Help needed regards to jumping issues

equibabe20

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Sorry if this is a long post but I'm in need of some unbiased advice and help. Basically my pony has a few issues when it come to jumping at competions. He loves jumping at home and has a lot of scope but as soon as we enter a competiton we end up being eliminated becasue he just refuses. Sometimes its at jump one, but if we're lucky it may be a 3 or 4. This only happens when we compete at the shows at home in the arena, he will happily go round the clear round which is on grass, or to other venues.
He does nap but I can ride him thru it, he does this at any competion anywhere, not just at home. I don't think its a schooling issue as I compete him at the home shows in novice and elementary dressage which he is fine in. its almost as though he gets stage fright when he comes in and see's all the fences, he gets himself very excited/nervous and he just ends up stopping. But I can feel he's looking about at other things and just not paying attention to me. Another problem is he has a dirty stop, he will be about to take off and at the last minute stop, drop his shoulder and spin, which when he is coming in fast and does it, its pretty scary. I guess this probably doesn't help as in the back off my mind I'm worrying about him stopping.
I've owned him for 10 years now, and its getting to the point where I'm going to end up competing him soon if I can't crack this, I've had lessons with various instructors, had all the checks done everything is fine. So any advice would be welcomed, well done if you got this far and actually understoood it I think I kinda rambled!
 

khan

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Poor you, you sound really fed up, can you get someone who's a very experienced jumper to help you out? Personally, i would hire out a venue with jumps and just practise possibly with an intructor on the ground to shout at you both (with a lunge whip as back up).

Do you feel that you have nerves also when jumping in front of a crowd, maybe you could do with someone to give you a confidence boost too?
 

Flame_

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Some shows do clear round and training classes where you can keep going even if you're eliminated. This would be a good idea for your horse because if he learns that he's going to have to go over eventually he'll soon work out that stopping and playing up is a waste of his energy and refusals should get less and less.
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equibabe20

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Yep I am very fed up, its difficult as I have no transport of my own I have to rely on other people but I'll see if I can get soem one to take me out.
Yeah I defiantly get nervous, I have no confidence now 10 years of humiliation has ruined it all
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equibabe20

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I do try and find places that run the clear round training things, but he's fien at these has mayb one stop but gets on with it, it seems to be just at home!
 

equibabe20

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Yeah but not excessivly, and we always ahve a lesson the day after the shows over the exact same course and he's fine, has a stop to begin with but soon settles and goes beautifully.
 

kerilli

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oh dear, i know the feeling. my first pony would jump anything at home, but wouldn't jump at shows. he'd jump the practise fence because he knew i'd keep trying a million times till he jumped it, but he KNEW that i only had 3 goes in the arena, and we always got eliminated. very very frustrating. one of his former riders recognised him at a show and told me that the pony was exactly the same with him.
tbh, you need a pony who loves jumping as much as you do. very sorry, it's the brutal truth though, i think. i would try to ride someone else's pony or horse for a while, one that enjoys jumping and can give you your confidence again (because riding stoppers really does for your confidence, there's no way around it, when you expect them to jump and then they do a filthy stop at the last second, it's really not good for anyone!)
if he just won't jump at shows in your arena only, then i'd avoid them, or try to time it/arrange it so that you can go into the arena after everyone has finished, put everything down to the lowest hole, and make him go over them first time no matter what, from a standstill at every one if necessary.
but nothing beats being on a pony/horse that enjoys it as much as you do, tbh.
 

muddy_grey

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If it only happens at home could you arrange to go around the course at the end of the show? I know you say the next day is fine, but straight after people will still be around and the atmosphere should still be there. I know it's difficult with people watching. We used to ride all the youngsters at the end of shows and it took a while not to feel emabarrassed picking myself up of the floor for the 10th time it's the best way to get them used to it.
 

moneypit1

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Equibabe I know EXACTLY where you are coming from! You could be talking about my Fly! He is 11 and I have owned him for only 9 months. His previous owners backed him and said he was always like this. It is so frustrating as he is so talented but his "attitude" finally decame his downfall and thus he was sold. I was aware of this when I bought him and it is not just with the jumping. The only thing I have found is that the more he does it the better he is. He looses his confidence very quickly, even just because he doesn't jump for a week or so. I have found that sometimes at a venue the first round is awful but I use that as a "practice" and enter more classes. Just keep at it is what I am trying to say, I really think it could be a confidence issue. Good luck and let me know how it goes!xxx
 

MagicMelon

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Ive had 2 who have done this. The first one was my very first pony, looking back I overjumped him at home (which Im mortified about now!). I jumped like 4 times a week and tried to compete him. He'd refuse at shows guaranteed. I dont think we ever got round a track for the first 2 years! He'd usually refuse number 1, but generally it was about half way round when we got the big fat E. Funnily enough, he was off ill for a year then came back into work and I didnt jump him at all at home - he then begun jumping clears out...! So the first thing Id probably try with yours is to stop jumping him. I have 2 horses just now who I compete, neither of them I EVER jump at home! One is jumping BSJA 1.20's and BE Novice doing this. I have 1 SJ lesson a month, otherwise the ONLY jumping I do is at the weekend comps! They are lovely and fresh then.

However, I did have a big warmblood who simply didnt have the heart. Occassionally he WOULD jump and when he did, he'd win. But the majority of the time he refused. If we got over fence 1, he'd get half way round and that'd be it. He'd nap like hell (although never napped during dressage etc.). In lessons (at any venue) he was amazing and never stopped. Same with at home. But at shows, something clicked in him. Someone actually told us later that they'd seen him being beaten in the SJ ring as a youngster. So I think thats where it all stemmed from. I ended up selling him as a hacking horse and he's so much happier. Some horses simply do not have the heart to compete. Do you know the background of yours? Has he ALWAYS refused?

If this was my pony, Id take it right back to basics. Id stop competing, and hire out the SJ course (like just after a competition has been held), Id put all the fences right down to like 2ft and make him get over them. Id trot round calmly, if he stopped I wouldnt let him run out, I wouldnt circle Id make him jump it from a stand still, lots of praise when he jumps. And just keep doing this, slowly moving up the height as he gains confidence. And Id probably do this once a week, not jumping at any other time.
 

equibabe20

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Hi all thanks for the advice, I'm gonna ask my YO if I can go round the courses once the competition has finished to see how that goes.
Magic_Mincepie: I have owned him 10 years now, he's 18. I brought him as a 'supposed' 7 year old but the dentist and vet say he was probaly younger than that. He's my first pony. I don't know anything else about his background. He occassionally refuses when I take him to clear round/training days but never 3 times or more. He was so much better when the jumping was held on the grass before the arena was extended, it seems to just be the arena.
I agree with what your saying about not jumping him at home, the only problem is I have no transport and the shows only run once a month from may - sept so that'd mean not jumping for the rest of the year unless someone takes me with them to a show
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