Need some advise please!

[nomini]

Alisha has had about month off from jumping. I jumped her the other day and she was fairly good, a little strong but not too bad. Jumped her today and on the left rein coming towards the A end of the school she was jumping really calmly and really nicely. however, on the right rein jumping towards C end of the school, she was really charging towards the jump. Not quite sure why she is doing this, have a video showing her doing it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucOOOe85j7k
If she was in pain, would she not be doing it on both reins?? I am going to get her back and saddle checked (teeth have been checked recently). Any ideas of why she could be doing this??

 

[Jellicle]

Doesn't look like a major problem to me, though I'd be a bit annoyed about her having her nose in the air! Is it just because you were jumping on the right rein later in the session when she was warmed up?
Or maybe because in that direction she is jumping towards open fields instead of towards a barn?

 

[sevenoceans]

Looks fine to me. I'd do grid work as warm up. Wouldn't like horse throwing its head about... grid work will help with paces and settling the horse. She looks excited rather than in pain.

 

[nomini]

It feels worse than it looks!! Not too bothered about the take off, it's the landing, you probs can't see in the video but she shakes her head from side to side after landing as she's going round the corner, and it unbalances me. She has only started doing it since I have started jumping her again, so not sure if she is just very excited? Her nose in the air does really annoy me too, but we are working on that in my lessons, she has a very high head carriage anyway!! Thanks for your help

 

[nomini]

Glad you think she is excited rather than in pain, was really worried that i was hurting her today!!

 

[GTs]

I would not be overly concerned - she could just prefer one side having done more training on it (if she is from the track or you work one way more than the other). It could also be how her day developed, was she getting tired, the wind picked up, or......

 

[nomini]

It was quite a spooky day, was quite dark and dingy (sp?) and the farmers son was practising target shooting so I suppose all those factors contributed. Going to have another go tomorrow, cos meant to be going out jumping on the 7th jan and at the moment i have no control going into a 2'3 upright let alone a course of 85cm!!

 

[GTs]

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Glad you think she is excited rather than in pain, was really worried that i was hurting her today!!

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I think people in the UK are overly worried about their horses being in pain. Out here I have never had a horse with back pain, and never had a saddler out. All saddles came off the shelf. I have known 2 horses who had back problems, and they behaviour was far more dramatic - running out of fences for a horse who jumped everything, bolting for the laziest horse in the world. The former was fixed in 2 sessions, the later had a few more.

Yes it is certainly something to keep in mind, but it seems physios in the UK is a very lucrative business praying on people's unwarranted concern.

Just my opinion!

JOOI - what is her history? How old? What has she jumped? She does look slightly green in some portions of the video.

 

[Jellicle]

Having watched again she seems to change legs a couple of strides before the fence both times, then changes back on landing. It seems like she prefers to jump from the left canter lead - or have I imagined it?

 

[nomini]

Thanks, I do think people worry too much as well! Was worried about hurting her TBH but couldn't understand why she would be in pain on one reain and not the other!

 

[cariadssogreat]

Erm , in my honest opinion I think she is getting more exited because you changed the fence which made a more challenging jump so she got stronger. TBH she just looks like shes getting a bit strong and exitable.

 

[nomini]

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Having watched again she seems to change legs a couple of strides before the fence both times, then changes back on landing. It seems like she prefers to jump from the left canter lead - or have I imagined it?

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Hmm, have just watched it again and you are right. Maybe she prefers the left lead!

 

[nomini]

Thanks, jumped the cross fence on the right rein first, but not much battery left on the camera so my dad didn't film it cos i wanted him to film the upright. She was fine over the cross fence, just when it went up to the upright she got really excited and strong!

 

[GTs]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks, I do think people worry too much as well! Was worried about hurting her TBH but couldn't understand why she would be in pain on one reain and not the other!

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Horses can certainly be in pain on one lead and not the other - I believe that each lead uses different muscles, hence Jockeys changing leads on the flat to get an additional burst.

 

[nomini]

Hadn't really thought about that before, didn't realise that they could be in more pain on one rein than the other!

 

[GTs]

[ QUOTE ]
Having watched again she seems to change legs a couple of strides before the fence both times, then changes back on landing. It seems like she prefers to jump from the left canter lead - or have I imagined it?

[/ QUOTE ]

Although you are right - the approach to the fence was not neat enough to really validate it - it was very scrappy, with many reasons for doing things like that.

Please do not take this as an insult to the riding - we have all been in your shoes, and we are all going to be there again sometime soon!

 

[nomini]

No insult taken! Have only had the mare since July so we are still getting to grips with each other. Thought we had got there though a few weeks ago when we jumped a really nice steady double clear and came 4th in a 75cm class, but seems to be going pear shaped again!

 

[Oldred]

It looks to me as if it may be a 'horse not using the right muscles to carry a rider problem' - assuming saddle/back/teeth/rider balance avenues all checked. The horse looks hollow in the back to me - possibly saddle related and/or riding/schooling related. She is not tracking up and her pelvis is angled backwards leaving her hindquarters trailing. She looks as if she is therefore pulling herself along more with her forehand than pushing off her quarters and I think that is why she needs to have her neck and head up and free as it is part of the 'forehand doing all the work' syndrome. Her underside looks longer than her top line and I feel that that needs to be reversed with her working over her back, long and low etc to strengthen her back and engage the hindlegs further under her body.

If a horse is going like this it is very unlikely to be supple and often is more stiff and unbalanced on one rein which causes the horse and rider difficulties.

Maybe go back to basics and establish suppleness laterally and longditudinally with all the usual exercises esp transitions, reinback, leg yield, shoulder in, travers, renvers and 'on and back' in trot and canter.

Some of the transitions were hollow and everytime the horse is allowed to work like that it has practiced doing it in the opposite way to the correct, healthy way to carry the rider. When schooling I find it is always best to set the horse up correctly, inside leg to outside rein with the horse engaging inside hind leg and lifting the back so the horse is working from the back to front not the other way round.

 

[Baggybreeches]

I agree with you GTs, some of the money spent on back,teeth,calmers, uppers etc round by me suggests that people have nothing better to spend their money on. I suppose that what happens with the demise of horsemanship of old? If it aint broke dont fix it!

 

[Jellicle]

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Having watched again she seems to change legs a couple of strides before the fence both times, then changes back on landing. It seems like she prefers to jump from the left canter lead - or have I imagined it?

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Although you are right - the approach to the fence was not neat enough to really validate it - it was very scrappy, with many reasons for doing things like that.



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Of course, but it does suggest an uneveness or lack of balance in the horse that might explain why she is running on after the fence.

 

[Parkranger]

Looks like pure excitement to me! She'll probably calm down after a couple more jumping sessions.

Looks like she enjoys jumping - never a bad thing! x

 

[harry]

Think it is probably just excitement. Worth getting back and saddle checked tho just in case. One exercise which I love to use with my ex-racers and others who think jumping is just so exciting is to bring them off the jump straight into a 20 metre circle at c or a (or wherever!) and stay on that 20 m circle in canter for 2 - 3 circles to bring them back and make them balance. 1 of mine used to land off a jump with his head bolt upright, bronk, flick his head from side to side and go mental cos he loved jumping (I wasn't so sure when he did that!) but got the tip about 20m circles from an international showjumper and it really helped. Harry x

 

[nomini]

Thanks I will try that tomorrow with her

 

[nomini]

Thanks for your help. Haven't had the horse for that long and before i got her she was not doing much work due to her owner having a baby. I am having lessons and we are working on her flatwork to improve her way of going, but my instructor has said to keep jumping her as that's what I bought her for and I don't want her to have long breaks from it.
I'm sure she was just excited today and just has a bit too much energy. Have started to cut her feed down a bit as she has been quite excitable in all aspects over the past few days. Think it may just be going to her head!