Jumping advice for youngster starting to jump. Sorry long!

[Jennypenny]

Background - Just turning 4years welsh X Tb 14h1. Before jumping under saddle he has been losed jumped First time jumping, he went well jumping a very small rustic fence in trot and canter. 2nd time, I used some light weight blue and white poles. Pony jumps them ok, but them one time catches his back leg in fence pole comes up and touch his tum. Pony explodes and I come off. (I have never come off him before but this does not effect my confidence with him) Now he is very scared of even a trot pole, wont go over anthing. Well now I can get him over a single pole and for his confidence I am trying to jump him over the rustic heavier poles only.

Now - Last weekend got him over a larger cross pole fence and a 2ft straight pole fence. First time he appoches the fence he stops, then 2nd time he jumps.

Problem is the turn to the fence he is trying not to turn to the fence. So battle to get him straight to it. Once got him straight and going forward he jumps it from a lovley trot jumping it well. Once three strides from the fence he is dedicated and going.

Thought once a week I would jump him over a small fence until he is turning nice to the fence and troting nicely into it.

So today he stops first time. Ok now he will start cooperating. No, he plays up on corner, get him straight to fence about three strides before puts the ankers on! Kept doing this over and over again. Gave a smack with the whip still not going. Eventually he goes over and jumps it well. Then plays up again and again and again Two helpers came in and stood at the side of the fence and he still stops. Eventually he gives in and jumps it, but a challenge to get him to the fence. I do this four times and finish.

Once he has made up his mind to jump it, and I get him to the fence he jumps well. But ALWAYS on the turn he trys to not turn.

Someone suggested to do it every day for a week? I can only trot him into at the moment as canter he grabs the bit and runs off. He is quite strong.

I know he had a scare, but the only good thing from this is he respects the fence and makes a nice shape over the fence.

He jumps nice but its getting him to want to jump. He is still very young and will only jump very small fences with him.

So will stop rambling on just wants to give as much info as poss.

So advice please jumping people????????

 

[Jennypenny]

Just to add - I am not in rush to get him jumping. He is still very young. Just welcome any advice or tips

 

[Marchtime]

My only query is you say you cannot jump from canter at the moment as he grabs the bit and runs off. Surely it would be best to get your flatwork sorted before starting on the jumping. If you continued with your schooling, possibly with some trot pole work, for awhile longer before attempting jumping then maybe you would have better results as pony would be more obedient and supple through the turn. Just a thought.

 

[Jennypenny]

He does not grab the bit and run off in canter in his flat work. His flat work for his age is quite good. I am really pleased with his flat work for his age. He grabs the bit in canter into a fence to try and run off to avoid the fence and run out. If I jump out of a forward trot I have more control.

 

[ann-jen]

I think its important not to get into any real confrontations with him that will only deepen his worry about jumping. You want to make everything really easy for him and so everything seems a positive experience for him. I think initially I would dot poles on the ground at random places around the arena and to start with just school around but not over them. Perhaps if he's happy with that then start to circle around the pole and when he is moving in a nice positive trot increase the size of your circle to include the pole. If he pops over it no fuss then reward him by missing it out the next time. Keep circling missing out the pole until you get the nice trot rythmn back and then once he's settled pop over it again. I would continue with this until he has no qualms about the poles themselves - (could take days/weeks/months?) and then raise the poles into tiny jumps - maybe only on the bottom hole of the wings - and do the same exercise over the tiny jumps. Once he sees there is nothing to be scared of I'm sure he'll settle down.