how do you teach a shetland to jump ?

spooks

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as above really, took tinks into the menage this evening (managed to find a dry bit!) as there was a little jump up and led her over it, she jumped it while it was tiny but then ash put it up to about a foot high and she just stopped at it , she did jump it eventually. she will be led as he jockeys legs only just reach the bottom of the saddle and he is a passenger at the moment but would be nice in the future if he could do some leadrein jumping. so would be nice if we could teach her to jump .
 

CastleMouse

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Start small on the lunge, and gradually build up the height
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ru-fi-do

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A lady long reins my shetland and they have started going over poles, at the weekend we put a little jump up and loose schooled him over it this way he was able to jump it how he felt comfortable, he is only five, he really started to enjoy it and had quite a pop in him, is there anyway you could try loose schooling yours?
 

moon_drop

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I started my shetland ewan on the lunge and loose schooling as castlemouse said start small. ewan jumps 2 foot 6
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he once jumped over his stable door which must be 3 foot from a stand still.
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ewan loves jumping he goes some speed at the jumps!
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spooks

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tinks is only 5 as well. my mother came down the yard tonight and said what does it do apart from eat and sleep ? lol. so took her in the school to see if she would jump, cant loose school her as she would probably be straight under the fence into the mares field wo all stand at the fence waiting to kill her! will try her on the lunge. i dont think she has done a lot, bought her off a friend who thinks that her son was the first person to sit on her and she has always been on a lead rein so hasnt had any form of even basic schooling, i dont know how to long rein, is it difficult ? how do you get them to move ? sorry for what might be stupid questions about long reining but might be worth a try to.
 

SpruceRI

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Lungeing is good as you can get them going nicely forward - or in hand if you can run and jump high enough! Or, for a laugh, make a 'jumping lane' in the school if you've got enough jump poles and stand at the end with a bucket of feed!
 

MagicMelon

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I used to jump my little shetland (although was too big for her!) - just tiny stuff, although she'd pop 2'3 with fatty me on board and jumped 2'6 on the lunge. Didnt take long to teach, just practice really. Like others say, start on the lunge - just tiny stuff and slowly increase the height or add more than 1 fence etc. Make sure she's really used to jumping before putting a little kid on though as shetlands have some pop if they want to!
 
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