'Locking on' to jumps

K

Karsumatra

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 February 2011
Messages
56
Visit site
I was thinking about this earlier instead of work ( :) ) and wondered what your thoughts were on horses 'locking on' to jumps? I've ridden some that do and some that don't.

In your experience, is this something horses learn over time or just do naturally (once they have got the idea of jumping etc)? Do a lot of upper level eventing/SJ horses lock on in this way or is it more of an individual thing? It isn't something I've really considered before so would be interested in everyone's experiences!
 
Last edited:
Yes - its all in the ears.
Never had a horse that does not lock on but it takes training and experience. In fact I would not want to ride a horse that should know its job that does not lock on. They should be looking for the fence even if its not the right one sometimes as happens indoors jumping.
 
We had a pony that after owning for a few years started locking on. It was great until the daughter tried to turn him infront of a fence in a jump off & he locked onto the wrong fence :( 3 times in major national finals she got eliminated in jump offs for jumping the wrong fences! Once he locked on there was no way of pulling him out! It took a fair bit of schooling to get him out of doing it ;)
 
I think there is a difference between horses that are looking for the next jump and horses that are dragging you there. There are many horses that don't change pace or otherwise give any sign other that to direct their attention, but are fully aware of where they need to go. Other, more excitable and obvious types, will be more enthusiastic but not necessarily more capable, because their "enthusiasm" is born at least partly out of anxiety.
 
can feel when mine's locked on and his ears give it away - you just have to be careful how you steer him around and point at jumps as he'll easily lock onto the wrong one and we have managed to jump a parallel backwards before - oops!
 
TarrSteps said:
I think there is a difference between horses that are looking for the next jump and horses that are dragging you there. There are many horses that don't change pace or otherwise give any sign other that to direct their attention, but are fully aware of where they need to go. Other, more excitable and obvious types, will be more enthusiastic but not necessarily more capable, because their "enthusiasm" is born at least partly out of anxiety.
Click to expand...

Thanks TarrSteps, I was going to mention that distinction in my OP but couldn't think how to phrase it! I suppose to me being locked on is more obvious if its a feeling of being taken into the jump (whether in a subtle way or dragged!) but perhaps that misses the point if a horse, as you say, is focused on where he is going without showing obvious outward signs.
 
I think it comes with experience to a certain degree. Older horses can do it just with their ears.
I like a horse that locks on. My boy has also jumped me over the wrong fence before! He does it more when he's fresh, it's purely excitement and sometimes he has to be made to wait, he adores jumping and can start seeing strides in to everything :p. I love that he looks for the fence. Other times he cruises round with his ears only (getting more like this as he gets older).
If he's not locked on I get worried he hasn't seen it! Or is not paying attention which has resulted in him noticing a jump last minute and having to climb over or going past! *whoops!*. That's a baby thing though when their
attention is distracted for a second.
 
If you watch a lot of top jumpers school over what most of us would consider quite large jumps, it's striking how relaxed and metronomic most of the horses are. They don't rush or pull or grab because they are relaxed and confident. 'Making' a horse pull/pick up because the rider thinks that's what a horse does when it's 'happy' jumping, when it is not actually the horse's natural inclination isn't necessary or even desirable. Of course young horses need direction and to be taught to keep their minds on the job, but this can often be accomplished as well by slowing down as speeding up with better long term results.

I think its the horse's job to look where it's going and jump the jumps and, at the very basic level, I'd rather the horse got in a little bit of trouble when it doesn't attend than me having to manufacture it all the time and possibly risk a misunderstanding when the stakes are much higher.
 
My young Irish Draft loves jumping and locks on - on Sunday we did working hunter locally (indoors) and after a good clear we did the individual show bit - only problem was that it was around the jumps and Alf went into canter (as he has been taught!) and wouldn't trot then decided to add an extra jump into his show!!:rolleyes::rolleyes::p

Made everyone laugh though, even the judge!! :D:D:D
 
A lot of top show jumpers do lock on though.. when you watch them they are right 'there'. It's because at the heights they jump they have to have so much more impulsion and power it seems like they are relaxed but they are right on the money in terms of responsiveness to perform. I bet they feel like a Ferrari into a fence to sit on. The riders make it look easy as they are used to that feeling and can control it.
You don't want that over a 90cm fence
but equally you don't want to casually slop over it either.
I don't believe 'locking on' equals a nervous horse. Eventing you want a horse to lock on in order for it to take responsibility for its own jump, to be safe.
By locking on I don't mean rushing. I mean a feeling of moving into the hand.
 
mine has just started to lock onto jumps, and it is such a nice feeling after having to really encourage him to go forward for two years!

Yesterday had to turn back to a double (daft course) and as i turned he actually locked onto a different fence, luckily he still listened enough to keep turning and go to the double!

All i wanted for 2 yrs was the feeling of him locking on and taking a jump on! Can see it in his ears when im jumping
 
I think there's a "good locking on" and a "bad locking on" if that makes sense :p

Horses that are switched on and listening to their rider will take on fences they are asked to

Bad locking on is when a horse just bolts to any fence it see's regardless if the rider wants them to do it or not!

Ideally a horse should be looking for the next fence and keen to jump, but not until the rider says "its this one!" :D I know a pony that will just bolt at any fence and there isn't a lot you can do to stop it, which I find a bit rude and bad mannered. I know they're bold and the type to jump anything but like someone else has said, when its the difference of winning and losing it can become slightly annoying! :D
 
My youngster's become a pain in the neck about this, I've been focussing on keeping her rhythmic and steady and we conquered this over SJing, did some competitions and she was brilliant.

However took her to a ODE and the speed of XC has gone straight to her head, she now locks on to every single jump (and the other day the menage fence which is at least 5 foot and she's only 14.2!) and hurtles towards them.

So we're back to square one with lots of trotting into jumps, trotting towards them and turning away, I like her enthusiasm but she's no longer clearing the jumps, more launching and thus flattening which is just so annoying. So back to the drawing board it is! :rolleyes:
 
I did not say locking on EQUALS anxiety, Firewell, merely that a horse wanting to increase to a fence does not necessarily mean the horse is 'enjoying' its jumping and that trying to create that feeling in horse that is naturally laid back can actually lead trouble. A horse should go where you point it, when you ask it, at the speed you want it to go. Obviously this is the ideal and not always attainable.

I think this is more common these days when we have so many purpose bred horses working well within the limits of their scope. They see no reason to be that concerned about jumping, say, 1m any more than you would be stepping off a curb. (This is a good analogy btw - you would barely adjust for such an obstacle but you would if the curb was 3' high!)

Event horses are a bit of a different kettle of fish, particularly xc. The job engenders a lot of adrenalin and mistakes can be quite painful so a sensible horse will attain quite a high level of arousal (don't laugh, that's the term) particularly in competition. I do think one of the real necessities now for a top event horse now is to able to differentiate between xc and sj and modify its reactions accordingly.
 
TarrSteps said:
If you watch a lot of top jumpers school over what most of us would consider quite large jumps, it's striking how relaxed and metronomic most of the horses are. They don't rush or pull or grab because they are relaxed and confident. 'Making' a horse pull/pick up because the rider thinks that's what a horse does when it's 'happy' jumping, when it is not actually the horse's natural inclination isn't necessary or even desirable. Of course young horses need direction and to be taught to keep their minds on the job, but this can often be accomplished as well by slowing down as speeding up with better long term results.

I think its the horse's job to look where it's going and jump the jumps and, at the very basic level, I'd rather the horse got in a little bit of trouble when it doesn't attend than me having to manufacture it all the time and possibly risk a misunderstanding when the stakes are much higher.
Click to expand...

My horse is a very well "showjumping" bred horse. I've had her since a 4yr old and she is now just 7. She has the most amazing jump that I have been trying not to ruin ;)

I want to event and so haven't jumped amazing heights over poles on her BUT in the last few months, she really has started locking on but without any change to her canter or approach whatsoever! She doesn't "take" me to a fence but last week we jumped our first 1m20 fence and her approach just didn't change from how it is when we do .90.

I've had decent jumping horses before but I now realise having got used to the way this mare jumps that she really is the talented one. There is no pull, she is amazingly balanced and she lands amazingly balanced too! It's a real eye opener and I am taking it V E R Y slowly as I don't want to ruin/frighten/change her.

Considering how ring rusty I am/was she also faulted just once in 12 months and I think like Tarr Steps says this is becaue she is so relaxed and has a very even balanced canter........
 
star said:
can feel when mine's locked on and his ears give it away - you just have to be careful how you steer him around and point at jumps as he'll easily lock onto the wrong one and we have managed to jump a parallel backwards before - oops!
Click to expand...

Yes I did this in a jump off once, she "locked on" in one stride and to pull her off would have been wrong and perhaps dangerous.

I think horses do need to be trained to lock on, but it should develop with correct jump training. Obviously eventers are trained to lock on skinnies where as a trained SJer may just canter past it and not give it any thought.

ETA - By locking on I mean aware of the fence and being aware that we are going to jump it. Not rushing, pulling or changing pace.

I think of locking on more for XC than SJ generally and would use it when coming to a skinny or corner off a turn when it would be as easy for the horse to just run straight past.
 
Last edited:
TarrSteps said:
I think there is a difference between horses that are looking for the next jump and horses that are dragging you there. There are many horses that don't change pace or otherwise give any sign other that to direct their attention, but are fully aware of where they need to go. Other, more excitable and obvious types, will be more enthusiastic but not necessarily more capable, because their "enthusiasm" is born at least partly out of anxiety.
Click to expand...

That's just triggered a bit of a light bulb moment for me Tarrsteps. After 5 years of trying I've taken the decision to give up trying to event my little mare, she's very scopey but finds the affiliated environment hugely stressful. I was hoping that keeping exposing her to it would mean she'd get used to it eventually but I feel like it's escalating. She very much locks on to fences in the way you described, and I'd never thought of it being the same sort of anxiety but it absolutely makes sense.
 
Reg really highlights, IMO, the two different locking on types. XC, he sees the jumps and knows where he needs to be going and goes- it's easy, and makes life very easy for Al atm!

SJ, he locks on well enough but gets his head up and fights. Al's been working very hard at building up his confidence so he doesn't fire at fences, and so he gets the same easy-going approach as he does XC.
 
To me there is a significant difference between locking on and rushing to a fence. I think some riders can get the two confused? I know mine has 'locked onto' a fence when he takes a more confident approach without speeding up. Speed to me is just anxiety and won't produce a good approach.
 
Can't edit on my phone but I meant to say speed can produce a good jump bit it is the way the speed is used by the rider I.e different speeds for different disciplines
 
The horse I'm riding at the moment hasn't done a lot recently, but he went intermediate when he was about 8 (I seem to be collecting ex-intermediate eventer rides...it's unintentional, promise!) and you just get that feeling that he knows his job when he locks on. If I misjudge a distance then sometimes he doesn't until a stride or two away (!!!) which is a very alarming feeling when he pretty much only notices the jump when it's under his nose! Rushing is something I hate and definitely stems from anxiety or over-exuberance, but the feeling of a horse locking on is definitely something they gain from experience of jumping effectively as a result of good basic training.
 
I have a 7yo mare who is extremely green and literally locks onto a trotting pole on the floor or a 1m fence and will launch herself at it and jump it at least double the height. There is no way of stopping her.
She is extremely scopey and careful, but the super speed we occasionally get is unnerving for me even though I 100% believe she will never stop or run out. But I am concerned that she is motoring because she is nervous and anxious rather than a keen jumper. Although she doesn't stop and ears are always pricked.
Sometimes she goes so fast that she will knock a pole and this then panicks her and makes her go even quicker.
So even if she is going fast because she has 'locked on' and is keen to jump, in the long run it will just knock her confidence and pole work and small jumps are going to be the only way to slow her down even though she could jump the moon. Although one person did suggest to put up a rather large fence to make her concentrate and back off as she does tend to ignore the smaller fences and think nothing of them (she is 17hh after all!)
 
Thanks for the replies, really interesting. One of the reasons I asked was because I find it much much easier to reach a fence on the correct stride when the horse is taking me in I.e is slightly in the hand. This could be put down to a more forwards canter, or maybe the initiative of a horse weighing up the fence more for itself - not really sure. But the term 'locking on' doesn't necessarily equal more weight in the hand/an intended increase in pace on the part of the horse, so I guess this would be difficult to judge?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top