Keeping poles up jumping!

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horses99

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Just wondering if anyone had any tips/grids or general ideas for improving a horse showjumping to stop them having pole. I have a made who loves jumping and her job perhaps too much that she can get excited and fast and take a fence or two with her, especially if it's a long line between fences on a course. She is green but she's always brave and doesn't really stop so when she gets a few faults for tapping some fences it's frustrating when I know she could do so well and I've kept competing to around 80cm so she's not over jumped as no point until she keeps them all up! She has all the scope to go much higher but not the technique/ carefulness yet. Any help appreciated I do have lessons and she's improving but still having a couple poles when out competing, no nasty comments to :)
 
How old is she? Assuming young since you said she is green.

My horse was like this when he was 6, he rarely kept a jump up to be honest. He also never stopped, never even attempted to refuse, ears forward the whole time. Definite scope to go higher too, he can do 1.40, but he was knocking 70's with a showjumping trainer on him.

He's only late into being 7 and at 8 started keeping them up. He doesnt get a lot of practice to be fair on him as I hate jumping him, but he does do it now more regularly than he does hit them. The showjumping trainer wasnt bothered at 6 that he was knocking them, he said that the horse would stop doing that eventually once he learnt where his legs were. It might just come with age to be honest for some horses. You could try small grids, polework, etc but she may just have to keep tapping them til she understands where her legs actually are.
 
She's 9 but she's been held back and was on a farm 7 years. Eddie I brought her therefore very little ring experience so although 9 she has the experience of something that's 6 or 7. Ok thanks :) just sometimes think it'll keep happening but hoping with more practice and outings it will change over time
 
You need to work on her canter so you can control it more by being able to shorten and lengthen when you want, her becoming excited and fast when jumping is going to mean she loses her ability to jump cleanly when she gets to the fence so all your work, not just jump schooling, should be aiming towards getting her to settle and listen to you especially when cantering.
You can use poles on the ground, grids with different distances, two jumps on a curved line and 2 or 4 jumps on a 20m circle to help you work on maintaining a level canter stride between fences and help stop the rushing.

You do not say whether she is taking them out in front or behind or what fences are most likely to fall as there are different exercises than can help if she has a tendency to knock down in the same way each time.
 
Usually tends to be front legs having watched her on videos but not always but most of the time and the fences most likely to fall are those which have a long distance between fences and a long run up to them. Thanks
 
horses99 said:
Usually tends to be front legs having watched her on videos but not always but most of the time and the fences most likely to fall are those which have a long distance between fences and a long run up to them. Thanks
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That should be one of the easier things to correct by training, the long run is allowing her to get onto her forehand and probably increase the stride length which will mean she gets a bit closer to the fence than ideal and her front legs are not always quick enough to pick up when she gets there, get the canter sorted so it stays the same length and she should find the distances better so has time to snap up in front when she gets to the jump.
Put out two fences 5 strides apart and play with them by putting in 6 short strides or 5 level ones and never allowing her to run on taking a stride out, if you have room you can make them further apart so you have more strides to play with, you will start to feel her stride pattern and know when she is trying to increase her stride or falling on her forehand so it can be corrected, the more time she is going correctly the more consistent she will be generally and it will transfer to competitions.
 
Be positive's advice is spot on, as usual.

My 6yo homebred was dangly in front, and would regularly take poles out. Her loan home did much work along the lines of BP's advice, and she's much, much improved. She has multiple recent double clears in unaffiliated arena eventing and one day events.

Do check your saddle fit, if it's too narrow it will pinch her shoulders and inhibit her jump.
 
work on the quality of the canter and grids, high X poles, short distances, V poles etc, anything to get her sitting back and using her shoulders.
 
I would just add, make sure she is fit enough too. Im not saying she isn't but just in case as this can mean they find it harder to sit on their hocks and are more likely to try to run on and get flatter.
 
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