described) to go over jumps ....Linda said to use the lunging whip behind the horse just as it was going into the jump to encourage it forward and over. The timing and placement of the whip is crucial though - you need to drive the horse forward, rather than scar it to the side, or make it jump too early

It sounds like your horse needs to build up confidance in what you are asking her to do - she needs to learn that the jump is safe, and what you are asking her to do is not going to put her into any danger... if shes just being defiant (as mine often is), you might need to fool your horse into thinking that the whip that is behind her is of a more dire consequence than having the jump "eat her", lol.......

(please note that I dont have to "hit" my horse into going over a jump - the lunging whip is used as more of a "driving forward" thing - the it is used as an aid in merely getting the horse to move forward, and away from pressure)

 

[HashRouge]

I'm honestly starting to think Lou is one of a kind. She just doesn't seem to like jumping! Her problem is not jumps being too low, its just jumps in general!
I've decided that she's just made that way though! No point making her do something she really dislikes lol