A young horse that wont go forwards aroung cross country.

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jennifurr

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I have a young horse who i have just started cross country/hunter trials on. He has no problem in setting off & jumping the first jump but then he starts 2 slow down miles out from the next jump & by the time i get to the jump i have lost all power & he will stop. This goes on over every jump where he will stop around 3 times then he will jump. Every time i turn him round 2 try again i have no power & he is not moving forwards!! I feel like he goes numb to my leg & a whip......
However when we are turned for home, Guess what he jumps! I dont feel as though he is frightened of what he is jumping, i feel like its the simple fact he does not get the concept of what he has to do & he knows if he doesnt jump he doesnt have to go any further. I also believe he could be taking the piss but with no response to leg or whip im stuck!! I have thought try a schooling whip?
I do not let him get away with this though and i do make him continue untill he has jumped the whole course but this takes soooo much energy!! Schooling over xcountry he is good but competitions it goes pair shapped.
ANY ADVICE WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU :)
 
jennifurr said:
I have a young horse who i have just started cross country/hunter trials on. He has no problem in setting off & jumping the first jump but then he starts 2 slow down miles out from the next jump & by the time i get to the jump i have lost all power & he will stop. This goes on over every jump where he will stop around 3 times then he will jump. Every time i turn him round 2 try again i have no power & he is not moving forwards!! I feel like he goes numb to my leg & a whip......
However when we are turned for home, Guess what he jumps! I dont feel as though he is frightened of what he is jumping, i feel like its the simple fact he does not get the concept of what he has to do & he knows if he doesnt jump he doesnt have to go any further. I also believe he could be taking the piss but with no response to leg or whip im stuck!! I have thought try a schooling whip?
I do not let him get away with this though and i do make him continue untill he has jumped the whole course but this takes soooo much energy!! Schooling over xcountry he is good but competitions it goes pair shapped.
ANY ADVICE WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU :)
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Well I will say it, I would get everything checked, just incase he is reluctanct due to pain... Jumping in the direction of home would also stick to that method, as he wants to go home...

But saying he has a clean bill.. I would get someone else and do pairs. This will encourage him to follow another horse and get him thinking forwards from the first onto the rest.
x
 
do pairs or take him hunting to get him thinking forward..

However, being a little pessimistic - mine never got over his dislike of XC whatever I did so ended up swapping to SJ as he has a great jump. Only problem is having been well and truly grounded in eventing, can't get my head into riding jump offs. Just want to cheer for getting a CR which means nothing SJ!
 
It is quite natural for a horse not to want to leave 'the herd' (or the others horses at the start)! The further they are away from other horses, the more insecure they feel, as in the wild they would be vulnerable to predators out on their own.

First place to start is by ensuring the horse is happy to hack out on his own at home and make sure he is in front of the leg when going away from the yard. Then next time out XC do pairs with another horse - see if you can choose a venue when the pairs class is before the corresponding individual class. Assuming all goes well in the pairs, ensure the 'pair' is also in the individual but is one to go in front of the young horse. Let the young horse sse the pair set off in front of him, then when you follow on a couple of minutes later he will probably be quite keen to set off after his friend, plus he already knows the course!
 
yes thanks to both of you. I have followed a few times on schooling days and it does help. Of course at competitions this is not always possible. I feel like it will sink in in the end and doing some pairs will help.
As for injuries he is happy to jump around a sj course away from home, so i know he is not sore in anyway.
 
Thanks. He is fine leaving the yard, hacking, travelling, sj, dresage and anything else on his own except go round x country. Pairs is the way forwards i think. The next event i go to has a nannies class where u can follow another horse. I will do this then go on my own like you said.
Thanks :)
 
Beating a young horse (as you have already said he becomes "numb to your leg and whip") is unlikely to get you very far. Your horse doesn't understand what you want, and although not scared, is confused about what you are asking. If I were you, I would sort out a reliable friend to go for a good blast with and choose a noise to make when you ask him to open up, a chirrup or squeak, and then he can start to associate this noise with going faster etc, then once he is confident in front of the other horse, setting the speed, then try him on his own, and then progress to jumps etc...
Good luck!!!
 
Alot of young and green horses are fine on familiar ground but when they go somewhere new/strange they feel more unsure and insecure. They have a need to feel part of the group to feel happy with the new environment. If you get cross/angry or start smacking the horse, they will just feel more fearful. Start by just going on a few XC schooling sessions with a more experienced horse. Build this up and go to different places if you can. The more he sees and does the more confident he will become. No point in rushing/pushing a young horse beyond a pace they are happy to go. If it turns into a battle, it will just be miserable for him and yourself. Just go and have some fun and the rest will follow in time.
 
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