Do children jump before they're ready?

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skewbaldpony

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A friend has complained of this at several riding schools, parents/kids want to 'get on and jump' and as a result, to 'keep the customer satisfied' schools are letting children jump earlier and earlier, when they clearly do not have an established seat or proper understanding of the aids.
I have now started to experience this with PC as well, everyone from lead rein up, jumping 'just for fun'
I can see both sides, you have to keep the kids engaged in this age when they could just sit infront of the gameboy, but honestly, I have seen some painful sights, and it's frankly not fair on the ponies!
Why is it not OK any more to tell children they need to learn to walk before they can run?
 
Depends on what you mean by jumping. At Toby's riding school he has trotted over little cross poles, and even done a course by himself in trot. He has cantered on the lead rein, but nowhere near ready to canter off the lead rein. But he loves popping over tiny fences - he enjoys it and the pony enjoys it.
 
I learned to jump on the hunting field, where, as my mum put it, I either jumped or got left behind, I can't say its done my riding that much wrong.
 
We learnt to jump after learning to trot. If anything it helped establish our seats. My son can walk and trot off the LR and canter on the LR but wants to learn to jump. I think it'd be a good thing, to encourage him to use his aids properly and be more assertive.
 
ay, I think there's the rub. Trotting over a crosspole, on a willing pony, who is obviously pleased to be doing it, and doesn't have to do it, TOO often, well balanced child holding onto neckstrap, is one thing.
Clinging on while an unsuitable pony hurtles over [even a small crosspole] with a bouncing child hanging onto his mouth is another.
And it's so easy to get carried away (I know when teaching I may have been guilty of this) when a fairly able child manages to clear a slightly bigger fence without doing too much damage ....
I just wonder why we feel we have to jolly them along so much - when we were younger, we were told we jolly well had to master the basics, in the interests of the horse.
 
I learnt to jump on about my 5th or 6th lesson. I was very much so shuved in at the deep end. But it has done no harm to the way i ride now. It is hard however to get out of bad habbits now im trying to do dressage, having 10+yrs of show jumping under my belt! God my legs ache riding with such long stirrups!
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I am obviously totally outvoted!
As you were. I'll retreat into my Ruby Fergusons and Pullein Thompsons, where only the Ghastly Child would consider jumping before having mastered the Independent Seat!
ROFLOL
 
I know what you mean! We did a riding holiday recently and they were obsessed with getting people jumping. They had 2 women one of whom had never been on a horse before and they were trying to teach her to jump in THREE days, she couldn't even do rising trot but they were determined to get her over a jump, albeit tiny, I think so they could say to people that they taught someone who had never ridden to jump in only 3 days.
 
Bless you skewbald tee hee

ghastly children should be made to jump 4 foot hanging onto only mane.

But really, I think to keep a child interested and enjoying it, they should be given lots of choices, and fun things, such as obstacle courses, handy pony stuff, jumping, but if they haven't got independent hands then no reins!

Please give me some suggestions, when we finally find our ideal next mount. For a sometimes argumentative 13 yr old daughter who says things like :

"you've said that to me loads of times"
and
"he/she won't"
"My legs ache"
"my fingers ache"
"I'm cold/hot (whatever is suitable)" This having not taken my suggestion of clothing seriously

"aw not that again"


and so on. What can one do apart from constant flaming SJ course building as interesting sessions, poss with two little pony friends... ideas warmly received thanks
 
The answer to the 'but you've said that to me loads of times' is "when you listen, I will stop saying it".

Most of the other things I would be tempted to answer with "tough", but I doubt it would be very effective!
 
Good one, "tough" is one I will use! Also, "if you don't want to do this get off and i'll go out and have fun with him" Is one I have used and will use again!

I like the idea I heard on another post, of popping plaiting bands (white ones perhaps!) on the reins to mark the place for trot/on the bridle I shall defo be using that...
 
Hmmm i no what you mean, children being led over jumps in trot and haolding onto the saddle rather than putting their hands forward so pulling pony in the mouth as a result
 
Now to really put the cat among the pigeons
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We have progressed from a place where children learned to ride painstakingly before progressing to jumping etc - to a place where it's all gotta be fun, and we do all things to keep them happy, bless em.

Presumably this has been a steady progression. (I shan't say decline, cos I'm outnumbered
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)

As covered in H&H the other week, the older generation are still capable of beating the bewotsits out of the youngsters.

Connected?

Retiring to my air raid shelter
smile.gif
 
One of my pet hates is 'lead rein jumping' competitions. All too often you see a reluctant pony being dragged along at a shuffle somewhere btween a walk & a jog, when it gets to the fence the poor animal has no other way to get over other then to cat leap causing the child to fly up in to the air, staying on only by dint of hanging on to the ponies mouth via the reins. Small competent children capable of holding a neckstrap on willing but sensible ponies are a different matter. I feel very strongly that children should have seats independent enough to rise to the trot before attemping to jump even small cross poles, as a big part of a secure jumping position is control of the upper body, & very small children simply do not have the strength to be able to do this.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Now to really put the cat among the pigeons
wink.gif


We have progressed from a place where children learned to ride painstakingly before progressing to jumping etc - to a place where it's all gotta be fun, and we do all things to keep them happy, bless em.

Presumably this has been a steady progression. (I shan't say decline, cos I'm outnumbered
grin.gif
)

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree 100%. Its the way things are these days in all walks of life. Children are given no time to be children anymore - adults are incapable of saying 'No', so we see tiny tots in make up, children falling asleep in lessons because they've been allowed to stay up too late etc. The same applies with parents who want their children to jump before they are ready - it's all part of the 'want it now' society that we live in, & which children will readily subscribe to given the chance.
 
My daughter can trot off leading rein and canter on and she has been trotting over up to a 1 ft high cross pole and doing OK, espcially as the pony only has an old felt saddle. He does have a very long mane, which she holds alongside the rein in each hand to save the pony's mouth. I let her do this as a) she enjoys it and b) it improves her confidence on the pony. I agree that teaching a child to jump with a goal of going higher rather than improving their riding is pointless but I don't think that doing no jumping at all is necessarily appropriate either - it is an enjoyable part of riding (except if you are me when its a bit terrifying!)
 
[ QUOTE ]
to a place where it's all gotta be fun

[/ QUOTE ]
I think that learning should be as fun as possible - as a teacher I know that not everything can be fun and that sometimes you just have to get on and do it but if learning is fun for children and adults alike then they are more likely to engage with the process and remember what they have learnt. As a general rule only 10% of what is taught in a lesson (I assume there is some carryover to riding lessons) is recallable in the next lesson. Doing something fun gives the learner something to hang the stuff they have been learning on. I think that providing the lesson has a clear objective and that activities take the learner towards the objective then there is no problem with doing fun things - including jumping in a riding lesson.
 
[ QUOTE ]

"you've said that to me loads of times"
and
"he/she won't"
"My legs ache"
"my fingers ache"
"I'm cold/hot (whatever is suitable)" This having not taken my suggestion of clothing seriously

"aw not that again"



[/ QUOTE ]

1) Well you've done it wrong loads of times, lets break the circle, shall we?
2) Well he/she needs to be told properly
3) Good! That means we're getting somewhere.
4)Your fingers ache? How do you think his mouth feels!
5)I'm not, I have my coat on. Age has its advantages, eh?

6) OK lets not do that again. Riding's for the birds, lets give up and concentrate on maths.....

Yours, The Evil Mother.
 
Thats what I mean though. Your daughter is riding securely, & has correctly progressed to jumping, rather than been hastened either by an ambitious parent, or by the child itself wanting to run before they can walk, or in this case jump before they can trot!!!
 
But she did "jump" a pole on the ground in walk whilst being held on tightly by dad when she first started
grin.gif
And she absolutely loved it and told everyone
crazy.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

"you've said that to me loads of times"
and
"he/she won't"
"My legs ache"
"my fingers ache"
"I'm cold/hot (whatever is suitable)" This having not taken my suggestion of clothing seriously

"aw not that again"



[/ QUOTE ]

1) Well you've done it wrong loads of times, lets break the circle, shall we?
2) Well he/she needs to be told properly
3) Good! That means we're getting somewhere.
4)Your fingers ache? How do you think his mouth feels!
5)I'm not, I have my coat on. Age has its advantages, eh?

6) OK lets not do that again. Riding's for the birds, lets give up and concentrate on maths.....

Yours, The Evil Mother.

[/ QUOTE ]


PMSL - A woman after my own heart!
 
Ooops and as for the riding / jumping. I think my daughter started when she could do a decent rising trot and then they progressed to riding a line of trotting poles and then the trotting poles with a tiny cross pole at the end - as much to give them something to aim at I think!
 
which is totally fine.
I'm talking kids who really barely are rising to the trot (albeit some of them on quite sparky own ponies, who think a great deal of their own abilities) - frankly still hauling themselves up and down by their three ring gags. Ponies all in 'grass reins' indoors. i.e., heads stapled to saddles.
 
At the yard I work no child learns to jump until they can competently do rising trot and can canter on their own. If the parents try to push they are told they can do whatever they want if they buy their own pony and teach themselves. Our ponies are far to precious to be pulled about and the chances of being sued by pushing a child too far too soon are too high. There are plenty of other ways of keeping children keen on riding without having to jump, if your instructor is good enough!
 
Ooohhh very tricky one.

I must admit that my child probably has been guilty of jabbing ponies in the mouth over a jump, but to be honest don't most people new to jumping do this occassionally.

My daughter was more than capable of cantering on her own at 6yrs, but really struggled when the pony jumped rather than stepping over a jump.

She has just turned 9yrs and in the last year has gone from tiny poles to jumping around 2ft3inch in a year and on a 12hh pony. I'm so proud, she has a lovely jumping postion which in my opinion is very difficult to teach a young child and is just down to practise, practise, practise.
 
I jumped Ajay when I was very small, might have jabbed him in the mouth, but we learnt to jump together and no harm came.

Ponies014.jpg


It did prepare me for the highlight of my jumping career, aged 7,

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ask me to do a course like that now and i'd have a fit of the collywobbles, but apparently I used to enjoy it...
 
I'm teaching my 5year old niece to ride mainly on my 13.1 WHP who is strong and hurts her hands a lot bless her so she doesnt do an awful lot on her.

she has however jumped a little course bottom hole on my YO's mini shettie after only riding for 6/7 weeks - there was a yard show and i actively encouraged her to take part especially as she knew all the other children were and she wanted something to work towards - she also did handsomest gelding ridden class on the LR.

I am teaching her how i was taught, get on the pony and get on with it !!
She wanted to do the jumping at the show and was very confident that she could do her sit trot whilst hanging onto the saddle whilst we lead her round - and blow me she did. Fair play to the kid she did the pony no harm - but i do agree kids unbalanced yawing on ponies mouths is to a good thing.

I think confidence is something to be encouraged !! i was terrified to jump til i was about 10 !! if they want to do it and can do safely let them, chucking them in at the deep end often makes them learn alot quicker. especially if the pony they are on isnt the easiest to ride, naughty ponies make more effective riders IMO !!

My niece has now got the jump bug out of her system after popping over the bottom hole at the show and also some tiny logs on the farm and is now back on track with the basics. but i do believe i did the right thing by letting and encouraging her to go for it !! she was in safe hands and on a very experienced pony who in truth stepped over the smaller jumps bless him, she got a huge round of applause - sometimes riding should be what it is ... FUN, if your not hurting yourself or the pony or anyone else why not just chill out and enojy it, the kids are only young once, my niece will remember her first show forever and yes people may say "she's only been riding 7 weeks/7times and you let her jump?!" or people can say "she's only ridden 7 times and she jumped like that!! wow"

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