home made small xc jumps for youngster ?

[millyspaniel]

We have just started jumping my 4yr tb mare, we have 1 lesson per week in a menage and mainly do cross poles, pole work etc. She seems to enjoy it alot and gets quite excited. Today she did run out at a jump as it was a little different - a small spread, but we just put it down and build it back up again untill she is comfortable with it. I find the more confident i am the more she is willing. We are currently jumping around 2 - 3ft comfortably.
I ride her about 4 times per week and she has the weekend and mondays off. That include a 45min lesson (where we jump) and on the other days we hack out alone or with a few others. We mainly walk but occassionlly have a canter across any open fields.
We own some woods and there is a fantastic open soft (not muddy) track with trees either side and it is fairly wide. I we nt down there yesterday with the dog and found lots of fallen logs and stuff, perfect for jumping. I am thinking of setting up some small natural jumps down the track this afternoon and taking my mare with another experienced horse to jump them.
I dont want to scare my mare or over jump her and would hate for her to lose her confidence in jumping, but if i made the jumps small (around 2ft) and inviting (there also knockable not solid) do you think this would be a good idea to get her used to different jumps?
Opinions please!

 

[somethingorother]

Hrm no experience of doing this with youngsters etc, but have used jumps like this before and found that horses which may not normally like jumping have loved it. Piles of twigs etc so that it's knockable like you say should be good. Will people get angry at you blocking their path though?

 

[NeedNewHorse]

I think you will find she prefers this and over jumping is more over facing, i,e big jumps, scary fillers too much too soon. What you are doing will be more inviting and far more up her street especially for young horses.. This is just IMO though so not exactly sound knowledge!
x
Oh let us know how it goes please.

 

[millyspaniel]

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Will people get angry at you blocking their path though?

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Nope, we own the whole 63 acre woodland - so its private property, there is a bridlepath that runs through and a footpath but these are over the other side of the wood

I hope she enjoys them, it will be good to see how she reacts to them compared to the menage jumps.

Have been down this afternoon and made some super xc jumps, am very impressed if i say so myself! theres a tiny one which will be good for starting off made up of sticks, about 10 inches from the ground, then theres a straight one made with 2 tree stumps and a light weight log resting over the top with another log underneath about 2ft, a spread about 3ft high and 1.5ft across - made with a lite weight log resting on stumps then two smaller logs resting on the front with light weight logs in a sort of ladder effect spread (see how we get on with the smaller ones first) theres another log on stumps about 2ft and a 3ft straight thats a bit of a spread with a log in front. They are all knockable and all light weight - the dead thin trees are like paper

cant wait to try them over the weekend