Help please ????

[Ethankay]

So I just got this new 5 year old mare off the track and have ridden her like 6 times we have popped over some small jumps she will clip the pole with her legs a if she is half runny through the jump is this normal for a young horse to do this just abit worried as she was going to be my next event horse

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

She is 5 and just off the track and you have ridden her 6 times really give the horse a break do you know how ridiculous that sounds, training a horse takes years of careful training, she is probably weak and not really sure what is expected of her right now.

I suggest you get a good instructor and get your flat work right first before trying to get her to jump, once she is working nicely on the flat start introducing poles and jumps.

Show jumpers are not made in a week.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Pretty horse. Did she race on the flat, over hurdles or over fences? Was she let down after she finished racing? How long has she been back in work?

I do agree that it is too early to worry. You have a lot of training ahead of you. Get a good instructor who has worked with ex-racehorses and green horses before and that will help a lot.

 

[Ethankay]

Pretty horse. Did she race on the flat, over hurdles or over fences? Was she let down after she finished racing? How long has she been back in work?

I do agree that it is too early to worry. You have a lot of training ahead of you. Get a good instructor who has worked with ex-racehorses and green horses before and that will help a lot.

She never raced or never trailed And was Trained as a flat racing mare

 

[Meowy Catkin]

So the jumps you did could have been her very first with a rider on?

Definitely don't worry yet.

 

[Ethankay]

So the jumps you did could have been her very first with a rider on?

Definitely don't worry yet.

 

[WispyBegs]

You have only ridden your new horse six times. Please give her a chance.

I suggest you find yourself a good instructor and work with them to find out what your horses capabilities are and what they could be before worrying about what she may or may not be able to do. It’s too early to tell.

 

[Birker2020]

Hi there. Looking at your photo I would say that you could do with making your fences a bit more inviting. You need a ground line on the take off side so she can judge where to take off, whereas in your photo the ground line is on the landing side.

Try a basic cross pole fence with a ground line pole in front of it. If she masters that nicely then introduce a back rail to make it into an ascending oxer to encourage her to stretch. Grid work is really useful for young horses but you really need someone who knows what they are doing to help you. A frames are also useful to get your horse to use its shoulders more.

If you make a steep x with the cross poles this should also help - i.e. put the end of the pole on the highest hole on the wing and place the other end of the floor, do the same with the opposite side so you form an 'X'.

You'll get there, but these things take time.

 

[paddi22]

work with an instructor and make a plan. you need an event horse to be brave and confident over jumps. if you continue the way you are now, you risk overfacing her and making her nervous jumping. she needs to learn her balance, build the muscle to jump, she needs to learn technique, she needs to get a good jumping canter. it's a process, and making her jump now will lead to massive gaps in her training that will show up later. get a good instructor and build her up properly. otherwise you will end up with a horse that probably jumps hollow, flat, rushed and knocking poles if she's unsure of what she's doing.

 

[ycbm]

If you make a steep x with the cross poles this should also help - i.e. put the end of the pole on the highest hole on the wing and place the other end of the floor, do the same with the opposite side so you form an 'X'.

I really dislike steep cross poles for teaching a new horse to jump. It's my experience that, because at take off they can only judge the height of the fence from the poles at the side and not directly in front of them, it causes the real babies to badly overjump (if theythink they can clear it at all) and to scare the rider and themselves.
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[sportsmansB]

I really dislike steep cross poles for teaching a new horse to jump. It's my experience that, because at take off they can only judge the height of the fence from the poles at the side and not directly in front of them, it causes the real babies to badly overjump (if theythink they can clear it at all) and to scare the rider and themselves.
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I agree, small X poles are fine for baby horses but very high x's should be reserved for straightness work for more experienced horses, grids etc
Also if they tip a pole off a high x it can end up in a pickle between their legs as it doesn't roll off evenly and they aren't necessarily making a proper shape, and scare them more.