advice with jumping *videos included*

C

Cinders

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 October 2005
Messages
334
Visit site
Here's a little bit of background info. Got cinders over 4 years ago and i was a real novice and we just weren't suitable. She realised i wasn't really riding her and was more a passenger and so she started stopping at jumps. It was so bad at one point that we were getting eliminated everytime sj and this was over tiny 1ft6 courses
crazy.gif
By this time i was really loosing my nerve and didn't enjoy jumping anymore. Bascially we got a new instructor who made us stick to flatwork for 3 months and then we started fresh and it made a huge improvement, she still throws stops in here and there but nothing as bad as before.

Towards end of last year we started having a go at ode and her jumping really improved and she no longer stopped at showjumps. Although we had a few stops xc (wasn't bothered by that as we hadn't done much xc before), her sj was always great and she was going clear everytime. Recently we've been increasing the height of the jumps and in my lessons we were jumping 2ft9-3ft courses and she was as keen as mustard. However just recently the stopping is coming back, nothing major but its just frustrating. Last weekend she had me off as she stopped suddenly at the practice fence and then i struggled to get her round the 2ft course as she was backing off at all the jumps, wasn't a stylish round by any means but at least we weren't eliminated. Took her jumping last night and she was flying round until we got to a plank jump and she stopped and caught me by suprised again and i nearly came off.

I know a stop here and there isn't a big problem and we probably just need more practice, but i just wondered if anyone could see from the videos if i was doing anything wrong in the way i ride and jump her? Not sure whether she's being a little madam or whether its me that the problem! Oh and i know i m way to big for her, i am looking for something bigger to move onto, but i want to get the jumping sorted first! lol

this video is from november but give you an idea of the stops we keep having
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY7E58S9X3s

this is from last sunday, had 2 stops and i felt she was really hard work to get round as she felt like she was going to stop at everything!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5DDVl4hPOg

finally, this ones from last night
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8u_1zwg3K8
 
For me the canter just isn't moving forward enough (I couldn't watch all the vids as it seemed very slow to load on my machine). Even as you enter the arena you look tentative. You need to be much more positive, if you enter and trot round the fences make it positive and get her off your leg, when you ask for canter make it definate and get her moving forward. It is very hard when riding something that can stop but make sure you give forwards with your hands over the fence so as not to give her any excuse for stopping - if she feels restricted this might be a factor. Work at home on the quality of your canter and then get your confidence back over small courses. I think this is a bit of a 50/50 situation - there were a couple of cases where she could have been a bit more honest for you, but at the same time a couple of times her canter was dying into the fence and she didn't have the impulsion to jump. Her job to jump the fence, but your job to set her up for it.
Hope you don't think I have been rude - I genuinely want to help.
 
Some very good advise there. Also, as difficult as it is, but when they are backing off, try and keep upright, and slightly behind them so your really pushing them forward. That way you're in a safer position if she stops, and also able to really drive her into fences if need be. Easier said than done (from experience!) but once you get into riding positively, it will start to fit back into place.
grin.gif
 
In the first video your stride to the fence you stopped at wasn't great & the pony had little choice but to put a stop in really. This stop comes from not having a forward going rythmical canter. You appear to be checking the pony when coming into alot of the fences, infact possibly checking too much. Any impulsion that you have you are losing & actually making it quite difficult for the pony to jump. You need to send the pony on more, I'm not saying charge at them, I mean ride more positively. If you are going forward your pony can always take off a little early if needed to make up for a not so great stride. If however he isn't moving forward he won't have the impulsion to make the extra distance & will more than likely put in a short one & probably stop.

You did right to have an instructor & concentrate on flatwork, it's the basis of any discipline. I would consider getting an instructore again to help you wioth this problem.

If you ride him more possitively & forward & hopefully you'll see a difference.
Good Luck
smile.gif
 
icestationzebra- thanks for the input, dont think your being rude at all, after all i did ask for advice! Completely agree with everything you've said. I just haven't yet managed to get the canter right, think our problem is that i dont want to become the sort of pony and rider than tear round the course at 100mph and cut all the corner etc so i m trying to hold her together and get a more bouncy canter rather than letting her get strung out and flat, i dont seemed to be doing a very good job of it though! I m aiming for bounce but instead i m making her lose impulsion.

KatB- thanks for your advice! I think i ve become too trusting of her as i never used to get unseated by her refusals, she did it so often i was always prepared and rode her more defensively. But her jumping had gotten so much better and i think she's lulled me into a false sense of security as i never go into the ring thinking we're going to have problems and she always catches me out! lol
 
Toby_Zaphod- thanks for the suggestions, does seem like the canter is the weakest link, also now you've said it i am seeing a pattern and its almost like i m asking her to stop, i do check her and then we lose of the energy we had and it seems that whenever i check her we have a bad jump or a stop but when i let her go forward she jumps nicely for me. I am still having weekly lessons with a good instructor so i ll get her to start helping me more with our jumping.
 
Other people may really disagree with me, but with smaller fences (under two feet) I think that you could push her on to jump them even if she stops. At present she stops because she feels there's something not quite right (I expect not enough impulsion) but really she could jump the little jumps from a standstill, and if you make her do this (in schooling) she won't "get away" with stopping and so she may try harder for you and not stop so often.
 
I agree with Jellicle. The jumps are small enough that when she slams on the brakes, dont turn away! keep her straight and just kick like hell, make noises or whatever to get her over. She'll probably bunny hop it so just hold on and make sure you dont yank her in the mouth if she jumps huge from a stand still! Right now, it looks like she's just taking the piss a bit because straight away, you turn her away from the fence so she's won to a degree. She needs to learn when a jump is in front of her it is for jumping and nothing else!

And as others have said, push her forward more. She has a nice balanced steady canter but there's not enough activity in it and especially while she's doing this stopping-thing, think forward rather than all chilled out and steady!
 
thanks both of you! Have always been taught not to turn her away just make her jump from a standstill, god knows why i keep turning her away now though! Will definately not turn her away next time. Really looking forward to taking her out jumping again as i feel loads more positive now! Our jumpings only started to go wrong since i ve started messing around with the canter *rolls eyes*
 
from what i could see you need to be going in a much more forward canter, it will seem way to fast to start with, (this is what i am doing at the mo), but once you've ridden her in your fast mode it will seem better. also make sure you sit up and really leg into the fence, if its scary then give her a little tap a few strides out and really ride it. if you can really feel her saying no way, then give her a smack on her bottom. i have a pony that is just the same, and a tb who will jump, usually without any questions but the pony is mostly being naughty, although i could do alot more to make it stop.
 
Hi, I agree with everything above, esp about the canter. This is a problem that I have been having with my mare. When I have the best forward canter, this is when we go clear. When I watch the video back when we`ve had problems, you can guarantee the canter has no energy. I am beginning to realise when I have the good canter, as it feels like we are racing round, but on the video, it looks perfect and in total control!
There is another 2 posts in this part of the forum about strides, it explains a lot about the canter.
The first video looks like the best canter, but on the others, I noticed that you didn`t ride her (use your leg) around the corners, but checked her a lot. I used to do this and all it does is lose impulsion on the corner and all the way into the fence. You need to use your leg around the corner to encourage her to bring her hocks underneath her and so to keep her balanced. Also remember to push her round, not pull as this will unbalance her too.
Keep going, it will all come back. Just think forwards.
smile.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top