Fixing first fence'itis'

[bounce]

Had a really great outing today at a pony club ran ODE. Pingy pony was back to his normal squeaky bouncing self after having been eliminated at our last two showjumping competitions for spooking at fillers.

Despite being very nervous going into the showjumping which was in the very newly built, very bright and absolutely massive arena with lots of bright fillers and an up to height track we managed to go round like a rocket and just have one fence down which I was very chuffed with.

On to the XC and the nerves had eased a little. We shot out of the start box but as we went round the turn for the first fence his gaze just wanders to the fence stewards and car and then spooks at the first fence like it has suddenly appeared from out of space. A quick circle and he then decides to attack it with gusto and stand off over a stride away. We were then on an absolute mission the rest of the way around the course.

How can we crack the first fenceitis problem? Just repetition or a different way of attacking. I've let him slowly canter to the first fence, he stops. I've shot out at a strong canter and attacked and he still doesn't clock it and attack. Once we are over the first we are well away and I get my arms dragged out of my sockets for the rest of the round. This is our first year eventing, he is only 6 and hasn't seen a great deal and is generally a nervy spooky type.

Annoyingly we would have been 9th out of 38 if we hadn't had the silly stop.

 

[kerilli]

how much do you do in xc warm-up? with that sort i'd do quite a bit, really work on getting him totally in front of the leg and looking for his fences (making the warm-up fences trickier doing them on the angle, towards the ends etc, as much as you dare if it's busy!) and lots of sending him on as much as you can and then bringing back, get his blood up a bit. then come out of the start box like you mean it, not fast but very determined/controlled and ride the first fence slowly/determinedly/as if you've already had 2 stops at it. lock YOUR eyes on it and don't let them waver, too... i'd give him a smack if he's goggling about that much tbh, even just a light slap to say 'Oi, this is important, pay attention"...

 

[bounce]

To be honest Kerilli I didn't do too much warm up today as he'd come virtually straight from the showjumping and it was rather warm. He did jump the practice fence only a couple of times but I did jump it on an angle o make him think because he was tanking into them quite strongly.

Will try more of your suggestions next time out though. Thanks

 

[angelish]

i used to have a mare who did this quite often ,didn't even need to be the first fence she'd just sometimes go "na jump it yourself"

i found if i let her dawdle into the practice fence inviting a stop ,then smack her once she'd stopped at it she'd fly round no prob once she'd had a reminder at the practice fence

yours may be a different situation but might be an idea for you

 

[CAH7]

Hello bounce, I think I was at exactly the same PC ODE as you, and I had exactly the same problem! If it was WWEC, that 1st XC fence caused an awful lot of stops. My boy is normally bold SJ but, admittedly, he is green XC, but like your boy, he went clear after his initial stop at the first. With hindsight I definitely didn't ride positively enough - I think he isn't terribly brave yet XC and he is still wobbly going away from the other horses/collecting ring/ car park etc, although that is not a good enough excuse and I still need to actually ride him! My aim next time is to make myself really rev him up in the warm-up, to really focus and to ride that 1st fence like I've already stopped at it... and have lots of practice sessions planned before my next one! Best of luck!

 

[Luci07]

Might also be an idea to try to set up this on a XC schooling round? or create a start box at home. I was also taught that with a young horse you had to have some sort of buzz word to keep the focus on me as the rider? hence me tapping mine on the neck and tut tutting when his attention starts to wander..

hmm.. I wonder... thats where I have gone wrong with the men in my life.. think I will practise that on the next one too!!

 

[bounce]

Thanks CAH7. Yes it did cause a few problems that fence didn't it and I also don't think I was as positive as I should have been. I'm going back to school round after the next unaffiliated ODE so will see what he's like when it is just schooling and not a competition as we wont even have the advantage of the showjumping round then to get our blood up at all.