Jumping Youngsters - when is too soon

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Spirit7

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Hello lovely horsey people
Following on from my how much post yesterday regarding pricing my youngster should I have to sell I received lots of good advice, thanks

So my question is as I was mostly advised my rising 5 year old needs to jumping to be worth (some) money, how soon have you all jumped your horses when breaking and what and how much have you done.

I am so wary of damaging (having owned a broken horse who was jumped as a 4 year old foxhunter and NC) that I’m terrified to start before 6 ish properly.

However the horse is eager to go and is managing flying changes (not asked I try for trot mostly lol ) over rein change poles all on his own and can happily make a pole on the ground a 3 foot challenge while schooling on happily. So not naughty just enthusiastic!

Your thoughts please
 
I have a rising 5 year old who is still growing and is being brought on to be an all rounder. We have introduced cavaletti and some small cross poles on wings for interest and a small “ course” of maybe 6 pop overs at trot. She loves jumping but once a month if that at the moment I feel is enough. In the late spring we can do more. I’d like to see her level out properly before doing more.
 
The horse needs to be able to pop enough of a fence to demonstrate scope, carefulness and bravery. A competent rider could achieve that in not very many sessions- if you ride the horse in balance then a natural athlete will not find it taxing.
I prefer to build it up a bit more gradually because I'm not looking to sell, but I would expect my 4yr olds to pop a small course a couple of times (about 80cm) in the Summer and then to be ready to crack on a bit more at 5. My current homebred did just that- a couple of outings at 4 to check attitude, turned away for winter, evented April of his 5yr old year at 90cm.
 
The earliest I would jump would be as a 5yo, and then sparingly.

I also prefer to introduce jumping loose or on the lunge before under saddle so that the horse has been able to develop confidence, co-ordination and understanding without the potential for the rider to hinder or unbalance him at any point - even the best rider will have the odd imperfect moment, and those are much more likely when the horse is inexperienced over jumps.

From a sales point of view, showing that the horse has had scope and a good technique loose or on the lunge a couple of times would probably be acceptable for most people as a 5yo.
 
TheMule said:
The horse needs to be able to pop enough of a fence to demonstrate scope, carefulness and bravery. A competent rider could achieve that in not very many sessions- if you ride the horse in balance then a natural athlete will not find it taxing.
I prefer to build it up a bit more gradually because I'm not looking to sell, but I would expect my 4yr olds to pop a small course a couple of times (about 80cm) in the Summer and then to be ready to crack on a bit more at 5. My current homebred did just that- a couple of outings at 4 to check attitude, turned away for winter, evented April of his 5yr old year at 90cm.
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What breed and size are these horses please? This feels like a lot to me for a growing horse but I trot on the roads and we jump ditches and any logs obstructing us to when out hacking. I’m just reluctant to jump in a school as yet (especially if I am keeping him).
 
PurpleSpots said:
The earliest I would jump would be as a 5yo, and then sparingly.

I also prefer to introduce jumping loose or on the lunge before under saddle so that the horse has been able to develop confidence, co-ordination and understanding without the potential for the rider to hinder or unbalance him at any point - even the best rider will have the odd imperfect moment, and those are much more likely when the horse is inexperienced over jumps.

From a sales point of view, showing that the horse has had scope and a good technique loose or on the lunge a couple of times would probably be acceptable for most people as a 5yo.
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Definitely my feeling. He’s loose jumped 5 foot plus as a colt (not with me)
 
When I had a young pony I didn't jump him until he was 7. Apart from ditches & other small hazards out hacking.
He was a slow developer and didn't look 'finished' until he was 8.
 
Spirit7 said:
What breed and size are these horses please? This feels like a lot to me for a growing horse but I trot on the roads and we jump ditches and any logs obstructing us to when out hacking. I’m just reluctant to jump in a school as yet (especially if I am keeping him).
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15.2 warmblood bred to jump. It is really not taxing for him to pop a small course. I wouldn’t do it if they are especially immature, but a well produced and balanced horse will do this very easily. 4yr old BE classes are 90cm, 4yr old BS classes are 1m
 
TheMule said:
15.2 warmblood bred to jump. It is really not taxing for him to pop a small course. I wouldn’t do it if they are especially immature, but a well produced and balanced horse will do this very easily. 4yr old BE classes are 90cm, 4yr old BS classes are 1m
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The thought of my boy doing 90cm terrifies me today. lol.
 
For allrounders we usually back them in the autumnof when they are 3, turn away for winter but still being handled and doing in-hand groundwork, then back onagain in spring of when they are 4 to start some light hacking and very gentle big circles in the school, by summer they are usually doing some polework and small jumps (60/70 once or twice a week, maybe 6-10 jumping efforts per session) and then by autumn they would be going outnon arena hires, clinics and pleasure rides once or twice a month and then turned away for winter. Rising 5, from sprimg to autumn the'd be going out once or twice a month to do something around 80cm with a weekly jump between shows, on average. By autumn we'd want to be ending the year on a couplemof 90s, and training at 1m at home.
 
I bought mine literally just before his 4th birthday and had a couple of videos of him doing little fences (think 50cm). The owner popped him over a cross pole when I viewed.

Nothing strenuous just enough to show a potential buyer that he wasn't going to fall apart and knew where his legs were.

I did very little jumping with him after that (odd log in field) until the summer after his 5th birthday and even then they were small just to get him used to the idea. We played skittles in our first clear round competition (at cross pole height) because he was either leaping them or forgetting he had hind legs.

There's a difference between a bit of education and jumping the legs off a youngster.
 
All my young horses once backed played over ditches and logs out hacking and over tiny coloured fences in the arena, getting them used to going between wings and popping a plank, tiny fillers and so on. Nothing taxing, just keeping it fun and educational (without them realising it). Small courses (fixed and sj) with spread out fences at 4/5, minimal jumping effort and keeping them forward and happy.

I detest loose jumping of youngsters and young horse classes with a passion. Terrible things.
 
Depends on the horse. Mine are all athletic sporthorses. One I broke in September of her 4yo year and was pinging round 80cm courses a few months later. Her sister who was backed at 3 came out at 4 and jumped maybe 70cm a couple of times as so weak and then was popping down 1m grids as a 5yo. The latest guy was jumping round 70cm as 4yo and then competing at 90cm eventing as a 5yo and finding it easy.

It’s 5 so it’s a case of crack on and be pragmatic. If the horse decides to grow you knock of doing anything. If it’s level and enjoying it then you crack on. Mine would jump maybe once a week. Mix of poles, courses, grids and exercises to mix it up and do different things.
 
Thanks all. So as a well developed rising 5 WB I’m going to stick to my plan and start popping cross poles in a large area after his 5th birthday. In the meantime I’ll continue his hacking education and popping what’s in front and I may start some raised pole work when the weather settles a bit. Nice to see so many people putting longevity before fun! As I said my 23 year old was fubarred by 6 when I bought him so not letting this happen to this one.
 
Spirit7 said:
Thanks all. So as a well developed rising 5 WB I’m going to stick to my plan and start popping cross poles in a large area after his 5th birthday. In the meantime I’ll continue his hacking education and popping what’s in front and I may start some raised pole work when the weather settles a bit. Nice to see so many people putting longevity before fun! As I said my 23 year old was fubarred by 6 when I bought him so not letting this happen to this one.
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That’s fine, you have to do what you're comfortable with. If you wanted to sell him soon, as you had said, the expectation from any serious buyer would be to see the horse jumping. Otherwise you're very limited in how much money you could reasonably expect to achieve
 
TheMule said:
That’s fine, you have to do what you're comfortable with. If you wanted to sell him soon, as you had said, the expectation from any serious buyer would be to see the horse jumping. Otherwise you're very limited in how much money you could reasonably expect to achieve
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I don’t think I’d get what I would want for it to be worth it in next few months and I’ve been so adamant that I won’t rush him I think I’d hate myself if I rushed him to get myself out of a hole!! I was thinking of selling to relieve some financial pressure- however there are other ways to raise money- I’m lucky my horses are at home so I don’t have to worry about upkeep particularly as it has to be done anyway. Appreciate your advice and I do agree I just love this horse (and my journey so far with him) more than the need to stop worrying about cash! X
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
I am waiting until my youngster is 5 before I even think about it, and even then I'll take a look and see how mature/muscled he's looking and wait longer if need be.
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I think mines looking ok muscle wise but also going to hold off. Thanks you’ve been very helpful in haloing me decide x
 
Spirit7 said:
Thanks all. So as a well developed rising 5 WB I’m going to stick to my plan and start popping cross poles in a large area after his 5th birthday. In the meantime I’ll continue his hacking education and popping what’s in front and I may start some raised pole work when the weather settles a bit. Nice to see so many people putting longevity before fun! As I said my 23 year old was fubarred by 6 when I bought him so not letting this happen to this one.
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Just to add to my previous post, it is the main reason I gave up producing young horses to sell, because the expectations of the average buyer were in my opinion detrimental to the majority of young horses and their development. Especially here in Ireland. So I stuck to just doing them for myself, and with only one exception (and that was due to a freak accident) every single one of them had long and exceptionally useful lives with very few physical or skeletal issues.
 
I have jumped everything gently at 4. Actual 4, not 1st Jan 4. Not had one have issues from doing so. How high gently is depends on the pony and their athletic ability and size. 4yo is about learning - to jumping sweetly round a small course in a nice rhythm; to be unafraid of funky fillers; how to behave in a SJ warmup and ring, travelling easily away from home etc. If selling, I would want to show the small course in rhythm and loose jump to show potential for height.

Just to add - everything I’ve ever had that was a ‘jumping pony’ by nature/breeding has been merrily fence hopping and jumping water troughs etc (one set spent over an hour jumping in/out of the very long grass (over 1m high)when the fence was moved) so I have never felt that I was jumping them before they were ready! The others too were jumping twigs, puddles etc out hacking of their own volition at the point where we started jumping under saddle. It says to me they’re ready if they’re doing it on their own!
 
I have a 14.3hh partbred Arab who is a general riding horse/ all rounder and I am not planning to sell.

I backed her at rising 4, hacked for over a year and started schooling in circles and on a surface at 5. She loose jumped and popped the odd log out on a hack between 5 and 7 and learnt to jump courses of 60cm last year, at 8.

She is 80% arab so she's slow maturing, and she's not bred to be a jumper or conformationally well set up to jump so I am very conscious of putting strain on a horse which isn't inherently designed for this sort of work.

I had a young warmblood that we backed at 4 and she was jumping courses at 5. Horses for courses, quite literally.
 
I have only just started Faran over jumps properly. He’s 7. He’s done up to 50cms and I’m hoping to crack on this year.

He saw small x poles in hand when he was three, then again in hand when he was four, when he was 5 he was jumping the odd 40cms cross poles and last year he was going between 40-50cms.

He’s more than capable but I wanted to bring him on slowly so as not to cause any damage 🙂
 
I also hate age classes, I think it is so detrimental to any youngster, let alone the increasingly hypermobile performance horses we are breeding.

I do think you have to a) do what you can do with what you have and b) look at the horse in front of you. I backed Dex at rising 4, I would have waited but we had done so much in hand hacking and he was so chill (and I am so green at backing them) that I wanted to at least sit on and walk around before he got over confident in himself, he was still amicable and naive at rising 4. He then had a few months off and I brought him back at bang on 4yo in the May and did a lot of hacking over that summer and got some life experience under his belt, then started in the school a little come Sept. I haven't jumped because I don't think it's necessary as he won't be sold and I am not desperate to do it, but this winter I have schooled twice a week. I'd rather not but if he is unridden he gets bored and destructive and naughty for the YM, so I do what I can. I can't hack as I work full time and its dark, but I do go out at the weekend.
 
I would not jump on the lunge- there is no way to avoid landing and turning almost straightaway and that’s a terrible thing for everything in the leg. The only time I jump on a lunge line is as an introduction to a ditch, but that’s from walk or a tiny jog.

The best thing you to do for a young horse is to keep your own weight as light as possible, to ride it in well fitting tack, on good surfaces (I'm a big fan of grass over anything else), to condition it properly for the work it is asked to do and to ride it in balance. It's all very well holding off jumping, but if you're not doing those other things, it won’t be the deciding factor over its future soundness IMO
 
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