Jumping an Arab horse

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peaceandquiet1

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Hi wondered if anyone could give me some tips? I have a lovely Arab mare who has been doing dressage for last few years but I secretly yearn to jump again. She seems to have jumped in the past as she knows what to do but I find her technique a bit strange-she launches a bit like a deer! I only want to do some unaffiliated and she is well schooled (to Elementary) but I am really not sure how to get started!
 
My Arab does the same or he just runs through, I do know quite a few that jump really well some even event but I am no expert on jumping, maybe have some jumping lessons with a good instructor, I have kind of given up on the jumping for now, good luck.
 
You are probably right but before I have a lesson I want to experiment at home, just feel a bit lost, would rather start a baby horse over fences than ride a horse whose history i don't know!! I am a wuss :(
 
Start with little jumps and practice getting into a rhythm. Trot round and occasionally pop in a jump, this will help to prevent rushing. Go back to basics as ridefast said.

I think practicing over a course of jumps is a good idea, even if you have to jump some of them from both directions, rather than just one or two jumps at a time. Some horses have their own technique and you just have to get used to it.

One of the best Pony club eventers around here was an arab and at one time an Arab horse held the high jump record - but it was a long time ago!
 
Ride fast and Orangehorse have the right idea. She is out of practise or may not actually done much jumping in the past.

Trotting poles will encourage her to look down and small cross poles will keep her straight. Once she is more confident she won't keep jumping big.

Good on you for giving the jumping a go.
 
I agree with everyone who's said she is just lacking confidence and practice!

Go back to basics, have a lesson or 2 and you'll be bouncing round a course in no time!

The first time I jumped my purebred was when I'd owned him for 3 years (just hadn't got round to it) and I had no clue if he'd jumped before! We joined a Riding Club Clinic and bless him he treated a 2ft cross poll like the Hickstead Derby! Seriously he lept over it like it was 6ft and then was so pleased with himself, he did a victory buckaroo afetr each jump!

By the 2nd clinic he was a pro and happily popping round a course... they pick things up very quickly! Enjoy!!!
 
I would say this was more about just not having learned to jump properly, being uncomfortable over the jump or having a "unique" technique rather than it being because she's an arab.
My arab mare wasn't at all interested in jumping (quite opposed to it actually) until this year when she turned ten and we started playing in-hand in the jumping paddock one day and she took to it like a duck to water. She's since done a couple of local small 60cm show jumping classes and has a nice jump despite never being specifically taught to jump beyond starting small and trying different styles of fence.
And if you look on arab forums you'll find more jumping arabs!
Is there a local riding club doing beginners classes or clear round where you can start to play with no pressure and practise over various types of fence?
 
when I first got my arab she jumped like that, I took her back to basics and also did lots of grid work with cross pole spreads ( big enough for her to jump from walk ) I used a placing pole and always varied the speed I approached at, some times I would walk over the pole then ask her to trot over the fence, then I would ask her to trot then walk and jump over the fence and then introduced canter in to the equation including halting in the approach, rein back a couple of strides then carry on.
Because she never knew what I was asking her to do she also became very attentive and responsive, and i also used the grids to practice turning in tight for jump offs. I ended up with a very good showjumper who was successful in her career.
 
My arab jumps like this.
Just yesterday we were in the school playing about. I do losts of trotting poles with her and then small cross poles just to get her into rhythm. I free lunged her and she jumped about 3 feet. I also lunged her in trot over a tiny cross pole and she was fab.
She is much better at jumping than me, Im a wuss. She happily pops logs really well out hacking.
I would say if you are both up for it, go back to basics and have fun :)
 
My Arabian doesn't jump like that unless we have confidence issues. He is late to jumping (he's 15) and I hadn't jumped for over 20 years, until I discovered he thinks it's fun.

I have no great desire to jump anything high, 50 cm is enough for me, but I want us both to enjoy it, so when things go wrong we go back to the beginning. Just a pole on the ground and find the rhythm. And we just keep trotting over that pole on a loose rein until he stops leaping and we get our rhythm back and then we canter - still the loose rein. Then we make it a small jump and away we go. I find that lots of poles don't help - they just confuse him.

Arabians can actually jump just fine, but due to their sensitivity I think the rider has a huge influence and they are not as forgiving as other breeds. And anyone who knows anything about Arabians knows, the hardest thing in the world is un-teaching an Arabian something it thinks it knows !
 
Mine jumps like that due to the way he's been ridden previously, it's a confidence issue. He's always been a people pleaser and wants to do the job well, but because he's been hared over the fences at lightning speed and smacked if he puts a foot wrong he ended up very nervous about jumping. The horse that had so much fun jumping ended up refusing and running out at the smallest of fences. I took him right back to basics and treated him like a learning youngster. Lots of pole work, and transitions into the fences so he never knew what I was going to ask him. This made him listen more, and since Arabs need to have their minds constantly challenged he found the fun in it again.

He's doing great now, he's not rushing to and from the fence as much - he will run away from it if the approach gets mucked up or he hits the pole - but he is much more careful, has his big scopey jump back, is very honest over the fences and above all is enjoying it again. Although he will refuse a fence if he doesn't feel the approach is right or if I'm doing something up there I shouldn't be (like looking down or leaning!) he hasn't once run out from a fence. I'd much rather a refusal than a run out, they're easier to sit to :P

Whoever said Arabs can't jump obviously didn't ever jump an Arab, they have cracking jumps!
 
It's lack of confidence & not being sure, back to basics. There is no reason why an arab can't make a lovely shape over a fence



If she ever asks you why she should jump, never say 'because i tell you too', as people who ride other breeds tend to, but say 'because it's fun'.
 
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Thanks for all the replies. I think I am a bit nervous about jumping in general just as haven't for so long, but i am going to give it a go as I think my horse will enjoy it too, she has put up with the dressage but getting to Elementary was enough for both of us.
 
I am nervous jumping too. I don't jump my Shagya stallion but have students working for me who do.

He had five lessons with a French trainer but to be honest I thought there was too much attention to basic schooling so by the time he jumped he was feeling tired.

I have had a BHS trainer here this week. After two lessons she had him bouncing a triple each about 50cm, after three lessons he was jumping 90cm.

A few things I have noticed. He is very distractable and to begin with did not foucs on the jump. Coloured fillers, a window box on geraniums and some curver boxes did the job!!

She made my stable jockey trot to the fence 'not too fast'. She allowed some freedom of the head.

Today without our trainer he jumped like a stag after a 20mins warm up hack and most important he enjoyed it.

By the way for those of you who have never heard of a Shagya Arab, Milton's great grandsire was a Shagya stallion called BASA. Ratina Z was a great grand daughter of the Anglo-(Shagya) Arab Ramzes
 
The only way I get mine to jump is start with poles on ground then pole on ground between wings then one side up, I have to take it real slow or he just gets in a panic and runs through or leaps ten foot in the air.
 
Generally they do this when y hang onto their mouth in the air. Try giving total freedom so he can build up his confidence
 
I second what everyone else has said. Start with ground poles and work your way up until she is feeling forward and confident jumping.

And just to show that Arabs can jump and because I will take every opportunity to show off my boy, this is my Arab jumping :D

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Good luck and don't forget to have fun!
 
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