Jumping from walk - how??

[only_me]

i jump from a walk - it really helped merlin tuck his front up and go over the fence.

the walk made him really lift and use his back, something that i am about to start again as he always needs a little reminder that he has to work

walking on a circle whilst jumping has been very benificial as well.

if the jump was demolshed maybe the walk wasnt active enough? i know that to get real benifit he has to be walking actively and you have to be ready to push yourself forwards.

to the people that dont like walking into jumps - thats fine - i know it works for me suits my horse. but have you tried it? in my case it really engages the hindquarters. it is easier on a circle for you though!

 

[dieseldog]

Well they always say that you can train the front end but not the backend, so at least the problem is fixable

You just got to work out the training....

 

[jules89]

This is a really interesting thread and I am loving reading each view.

purely from an eventing perspective, I was taught to do it manier moons ago with LG on a XC clinic, and although it is an iidea and one which worked (and I will be using in future SJ lessons) I may twist the view in saying that didn't BE say that if you stopped at a fence now you can't jump it from walk? (I suppose it is more halt or whatever but ho hum)

I disagree with that up to a certain point because i WOULD make the horse jump the fence from walk (depending on fence and level and height etc etc etc) purely to make it go forwards!

just adading my perspective

 

[kerilli]

jules, the newish rule is that you can't ask the horse to jump a fence from a standstill - this was to try to prevent slow rotational falls. you can still go down a step if there's been a momentary hesitation, or over a very small fence (log on edge of step down for e.g.)
i think the main use of jumping from walk is to show the horse that even if the approach is hopeless (and unlike only_me, i try to get a totally switched-off relaxed walk, not an active walk, unless it's to a biggish fence), it can still clear the jump easily if it uses itself. i do halt, one step, jump too. i do always make sure the fence is an upright not a spread though!

 

[Gamebird]

Kerilli I may be wrong but I remember the BE guidance involving knee height, which would make sense. Below knee height and the horse will probably get away with going from a halt, above that and if they don't pick up they will be more inclined to somersault (I know how obsessed you are with horses picking their knees up

).

Most horses' knees are less than 90cm so this would preclude you jumping a normal XC fence from a halt though a small log/drop into water etc. might be discretionary.

 

[only_me]

ah ok

i do the exercise for a different reason; not to teach him that you can still jump (as i jump a max of 80cm from walk) but to make him use his back and neaten up his front legs

but i normally only do it on a circle as then it prevents him from running into it and trying to leap it

plus the turning over the fence helps us in the long term for JO and jumps on a turn etc.

 

[kerilli]

yep Gamebird, i'm sure you're right. yep, totally obsessed with what they do with their knees in midair!

 

[ajf]

Hi,
I haven't read all the replies but when I jump from walk (and have been taught to) there is always a placing pole which u allow the horse to go forward over and jump the jump (placing pole is little shorter than normal canter one, and if horse picks up trot/canter over pole allow this). I also most of the time have a pole on landing side (again shorter than normal) to really get the horse to bascule, though I won't do this with youngsters, only older experienced horses.
I use it alot on my very excitable chap to actually get him working his body better (also has poor technique sometimes), but u have to remember to have enough "umph" to get over the jump.
Hope this helps a little

 

[Firewell]

This is interesting, I never knew you could train a horse to jump from walk?!

My old horse was an out and out showjumper and could jump from walk, standstill any stride. In fact if I got a wrong stride he would sometimes pull himself up in front of the fence, give a sigh, launch himself 7 feet in the air giving the jump miles while launching me even further into orbit and then catch me neatly the other side, whereapon I usually headbutted his neck giving myself a bloody nose!

Ok back to the point. My current horse who I trained since a 5yr old is great jumping from a forward canter or trot but she honestly doesnt think she can make it from a standstill or walk, she seems really scared to try and usually will just stop or halfhearted try and knock the fence down loosing confidence. Shes the sort of horse that even in canter has a tendancy to really overjump the fence if shes worried. I wish I could make her realise she can do itk, shes fine at 2ft9 its 3ft3 plus she gets worried.

How do you introduce jumping at walk? maybe it can help my girl to realise she has more ability than she thinks and that she can do it?
Do you just walk over poles and then gradually put them up? Do you use placing poles? What if the horse just stops at the jump and says 'eh, what ya doing?'. My horse can be backwards thinking anyway, would jumping from walk make that tendancy worse? sorry this is an interesting post, lots of questions!

 

[Kal]

Hi Firewell

I don't think i would try it on my horse that i have at the moment either because like yours, he's very spooky and can be upset very easily. But i use to jump from a walk on a half cobby type who was i bit thick and a bit cocky and it worked a treat. Like what someone said earlier, different methods suit different horses. I know CSJ's horse and personly i think he would benifit from this but a really flighty nervous type wouldn't.

So you could try it and if you think he's getting worse and upset, stop and try something else.

 

[flyingfeet]

Yes unfortunately he is so laid back he decided it was easier to knock the poles off at a walk than jump it...

Suppose I have trained him to walk over dry stone walls which may be the source of the confusion!

 

[Kal]

[ QUOTE ]
Yes unfortunately he is so laid back he decided it was easier to knock the poles off at a walk than jump it...

Suppose I have trained him to walk over dry stone walls which may be the source of the confusion!

[/ QUOTE ]

That could explain it

 

[RHenderson]

Dont jump from walk- thats just mental.

Its easier for a horse to jump from canter than trot.....
but if its green id start from trot with a placing pole

not from walk