fillers - BIG problem

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Hemirjtm

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Last wednesday i had a lesson and my riding instructor asked what Hemir wasn't very good at, so i said fillers.

So he put 2 jumps up that had solid fillers and one jump that had a ladder in it. He refused at the ladder once, then jumped it the 2nd time round. But the solid fillers were hell. I fell off four times and managed to get him over them from a standstill but when i asked him to jump them in trot or canter he would do it once then he would refuse. I really don't understand his behaviour!!! After i fell off the 4th time my instructor got on and although he messed around he went over them in the end.

I think its my fault that he didn't want to go over them but i cant understand what i was doing wrong. I felt confident and i wanted him to go over each time!! I just feel he got the wrong feeling from me.

we are in the middle of making 5 REALLY scary fillers so that he gets more used to them i'm just not sure what else to do!!

can you help me?

thankyou
lauren
xx
 
Were the fillers the ones in two parts?Or were they in one long piece the same as a jump pole? If they are in two parts then if you put them at the sides of the jump to start with..then gradually move them in so they join up. Then Hemir can jump through the fillers, rather than over then, and get used to them. Also if you just have them out and ride around them whenever you have a lesson, even if its not a jumping lesson. Perhaps also even if you say you were riding really confidently you knew that Hemir has a problem with fillers- so he may hve picked up on tension.
 
I agree with P that you could try half fillers and move them together slowly.

The other thing I found with a horse that hated fillers is that I became so aware of the issue I started to focus on the bottom of the filler and this tips you forward because you are looking down and stops you using your seat properly. The knock on effect is that your horse senses the tension and lack of drive so dips out by stopping.

So make some fillers, as you are doing, and lots of different ones ( you can do different things on each side), but when you are riding focus on the pole above and think about going over the top. Easier said than done i know but if you expect a stop and look down, you will get one!
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Unfortunately some horse just hate fillers but you can teach them to accept them it just takes time.
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(Says she who eventually gave up jumping the filler hating monster and turned to dressage!!!
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I understand the problem! But he hated jumping full stop!)
 
I agree with all the advice given. My horse hated fillers and we don't have any coloured ones at home. It took a bit of ingenuity with plastic bags, rugs, tyres, trees, and anything else that came to hand but I built some courses that would make handy ponies turn and flee in terror! She would still stop at the odd scary filler but now seems to have overcome that too and is going clear at Intro level eventing.
 
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