Horse rushing after a fence.

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LuLu2

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Hello

I have a 7yr old, 16.2hh ISH who is very green where jumping is concerned. He approaches the fence really well and pops over nicely but as soon as all four hooves touch the other side, he tries to rush off.
I think it could be one or a combination of the following things.

- We are in a large open field, so the extra space perhaps goes to his head.
- I tend to leave it a little late, putting all my weight back in the saddle on landing, I tend to two point. He is very sensitive to weight aids so I'm possibly leaning a little forward, encouraging him to go faster, he is very forward going.
- Because he is green, he is either excited or a little anxious about jumping.


I can work on fixing the first two problems and I will be having saddle and back checked, I have noticed that when he gets tired his left hind leg starts interfering with the right hind quite often (fetlock brushing?), possibly a strength issue?

Providing everything is ok, Does anyone have any exercises that might help build his confidence, please?
 
Probably best to get a lesson with an experienced jump trainer to see what it is that they see. Could be so many things that it is difficult to give definite advice without actually seeing what is happening.
 
Rushing forward is most commonly a pain or fear of pain response. He might be responding to something that hurts now, or remembering something that hurt in the past.

Absolutely get the saddle checked - and get a good instructor to help you with your position. I wonder if lower fences which you can take in a more upright and balanced position, or low grids, might help? Or possibly a landing pole - but be very sure of your distances as you don't want him to stand on it and make matters worse.

Might he be over reaching on landing? Or have over reached in the past? Is he running from the fear that that will happen again?

Or is he just unbalanced so the combination of his weight and yours mean he has to run forward in order to save himself on landing?
 
Place your fences so that you can circle (15-20m) afterwards, change the direction of the circle often so he can't second guess you. Check the fit of your saddle over the wither, is it a little low as often the weight of the rider on landing along with the shape the horse makes on landing can press the saddle onto the wither.
 
Once you have checked saddle fit etc I would do loads of grids.

This will enable you to sit quieter, he will have to self regulate his stride, he will gain confidence because the grid will get him to the right spot to jump the fence comfortably, and it will keep him straight. Whats not to love about a grid!

You will need an experienced person on the ground or preferably an instructor, but I would be aiming to do a little gridwork a couple of times a week, maybe 20 mins each time :)
 
I would also advise getting lessons with an experienced instructor. There are so many things that could cause rushing - rein contact, your weight, tack, ground, speed of approach, etc. - that nobody could give you a reason without seeing you.
 
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