Cat leaping..

[Firewell]

How would you deal with this?? Hold back and calm down or push on??

If Jae is ever naughty, which to be fair is rare, his default is to catleap. This might be one big sudden one if he is spooked by a deer jumping out of a hedge or whatever.
When we are warming up for jumping competitions or clinics with other horses he will be pretty calm but then suddenly cat leap if a horse comes near him or if he panics. Sometimes the cat leaps are massive and I've very nearly fallen off but I pull him up and then he stands still. If I come unseated he is more likely to stop, that's why I know it's not nasty, he doesn't buck me off if he feels I'm unseated, he'll never
rear but he does them without thinking, it's just a reaction.
I know they are sort of my fault as I get tense and it makes them worse. He also does them landing after a fence warming up. He will get excited, do a massive jump, land and then do a 2/3 massive catleaps with me going 'woah woah' and trying to pull him up, if I take a pull (which I can't help!) it makes him do them even bigger. He doesn't do them at all once he's settled.
I *know* it's something I'm doing, maybe I'm tense and not riding forwards enough?? Maybe pulling him up makes them worse?? I try and canter him around if he feels like doing one but it feels like it will make it worse as he's more likely to do one.

I know how to pull a horses head up if it bucks and to loosen the rein and kick on if it feels like it will rear but not sure what to do with catleaping!!

Funnily enough unless he's really spooked or excited he doesn't do them at home. Funnily enough he doesn't do them in the dressage warm up.. It's only warming up for jumping with other horses flying
around and he knows this is when I'm most nervous!!

How can I stop this? I want to nip it in the bud as apart from these humoungous catleaps he's pretty much perfect!

My mum suggested getting a pro rider to warm him up for me and give me tips, but he's my horse, I want to ride him and sort it!

Thanks

 

[millitiger]

I have always found horses which leap aren't really going forwards so maybe put your brave pants on and really ride forwards instead of trying to pull him up or 'woah' him.

I know its hard to ride forward when they are being silly as you don't feel in full control but I have found its the best way to solve most leaping/ bouncing on the spot.

 

[muffinmunsh]

Yep, mine car leaps. He also does it at the start of a gallop, almost as if he is anticipating to be held back. A quick kick and he stops and moves on... If I do try and hold him he actually gets worse

 

[dotty1]

My old Tb used to flybuck if he was frightened by something, if you tried to hold him back cantering or if other horses were coming up behind. They were scarily high and he would come down with such a jolt. I couldn't stop him, it was almost a blind panic moment and I wouldn't want to ride a horse that does it now (was young and eager!)

 

[applestroodle]

My horse can also do this if something gives him a fright or he panics, like others have said the best thing I have found I'd keeping him going forward! If I try & hold him back he will go up, he goes up in blind panic so I'm worried he goes over but if I keep him moving he isn't able to do either! It can be a little scary, especially as it's only out hacking!

 

[Firewell]

Thanks.
Yep I know inside it's because he isn't off my leg properly and going forwards properly mainly because i'm nervous and subconsciously holding him back. He just wants to get on with job!

He doesnt fly buck, it's def cat leap as his head is right up and he springs all 4 feet off the ground. It's not his fault it's mine and he only really does it when excited at show.

Hacking out this morning I really made him walk out into a light contact and he was gorgeous. He even walked right past a house that was being demolished by a digger without even a glance. I can be lazy out hacking and slop along on a long rein and he was much less spooky in general today because I was riding him rather than just sitting on him!

It's easy to do at home though, I need to try and ride him much more forwards in the warm up now and not mince about. Basically that is what I do, I mince around feeling too nervous to actually get after him and give him some leadership and direction! Once we are in the ring we are fine as I'm too worried about not doing well rather than what he is up to, so I kick on and get on with it and he's always amazing in the ring.

I do need to just take a deep breath and push on when I feel he's tensing up and not pull him up instead :/

 

[TarrSteps]

Lots of good advice but I'd add two points . .

One, you have to make relaxation a habit and something you can ask for. That's actually what riding a horse properly is - the softening of the topline and swinging forward off the leg is actually a "relaxed" posture you have taught the horse to assume when you want. Not relaxed like sitting on the sofa (that's a bit more like slopping along on a loose rein ) but more like the focused "tone" of an athlete. Human athletes spend a lot of time teaching themselves to get into that "zone" and it's no different for horses. So solidifying his schooling, so you can "make" him relax even in stressful circumstances is not just about winning a class, it's about preparing for those situations where you have to ask more of him. As a trainer of mine used to say, you're not training for the 90% of time things are going okay, you're training for the 10% of the time things go wrong!

Also, pay attention to what you're doing with your body in the situations where he leaps. If you are tightening your lower back and/or pressing your seat bones down - very common in a situation where you want to "hold", even subconsciously - then you are putting pressure on him from above, encouraging him to invert, and leaving him no option but to "squirt" out the front. If you keep your seat soft and allow the energy to come up in to you, where you can control it between hand and leg, you can more easily direct where it goes.

All these reactions are just extreme releases of tension. The key to managing them is dialing down the tension and giving what's left the best possible outlet. Of course, easier said than done when the chips are down but if you practice quietly at home hopefully you will both default to a less alarming reaction when things get hairy.

 

[Firewell]

Thanks Tarrsteps, you analasis makes sense as he is much better in dressage warm ups, actually he is very good. I think it's because i'm focusing on getting him working properly and softly, whereas jumping I know I tense up. We always get the comment 'obedient' in dressage although we do sometimes get the comment 'not moving forwards enough' as well! I definitly tense my seat up when he jumps into the air, I sit right back and into the saddle and he inverts. I'm better after a fence now as I realised what I was doing and I now focus on keeping a light seat and keeping my hands soft so I dont restrict him and he moves away from the fence much better.
I think once I can sort this, i.e I need to learn to control myself to help him then we will be great because this really is the only niggle in our training. He is so lovely, I want to make him better not make him worse .