Jumping - should I or shouldn't I?

Sleepeeze_dad

Sleepeeze_dad

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Hi Everyone.

I've reached a bit of an impasse. I have a 16.2hh, 5 year old TB. I have got to the point where I can jump small fences, but my boy is not altogether predictable whilst doing it. He is very fond of 3 foot plus catleaps over 1 foot cross poles.

Last time I had a goodly fall which severely dented my confidence and my left elbow. He is an ex-racer who has done a steeplechase so he has been taught to hurdle.

The question I want to ask is, is it worth sending him off to a trainer to get him over this (along with me getting involved at some point). I'm not after turning him into the next hickstead champion but given I'm committed to him for the rest of his life, at some point I'm bound to want to jump something and I really am not looking forward to the next "simultaneous 4 feet off the deck" routine. Geting rid is NOT an option.

Has anyone ever done this and had experience of it? I feel my riding level is lower level novice. I am able to ride him comfortably in all other flatwork respects, even when he has his usual TB moments and can jump my instructors' schoolmaster over 2' 8". Any advice? If it means sending him anywhere I'd want it fairly close to Chester.
 
Could it be that he's puzzled about jumping over 1' cross poles, given his past experience of jumping? Might be worth trying him over something bigger to see if he catleaps those or if his jump is more in proportion there.
 
I would get a good instructor in to help at home with his jumping training.They should be able to tell what is happening as to whether his jumping is just green or whether it is due to his past career as a hurdler.
Personally I would introduce grid work,perhaps loose first to let him work out his mistakes himself and to help him to learn to pick his feet up sensibly without the unpredictable leaps.To me it sounds as though he is just green and as already said can't work out that he doesn't need to put in a huge leap due to his past career.
 
Are you approaching at a trot or canter? If you haven't yet tried an approach at a trot, I'd suggest that - it might relax him some and turn off that steeplechase flashback thing.

I think it could certainly be worth it to send him to a trainer but I'd make sure the trainer was one who'd worked with ex-racers and understood their idiosyncrasies. And yes, I'd definitely be involved so you could work through it together and make him safe for you.

Another option is holding off on jumping for a while and concentrating more on flat work. The further in time he is from his steeplechasing past, the more relaxed he may be about it.
 
have you tried jumping bigger things on him or just smaller cross poles?
It may sound stupid trying something bigger before mastering the art of smaller but my horse is absolutely foot perfect, never stops jumping anything that makes him think, i.e. bigger, a bit more of a challange. If i put him into anything smaller I think he panics and wonders if he's meant to jump it or step over it or what and he tends to get in a complete muddle and then mistakes happen, he stops or cat leaps or just trips his way over it!

When I say bigger i'm not talking puisance!!! just 2'6"-9". Stick a neck strap on so you've got something to hold onto, get someone to come with you and see what happens.
 
All good suggestions...

He seems to do it more in trot than canter like he's making damn sure he doesn't hit the poles. He always seems to do it for the first few attempts and then tends to settle down though there's no guarantee.

Is a bit of a problem cos as most of you know, once your confidence has taken a good beating it's quite difficult to work through the problem whilst you're frozen up and screaming, which doesn't do Sleepy's confidence a helluva lot of good either :)

It would be nice to work with him and get him used to the small stuff as the funny looks we are going to get approaching a 1 foot log on a fun ride and I'm in full jump mode holding on to anything and everything waiting for the question "why are you doing that?" - "Just watch..." :eek:
 
I bought my ex-racer as a 5 year old last year. He too was a hurdler. When I went to try him I attempted a little x-pole...well obviously I rode him a teeny bit positively as we bolted to the end of the school, going through the x-pole!

Am glad to say things have improved :D He has gone from charging at the jumps full pelt and then launching himself over with his head between his ears to jumping 'normally'. I took him right back to basics, walking then trotting over poles on the ground (just single ones as he got a bit confused with a row of them). Then progressed to trotting over very small x-pole, then cantering etc and gradually got bigger. I found that I had to sit very still and let him find his own way to the jump. He was quite fast initially but is very good at finding his own stride to the jumps.

I would say persevere if you feel confident enough to or if you could get an instructor out to you to help? Don't try to do anything major, just get the easy basics right and build from there.
 
Whack the jump up and see if he still does it (if you're not confident enough get a friend to do it). If he does, get a schooler. If he doesnt, then work together on jumping big! =]
 
Mines an ex point 2 pointer and was completely baffled by normal jumps with poles. First time i attempted jumping him was a wee x pole and he stopped dead at it (we were told he could jump poles, clearly not) took him back round stopped then cat leaped it. He even jumped over a pole on the ground. So i began with just poles on the ground and when he was used to them then introduced x poles etc but he was very prone to the whole stop/ half stride bunny hop but when i rode him on into a faster canter he jumped them fine.
 
My ex-racer used to do this. He's hurdled and steeplechased.

I did loads of pole work with him until he was happy cantering over things without leaping 6ft in the air and also did lots of gridwork as he was worse with the catleaping etc when he was meeting things off a slightly funny stride and the gridwork really helped to give him confidence.
 
Took a bit to get back to you guys but we seem to have a resolution. I've been jumping my instructors schoolmaster again over triple combinations to get my confidence and technique back up again, finishing on a single 80cm.

Sleepy meanwhile will be jumped by my instructor whilst i ride her horse so I can carry on with my education whilst at the same time I can see her educating my horse over the same courses so I will know what to look out for.

Also drilling in the groundwork so tonight I have been practising collected and extended canters with him and boy does he turn well for an ex-racer though he's not always striking off on the right leg.

Plan is flatwork in the week and jumping at weekends to get variety for him along with the fact I can now hack out on him. Last yard we were at it just wasn't an option so even though I've owned him since last september I have only hacked out twice - and that has been in the last week. Confidence is definitely on the up so thanks for your responses they really gave me food for thought so I could go down the right path for the both of us.

We're both a bit green but it's coming together really well and we are BOTH really enjoying it. I suppose this is why we all do it :)

Thanks again.
 
Sounds like a good resolution :D

I was going to ditto the taking back to the basics, i.e. poles and grids :). Also poles on the ground, so he gets used to trotting and cantering over them :)

I feel you pain. I bounced off last Saturday. Ouch!
 
MrsMozart said:
Sounds like a good resolution :D

I was going to ditto the taking back to the basics, i.e. poles and grids :). Also poles on the ground, so he gets used to trotting and cantering over them :)

I feel you pain. I bounced off last Saturday. Ouch!
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Basics is always a good idea. Goes all wrong so back to the start and build up again.

Bounced off twice in two weeks, the last being a spectacular catleap with arched back so my confidence was well splattered as was my left elbow. Always my left elbow no matter which side door I come off... Yes it's gridwork for him but with my RI doing it. I'm in cloud cuckooland after the cantering today as it's been a big big hurdle for me. Scary scary canter on an ex-racer... You know one of those days that goes so well you feel you can achieve anything?

I know. The cack will hit the fan next week :)
 
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