help with correct striding towards jumps, pics included

[Tiarella]

All of a sudden Doug, who is nearly 5, has become a bit of a cocky jumper. Ever since the jumps have been in the field, I usually jump twice a week on him and he keeps improving. At the moment we're jumping max 2ft9, but that is only one jump, not a course. Now from looking at pics he always seems to take off from quite a distance away as he really does like to give them some air, its not a whole stride away, but also if he put in another stride he would be close to the jump, so, is it just his way of jumping? Should I jump bigger to make him think about it rather than just fly over it in his cocky manner

or have lessons with grid work and placing poles etc?

I very rarely get left behind as I know when he is going to take off, but is it just his way of jumping taking off a little bit further away?

Is that just his natural take off point? I am used to it, and he seems to be fine taking off from the distance, but when the jumps go higher he might struggle a lot more?

 

[Tiarella]

anyone?

 

[ester]

am typing a reply!

 

[brighthair]

I think each horse has their own way - I'd try some grid work with him and also try putting the jumps up and see if it alters his take off. As long as he is jumping and clearing them, I'm a believer of not interfering too much!
My old horse used to come in on the perfect stride, then take another half stride - very irritating but it was her way, and it worked

 

[ester]

He is a bit far back but I certainly have worse pics of Frank! Mums horse went through a similar phase at that age, but she did get too quick, too far away and then started to worry herself about it a bit.

Frank has to get closer as they get bigger in order to get up and over them a bit.

How fast is his approach (for him, don't compare to oliver!)

I would suggest having 2 jumps on a related difference and playing about with the length of his canter stride so see how many or how few you can get in. He needs to listen to you trying to adjust his stride too, although I do abandon Frank to it if needs must. You don't need jumps to do this, canter poles are fine or points in the arena. I did quite a lot of this when I first got Frank so that I knew how many canters we had and how much adjustment I had

One trick I do with mum is to have a double and make it progressively smaller, so that horse has to get closer and wait. Ie I will start with 3 strides in between, then adjust it slightly to make 3 shorter strides and then make it a 2 stride then a 1 then back again. Otherwise she starts to think 'I know what this is now' and gets cocky so this keeps her thinking and listening.

This is all linked with gridwork, I would do some small bounces with him so that he learns to get up in the air without taking off too far away.

I would not put them up too quick as he is still a novice at this and you don't want to overface him if he tries to do it his way and fails. Frank jumps better bigger but I do insist he does his exercises over smaller jumps to start. (Though he doesn't like someone telling him what to do either he reckons in 16 years he knows best)

hope that helps.

 

[helenhorse]

every horse has their own habits and ways of getting over a fence, its just his way of taking the micki out of a small jump, perhaps if u were to crank it up slightly he might need to think about where hes putting his feet, rather than just fly over it..But, as a rider, perhaps if u wanted him to put another stride in, when approaching 'let the jump come to you' and sit up and relaxed, riding him up to the sky if u get me, to keep him light and shorten his stride, this way he will find it hard to take off before u want him to..hope this helps xx

 

[JessPickle]

I do think it is if they can do it they will, the jumps are not big enough for him to have to get in a bit deeper so it doesn't present him a problem. Also on grass they do tend to be more forward going which can make them a bit more brave. Pickle does the same thing

he is 17 and slightly stuck in his way or no way though

Inside he goes on right stride/too deep sometimes

Outside mad strides

 

[Tiarella]

thankyou everyone

Ester - I usually go into the jumps at a fastish canter

Ive had 10 months of him being really slow and lazy, so now he is fast on grass I sort of use it to my advantage and dont really collect him enough into the jumps, which is why he may be taking off a bit further away

I am going to book some lessons in the school to practice bounces, gridwork and doubles etc to see if he improves at all. Yes, I agree, I dont want to over face him as me and him are comfortable going over this height at the moment and dont want to knock his confidence at all.

NDubz - yep I do think I need to come into the jumps at a more light collected canter as I do sort of rush into the jumps as well, I like jumping fast

Jess - your right, on grass Doug is fast and really good, but in the school he is lazy and needs a good few pony club kicks to get him going. I just love the fact how forward going he is and love to canter fast into the jumps, which is most likely why he takes off a bit further away

 

[ester]

its ok to canter fast into them sometimes!

but he needs to be adjustable otherwise he is going to come a bit unstuck as you get bigger.

Its a fine line as if he is like frank he will need his impulsion to get over them, Frank doesn't really jump in a perfect consistent rhythm he tends to bunch his energy up then release it to get over, so my decision is when to release the energy. This is why we have had some XC problems cos he needs to flow a bit better and we have improved.

Have a play about and keep him enjoying it.

 

[Mavis Cluttergusset]

I have found that it is my rubbishness that determines where P takes off. She is very honest and will jump absolutely anything from any stride, and in the past I have cantered at the fence, hoped for the best and left her to it which usually means she stands off as she does like to carry me in. As I've got more confident in my own ability, I've become more able to hold her in a bouncy canter and meet a fence perfectly.

Not suggesting you are rubbish at all, just saying what works for me (and I am unfortunately truly rubbish). Speed doesn't clear fences; in my experience it just results in a flat and untidy jump. If I have confidence in myself and hold her together we seem to get the stride right (this is from a person who actually lies awake at night worrying and fretting about seeing a stride)

 

[silvershadow81]

Just an observation... most of the photos you posted are of uprights, do you have any over some decent parallel fences?

If you widen the fence slightly and put a placing pole in deep, it would encorage him to move closer to his fence (If he dosnt naturally do that with a wider fence)

It dosnt look too bad though, his age and experience will determine how he tackles his fences.

A lesson with some gridwork wouldnt hurt.

Good luck, he looks like a lovely boy xx

 

[magic104]

As a baby you dont want him learning to rush into his fences. Trying doing so raised trotting pole work along with some canter work with poles. You need to be able to shorten & lenghten your stride. Before doing bounces try trotting poles start with one pole & adding the poles one at a time adjusting the distance to suit his stride. Though it is easier for a horse to jump out of canter they should not be rushing into their fences. I recommend you have a read of Celebrity Jumping Exercies there are some great tips in there. He needs to learn to slow down & keep a rhyhtm in his stride. He will get away with hurdling sngle fences under a certain height, but once he has combinations to deal with he will be in trouble.