Jumping Dressage horses

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CAZ123

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Hi was just wondering how many of you Jump your Dressage horses, one reason i have in mind is for cardio work and two because it different and a bit of fun makes a change for them, as thinking about doing some small grid work will it also help with the canter and encourgeing the hind quaters.

some thoughts please.
 
I was based at a dressage yard at some point and some horses competing GP level were jumped over grids once a fortnight. They loved it
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The main reasons for jumping them were that it sharpens the reactions, introduces variety to the training, keeps horses entertained and happy (as dressage work can make them a bit stuffy at times).
I remember one horse who specifically loved the jumping (wasn't very good at it, just enjoyed it a lot) and his rider said that he always tried to charge at the boards a couple of days after jumping
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Whilst I am by no means a professional, April's mostly been used for dressage throughout her life and when I started riding her she was thoroughly sick of schooling and was displaying a lot of worrying behaviour towards people.

I do a variety of things with her now from trec to showjumping, beach rides and x country and she loves it. She has a whole new, happier outlook on life and is a different horse
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She is also much more forward going in the school as I think she realises that it's not going to be schooling every time I take her out.
 
I have never jumped the grand prix horses of my trainers and I know she has never jumped them either. This is mainly because they have just never done it! Also they would probably go mad and we aren't that confident over fences...gone are our teenage years of -yeah whack it up a few holes!-attitude!

I know that some dressage horses do and can jump but I think it depends on how they have been brought up etc.

I wouldn't be against my sister jumping my dressage horse. She is a jumping rider though!

Diana
 
I know a girl (she used to come on her actually) she was competing, i think, at advanced medium. She used event at intro level with him. Her sister has a lovely young horse who is doing some very advanced work who is getting placed at pre-novice level.
 
Well, they were quite a long style ones, I was the one doing all the pole work so wasn't amused
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The one they seemed to like the most (dressage riders that is): The long one : approach in trot, crosspole (about 75cm in the middle), bounce, second crosspole (85cm), bounce, third crosspole (85cm), one stride to vertical (from 90cm - 1m), one stride to oxer (90cm-1m), then again one stride to vertical (90cm to 1m).
The short one: approach in trot, vertical, two strides to oxer and one stride to vertical (Heights varied but I don't remember anything above 1.05m being jumped).
Approaches always from trot (placing pole two and a half good human stride from the base of the first fence). There were some horses that needed to open up the stride (these had some oxers to jump and distances were on a longer side).
There was one horse that had his passage worked on over cavaletti too.
What I learnt there though that although jumping is good for the horses it might not necessairly be so for dressage riders - some learnt to use too much of their adductors!
All the horses were bandaged up their eyeballs though as some were very careless with poles
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Never saw any accident. I should also mention that this yard was abroad and most of the horses there were stallions who went through a 100 days performance test as 3 -4 yrs olds which includes jumping (also loose jumping). It might be a bit of a tricky task to introduce jumping to a GP horse that has never had any work done with poles etc I wouldn't say it's impossible though!
 
Gen only does Elementary but we have just started to jump him. We thought it would give him a bit more variety and it also helps him be more athletic. The raised trotting poles are excellent for passage work as they help him sit and lift more.

Mind you my friend who has been jumping him is now getting a bit keen to do more of it with him. Well his sire was a showjumper lol.
 
thanks for that,i think i will just keep it small & simpile, Bramble loves jumping as long as its no bigger than 3 foot than she gets scared. but she relly does enjoy it....
 
I would deffo urge anyone with a dressage horse to jump it and do pole work. No reason for it to be big jumping, but it DOES give them another purpose in life and something jolly to do
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The top riders do say that cross training is very good for the horse. It gets them using different muscles and of course, adds variety and gets them using their hocks and backs more.
 
I've decided to start jumping Axey as I think he's getting a bit bored with flatwork, he was also bred to be a showjumper and has got a hell of a jump on him! He loves it but jumps so big over everything I'm worried he's going to jump me off one day.
I'm saving up for a GP saddle now
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I jump Louis but I bought him originally to showjump so he has done a lot in the past. He loves jumping as well so I think it's good for him to have at least one jumping session a week to keep his mind occupied. I also take him XC training as he loves that too and I do some unaff ODE's and SJing just for fun and to keep Louis happy. I also think it's good physically for him as it keeps him supple and builds up muscle. At my last yard there was a GP horse and the owner always jumped once a week as he felt it was good physically and mentally for the horse.

However, my trainer has a dressage horse and he doesn't jump it at all and never has.
 
i know its not dressage as such, but when i'm schooling my mare, i cant "school her for more than 15 minutes solid without popping her over a few poles/little grid, as she gets bored and agitated with the flatwork schooling, ive found that by doing it, its improved her canter, as she is more forward. and as time has gone by i can school for longer, my greatest moment was schooling her with an empty menage, and no tantrums. my sister jumps - well sort of, her polo mare. she is 18, has no style, and slows right down to a walk, but still seems to love it. um... has this strayed completely from the topic?
 
I do small grids and polework. Great for balance and strength, and for giving them something different to do in the school!

Laura B. does gridwork with her horses to keep them supple and fresh in the work.
 
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