Getting a horse to enjoy showjumping?

[kit279]

My chestnut doesn't really enjoy his showjumping that much

He's quite green about it and I really have to boot him over the jumps. We do gridwork and I can get him revved up and going but he always has a big look at the first jump. I know it'll come with time, he's not been jumping that long but he's so great cross country and hunting that I was hoping he'd enjoy it! He's quite fat and lazy in general but does a stunning dressage test, I just need to get him to ping a bit more!

How do you drive the horse hard with your leg without unbalancing yourself? My other horse is very forward thinking so I can really get a nice feel from him and focus on my position but the chestnut is so bone idle that I'm all over the shop by the time we get to the jump so that's not ideal!

Advice please! How do I get him to 'pull' me into the jumps a bit more?

 

[sachak]

keep activities varied, don't keep drilling him or he will grow to resent it. i have a very novice horse in the very early stages of his training who has a very similar attitude to his flatwork.

having popped our first miniscule cross pole with much enthusiasm without the sillyness, little fences can now be included to vary his flatwork, he finds it extreemly onorous. lots of hacking keep him thinking forward.

 

[little_flea]

Take him JumpCross which is basically XC with coloured poles, preferrably with a more experienced nanny horse to go first.

 

[zoegolding]

Can you establish a more energetic, collected canter to the point where he feels like he is ready to explode off the floor when you reach a fence? Try to get his hind quarters right underneath him and really active without letting it all out the front door then take that canter to a fence and give with your hands letting the energy go in to the jump. Think about cantering but not really going anywhere to get him really active. Don't do this for too long - just short periods at at a time and make sure he really stretches off long and low for a good 10 mins afterwards. This really helped my showjumping with the eventer I used to own who was quite lazy behind when showjumping and it made him much quicker off the floor and it also meant he didn't feel rushed in to the fences. Just be careful you don't hold the horse too much going in to the fence.