Horses jumping limit.......

How do you decide what a horses limit is? Is it when they start stopping?

Just wondered as I loaned a horse and was told that 1m10 was his limit - it really wasn't!

I'm just wondering whether people impose their own limits on their horses jumping or whether there is a way to tell when a horse has jumped it's limit?

BTW, I haven't jumped more than 3ft in years so I'm not qualified to answer - just interested in people's views I guess.
 
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In my experience the horse lets you kow when its at its limit, stops, run out etc especially if it has happily jumped up until then but of course, rider limits will play a big part too, horses aren't stupid, they know fine well if the rider isn't with them and that will stop it jumping too X
 
Pickle is incredibly honest jumping, never refuses always tries his heart out. His limit is definetly when he refuses (he always refuses quite gently normally though) this is normally at 3ft9+
 
Think my limit is far smaller than my horses!!! Would love to put someone 'proper' on him to see what he could do - although maybe I should have more lessons and train myself not to be scared of big oxers!!!
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In my experience the horse lets you kow when its at its limit, stops, run out etc especially if it has happily jumped up until then but of course, rider limits will play a big part too, horses aren't stupid, they know fine well if the rider isn't with them and that will stop it jumping too X

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that's exactly what I meant I guess.....If I was heading for a 3ft6 jump I know I'd freeze and oscar definately needs you to be confident....

That said, I'm really starting to trust him jumping - i was beaming all the way around the first class we did together so hopefully, this time next year we'll be doing some nice 3ft and above classes
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I take it from the feel of the horse, my grey never used to be able to jump anything over 3foot so i thought id give him a few weeks over some slightly larger fences to see how he coped....as soon as he felt un easy i would lower the jumps....

hes now jumping over 5foot with ease!!!

The horse will tell you when its reached its limits, either by refusing / napping or just really backing off the fences at that height.
 
Doubt I'll ever have the nerve to find out ANY horse's jumping limit (even a Shetland's) I'm getting nervous in my old age. That said I jumped my new horse for the first time this weekend and at 18 inchs we've already topped my personal best
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. British Novice here we come....in about 2 years time!
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the horse will tell you when however up un till this winter i thought rebels (gery in siggy) was 3',3'3'' at a push but he went and suprised me by jumping 3'6'' alright most of the winter and we even tryed a 3'9'' would have got a clear a s well if my legs wernt so long (we met it wrong in the jump off so he really twised to try and get over it unfortunatly im to big for him really (but he can easily carry my dad for a days hunting so i dont think he strugles with me) so my god da** lanky leg took it out he looked so upset that ited come down
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Oscar doesn't seem to back off anything yet so when he does start I'm guessing it will either be me or his limit!

I was told that when the lady who brought him went to view he was doing 4ft 6 with ease....not sure i'll ever get to that level! ha ha

He does seem to not make an effort over 2 ft 6" though so I think I'll have to get him jumping higher soon....
 
Little SJer hates touching poles and doesn't no how to stop, when she reaches her limit she starts to knock them and you can feel her really trying to stretch to make spreads.
 
I had a horse who's limit was 1.10. He could go clear around a Newcomers first round but never went clear in the JO. He could jump single fences of 1.30 - but in the ring where it mattered it was 1.10.

He didn't stop, he just had fences. I sold him as he won too much money and there weren't amateur classes back then.
 
Mine starts to demolish them much higher than 3ft he can jump a single fence but not a course bigger than that. He still tries bless him but he is built to pull not jump lol
 
Any horse can jump one big fence, it's when you get a course up you learn their limits. I've not been brave enough to come even close to finding my grey horses limit yet - and tbh I don't think it's a feeling i'd like to get!
 
My old pony's limit was a course of 1.15-1.20m. After that he started scattering poles. This was with his old owner, with me I chickened out at 1-1.05m. I never really tested him over just one single jump but he probably could have gone much higher - he happily jumped out of his field over a 1.4m fence ). Not to bad for a 14.2!

My new horse is a belgian warmblood, who has been jumping round 1.1-1.2m tracks as a 5 year old, so the sky's the limit for him, though with me he certainly won't go above pony club level
 
Pony's limit (free schooling) is about 1.25 - 1.30 - saying that, she has umped with another HHO member (duckling) 1.23 with her on board ....but that was a single fence. probably about 1.10 MAYBE course. She will stop though...and tellyou that it is too big.
 
Well a friend of mine was sold a horse and told
'This horse is not a jumper! Do NOT expect him to be any good at it"

They chucked him out in a field and he jumped out over an 8ft hedge, so they kept it as a hunter
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I don't think I'll ever be brave enough to find Flash's limit, and I don't think I'd want to push him that hard anyway. He doesn't even seem to try until a course is about 3ft, and over a single jump he makes 4ft3 with apparently no effort whatsoever, giving it about a foot of room. Will just have to see how things go
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At the moment 4ft is MY limit - For some unknown reason my body informs me I can go no higher anymore.
But I know my youngest mares limit is alot higher, and she likes to show me that whenever we jump. Hag.
 
I think the horse will tell you pretty quick when its out of its depth. It'll start to struggle - knock poles more frequently or start stopping etc. But I agree with whoever said that the horse knows its riders limit too which'll obviously have an effect! I think my limit is currently (and probably always!) 1.20m competing-wise. Dont know of horses limit as I dont think Ill ever challenge it :P
 
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