Help?! My horse has no confidence jumping.

milesjess

milesjess

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 August 2010
Messages
1,498
Visit site
I've owned him for nearly 6 months and still haven't jumped, so today I decided to free school him to see how he jumped.

He's a 12 year old, 15.3hh, ISH, gelding. He has previously jumped with old owners.

Basically when I popped a small cross pole up and sent him round the school he ended up in a complete panic and worked himself up once the fence was up. I ended up putting the pole on the ground (we have done pole work before with no issues) and leading him over it. I then raised it to a small cross pole and had to lead him over it. He seemed a lot more confident being lead but I think that'll have major flaws as I don't want him to become too 'clingy' when I'm trying to work him.

His old owner did say he needs re-schooling when it comes to jumping as he apparently had a rider who jumped him and jabbed him sharp on the bit when he landed which caused him to rush and become upset. I also never saw him jumped when I bought him :( (I know bad mistake but I fell for him! :rolleyes:)

My friend's suggested doing sessions with him leading him over small jumps etc and riding with poles on the ground then gradually raising them to small cross poles, then uprights. Also would lunging him over fences work?!

I'm not desperate to jump him and I don't mind if he doesn't take to jumping but I want to give him the best opportunity to gain confidence and enjoy jumping.

Any thoughts? :)
 
Why don't you just get on him and try? Just start really small and as soon as he does a few and realise your not going to hurt him, I'm sure he'll be fine.
 
Wings was terrible when I first got him, wouldn't be led near poles, couldn't be ridden near them. Over time, and some firm but fair handling (I find being slightly harsh with Wings helps, as then he feels that I am confident, so then has confidence to put his trust in me, whereas if I take the softly softly approach, I think I come across nervous, and he is much worse). Overtime, I could take him over trotting and cantering poles, and then I started taking him over poles with jump wings either side, and from there, gradually increased the size. I would still do courses of poles with wings either side, until we could do a course of poles on the ground.

Once he would jump a couple of little fences and a course of poles, I started increasing heights while in a course, until we could do up to about 80cm. Once he was confident over fences, I would put in fillers to the side of the fences, so he wasn't actually jumping the filelrs, but in between them. I would slowly push the fillers further in, until he ended up jumping a course of jumps with fillers in.

Now, he is very confident jumping most fillers and I haven't asked him to jump up to a height he can't do, as he has proved to be very scopey, and finds the heights/widths a doddle. He can still be a little wobbly, but as I take him to more competitions, and he sees more fillers, he is getting more and more confident. (in fact, he is getting a bit too cocky now, and although we will go out and win, he takes me round the course). I find using this method has not only helped with SJ, but also XC, as the majority are more natural looking, and more inviting, and if any are a weird colour (e.g bright blue)/shape (e.g have feed bags under them), because we have done fillers, he locks onto them as though they are showjumps, and doesn't take a second glance at them.

It is a long process, but it is worth it at the end :D

Hope this helps :)
 
3 words - back to basics.

I would think from his extreme reaction than there is more to this than a few jabs in the mouth. I would suspect he has been 'got at', as they say - in other words belted hard.

Perhaps he started stopping because he anticipated the jab or perhaps because he jumped hollow to avoid the jab and had the fence down and hurt himself. Whatever the cause, you need to take as long as it takes to regain his confidence.

I would really enlist the help of a good sympathetic instructor - plenty of good ones, but you need one who won't try to push you and him.

In the meantime, I would start with a pole on the floor, and walk him over it, round it, past it, back over it, ride away and ignore it, then back over it as casually as you can manage. Just treat it as part of the school. Then next time have a few poles dotted around the school, that you just 'happen' to ride over every now and then. Spend a couple of weeks doing this. Some days don't bother with poles at all, if he finds it stressful.

When he is totally happy walking and trotting over them, try cantering over them. I don't mean canter poles in a line, just random poles placed round the school, maybe one on the centre line, one on the B - E line, one just in from the corner so you can go over it on the inner track but another time go over it. If he is happy cantering over them, and doesn't launch or panic, then you can progress to trot poles, 3 in a row, and maybe a few weeks down the line, canter poles in a line.

Treat him as if he is 3, and just learning. Are you a patient person? I hope so! But it is worth taking all the time in the world, because it will pay off more than trying to jump x poles. I wouldn't bother trying to loose jump him because he needs confidence, and you can give that much better from on top, IMO.
 
Thanks for the advice :)

I have all the patience and time in the world to work on getting his confidence back.

I'll try the techniques mentioned and get him used to being around poles and working over them. Will see how he get's on.

I've had a good, sympathetic instructor recommended to me so will see if I can get lessons sorted.

My mate came to view him with me and we both said after today that we thought maybe more had happened when jumping to cause him to react the way he does.

Cheers guys :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top