Encouraging horse not to rush jumps - exercises

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Ali2

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Quick summary:

New share horse wasn't right. He was investigated and found to be very sore in his back and his saddle was a poor fit. I'd say the back/saddle issues were long term at this point. He was physio treated and then worked from the ground as recommended by the physio (lunging in a pessoa long and low, long lining in the school, long lining 'hacks' to get some hills in and lunging over poles) for 6 weeks. Reassessed and found pain free. Had new saddle fitted and went in to ridden work (hacking and flat schooling, ground work kep up too). Reassessed after 8 weeks in ridden work and found to be A OK and to continue with normal work.

I want to do some jumping with him. He is a lovely soul and very very rarely refuses but he does rush at fences and jump them very flat - unsurprisingly given previous issues.

Anyway, to the point! Are there any particular exercises I should/could be doing with him to get him to steady up and bascule over jumps? We are continuing with regular lunging/longlining/pole work as well as schooling and hacking. I lunged him over poles last night then loose schooled him over a small cross pole. He was very willing, ears pricked and wanting to jump but the rushing and flastness was there.

All suggestions to help him are welcome :) I realise time will be the key and he can have all the time he needs :)
 
Defo a lot of gridwork and trotting poles.

Also remember to keep your weight off his back as far as you can - I've just today posted on a fab lesson I had where I had to keep my weight right off my boy's back and open my hands to really give him the opportunity to round his back (he can rush fences too).

Your horse is probably anticipating that it is going to hurt, so is flattening his back as a reflex, even though there's now nothing wrong.

Keep them diddy to start off with (obviously).

I would also keep working him on the flat a lot. His jumping will start to improve so much once he's supple through his back, and gentle, consistent and sympathetic flatwork is just wonderful for that.

Good luck and hope you two can really start to have some fun together x
 
I am absolutely not an expert on jumping, but had this same problem myself and had lessons to help sort the problem out, which worked a treat!!

Exercises started with poles set out at canter distances. We walked over them, in between them circled in front of them, halted in the middle, over them etc etc only went over them if all was relaxed.

Onto trotting (dashed at mad canter first time....) same thing, circling in front, remembering not to take up the rein just because I thought he would rush. If he did rush, halt. Ride straight away from the poles and halt square.

This prograssd onto having wings, thena small cross pole at the end. It worked so well I could hardly believe it myself, but was very dependant on me not tensing up in anticipation.

Then moved onto small course which we jumped at a very sedate trot! I do have to keep going back to this as horse finds jumping very exciting and the speed (and porbably my tensing up!) creeps back over time.
 
Gridwork, trotting poles into a small fence, canter poles into a fence etc will all help to regulate stride length and help to control the speed / rushing. Grid work also helps to get their hocks underneath them and not jump so flat.
 
Yes, definitely plenty of gridwork, and lots of flatwork to help get them working gymnastically - esp transitions within the paces to get them to sit back on their hocks, reinback to canter is a very good exercise for that.

Also to get them to really lift if they are jumping particularly flat, you can put 2 poles in a v shape against an upright fence to make them bascule- (might be a good idea to have a helper on te ground to adjust poles as and when needed!)
 
grid work, lots of transitions on the flat, and my instructor has us canter down centre line over little fence (usually a narrow one for some reason) and then halt on the centre line afterwards. repeat on each rein, then go to cantering in, halting about 5 strides out and then moving into trot/canter to pop fence, repeat on either rein.

you'd be suprised how quickly this encourages the horse to back off a bit, listen to you and not rush in
 
I am totally not experienced with jumping and really only just learning, but Belle was hugely into rushing at fences like a looney. Now she is very calm so lessons obviously worked somehow!

Once exercise I really like, though maybe a bit simplistic considering what you've been doing, was when my instructor put a pole on each of the four points of the centre 20m circle. Belle's canter was quite unbalanced but we worked on evening it out, getting the same number of strides between each pole as we cantered round it. She really took to this well. Then my instructor made one of the poles into a small cross pole so Belle (and me!) had to focus on our strides between the other 3 poles and it helped to keep us in a rhythm as we approached the cross pole. As it was on a circle it also gave her less time to think about rushing.

Anyway, sorry if that's not of much use but it was just a cute little exercise that worked for me. :) Plus I found it really rewarding to be getting the strides right between the poles and the jump. Good luck. :)
 
Agree lots of grid work, but an exercise that really helped me is what I call the 10m circle exercise. Start with 1 jump down the long side somewhere. At either side of the fence place a cone (a few strides out). Put horse into trot/canter and make a 10m circle around the cone. Once the horse has settled into a steady rythm, go down over the jump. He is only allowed to jump if he maintains a steady rythm. The minute he rushes, he goes back on the circle. You can actually circle anywhere on your approach but I use the cones as a good staring point. If he is nice, he gets to jump. As soon as you have landed, go straight away onto your 10m circle around the cone after the jump. This teaches them both to stay steady on approach and not to rush of afterwards as they are expecting to have to circle. Start it with one fence, but you can actually do this while practicing aroung a course, minus the cones. Every time the horse rushes, onto a 10m circle until you have the rythm you want, then he gets to jump. They very quickly learn they have to wait. All the best
 
I'll keep up with the pole work then and introduce grids and some of the other variations :D I'm intending initially to stay loose/on the lunge until he gets the idea that it doesn't hurt then I'll start ridden work.

Thanks everyone. :D
 
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