Horse forgets what a ground pole is

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spacefaer

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I'm bewildered by my horse!
Anyone have any experience of a horse who doesn't seem to understand (or remember) what poles on the ground are? This happens both under saddle and on the lunge. He'll follow me (suspiciously) over them if in hand, but not voluntarily......

He jumps happily and normally out of trot or canter. Back and hocks are fine, and he does it in a headcollar so saddle fit not an issue.

If there's a pole on the ground, he'll stop or pause and check his pace, then step or jump over it. If there are multiple poles, he'll do the same thing, only more so.
It's like he's taken by surprise every single time. It gets better, slowly, during the course of a session, but he's still suspicious, and if you move the poles he's already been over, he starts all over again with the looking at them.

Any similar experiences?
 
Some years ago I had an ex-racer (failed hurdler) who was suspicious of trotting poles and my riding instructor said that some horses just didn't seem to 'get' them and not to make a big deal of it. He was absolutely fine jumping with sj and xc.
 
I had a horse who'd been 3*** eventing, however he would not entertain poles on the floor. If I made him do them, he was tense and nervous about it.
I just didn't do poles on the ground with him 🤷
He felt the same about grid work too. So we just jumped courses, which he loved, and was very good at!
 
Yes. Ex racer, if you built it up and jumped all the time he was good, point and shoot at 1m but then the next day he might forget how to step over a pole. His personality can only be described as “bi-polar”.
 
Yep, I posted about him on the Connie thread a few days ago. He could jump 115cm but some days would refuse a pole on the floor. We never cracked it and he now does pure dressage!
 
Another ex racehorse. Won British eventing but terrified by a pole on the ground. Even had to be led into a showing class once where there was a pole by the entrance. He didn’t like puddles or different coloured tarmac either so probably eyesight but not a problem competing
 
My sisters horse has a lovely jump, except he seems to forget he knows how by the next session so his first jump or two is always a dithery spooky ridiculous leap. Then he remembers what he's doing and does a lovely sensible job. He does exactly the same thing with poles too. We've had him 8 years now, I often think he's just a bit of a dim bulb 🤣
 
My horse leaps over a pole and shoots away from it. If you keep doing it he might improve after multiple attempts. Next day back to square one. Happily jumps natural obstacles.
 
This is so interesting!

I have an ex-racer who very similar to many above. I recently had his eyes checked specifically because of this issue. At the start of EVERY jump training or pole session, he acts as though any pole on the ground or small jump is about to turn in to a snake and bite him. It takes a good few leaps, skips and skidaddles over the offending objects, nearly unseating me in the process, before he remembers that he has done this 70 billion times before and survived, so perhaps they are ok.

He then proceeds to jump really nicely - mostly. He does take exception to certain colours, until he learns they are safe. Rustic jumps pole show jumps are an issue at the moment :/ xc jumps are ok, arena eventing jumps are ok, coloured SJ are mostly fine ( not purple though) but rustic SJ are VERY suspicious :o

I took him to an LG clinic in the summer. Her theory, having watched him SJ and XC, is that he just sees differently to most other horses. At first she thought he was perhaps short sighted, and that I would need to approach every jump quite slowly to give him time to judge it, but having seen him canter confidently over a variety of jumps, she revised her opinion. Her advise was simply lots of practice, and a very secure ready for trouble seat! We did discuss experimenting with goggles for him, but as they aren't competition legal, there wuldn't be much point.

LG does have a theory that there is something in modern breeding which is making the modern TB more spooky than they used to be, and that it is linked to eyesight.
 
millitiger said:
I had a horse who'd been 3*** eventing, however he would not entertain poles on the floor. If I made him do them, he was tense and nervous about it.
I just didn't do poles on the ground with him 🤷
He felt the same about grid work too. So we just jumped courses, which he loved, and was very good at!
Click to expand...
I have this too with my ex eventer.
I found out about grids the hard way when he took the ground pole and the jump together. Thought I was going to die.
 
Yes… sj bred Warmblood. Occasionally she’d take umbridge to a pole on the floor and decide to have a rearing fit over it. God only knows why!
 
Maybe at some point the horse stepped on the pole and got frightened when it moved - slid - under his foot.

I think unrestrained poles are a potential hazard.
 
Piggy tv has just put a few vids on of an older mare that will not calmly walk over a pole on the ground but has no problems jumping around big courses. She is trying to crack it now as she thinks it will help with relaxation and ride ability. Interesting to watch xx
 
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