Fast canter for jumping

[Livv_xoox]

Basically I haven't jumped my new horse before but know he has a very fast canter and a good history of jumping. I am excited because he has been known to be a good jumper in the past but worried because I dont know how to slow his canter up to a jump.
Any tips or advice for jumping a horse with a speedy canter??

 

[Equestrienne]

Circle work before you jump, lots of transitions. While jumping initially start with a cavaletto in front of your jump so they cannot rush into the fence as much. Sit up and give with your hands as they take off.

 

[Shay]

If the canter is his normal canter but faster than you are used to you may be better off keeping to his rhythm rather than interfering with it. Clearly he needs to be calm and in a canter not so fast that he is rushing and flat - but many competition horses have a naturally fast paced canter that they jump out of without difficulty. If you interfere with him you'll set yourself up for massive difficulties as he will then loose confidence in you and rush to save himself.

It is absolutely worth getting a good instructor to help in the early days. Independent and experienced eyes on the ground can help you with whether he is rushing and needs to be balanced or whether you just need to go with the flow. Don't kill the canter before the jump. It really won't help.

 

[tatty_v]

My pony has a much faster canter when jumping (compared to flatwork) and actually the key for me has been to just go with it. He's balanced and knows exactly what he's doing, so long as the pilot doesn't start trying to interfere!