Showjumping Horse dropping shoulder & refusing fillers

J

Jumping_June

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Hi,
I'm looking for some advice on how to sit/stop a horse that drops her shoulder and runs out just before a filler. She rarely runs out/ refuses regular jumps just fillers that she seems to be genuinely quite scared of. She will usually, after running out a few times (without dropping her shoulder which is the main thing that unseats me), go over most fillers but yesterday when I was practising a water tray with her (which she finds particularly scary), she was at first pretty good with going over the water tray on the floor and then with a cross pole over it but when it was put up to a small upright, she dropped her shoulder and ran out at the last second & disappeared from underneath me. She has done this before with another filler she really didn't like the look of. She's a rs horse so can't get her checked but don't think she's in pain as she is a naturally spooky horse on the ground & on the flat. There are other horses at my rs I could ride but the main horse I ride is out of work at the moment with a neck injury & the other two don't really challenge me to improve my riding so I'd like to try and get this mare more confident with fillers. Any advice would be really helpful, thanks.
(I've attached some pictures to show a bit clearer what she does)20250616_165430.jpg20250616_165508.jpg20250616_165537.jpg20250616_165554.jpg20250616_165612.jpg20250616_165630.jpg
 
Your legs are what will keep you on- It looks like your stirrups might be too long and you have lost a secure leg position on the first photo which has then totally destabilized the leg so you have no base to stay on with.
Lots of work in light seat, lots of work without stirrups and then look up, ride positively (a strong trot is easiest if you think they might spook) and keep your balance in your feet
 
TheMule said:
Your legs are what will keep you on- It looks like your stirrups might be too long and you have lost a secure leg position on the first photo which has then totally destabilized the leg so you have no base to stay on with.
Lots of work in light seat, lots of work without stirrups and then look up, ride positively (a strong trot is easiest if you think they might spook) and keep your balance in your feet
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Thanks for the advice, I agree my lowerleg isn't the most stable sometimes & while I can usually sit bucks/broncs and rears, shoulder drops really unseat me for some reason.
 
I think you hit the wing there so hope you are OK. I have been in a similar position and although I was sceptical shorter stirrups would help they did. I've also got a neckstrap on!
 
SEL said:
I think you hit the wing there so hope you are OK. I have been in a similar position and although I was sceptical shorter stirrups would help they did. I've also got a neckstrap on!
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Thanks, i'm fine just a bit frustrating as she was jumping the filler nicely before as a cross pole & she can definitely jump the height of the upright. And will definitely shorten my stirrups next time although they didn't feel very long when I was riding (and usually I have them too short lol)
 
Happy to be corrected if others think differently but:

If she was doing that at speed, it looks quite a nasty stop/ run out especially if she's already been over the filler and over the filler with a cross pole. There could be a whole list of reasons for why she's doing it but if she's a RS pony then being harsh, it's not really on you to sort. Confidence, especially jumping can be so fragile and it can be really hard to pull your riding back from riding a stopper and I think I'd expect/ hope a horse that was teaching you to jump would be a bit more genuine than that, especially over that sort of height. If there's not another horse that's suitable at the RS is there maybe another RS you can try to see if they have a horse that can teach you at this stage?
 
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Squeak said:
Happy to be corrected if others think differently but:

If she was doing that at speed, it looks quite a nasty stop/ run out especially if she's already been over the filler and over the filler with a cross pole. There could be a whole list of reasons for why she's doing it but if she's a RS pony then being harsh, it's not really on you to sort. Confidence, especially jumping can be so fragile and it can be really hard to pull your riding back from riding a stopper and I think I'd expect/ hope a horse that was teaching you to jump would be a bit more genuine than that, especially over that sort of height. If there's not another horse that's suitable at the RS is there maybe another RS you can try to see if they have a horse that can teach you at this stage?
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I was trying to find a way to say this nicely.

The horse's confidence is not your job to sort, the horse is supposed to be teaching you. And you can practise a more stable position on a horse that isn't going to test it quite so hard!
 
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