do any of you have a horse that.....

[Rachntabby]

rushes really badly into fences? as a result of poor schooling when young and bad habits they have learnt throughout their life

do you wish you had got them when they were young?
with tabs being 19 shes abit set in her ways but my instructor has said we have to go back to basics as she just flies at everything and its really knocking my confidence

i dont help much as im so used to it i dont block her with my seat and let her run at them

i know she can jump and she has a nice bold jump and 9 times out of 10 she will jump anything i point her to but i dont want to jump at 100mph with no brakes

so im looking at no jumping all winter and possibly spring and im worried that i will lose all my confidence that ive built up jumping

and tbh i feel like ive let her down and that im a rubbish rider

and she would have been better with another more experienced showjumper

 

[Skhosu]

yup, mine rushes and its a case of not holding onto him too much as this stresses him, but letting him get into his stride.
How is your girls flatwork?
What bit have you got in her?
Mine is in a snaffle and constantly improving, we do xc as well so need to keep working on slowing down!

 

[minesadouble]

My daughter has an 18 year old jumping pony who rushes. If she tries to keep hold of her her head goes straight up and she runs sideways.
We bought her a few months ago and to be honest, rather than try to change 14 years of bad habits we have decided to 'go with the pony.'Our pony does jump when she gets there (though she has a bit of a 'thing' about doubles).
We have found that the pony settles down much better if you just let her get on with it at her own pace.Obviously I don't know how bad your pony is, but ours, if you let her go her own pace is maybe going a gear higher than I would be comfortable with - she doesn't properly tank off - though to look at her you would belive that's exactly what she would to if you gave her an inch. She's also worse over small courses than bigger ones. The bigger the jumps the more she listens to her rider.
Yes I really wish we had got her when she was younger but to be honest if she was we probably couldn't afford to buy her!Don't feel bad about your riding. My daughter went from a 13.2 who was an absolute superstar but really needed to be ridden into his fences to this mare who really carts you in. She found it really hard to 'ride' her into a fence rather than sit there and be carted in, but she's now getting the hang of her. I don't know how long you have had your pony but give it time - I'm sure it will work out in the end. We have had ours for about 4 or 5 months and don't feel we have totally worked her out yet but I'm sure we will.
Stay positive - you'll get there in the end - Good Luck!

 

[minesadouble]

Another quick reply just to let you knw a couple of exercises we have found useful at home - gridwork is helpful as it makes her concentrate, and also when she turns towards the jump/grid if she starts getting buzzy/head comes up or she goes into sideways mode we turn her in a circle away from the jump - not a tight circle as though she's being 'punished' but a large circle as though to say 'oh you were never meant to jump that anyway'
May not work for your pony but worth a try!

 

[redmerl]

Grids and pole work, start with 4 placing poles and remove them 1 by 1.

I have done LOADS of work on the quality of my canter, its helped alot.

 

[mbpsue]

yep mine to
im now geting to the other side and wouldnt change her for the would shes totaly amazing it has taken a year
i took her back to 4 year old stagei spent three months in walk stand transisons and went back to poles on the floor to little fences at walk then trot and know iv concentrated on the cantershe is know nice and even and balaced and goes canter canter jump
dont give up if they are willing you can change them
i would love to have her as a baby she would of made a top pony but there is time yet iv got a 14 yr old jumping her for me at the moment she qualified for the 115 members at first go and a talented 11year old waiting in the wings for her
so how knows what the future will bring us with plenty of schooling and i defently wont be able to afford her if someone haddnt roend her in the first place

 

[dressager]

My old horse used to rush at fences to the point of my instructor calling us "suicidal!" He have a previous BSJA record but something had happened to cause him to either charge at fences or do the opposite and start napping and refuse to step over a pole. We went back to basics, pole work as well as just general schooling. It really helped him to start listening more to my aids so I could hold him more with my seat and legs, and not hang on to his head for dear life! I have taken him out XC in just a snaffle and know I can hold him. I always felt safer over bigger fences as he definitely respected them more.

It takes time, but it is often best to go back to basics as there is only so far/high you can get with a horse that likes to charge at fences.

 

[CrazyMare]

You can change things, however not always completely, or to make it the way you want it.

My mare would charge flat and long into her fences in a blind panic, I just had to sit out that phase until she learnt that with me she wasn't going to get a thrashing every time she clipped one. After that phase was over we went onto alot of grid and pole work, with placing poles before and after fences to give her something to think about.

If I had had her before she was screwed up, and I had known more earlier I think she would have been a BSJA pony.

Give it time, these things can't be rushed. Find a good instructor, who you get on with and makes you feel like you are making progress.

 

[Rachntabby]

[ QUOTE ]
yup, mine rushes and its a case of not holding onto him too much as this stresses him, but letting him get into his stride.

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exactly what tabs is like is usually just let her go about 3 strides away

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How is your girls flatwork?

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not good we are getting there she wasnt very well schooled when i got her but with lessons she is now working in a nice outline in walk and trot and canter is getting there

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What bit have you got in her?

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a french link sweet iron snaffle atm but will probs have her in her waterford gag when we jump again which wont be for months now

[ QUOTE ]
Mine is in a snaffle and constantly improving, we do xc as well so need to keep working on slowing down!

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i want to do XC but would dare cus of the speed she goes into things (although she has given me a good seat from refusing at speed

)

got a lesson tomorrow and instructor is gonna take us back to basics so we might even be able to jump slowly next year

 

[Skhosu]

yup, the rider may also be subconciously be encouraging this (I do, although it is both of us). Get the flatwork sorted so you can collect and extend and have a soft horse, this will help a lot.
Also, when you say you let her go before the fence, this is probably a rider thing, the best thing I have found is to aim to keep a constant canter into the fence, not striding, and keep a constant contact, which also allows the horse to go forward. Is the rider anchoring the pony to get her slower then suddenly letting her go? It takes a bit of bravery to let the horse go forward around the corner and keep a forward canter with a good contact.
Also,you say she is refusing from speed, is she in pain or nervous as this sounds like it could be rushing due to fear/pain?

 

[sachak]

yes, the bay mare in my sig does rush terribly - i believe this is through fear, oh if only i knew what had happened to her

however 3 years on and we have struck a happy medium and are jumpin BN/Disco tracks. She sometimes reverts to her old ways when she is not sure of her environment although jumps best on an outdoor surface, rushes on grass and jumps well but nervy indoors

on the flip side, she is a fantastic XC horse and like yours is bold and will jump pretty much anything i point her at.

be patient, dont argue with her and work on one thing at a time.

 

[Rachntabby]

[ QUOTE ]
yup, the rider may also be subconciously be encouraging this (I do, although it is both of us). Get the flatwork sorted so you can collect and extend and have a soft horse, this will help a lot.
Also, when you say you let her go before the fence, this is probably a rider thing, the best thing I have found is to aim to keep a constant canter into the fence, not striding, and keep a constant contact, which also allows the horse to go forward.

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i know i had my lesson so i have been told i have to look anywhere but at the jump otherwise it will subconciously set her up for the jump

[ QUOTE ]
Is the rider anchoring the pony to get her slower then suddenly letting her go? It takes a bit of bravery to let the horse go forward around the corner and keep a forward canter with a good contact.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah i probably do without realising

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Also,you say she is refusing from speed, is she in pain or nervous as this sounds like it could be rushing due to fear/pain?

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not in pain back/teeth etc all fine
i think she is scared that if she knocks the jump she will get a beating and to make sure she thinks flying at the jump will mean she wont knock it also i get scared and take off my leg which i know i shouldnt (working on it)

just been working over raised poles about 20cm off the floor and getting her to trot over them (feels so strange as i have to keep rising even though she tries to jump them) and the first few times she didnt quite get what i was asking her to do and kept jumping them or knocking them over and that made her panick and rush off but when she realised i wasnt gonna beat her for knocking them she relaxed and was trotting and walking over them happily

so pleased with her