Does a horse......

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malibu211211

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need to learn to jump?

I bought my boy last July as a very green 6 year old and he is getting to grips with his flatwork now with lots of help from a great instructor and friends
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He hasn't really touched on jumping and I don't jump (after jumping my retired boy and falling on my head I decided it was best to keep all feet on the floor
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)
A friend has offered to teach him to jump and I think it would be a good idea as it would give him a bit of variety but I can't ever see me jumping him
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Do you think a horse needs to learn to jump?
 
I suppose so. I always freeschool them first so they can get to grips of what its all about without my interference! Suppose its the same as learning to walk!
 
I think it depends - if he's not going to be a top dressage horse and you think you may sell him one day then I think it's worth teaching him to jump just because he would probably be easier to sell in the future.

However if you're keeping him for life and never plan on jumping yourself, then its up to you. I don't think not learning would be detrimental to him!
 
I agree, if your gonna sell him on, it might be sueful to teach him, it might also make a nice break from dressage for him, sort of a release
I teach my shetties to jump, tohugh im obviously never gonne be riding them over them, but they love it, and it gives them something to think about
 
It depends. If you are looking to keep him to the end of his days, and are confident that you will never want to jump him competitively, I would say not. After all, jumping is instinctive, and he will have learnt very well what his feet can do when mucking around in the field; this should be enough to ensure that he could pop a ditch/log if ever you needed him to out hacking, for instance.

But if you were intending to sell him later on in life - even quite far ahead in the future - it may not be a bad idea to get someone to teach him the basics. But then, unless you are going to continue to let your friend jump him on a reasonably constant basis, there would seem little point, for he may well learn things now that would be pretty much forgotten about in a few years time. If you are his primary rider, and you dont ever jump, then essentially he will always be a 'green' jumper, because of his lack of experience!

I can appreciate that it is tricky for you; I've been through a similar thing myself, and no doubt will in the future. Ellie is a show jumper through and through, and we had a lot of fun jumping together, but after a nasty fall, I gave up jumping completely and have now confined us both to basic dressage and hacking. My trainer in particular was adamant that I should have let someone else have the ride on her, as she was such a good jumper, but I wasnt interested in that; Ellie is my horse, and the decision not to jump has nothing to do with wanting someone else to do it! We have not jumped for 3 years now (apart from a little ditch she catleaped over the other day
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), and although she wont have 'forgotten' how to jump, I know that if we started up again she would have lost a lot of her muscle in certain places, and would once more be considered 'green', even at 13 years old!
Also, if and when I get another horse (but not until Ellie is very old and even more crotchety!) I will get a youngster so that I can train it and do all the work myself. But I dont think I would worry too much about training it to jump, so maybe that answers your question....
 
Horses can all jump naturally - they do it al the time when playing around in the field. Some don't have the confidence to go over a pole/jump put in front of them and u have to build that confidence - its a very good way to develop a partnership with the horse.
 
Awww I wouldnt panic about jumping giving him a break, especially if he doesnt seem overly enamoured by it! Some young horses take to jumping very quickly; my trainer had a little filly who popped everything we asked of her during her breaking in; she just loved it! Another he had was quite the opposite; took a lot of persuasion, and even then couldnt learn to pick his feet up properly! He has now been sold on to do dressage!

I think a nice hack is as good a break as any - let him have a nice gallop and get his back down - even when I was jumping Ellie, a hack was always far more refreshing for her than anything else I did to try and give her a break!
 
some are naturals, some aren't. some have an amazing natural style, and are great natural judges of distance and height, while others need a lot of help to improve their natural style. i don't think they need "teaching to jump", but they need practise, i think!
 
It's a matter totally for you really. Pop him over a cross pole & then increase the size of the cross poles so he actually thinks it's alot bigger when in reality it hasn't increrased much. You will be able to see if he has ability & if he enjoys it.
If you decide he enjoys it then why not do a little training.
I don't believe you actually teach a horse to jump, it has a certain amount of natural ability & you can give it technique training that will enhanse his ability.

In the end it's a matter for you....good luck with whatever you decide.
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One of mine had to learn to jump. At first she used the small jump as a trotting pole (even with a placing pole) I had to put it up, and up,and up until she was forced to try and jump, (by now it was at elbow height!). Her first jump was front end up, back end up, all legs down together and land at a dead stop parallel to the jump. Thank goodness she was loose in a lane. Now while still not a natural jumper she is safe over anything we have come across out hacking or hunting.
 
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