How to get a horse to ‘look’

[Ladybird L]

My mare is a lot better with ditches, she jumps most of them, but sometimes she says no. And it’s very frustrating because she’s not looking at the ditch - usually, if she looks she’ll go… but she practically has her eyes closed, just standing on front, refusing. No leads, ropes or whips will change her mind.


How on Earth do I get her to look at a ditch?

 

[AmyMay Again]

You don't.

 

[Ambers Echo]

Your horse knows the ditch is there. If she’s refusing to look at it, increasing pressure with whips, ropes etc is just going to further add to her worry, not to mention distract her, so she is even less able to focus on the ditch, and will just get more and more negative about it as she will start associating the ditch with stress/pressure. A horse can easily go from standing at the edge of a ditch, to refusing to go within 20 feet of it like that. (Same with trailers/water/steps )

Back right off and find a way to break the problem down. Walk along side it, go across a narrower, shallower bit, have a horsey pal on the other side. Remove all pressure instantly when the horse makes the tiniest try - at first that might be a glance towards the ditch, then a step. Good timing is important so when the horse is trying there is no additional pressure. And only moving on to the next step when horse is totally comfortable and confident. It doesn’t matter that a horse ‘usually jumps’. They can’t fake worry. If she’s refusing to jump or look at a ditch then on that particular day, that particular ditch is causing her some worry. Even if it’s a ditch she’s jumped many times before. So help her. Don’t be part of the problem!

 

[P.forpony]

My local hunt used to run ditch jumping clinics. Lovely bunch, very helpful and encouraging. Starts off with tiny little dips in the ground and with helpers on solid hunters for leads, surprising how quickly you can build the confidence to work your way up to flying over wacking great voids into the abyss!
And everyone is there for the same reason cheering each other on, I'd definitely reccomend
Might be worth seeing if there's anything like that near you?

 

[scats]

Horses can’t see things right infront of them due to the positioning of their eyes. I’m not sure what good standing her infront of it and forcing her will do. The ditch disappears from view when they get close, as do jumps.

Best bet is to get her confident following a lead over it to begin with.

 

[LEC]

Does she have a Roman nose? It does impact their vision for looking down.
I had a Spanish horse x with a typical Spanish nose and it taught me a lot.

Anyway I digress.

You need to go back to absolute basics and teach them greater confidence to look and figure it out rather than a hard no. IME mares will do a harder no than geldings from further away. I suspect there are other things where you get a no but it’s not a hard no. Spooking at objects in the hedge, maybe wide path round or a hesitation then goes. This seems all very long winded but essentially the response is the same one and to build up the ditch issue is the same I use in everyday spooking.

If the above sounds familiar you need to teach them to creep forward and touch the item. What this does is teaches them creeping (not allowed to go backwards or turn around and this is the bit you are very strict on) and figuring stuff out is fine and giving them the time when worried. You then build this up with ditches.

Ditches you always start on the lunge. Why because you then have no rider interfering and adding their emotions. I walk them up to it and step over first but give them the time to figure it out if unsure. I then go back and forth doing the same until the jump is almost lazy. Then they go on their own. Lunge whip to keep them away from you or to get feet moving with a well timed touch. Again I keep going back and forth until lazy jump. Then rider gets on, walk around come up to ditch and hopefully they creep then pop. Reins must be long and it shouldn’t be a pressure leg it should be light and only focusing on straightness. Hold neck strap to jump. I then will hire 2-4 xc courses in a short period of time (over 2weeks) and follow the same routine for at least 2 others. At the last planned one I go with rider on first and see what happens.

Most people xc schooling don’t take the time to allow the horse the space to process and learn doing ditches. They then jump it fine or so they think a few times and think job done but I watch the horse and it’s not a relaxed lazy jump, they almost hold their breath. You keep going in walk until they are leaving feet in it, almost falling over it. That’s true confidence as they are so unbothered about it. Too many people come too fast so they jump it once on bravery, think about what they have done and go holy crap that was scary and then say no next time.

i also will do bogey fences very early on in my schooling. Warm up, one or two simple fences then bogey fences. Then go back to regular jumps, back to bogey fence and build confidence that way.