Help with Jumping please

[beaconhorse]

I have a fairly green horse where jumping is concerned. However he loves it! Today he was really up for it, even squealing with excitement as we headed for the first jump (bless him)

My problem is with slowing him down !!!! I ride him in an American gag and still have problems with brakes. When schooling and hacking he responds to the seat so I ride him in a snaffle.

Even doing doubles/trebles with 8 paces inbetween he still rushes. If I do bounces he can only manage them in trot

I had thought of putting placing poles in front of the jump but am not sure of the distance to put them, as I tried putting a take off pole 2 paces away and he puts in a little stride after the pole and takes off right under the jump.

Any ideas please
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[Lynz25]

I know where you are coming from!!! My 17yr old TB that I've owned since he was 5yrs has onlu calmed down enough in the last year to do trotting poles / striding poles properly - used to just jump the entire thing. I've now got a 5 yr old x-racer who loves jumping and he was doing similar things the would fly over the jump and then buck for glory in excitement afterwards. I found that going back to basics over simple poles on the floor and then circling before and after the poles until he calmed down - gradually built up from walk to trot etc. My tutor also used to put 2-3 tro poles in (closest about 3ft from the first jump) and then a pole in the middle of the jump and then one about 3-4ft after the last one. This combined with the above circles and also doing lots of long reining over the jumps seems to have sorted it out. With the long reins I've set them up so that he gets increased pressure if he bucks / trys to bugger off so that he learns to do things calm.

 

[spooks]

you horse sounds exactly like ours except he hasnt squealed going into the jumps....yet...lol. he is ridden in a snaffle for everything but jumped in a dutch gag and still a git to stop .he can go to a fence sensibily but 9 times out of 10 he chooses to do it his way! he is a bit more sensible the higher he jumps . i am getting an instructor in to sort both him and the rider out!

 

[beaconhorse]

yep sounds familiar. I keep getting people say take him back to basics BUT I have really taken my time with him, Been jumping him a year or more and only just got to 2ft 6in, so it is not as tho I have rushed him.
He is so much more confident at home and that is where I am having the problem with the brakes lol I must say tho it is better than stopping BUT if I don't deal with it it will start and cause problems with more complicated combinations in the future

 

[spooks]

yeh know that feeling to, otto rarely knocks a pole down but there has been 2 occasions where he has just been going to fast and flat jumped taking the pole with him. ash jumped him tonight and he was good as gold yet last week at a show he was bronking after the practice fence ad tanking off with her! he still came 2nd and 4th in the classes though!!