How long between canter and jumping?

[lolahasrabies]

Hi everyone! I’ve recently started cantering (done about 7 lessons of it) and I was wondering, how long does to start jumping after learning to canter? Is a few months a realistic goal? And how long after cantering in a school could you canter on a hack? (In your experience) I’m curious because I’m doing a horse riding camp in the summer, with jumping lessons and I’m wondering how close I’ll be to starting to jump by then. It will probably be in about 5 weeks, doing two lessons and a hack each week (each 30mins) with the odd longer hack (2-3 hours). (I don’t normally get to do this much, it’s mainly just in prep for an overnight trail ride which means my dad is letting me pick up extra lessons) 😁
Thank you! 😃

 

[Keith_Beef]

My own experience of starting lessons as an adult, was that I was cantering on a hack as soon as I was able to canter in the school.

But I have to say that some horses' behaviour can be very, very different out on a hack than in the school; your instructor should know the horse's behaviour outside and either match you to a well behaved horse or teach you where the emergency brakes are...

Same for jumping: as soon as we were cantering on a hack, we had to learn how to jump over fallen tree trunks, nothing much over twenty or thirty centimetres. For these jumps, though, you're on a track, and don't need to think so much about turns and approach.

I think that 30 minute lessons are short (ours are one hour) but with your rhythm of two per week plus a bit of hacking, and with seven canter lessons already under your belt, you should be well-prepared for summer camp in five weeks' time.

 

[Sail_away]

Yes I should think you’d be jumping by that stage - also remember that you will improve massively at the camp itself. Most camps you ride twice a day, so it’s very concentrated. I think I went to my first camp having jumped once before and was doing a 60-70 cm course by the end.
It will depend on how balanced you are though. If you feel secure and balanced in the canter, and the horse you are riding is similarly balanced, then you’ll be much closer to jumping than if you’re still a little wobbly.

 

[lolahasrabies]

My own experience of starting lessons as an adult, was that I was cantering on a hack as soon as I was able to canter in the school.

But I have to say that some horses' behaviour can be very, very different out on a hack than in the school; your instructor should know the horse's behaviour outside and either match you to a well behaved horse or teach you where the emergency brakes are...

Same for jumping: as soon as we were cantering on a hack, we had to learn how to jump over fallen tree trunks, nothing much over twenty or thirty centimetres. For these jumps, though, you're on a track, and don't need to think so much about turns and approach.

I think that 30 minute lessons are short (ours are one hour) but with your rhythm of two per week plus a bit of hacking, and with seven canter lessons already under your belt, you should be well-prepared for summer camp in five weeks' time.

Thank you for the reply! That’s definitely true about horses acting different on hacks, luckily the horse I’m riding at the moment (school horse) is normal better behaved on hacks, but I rarely do hacks there as there’s no real trails. At my regular school there’s not much to jump on hacks (is basically just around the school) but at the other school I go to (just for cheap hacking practice) there is a bit more.
I know, they are shorter than a lot of peoples, for some reason that’s all on offer around here, which is kinda annoying when doing a 40 minute round trip for a 30 minute lesson (15 minutes of which is just mounting/ warm up) :/ But oh well! It means I get to go pretty regularly anyway. 😂
Thanks for the help!

 

[lolahasrabies]

Thanks for the reply! Wow, you sure learnt quick! I’m pretty secure when in canter, but my transitions are absolutely horrific 😂 Hopefully that’ll improve too 😁

 

[Keith_Beef]

Don't worry too much about transitions, yet.

I ride four different horses, but often I'll get the same one for about four or five weeks in a row.

If I go back to a horse that I've not ridden for maybe ten or twelve weeks, it takes me a while to get it "up transitions" (walk to trot or canter, trot to canter) clean. "Down transitions" (canter or trot to walk, or canter to trot) are a little better.

Sometimes it is clear that the horse is just trying it on. Often, I don't even need to use the crop or stick, just showing that it's in my hand is enough for the horse to be more receptive to the leg, or to my body.