Jumping help.

SmartieBean09

SmartieBean09

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Hi guys,

Hoping you can give me some advice.

I really want to do a bit of jumping with my girl this summer. We are having a fun day at our yard.

Jamin loves jumping but I am a complete wuss and tend to approach a jump with my eyes closed, let out a little yelp and hope for the best.

Jamin really rushes into the fences (or atleast it feels that way) but once we are on the other side she is more than happy to trot/walk/halt. My problem is, that the more she gets excited on our approach the more I tense and pull back with shear fear!

We have done pole work and this works for some time but she has been known to take off and jump all poles as though they are a spread.

I feel more confident when I lighten my seat and come out of the saddle slightly when cantering but I'm not sure if this would be the right thing to do if she gets exciteable. Would think that its probably best to stick my backside in the saddle and ride her into the jump.....trouble is......I am bloomin scared!

Any tips for an unconfident rider that would really, really like to give it a go and have a bit of fun with my old pony while I still can? Jamin is the safest pony I know so if I cant get to grips with jumping on her then I dont think I ever will.

I used to love jumping but seem to have lost my confidence with age. Would love to get a bit of it back!

Lessons would probably be good I know but the pockets are empty at the moment :-(
 
You could try things like positive visualisation. Just imagine yourself over and over jumping a small fence perfectly. Imagine how your body would feel in every detail over and over until you have your mind convinced. Sounds odd - but it does work.

Or trying singing as you jump - it stops you holding your breath. If you can't hold your breath it is physically less easy to get tense. My daughter used to go round jumping competitions singing at the top of her voice. (She's learned to do it under her breath now!). Humpty Dumpty was perhaps not the best choice - but it worked for her.

It sounds like your lass is reasonably calm and sensible. You might feel she is rushing but she probably isn't. You could try trusting her, especially as she is happy to stop after the jump. Take a light seat if you feel more secure. With a small jump if she goes a bit flat it won't matter and you know you can stop her afterward. You could try holding a balence strap with one hand (you can't hold it with two or you'll catch her in the mouth with the reins.) I don't know how that R-store thingy works or if that is suitable.

The chances are that if you can just get over this hundle (no pun intended) you'll find it just as fantastic as you used to. Or you won't in which case find another way to have fun with her.

You have my complete sympathy. I totally lost confidennce after breaking my back in a fall some years ago. I'm... well lets just say not as young as I was, with a job, a family and a morgage to pay for. I can't afford to get hurt. It took me ages to ride again, canter was a particular problem but I did it with a combination of the idea above. I will confess I have not jumped again - but thats OK. I know my boudaries and ned and I are happy together as we are.

Take heart. You'll get there - one way or another!
 
Thank you so much Shay. I know that I should just trust her. She has helped with my confidence in everyway and I know she is safe, I just cant seem to get over this block with jumping.

I think I will try positive visualisation and adopting a light seat. Both I havent used while jumping so could just be the thing to help me!

I feel for you and what you have been through. Although I havent had a nasty fall, I had a complete nutcase pony before Jamin that destroyed my confidence to the point I wouldnt even lead another horse. Jamin has really helped get me back on track so I know that if anyone is to get my confidence with jumping, it should be her.

I am going to try it this week and see where we get.

Thanks again for your excellent advice and support x

ps - Thanks Tg for my bump :)
 
Start with ground pole work, and then just start with P easy tiny fences built into the poles. Ie, so ground poles > fence > ground pole. That way the rushing is eased a bit and all the visuals are there for you to know when she's going to take off, land and get away [as you have the two 'boxes' before and after the jump where she'll take off and land in.] :)

Just keep doing this until you feel confident and bored of it, then gradually just keep putting it up a tiny bit if you feel like you want to, or build exactly the same jump so you have 3 or 4 identical jumps round the arena that you can just add into your schooling so it's technically a course of jumps, but no different to just have a few poles in your way schooling that you 'happen' to have to go over [so across a figure of 8, down the 3/4 line, etc]. Keeping them at a low enough height that you don't even have to physically jump them either, until you get bored and more confident that you feel like you WANT to do higher :)

And getting an instructor would benefit loads too :)
 
Maybe try and work out what it is that scares you? What are you like with trotting poles?

I'd be tempted to do trotting poles then do canter poles, maybe 3 in a row and when you are confident cantering with these then make the middle one a small cross pole and just keep cantering over them... the poles will give you something to think about ie. keeping her straight and maintaining rymthm and what not and by having the cross pole really tiny she will prob not even jump it just canter over it, but it will help you mentally overcome the 'jump'

Then gradually increase crosspole height then make last pole further away then make that a crosspole and ta'da you've jumped a double.

Have fun with it, if it takes weeks before you are enjoying canterng over poles then do that first, no rush
 
i would actually approach this slightly differenty. in your arena out wings out as if for a grid of about 4 fences (but don't add the poles yet) trot and canter down the 'lane'...then gradually start to add the poles in one at a time so that by the end of the session you are doing the full grid (start off with the poles on the ground and then gardually start to put into little x poles) also you can pick a spot after the last fence to have halted by- to ensure you have control. there are lots of things you can try really...

another idea is to put two trotting poles about 5/ 6 strides apart- trot the first- ask for a halt in the middle then proceed in trot. do the same in canter. once you are doing this well, then replace the halt with a half halt (but make it quite obvious) and you should find she is really listening to you and not taking control

think about doing lots of poles and teeny tiny x poles at this stage- once you feel totally happy and in control then you will soon be able to build bigger fences :)
 
Jumping the actual jump doesnt scare me, its the speed I feel we are going into the jump. i have a feeling its more jamins action going in to the jump more than anything. Her strides shorten and her head comes up.

Perhaps I need to be filmed so that I can see exactly what she is doing.

I am going to try all of your suggestions too (obviously not all at the same time lol) and see which one feels best.

I never used to think anything about jumping and the bigger it was, the better I felt about jumping it. I think because I focused soley on flatwork for so long, my confidence just dissapeared. Argh!!!!
 
if its the approach that scares you thats why its so important to focus on pole work and grid work as this sorts out your approaches. you need to think about jumping as simply flatwork with a few obstacles in the way...not just a case of oh my god there's a jump which i must get over...its worth spending time playing about with poles...you can buy some good books with great exercises in them
 
Thanks everyone. Loads to go and do. Am definately going to think of it as flatwork with poles in the way.

Lets hope im not posting on here next week "fell off, in hospital!" Joking.

I will try and get someone to film and then post on here for CC xx
 
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