help with jumping..? (:

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westernriderH

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my horse has only just started jumping, and i wondered if anyone knows any exercises i can do to help him learn how to stride himself? at the moment he takes off too close to the jumps. i'm not that good at figuring out strides to help him out...is there ways of doing it that makes it easier or does it just become second nature? any help would be appreciated. thanks
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Hi, poles in front of the fence can help if you trot to the pole, canter over the pole and the jump if that makes sense. One exercise that I use is, put poles on the floor randomally ( like a course but just poles) and trot/canter round them. Count your strides as you are going round i.e 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4. It will help you get to know his stride and as they are on the floor if you get it wrong it won't hurt!!!!
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Have you got someone who can help you? Always helpful to have someone on the ground that knows what their doing.
 
Placing poles are what you need! But I wouldnt advise that you do this without the aid of an instructor..in fact I wouldnt advise that you continue jumping without any supervision if you are not overly confident of strides yourself - I mean you no disrespect at all, but if horsey is very green and unable to set himself right (some horses are naturally good at 'fiddling' a stride, others are not!) then he may well keep getting deep/jumping from far out, and he will scare you, him or both of you. Find a decent instructor to get you up and running; s/he may well be able to show you some exercises with poles that you can set up and do at home, but you will need that first bit of intervention so that someone on the floor can really analyse your horse's way of going, length of stride, etc.

Good luck!
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i'm not unconfident, it's just that he sometimes gets it right and sometimes doesn't..i wanted an exercise that helps him improve and get it right every time.
it seems to me that the bigger the jump gets the better he is?!

my mum's an ex instructor and she helps me.
 
Sorry missed out 'and then' should of read... trot to the pole canter over the pole and then over the jump. So the pole is the stride before the fence, it depends how big your neddy is as to how far away the pole should be from the fence. I go on about 3 of my steps (3 yards) for my horse but hard to tell without knowing how big yours is.
 
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i'm not unconfident, it's just that he sometimes gets it right and sometimes doesn't..i wanted an exercise that helps him improve and get it right every time.
it seems to me that the bigger the jump gets the better he is?!

my mum's an ex instructor and she helps me.

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Ah if your mum is an instructor then that's a whole different story!
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I wasnt saying that you were unconfident - but I know what kind of situation you are in! I was 12 when we bought Ellie, who, aged 5, had only just started jumping. I've never been the most confident of riders and certainly not the cleverest at seeing a stride! I kept her with my instructor for a couple of months after we bought her, and he helped us both to learn how to jump properly. First of all, you want to take your jump away completely, and start with some trotting poles (your mum should be able to help you with distances!
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) Start with one, then two, then three, and so on....trot through them, and horsey will learn how to pick his feet up; this will help him work out for himself - you wont have to do much! You could also do canter poles....same kind of principle...although some horses do not respect them; I would see what your mum says on that one! If you stick to the trotting poles, turn the last one into a little cross, and trot him through once more. Then gradually reduce the number of poles in the line, until you can trot him to the cross alone. The same exercise will work in canter, but as I said, you really do need someone with you to help!
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okay thanks
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i do trotting poles with him and he seems to be fine with them, generally with canter poles he tries to jump them i find, but i'll try that.

i'm used to horses that stride themselves, never had to think about it before you see :/
 
The secret to jumping is to have a regular rythmical bouncy canter. When you can achieve this you will always know where your pony will be puting his feet down so you should be able to see the stride pattern. Without that established canter you will have difficulties:
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i wanted an exercise that helps him improve and get it right every time.


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You can't expect him to sort out everything for you, it's a partnership & the pair of you must work together. You need to find a good trainer who can sort out both you & your pony then you will both be able to move forward.
 
sorry now i reread that it sounds bad..
i don't mean that i want him to do it for me, but my other horse looks at the jump and manages to stride himself, i would like colorado to be able to do that too.

i know what you mean, i think i almost have my canter down, because when he's too close or far away i know before i jump it, just not early enough to really be able to correct it every time by collecting/extending him :/
 
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hey i live in wiltshire too, whereabouts?
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I'm north Wilts, near Chippenham!
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And you?

Oh blimey....if you are in Wilts I can put you on to the most amazing show jumping trainer.....let me know if you are interested!
 
i live near swindon.

well i'm not sure if that would be any help, my horses are both western so i'm not going to be a professional showjumper one handed, this is just for fun
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obviously it's not going to be fun for my horse to keep scraping the poles with his front legs, hence the post.
 
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