An interesting take on jumping today...

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somethingorother

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Well, after our success of doing some jump schooling over a little jump and poles last week, i decided to get some tyres so we could build some 'real' jumps. Today was the day, and a friend came to document my imminent falling off with photographic evidence.

Osc hated the tyres, and we must have had more refusals than jumps. My nerves got the better of me a few times and i made it worse by letting him run out from the 'bigger' ones a couple of times. I am kicking myself. Going to get some lessons.

Also, he likes to overjump 'slightly' which you will see in a moment, so i put on a neck strap and body protector for confidence. They had the opposite effect and left me feeling stiff and hunched. Here's a couple of photos. I will put more and some of us having a good gallop etc in the PG. Had a nice day, despite the fear of jumping.

This was actually a pole on the ground... ridiculous beast.
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Our biggest jump acheived. Tried putting it up to 3 tyres on the other side and we both chickened out and ruined our previous good work :( (i should photoshop a massive jump in here though lol)
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I didn't fall off though. :D

ETS: I know we get in too close, but i was only trotting in, and he gets his legs in a muddle (and jumps even bigger) with placing poles. How else can i help it?
 
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Thanks, it is bad, but i'm a lot more used to it than i was at first, and rarely sock him in the gob anymore. I don't know what i would do if i had to jump on a 'normal' horse now :D
 
Yes, we will be doing lots more trotting poles. He had been doing really well with them so thought we would try this today, none of the jumps were high really. Back to the drawing board we go though. Don't have an instructor at the moment, need to find one but don't know any around Bolton. I have wanted more of a classical dressage instructor before, but i'm thinking i need a jumping one too. But it's a private yard and we only have 3 poles and some crates/ tyres so is it even worth it??
 
Definately worth it :D. Three poles is a start :D. Crates can do all sorts, and now you have the tyres :D.

Try working on a twenty metre circle. Put one pole so you and ned go over it as you go round the circle. Keep doing it until you can go over it without breaking stride/getting silly (horse, not you lol). When you can do one, put another one out, on the opposite side of the circle. Once you're doing those okay, add the third one.

Put the three poles in a row (in your circle), so you end up trotting and then cantering over those. Once that's all okay, do the same but with you in jump position. Once that is okay, put the three poles in a row down the long side of the school; alternate raise the ends of the poles and get trotting, then cantering over those.

Don't use just two poles, they tend to just try and jump those in one go :eek::rolleyes::D

The above should get him looking where he is going and taking it all more calmly. Sorry if I'm telling you stuff you already know!!! :D :D

Also, get some stuff together to make jumps :D. Plastic garden chairs for wings, 'poles' from carpet shops (the cardboard inner of the carpet rolls; varnish them to waterproff them).
 
No, it's all good and can never have too many suggestions. I thought we might be ready for some proper jumping, as we did the three poles on a circle (and made one a tiny jump) last week and he was a superstar, cantering over them, not falling out much at all and doing what he was asked, when he was asked with no arguments. Didn't have a single refusal or run out. Today though, he just completely hollowed and fell out to the sides wildly. If i caught him with a tap on the shoulder with the whip he just ran/ducked out instead. And if that failed, he just stopped dead. I did make him go over the smaller ones in walk if he refused, but with how big he jumps them, i didn't want to do the bigger ones from a standstill.

It was mainly my fault, i got all tense and nervous and he obviously knew when i wasn't keen on doing it, even though i tried to stay calm, breathe, etc.

I love the idea for the poles from carpet shops. Although not too sure how i get them to the yard???

I will have a go at alternate raised poles too. And considering painting them because i want a go at clear round eventually, and he will be very shocked at all those colours and patterns. God, it's going to be years til we can do that :(
 
Even if it takes years, it will be worth it :) and looks like you have superglue on your legs to stay on for that!! ;) well done!
We used oil barrels that were lying round on the farm if you have any of those..?
Whereabouts in Bolton are you?
 
He's only my share, and 17/18 already... i'm not sure i have years lol. Hoped to get started on this lot much earlier and catch a couple of clear rounds at local shows at the end of the season. But no chance of us making it around a course this year after starting so late due to lameness. He gets better with practice, and less ridiculous with the over jumping so hopefully if i take it more steady and don't push him too far like i did today, we will improve. Looking at those photos i think i might stick with the body protector, however uncoumfy and sweaty it is. There's a couple of barrels but i don't think we need that much height yet lol.

We are near the rebock (?) stadium.
 
Oh gosh you're quite near us (where I live, not where beastie is)
only about 10 mins :)
and he doesn't look anywhere near that age in those pictures!!! Just never give up :) if you can get him jumping those tyres quite happily, I'm sure patterns and colours won't be any more scary? I can't get my girl near tyres never have been able to in 5 years and I don't think we'll be jumping much again as she's 16 and has slight rotation in both front feet :( but she would jump patterns and colours!
 
Where do you keeps yours then? Shame about her feet, can you still ride? She looks like a lovely girl from your siggy.

Hrm, well, everything is scary to him, he's a bit of a spooky head and a wimp. So coloured poles would almost certainly bite his legs. Maybe there's no point really, if we're never going to get around a course and it's only likely to end in disaster...
 
never say never ;) I've not jumped a full course away from home yet, and I've tried countless times!...I'm still hoping...lol!
She's in Boothstown - we can still ride, fingers crossed I'm getting back on her for her first hack in 5 months on Thursday....but we wanna go easy on her now at least for this year and even then, the only jumps I'll be doing with her will be the odd cross pole every few months maybe...I'm terrified of pushing it.
Kelly was the same with fillers it just took a lot of attempts, a lot of over jumping (and the following meeting with the ground) and a lot of frustration to get her over one!!

ETA have you lead him round the jumps and the tyres etc and let him have a sniff and stuff? Is it possible to lead him over poles between tyres or would he try to leap it? OR like my YO does she turns her sj horse out with the working hunter jumps so he can have a good look round..?
 
Trotting into a fence really makes them use themselves - so for a less exaggerated jump, try coming in canter. If you can't or it's too advanced, canter round the school and try to get your eye in (in canter) over a pole on the ground. Nothing more. And remember to give with your hands over the pole. He's going to end up scaring himself if you carry on. Can't you get an instructor in?
 
Jeeze brighteyes i think that's a bit harsh. It's not like i'm razzing him round. I am going back to basics with him and have said i will keep them small etc now and do more pole work. Does he look scared in those? He has his ears pricked in them all. I have also said i am going to look for an instructor, just need to find one. We were cantering 3 poles on the ground, on a circle, with no problems last week. So i thought we would try a single jump today, but i was wrong. Also, i know my position isn't great, although i think it got better as we went on. I have no intentions of scaring him out of jumping and i have no intentions of a repeat of todays session. I have never had a refusal or run out on him before today. I messed up, and i want to sort it, so have said i will look for an instructor.

Just think your tone was a bit off in relation to the nature of the post. Advice is welcomed, but it's not that horrific, surely? I see worse examples on here about 5 times a day, and that tone isn't taken with most of them.
 
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Sorry, I was being brief. I was trying to explain why he might be making more effort than you are ready for - when they trot to a fence they have to organise take off and it can lead to a bigger jump, being left behind and unintentional jabs in the mouth. The latter two not evident, particularly in the pictures, but he's certainly giving them a tad more room than you might expect. Either he's naturally exhuberant and a confident enthusiastic jumper, or the trotting to the fence has produced this clearance or he's worried and rushing and not sure about the jumping thing.

Cantering round the school in a steady rhythm and adopting a slightly released seat and giving hands over a random pole on the floor will give you the practise you need over a fence. There's nowt wrong with your riding! Plus you have realised that even at this early stage you have met with a difficulty which needs resolving and basics need going over/re-establishing before moving on.

I was going to put something along the lines of 'at least he has ability and you aren't cramping his style by being too big and heavy on him'! He looks like a belting pony and it's reassuring to see the reins on the snaffle ring. If you can get him over to Preston, we'll give you some lessons on him.
 
I love the photoshop idea. What a nut! I had a former show hunter who I rode in some low hunter classes when he was in his 20's and he routinely overjumped everything by about a mile - felt those jumps were beneath him, I guess.

You certainly do stick on him, though - good for you! No real advice, just wanted to say he's very cute and there's something sort of endearing to me about a horse leaping a pole on the ground like it's a grand prix fence!
 
Sorry, couldn't get online yesterday. Brighteyes, i appreciate the trotting vs canter comment, i will bear it in mind, thank you. It was more the 'he's going to scare himself, Can't you get an instructor in?' that sounded off. It's very nice of you to offer your help, but he is a massive wimp and his knees shake at the sight of a trailer/lorry so i need someone who can come out to me really.

Baymareb- yes, he does make me smile. We call him Kevin (like Kevin and Perry), he's like a daft teenager who doesn't know where his legs are.

I put the poles out last night on a circle. One on it's own, one on the ground between 2 tyres jump wings either side, and one a small jump 1 tyre high. I think he was still very tired from the day before, but he was really good and sensible. We had nothing like the photos above. He did jump the poles the first few times, but only slightly, like a 'normal' horse might from time to time. And he didn't overjump anywhere near as much over the little jump either. We also had lots of sensible and productive lateral work and started work on walk to canter which went well. So he's not always daft. We must have been having a bad day on sunday.
 
Sounds like things do get better then? If it was me, I'd carry on with how you were doing things it sounds like you're making lots of progress anyway! My YO drums into me "good groundwork makes good jumping!!" :p
 
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