Well, on my vet's ok I was doing some work with Skippy on the lunge today (not 'lunging' as such, more just messing about as I don't like him on too many tight circles, but we were having fun!) and I decided to pop Skippy over some poles.
As some may know, Skippy doesn't 'do' jumping, his arthritis has meant he hasn't been able to but now that's under control vet has said that seeing as Skips can hack for hours over all sorts of ground and canter/do school work etc. with no ill effect he doesn't see why the odd pole and tiny jump will hurt (I do have tiny in mind by the way, he was talking 2ft3-2ft6 ish, I'm talking 1ft3-1ft6ish!) Lol! Even before the arthritis though Skips has been funny about it. Out hacking the other day we went out for hours, halfway through the woods we came across some branches blocking the way about 2ft off the ground, trotted Skips at them and he flew them, no bother. Today I set out a pole on the ground. Nope. He egst so far, stops and looks at it like it's going to kill him. I ended up walking over it with him several times to prove it wasn't scary. Then walked hi over it on the lunge. Okay, fine. Popped him up to trot (bearing in mind this is a pole on the ground) he hurdled it (silly racehorse jump) and took off. Came back round and all was fne, then the next time he hurdled it. I stayed calmly talking to him until he was totally chilled. Had exactly the same performance on the other rein. But then fine, totally chilled. He didn't look distressed, not blowing, not sweating, no eye rolling, none of his usual signs that he's not happy, lovely big, free trot, ears pricked, happy face on, hence why I was so surprised.
Popped it up to a tiny cross pole (about 1ft in the middle) came into it, strangest reaction ever. Ears pricked up, stride lengthened, ever so bold and keen, reached the take off point and panicked. You could see him just go "Oh sh*t what do I do now?????!" Took off, cleared it by miles (again with the steeplechase jump) an took off. Got him back to trot, talking quietly to him again, he calmed down, came into it again, exact thing happened again and then again. Eventually on the fourth go we got a decent, calm pop over it and we finished there, although he was still hesitant at take off point but I wasn't about to push it.
But I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions? It's so bizarre, he obviously wants to do it as as he comes in he really gets keen, having ridden him you get the feeling he's never going to stop and is really loving jumping. Then he spooks and spins and is gone. It's like he suddenly changes his mind, and I could see him doing it on the lunge. There seems to be some sort of mental block regarding poles and jumps here. It's like he's had some huge confidence knock and he can't get over it. He's perfectly capable of getting through the fear one day and then reverting back to square one the very next day. It's really bizarre. We're not pressured, it's a relaxed yard, he wasn't tacked up, just a bridle and loose lunge line, I wasn't nervous, it hadn't been planned, a spur of the moment decision as I'd recently spoken to the vet, took it super slowly, jump at the end was more like a raised trotting pole than a jump, particularly bearing in mind Skips is 15.3hh and fairly athletic.
Just wondering what to do really as it would be nice to be able to pop the odd tiny little fence without having to worry about it. The branches blocking the path were fine, but perhaps because they didn't look like a jump as they were just raised branches and he had to go over them to get through. It's what is so weird though cos he jumped them 'properly' no bother at all, but we have this big mental block when it comes to 'real fences'. (He's exactly the same with mini XC fences as well btw).
Any suggestions for how to solve this? He's obviously never going to go out competing or jumping anything big, I've worked hard enough to get him sound not to jeopardise that! But given that I have vet's ok for Skips to do a few small jumpies every now and again it would be nice if we could as when he does go over them he's fantastic!
Thanks.
As some may know, Skippy doesn't 'do' jumping, his arthritis has meant he hasn't been able to but now that's under control vet has said that seeing as Skips can hack for hours over all sorts of ground and canter/do school work etc. with no ill effect he doesn't see why the odd pole and tiny jump will hurt (I do have tiny in mind by the way, he was talking 2ft3-2ft6 ish, I'm talking 1ft3-1ft6ish!) Lol! Even before the arthritis though Skips has been funny about it. Out hacking the other day we went out for hours, halfway through the woods we came across some branches blocking the way about 2ft off the ground, trotted Skips at them and he flew them, no bother. Today I set out a pole on the ground. Nope. He egst so far, stops and looks at it like it's going to kill him. I ended up walking over it with him several times to prove it wasn't scary. Then walked hi over it on the lunge. Okay, fine. Popped him up to trot (bearing in mind this is a pole on the ground) he hurdled it (silly racehorse jump) and took off. Came back round and all was fne, then the next time he hurdled it. I stayed calmly talking to him until he was totally chilled. Had exactly the same performance on the other rein. But then fine, totally chilled. He didn't look distressed, not blowing, not sweating, no eye rolling, none of his usual signs that he's not happy, lovely big, free trot, ears pricked, happy face on, hence why I was so surprised.
Popped it up to a tiny cross pole (about 1ft in the middle) came into it, strangest reaction ever. Ears pricked up, stride lengthened, ever so bold and keen, reached the take off point and panicked. You could see him just go "Oh sh*t what do I do now?????!" Took off, cleared it by miles (again with the steeplechase jump) an took off. Got him back to trot, talking quietly to him again, he calmed down, came into it again, exact thing happened again and then again. Eventually on the fourth go we got a decent, calm pop over it and we finished there, although he was still hesitant at take off point but I wasn't about to push it.
But I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions? It's so bizarre, he obviously wants to do it as as he comes in he really gets keen, having ridden him you get the feeling he's never going to stop and is really loving jumping. Then he spooks and spins and is gone. It's like he suddenly changes his mind, and I could see him doing it on the lunge. There seems to be some sort of mental block regarding poles and jumps here. It's like he's had some huge confidence knock and he can't get over it. He's perfectly capable of getting through the fear one day and then reverting back to square one the very next day. It's really bizarre. We're not pressured, it's a relaxed yard, he wasn't tacked up, just a bridle and loose lunge line, I wasn't nervous, it hadn't been planned, a spur of the moment decision as I'd recently spoken to the vet, took it super slowly, jump at the end was more like a raised trotting pole than a jump, particularly bearing in mind Skips is 15.3hh and fairly athletic.
Just wondering what to do really as it would be nice to be able to pop the odd tiny little fence without having to worry about it. The branches blocking the path were fine, but perhaps because they didn't look like a jump as they were just raised branches and he had to go over them to get through. It's what is so weird though cos he jumped them 'properly' no bother at all, but we have this big mental block when it comes to 'real fences'. (He's exactly the same with mini XC fences as well btw).
Any suggestions for how to solve this? He's obviously never going to go out competing or jumping anything big, I've worked hard enough to get him sound not to jeopardise that! But given that I have vet's ok for Skips to do a few small jumpies every now and again it would be nice if we could as when he does go over them he's fantastic!
Thanks.