dont know what to do (long)

I_A_P

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well ever since i have had my mare her show jumping and her flatwork have abeen a problem, last year as i was only really getting used to her e just did lots of small things to get to know each other, especially as i wasnt used to her kind of horse.

this year however she came back into work with her show jumping much better really starting to pick her feet up and get to grips with striding, rather than getting underneath them.

i have also done lots and i mean lots of work on her flatwork and its really coming along. iv also started doing lots of canter work collecting/lenghtening and ots of exercises to try and get her canter more balanced which the flatowrk is helping her with to.

however for quite a few months ago something haoppened at a ODE , and since then i have not got a acalm round out of her, but then i dont see why it would have scared her like my mum thinks it does, we went to jump a practise fence and she just knowcked the whole thing down, almost through it, but in my opinion she has probably done it before and i dobnt think it was bad enough to lose her confidence.
anyay the sj round that day was awful.

since then in my instructors menage when she had put a course up she tryed to speed around and tbh i lost control i was just fighting her. so my instructor suggested i put a slightly stronger bit in so i moved from a loose ring french link to hanging cheek one. this helped slightly but then he was just the same, my instructor was thens aying she needed something strnger i was determnined she didnt. i began to think it was the way the courses were put up at my instructors and that tightish turns and quite a few jumps in a small space were worrying her and were making her ike this. i did my first intro about a month ago, and i had 3 down in the sj as she was just getting away with me.
anyway after jumoing over a few fences at home i just jumped her without my martingale and just a normal snaffle, and she was fine, as she has been the last 2 lessons with my instructor...tuesday we were jumping 3 3ft6ish jumpes on a figure of eight no problem.

last night i went show jumping and it has really got to me.
( i was trybing out the no martingale and snaffle idea as it was low key event)
i went in the 3ft and 3ft3, in the 3ft after warming up fine she just got away with me in the ring having three down, i hpnestyly thought i was beginning to get there with her, and in some ways her show jumping has improved and got worse in a nother way.
then i went in the 3ft3 and i really treid to keep a hold of her, because when shes being like this she starts to try and run flat meaning a awkward.somethimes a big jump and i hve to slip my reins and i havent got a hld of her on landing. however she was slightly better in this class and i managed to keep a good hold of her coming into them.

anyway im doing my second intro on saturday and now im so worried about the sj, im going to try and use a quick fix for saturday and have a complete rethnk after that. im gonna put back on the martingale, hanging cheek and put a grackle on and just try to not let her get away from me.

i also wear spurs and i did consider taking them ogg but im afraid she will get under them without mae haveing them on so i think they will have to stay ill just have to try and not to use thm.

really well done if u got this far sorry for my ranting but i just dont know what to do
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SillyMare

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Difficult to say without seeing her. You don't say how old she is, how long you have had her or how much she has done.

Perhaps try a different instructor for another opinion? (go on a clinic somewhere?)

I assume you have had her back / tack / teeth checked as they can all be reasons for running / flattening or getting under fences.

From what you describe, my first guess would be that the root cause of her problem is anxiety. If this is the case then a stronger bit probably won't help - it may just make her more worried. If you think it is anxiety then I would just try to calm things down and go back to basics a bit. Work on jumping smaller fences nicely and keeping her relaxed. There is no real need to school over 3ft6 if you are competing at Intro (big fences may not be helping her confidence) - if you can get her to do a nice round at 2ft9 you will be fine.

If the cause of the problem is that she is getting over-excited and the adrenaline is going to her head then a stronger bit might help focus her mind and keep you in charge. Doesn't sound as though this is the case though if she is getting under fences - chipping in short strides usually links to lack of confidence.
 

I_A_P

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thanks for your reply.

she is 8, she is now very very very rarely getting underneath fences as her striding is gettin far better. her back has been checked and we are waiting to change saddles currently before we get the mictimoney practioner out to see her, as my saddle is not the correct fit.i have had this in the back of my mind that it may be the problem but my back lady says shes not sore so must have only just started causing her problems and sa she has been jumping like this for the last few months it makes me wonder if it is something else.

she did an intro when she was 5 and got 16 faults and since then she has only done tny tiny things which has started maing me wonder whether she lost her confidence or someone had problems wth her beofre, so im going to try and contact that owner to see if they have any more informtaion.

i have just bnooked in for a clinic with a nother trainer.
after my intro on saturday i wont jump until iv got saddles, and back 100% jst to check this isnt the problem, but im pretty sure t cant be the main reason for this, in a way it would be good if it was! as hopefully it could be quickly fixed.

i know what u mean about schooling over bigger fences , its only recently my instructor has bee n putting them up as she says she does seem to jump better over the slightly bigger fences a good 3ft3 etc..

her teeth have been checked, and they are now fine.

its frsutrating as she wil jump really well at home, and normally at my instructors so its when we go out.

a few months ago i did a fantastic round at an eventer trial where she went clear round 3ft and again at a local RC SJ at the same height. so im not sure whats gone wrong.

i hope i dont sound like an idiot from what im writing, i too do not want to put a stronger bit in either as i dont thik it will help,. in some ways i think to behonest as shes got more confident with her striding that shes getting a little over cocky.thanks for your help
 

icestationzebra

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Hi

I sympathise I really do. My last horse was like this. He used to get very very anxious at competitions. I used to have lessons with my instructor at home and he would jump quietly and carefully and she would listen to my stories of woe and think I was mad. He liked to be right to a fence and I had to learn to sit very quiet on him and not fiddle. As the jumps got bigger he would hesitate more and sometimes get deep and I would push, hence we went through a stage of me throwing him at fences and him losing his confidence. We sorted this out at home with lots of quiet repetive work over tiny fences however we never resolved it out competing. Once he entered the SJ ring everything we had ever done at home went out of the window. He would literally throw himself at the fences. If I put a stronger bit in he would jump hollow, if I wore spurs he would completely overeact and spin sideways if I put my leg on. My damage limitation was to ditch the spurs, revert to a loose ring snaffle and try and ride quietly to each fence in a slightly forward seat so that I went with him if he jumped awkwardly. Lots of reassurance and pats on the next and wide turns to give him time to a fence. It helped a lot but was never smooth. What was so frustrating was that he was a XC machine and was so bold and brave! He taught me so much that horse. If I had my time with him again I think I would have taken him out so much more to do little things - boring things. One round of SJ at 2'3 say and home. Problem was I had borrowed transport and the pressure was always on to make the most of a day and do a bit more. As we mainly evented he always knew the XC was coming and thats a lot to do with him 'blowing up'. After your event this weekend - take a break for a while. Go and do some hacking and let her down a bit. I would then go out and do some little SJ and keep it quiet with just one class and no exciting jump offs. Let her gain her confidence and almost find it dull. Then you can start to progress again.
Let us know how you get on. It won't be easy but believe me it WILL make you a better rider in the end.

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I_A_P

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thanks, she must sound like a mad horse, ill try and put video footage up after saturday.

i havent done anything for a monbth because of the grund, once saturday is over i wont do anything until im 100% iv got the whole saddle situation and make sure her back is 100% iv only been jumping about 3ft when out at competions, and i workwd up really slowly from 2ft3 last yerar in the aim that i didnt rush her and i have never ever ever rushed around a jump off if iv been lucky enough to get in one, im really going to try and keep on top of her, as i say im plesed with her as her striding into fences etc she has become uch more confident with. i will have a chat with my instructor i jump with and my instructor i have on the flat and see what they have to say, and the clinic i have booked in for will be working through a course.

im now going to go and pop 3 fences up in the field, put my hanging cheek and martingale on i may see if i can rig the camera up in the field9probablydifficult on my own) but may give u an idea of what she is like
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thanks again for your advice it is much appreciated, i thin sometimes you just need to blurt it all out
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icestationzebra

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Yes seeing some photos or video clips will really help to see what exactly it is she does. Can someone video your SJ at the weekend. The jumping at home may well be ok but stress and nerves affect it at comps. Some horses you can push up the levels fast and they take it all in their stride, others take much longer and in can feel like one step forward and 3 back. There are some really good people on here that will be able to offer you some guidance after watching to see exactly what you are talking about.
 

I_A_P

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thanks, i jumped her tonight, just small, cross poles and she was fine, hopefully mum will video my round on saturday, i think if i can get hold of her after a fence then it shuld help a lot, as she doesnt then have achance to get awqay from me.

if i really rtay and get a good stride to every fence as well. i put my stirrups down one hole tonight as jumping in my gp at jumping height means its hard to really push your calf on so you end up pushing with the lowest part of your lehg.

o feel a little happier now, and hopefully it will all go okay:)
 
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