Lack of confidence jumping

[DappleGreyDaydreamer]

My youngster is ready to progress onto bigger jumps and gridwork (we have only been jumping 40-50cm for the past month), but I've hit a brick wall with my confidence. He can be very enthusiastic when jumping and quite strong, and we have addressed this issue and he has improved, but a couple of falls in the past have knocked me. Also the fact that I didn't jump for 2 years with my previous horse - dressage cob - makes me very rusty and unstable if either of us makes a mistake. I was just wondering how I can build up some personal confidence to progress my amazing boy's training? I've had a couple of lessons but I completely lock up whenever my instructor puts up a fence, and it's seriously annoying me at this point. I do feel pathetic, but this community is so understanding that I just felt I should ask. Thanks all!

 

[nato]

Could you get some lessons on a schoolmaster to improve your confidence?

I would do this, and maybe get your instructor or a good rider to pop your horse over a few of the bigger fences so he gets used to them first, it might help settle your nerves, I know it helps me to see my horse doing it with someone else first!

 

[MagicMelon]

I think the only thing to do is to ride a really sensible jumper for a while and perhaps get someone confident to jump your horse? Then the horse will be gaining his own confidence while you're getting yours so you'll both be ready at the same time to get going again? If you're at all not confident jumping then your horse isn't going to stay confident for long either as I think you realise

 

[DappleGreyDaydreamer]

I think the only thing to do is to ride a really sensible jumper for a while and perhaps get someone confident to jump your horse? Then the horse will be gaining his own confidence while you're getting yours so you'll both be ready at the same time to get going again? If you're at all not confident jumping then your horse isn't going to stay confident for long either as I think you realise

Yes you're exactly right, my nerves affect him as he's always been such a confident horse to jump who loves it, but recently he's been spooking at some more unusual looking jumps and being a bit stand-offish like I am, so I really need this sorted!

 

[fatpiggy]

Better to be confident at low jumps than terrified of the Wembley Wall. You sound like you aren't too bothered about jumping to much of a standard. I had an adult pupil who was adamant they didn't want to learn to jump (too nervous I think) so I asked them how they would cope if they were out hacking one day and there was a branch blocking the path, or a puddle that the horse wouldn't go through. I had them trotting and then cantering over poles and raised poles - a jump is only an elevated canter stride at that height and they enjoyed that because we didn't make a big issue of it. Eventually they were up to doing low grids (when I say low, I mean about 18 inches) and we left it at that. I use the same theory when teaching people to work without stirrups - what will happen if one day they lose one or both stirrups? Treat it as a safety measure, an emergency thing and people accept it far more readily. OP stick to what you are happy with and let someone else jump him if you want. The world doesn't stop spinning because a rider doesn't want to be a three day eventer!

 

[Luci07]

Why do you back off grid work? It's a brilliant way to get your own position sorted and teach the horse to sort out their own legs. You don't need to make it overly complicated either. I freely admit I need to do this as we hadn't jumped before Christmas (horse wasn't right) and now my normally nice calm horse is way over the top as it is all so exciting.

So perhaps get another rider to start yours over the bigger fences. Do some grid work and keep jumping the smaller fences (even just 1 or 2) so jumping itself becomes less of a big deal. When I had a sharp horse, seeing a pro work him over by fences gave me the confidence (and him) to do it ourselves.

 

[Bernster]

If it were me, I'd stay at my comfort height until I was ready to move up. If you feel your horse needs to do more, I agree I'd get someone else to jump him higher and maybe that will help your confidence, seeing him handling the bigger heights. You're not in any competition except with yourself and your own goals. Confidence is so fragile that it pays to take a little time.

Your instructor could try and do a teeny sneaky increase in height which means you end up jumping bigger and not realising - I have seen that work in the past but only if the rider doesn't realise until it's too late !