Getting disheartened

[nel509]

I've owned my connie for almost 3 years. During that time I have struggled with jumping. His flatwork is good, and he has a good brain. We hunted over winter and he really took to it and enjoyed jumping out on the field. However I am really struggling with show jumps. If invested a lot of time, and money and today struggled to get him round a clear round of tiny x poles. He shuts down and will just about step over a fence. I have lessons, attend clinics,etc, and in those environments he usually starts sticky but then loosens up and usually finishes on a good note. I have had some instructors tell me that I'm wasting my time at one point he wouldn't even walk over a trotting pole. That phase is over, but he's 6 now, and the way he shuts down / won't move whe under pressure is the next frustrating trait I'm dealing with. I'm ready to admit defeat and forget about jumping completely ...r possibly sell him to someone that doesn't want to jump. Has anyone had a lemon like this before and got through this phase. I bought him as my forever horse, but I'm really questioning this at the moment.

 

[tiga71]

I feel your pain.

I am going through the same thing with my very green 8 year old. He hunted in Ireland and will jump anything xc up to about 85cm (as big as we have done) but poles are the devil. He was going really well and then we started to put a bit more pressure on, i.e. few tiny clear rounds, and he has just refused to do it with me. Stopping, spinning, ducking out. He is even difficult with my trainer.

We think it is a confidence thing and last week I had a natural horsemanship person out to give us her take on it. She also events up to Novice so knows jumping. She thinks something has gone wrong before I got him poles wise and he has been able to cope up till now.

We have been given lots of groundwork exercises to do to build his confidence in himself and in me, going over poles in every situation. Forwards, backwards, with tarp, raised, cross poles, with fillers. Lots of praise and time to process.

Also he is going to my trainers tomorrow for a week of lots of little and often baby jumping and trot poles. I will be doing groundwork once a day and her jumping him once a day.

I can't say if it is going to work but that is our plan.

It is so disheartening. How is your horse over xc jumps?

 

[millikins]

Two suggestions, will he jump for someone else? If so perhaps you are expecting problems and not giving him confidence or has he perhaps been badly overfaced prior to you buying him?

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Has he been checked by a vet/physio/dentist/saddler recently? He's only young so his shape will be changing very quickly. The adrenaline out hunting might be disguising any pain he has when jumping, which would explain why he's happy to jump there and not at home, where the adrenaline is low and he'll "feel" it more. I'm sure you've looked into these things already, but if not that's where I'd be starting.

Assuming he's got a clean bill of health otherwise, how is he over jumps/poles on the lunge or free? I'd start by not asking him to jump anything, just do poles poles poles! Lead him over them if you have to, just get him used to going over them and let him realise they don't bite. Try and build them into every single session you do. If he's really sticky to ride over poles, walk between them so he gets close to them, then work up to walking over them. Once he's happy walking over them, start trotting over them, then start cantering etc. Then build it up so he's trotting over a line of poles, then put the last pole up into a tiny jump. Just keep building it up slowly, and don't move onto the next "level" until he's really happy and confident at the one you're at. I'm sure you'll get there eventually, but it's probably just going to be a patience game.

 

[SEL]

Will he do solid fences away from the hunting field?

If so, then start popping a coloured pole on the ground just in front of a fence you'll know he'll jump. I gradually introduced a horse to poles this way many years ago. I have no idea why poles were the work of the devil, but they were - it took many months before he would jump a pole fence, but he'd fly over much more terrifying (to me at least!) solid fences.

 

[spinner1]

I have been through this with something with an immense amount of talent but little love for the job. If you have checked all medical issues, and still the consistency isn't there, I would sell.

This is supposed to be fun and takes a huge amount of time/money. There will be a home out there who will love him as he is, and a horse out there for you that will make you happy and wonder why you didn't make the decision sooner.

 

[nel509]

Sounds very similar. He is much better Xc, but we tried a hunter trials and he was reluctant to go forward. It didn't help as I did a pairs thinking he would be good following, but my friends horse would t move either. Lol. He had a week at my instructors in sept, and with a lot of work from me after the drama over poles is much better.

 

[nel509]

He has been to my instructors and she has similar issues, but is a much stronger / better rider than me. He was only 3 whe. I got him and lightly backed. I don't think he had seen a jump prior to me buying. He had come from Ireland as a 2 yo.

 

[nel509]

Yep everything checked, double checked, and checked again. I've gone through all the poles and more poles for months on end, including long reining, leading, over etc. he's confident over poles at home and at my instructors, and a few clinics I have been too. I think it's just me that's needs more patience. I compare him to normal horses constantly...and he has special needs.

 

[ycbm]

I've had a warmblood who hated jumping so much he gave me a rotational fall over a small showjump. He was sold immediately to a dressage rider.

Knowing what I know now, though, I would x ray the back of any horse that won't jump.

I know he jumps hunting, but he can choose his own shape and the adrenaline of hunting will mask pain.

ETA I see you have now said that he jumps confidently at home, which changes things completely. I'd sell him, it's supposed to be fun.

 

[nel509]

I'm thinking of this, but wonder where he would end up. He is a lovely soul, I so want it to work out with him, but the amount of time and money I'm putting into him is not working out

 

[nel509]

I've had a warmblood who hated jumping so much he gave me a rotational fall over a small showjump. He was sold immediately to a dressage rider.

Knowing what I know now, though, I would x ray the back of any horse that won't jump.

I know he jumps hunting, but he can choose his own shape and the adrenaline of hunting will mask pain.

he jumps for at home and over xc jumps not in a adrenaline fuelled hunt environment. I will bare this in mind thou. Thanks

 

[Cortez]

Some horses don't like jumping. If you do, sell him to someone who wants to do what he wants to do, and go look for a horse who enjoys jumping. Forcing a horse to do something he has no desire for will please neither of you.

 

[nel509]

Yep your right. It's hard but I am sure I won't be happy sticking to dressage and hunting. It will have to be done :-(

 

[Equi]

My friends 5yo horse (bred and produced to SJ) will trip, refuse and knock down anything under a straight 70cm. You say he has hunted and whatever fine, maybe he just doesn't know what to do with anything smaller. Horse might be thinking do i trot over them, jump, merely lift.....horse maybe just doesn't know. A jump is a jump, a smaller thing is a decision the horse has to make about how to handle the situation. Before you throw in the towel i would throw the jumps up and see what happens. Just once. And wear protection.


As an afterthought have you taken him to any dressage comps? If he is being weird at sj comps, would he be the same at dressage? He could just have general show anxiety...which is something to work on at his age. If he was 12 i might have a different opnion.