How big did/do you jump your 4 yr olds....

Bug2007

Bug2007

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Lady is 16.1hh and we warm up once over tiny x pole so she knows we are jumping and then warm up over 2' straight bar.....

Worried about starting to jump her too big, but she clears that kind of height by miles.

Tyres were 2'9" on the take off side and she is clearing them by miles.

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That was last year and she has better style now.
 
My 4 year old was jumping between 85cms building up to 1m by the end of the summer. She has a huge jump but was inclined to over jump when she wasn't sure rather than stop so I had to be careful not to overface her.

She schooled round Toomer Farm over the 2'6" to 2'9" course in August but we mainly stuck to small fences of about 90cms but made them more complex like skinnies, ditches, off-set show jumps etc.

When horses are brave it is easy to overface them because they jump big when they are unsure so be careful how big you go. Also, one fence at 1m is very different from 8 or 9 in a course at that height.

Good luck this summer with her!
 
Thank you Doormouse...I am planning on BE80 at the end of the summer at West Wilts, so want to do about 90 before then with confidence but want to work on the complicated things like the skinnies etc.. like you did so when we go bigger it's just the height and not the complexity of the jumps.

Does this sound sensible?
 
Hi Sammi,

Last year when I got my boy at 4 we jumped 2-2'3 at the beginning of the year. did a few SJ schooling days and clear round competitions. Then nearer the end of the year jumped 2'6"-2'9 and did XC schooling and did a BE80 at the end of the year. This year now he's 5 i'm jumping 2'9" to 3'0 but have never once asked him to jump any bigger than that. It's all about confidence and even if they are capable, I think you should build up height slowley and only at the speed the horse seems comfortable with :)
 
For most horses with a bit of scope, I'd say up to about 1m really, perhaps bigger in grids but smaller in competition. For a reasonably scopey horse, 90cm - 1m is easy.

It all depends how naturally confident they are, how strong they are and how well they take to it. There's absolutely no rush of course, but I'd just say be guided by the horse, they'll tell you when they are ready for more.
 
Ice is very brave and I am not so I rely on her too much rather than helping her, so I am sticking at about 2ft - 2'3 which we are a confident team at. Toward the end of a session we put it up to about 2'6 and pop a few times before loads of cuddles and kisses.

This sounds quite lame but she was very slow to develop physically and looked like a yearling at almost 3!! She is only 15hh also so not as big as some of your 4 y/o!! She has a histrionic nature given to hissy fits, though she has proven a real deep ability to look after me and is becoming quite a mellow kind horse with me at least (will still try to remove my instructer rather than jump for him!) - see my thread about me sitting on her ears for example!! She gets very upset if it doesn't go well and almost feels as though she blames herself if stride is wrong.

As I tend to steer till about 3 strides out then lower my hands slightly and freeze, I need her to be confident and to know that she will take me over if I get her there. Little Beau jumps like this up to about 1m 10 and carries me round so sweetly despite my nerves doing their best to make her job difficult! Ice is showing signs of being just as genuine and I don't want to ruin it by rushing or over facing either of us. (Yes I have had tuition and I am working on my nerves but I still fall back to this frozen 'you do it, I can't' thing when I get to a bigger fence).

I think a lot depends on how long you have and how confident you and your horse are. Ice is my 'horse for life' so we have plenty of time to get it right and I am stuck with a mess up if I over face her. If I was trying to get it doing something impressive to sell, or if I was more confident or she had grown quicker I may be moving faster.

Sorry not much help and a bit long.
 
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