Jumping on hard ground....

Parkranger

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The ground's not great near us at the mo but I'm desparate to get out jumping.

Do you jump when the ground is a little hard? I'm talking one round not all day....and what precautions (apart from hosing legs) do you take if you have to jump on slightly harder ground?

Praying for a bit of rain tonight so that I can jump in my lesson on Tuesday and then out on Sunday!
 
This is what is putting me off - he's got good legs and I don't want another cripple! Think I'll jump in the school on Tuesday and hopefully have a lesson in an indoor school on Friday....if ground is good we'll just go out and jump on grass for the first time on Sunday!
 
I wouldnt risk it unless necessary!
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Nope definitely not. I have never liked jumping on hard ground, fast work on boggy or hard ground or trotting on roads due to risk of tendon injury. People laugh at me as I ride a heavy weight cob and it is not a typical injury for that breed.

My heavy weight cob is currently out of work due to tendon injury.....done in the field on hard ground!
 
Yeah I do. So long as its not rock hard and really bad footing I will jump on slightly harder ground, and just take it easy.

I just make sure to put boots on and keep the warm up light and the round steady. Personally I've not had a problem from it at all, but I wouldn't do it if I had a horse predisposed to leg problems.
 
You can get away with it once or twice at competitions but then that's your horses 9 lives gone....if it was a cat! if you get what I mean.

Continual jumping on hard ground will cause long lasting damage to your horses legs in various forms, the thing you have to remember is just because there is no oblivious signs afterwards some people think there horse can cope with it, and will continue do work them hard on hard ground, only then after a certain length of time will the effects raise there ugly head, which can take years.

Easy rule of thumb...just don't do it or if you can't avoid it in certain circumstances just bare in mind how many times you have done it, then stop!
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