Jumpies

[Jane&Ziggy]

Here's one of the little jumps that pops up beside the bridlepaths on our heath. This one is tricky because you have to swerve off the path around a tree to get to it, but no problem to Sid as he just locks on.

It was a skinny but has got a bit wider recently. Dog for scale, she is border collie sized. I guess it's 60cm high.




Sid will usually just trot or canter over this rather than jumping it, he says it doesn't need that much effort!

Let's see some of yours?

 

[Kite_Rider]

I’d love to show you but we don’t do any jumping now.
Don’t forget we need an action shot!

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

an action shot!

I honestly have no idea how to oblige with that!

 

[newforest]

This some of ours. She can and has walked through in the past, so it's her choice to trot and pop.

 

[Skib]

My impression is they dont like getting their feet wet if it can be avoided. I used to force Maisie to go through one puddle each ride. Ella we were often in puddles right over the path but they have re surfaced our tracks and put in new drains wherever needed.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

@newforest I wish we had one of those!

 

[newforest]

My impression is they dont like getting their feet wet if it can be avoided. I used to force Maisie to go through one puddle each ride.

Force has no place in my training, especially with this horse.

 

[carthorse]

Force has no place in my training, especially with this horse.

Well said! Force has no part in correct training and won't produce a confident horse that can be relied upon when things go wrong.

 

[newforest]

@newforest I wish we had one of those!

This is the one she likes, we've got lots of others, but those are "proper" ditches.
This is shallow and she uses it to drink from.

 

[Skib]

My sloppy choice of words. I dont use physical force in my riding. But I am an elderly woman hacking and hacking solo. My safety depends on having the horse that I am riding do what I say. And that includes both stepping in water and avoiding the water.

 

[carthorse]

The same can be said of any rider. When hacking on my own I try not tp get into a position where it becomes a confrontation, if he goes round or through a puddle it's no big issue. If I say something must be done we both know it's for a reason. Picking battles for no reason isn't good riding imo, and on your own is asking for an accident.

 

[Huggy]

The same can be said of any rider. When hacking on my own I try not tp get into a position where it becomes a confrontation, if he goes round or through a puddle it's no big issue. If I say something must be done we both know it's for a reason. Picking battles for no reason isn't good riding imo, and on your own is asking for an accident.

I learned that VERY quickly with Hogan!

 

[newforest]

It would be nice sometimes to have a horse that goes where I ask when I ask.
However she's very careful about where she puts her hooves that actually being with a horse that slows down, lower the head to have a better look at water isn't a bad thing to have. If she says no to crossing, it's actually for a very good reason,and she will offer an alternative.

My off road riding looks flat and if you stick to the sheep trails it sort of is. But you then come across ditches, dips, rocks and random clumps of grass (that we used to trip over)

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

Sid wobbles a lot on a track if I don't pay attention and ride him right, with a proper contact. It's as if he's saying, "Hey, you leave it up to me, I'll just go for a wander."

The same level of contact (ie not much) when we are negotiating something difficult and he is focused, paying attention to my weight and intention, and incredibly deft with his feet. I think on tracks the thing is that neither of us really pays attention!

 

[newforest]

I found some more photos. I think for us at the moment we are still new to the area and it changes a lot with the seasons.
It looks like this today. We have had a lot of rain the last few nights, so that's no good for jumping at the moment. Too wide and too wet.



This little dip she likes to pop if she is in canter. She's knows where to put her hooves in trot so doesn't trip in it anymore!


The last photo is a bit of a sore spot
When it's wet she won't cross the dip that's been put in for the horses. It is really wet, muddy and actually people have complained that something needs doing about the drainage - lack of.
She won't go over the bridge I am standing on, um, yes okay no sides I can accept that.
I would rather you didn't jump over, it doesn't look that safe, too wide, deep.
So how are we going to cross then poppet
She found a spot to slide down and climb back out again. I now avoid all winter until it's dry.



I do love your jumpy fun with Sid, I like to find things to use.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

I'm not sure @newforest,, but I think Sid might walk over that bridge. How wide is it?

I wish we had ditches, I don't know what he would make of them?

 

[newforest]

Not that wide, two foot min I would say.
It is solid enough for all the livestock.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

Ooh that’s narrow!

 

[Jessey]

I’m hoping to get out on Sunday, so I’ll try to remember to take Monkey to the jumping dip and get some pictures, might even ask him to hop one or two

 

[newforest]

Ooh that’s narrow!

I might see what she thinks of it in the summer without the dirty ditch water. But she's sensible in saying no and she offers an alternative.
In one way she does look after me, by looking after herself.