New Eventer wont jump brightly coloured fences???

[SilverFilly]

Hi All!

Wondering if you can help..My new eventer is refusing to jump brightly colored fences/fillers. He is brilliant with rustic fences and goes well on the flat, but I was hoping to take him to our first BE in September but can't until i know he will not stop on the XC course or over the brightly colored fences.

Has anyone got any tips to help me increase his confidence over these fences? I am going to get him out XC schooling at the end of this month when i've worked on this but could do with some advice!

Tia! x

 

[Chiffy]

Is this an established eventer or a young horse that you hope one day will be an eventer?
If it is the latter, you need to start schooling over coloured poles on the ground and building up over small coloured jumps just like any youngster. The usual way to introduce bright fillers is to have them each side of the jump, so that you just jump the pole in the middle. Gradually you move the fillers closer together until there is no gap. You will need to get out show jumping as a separate activity before you go Eventing.

 

[SilverFilly]

Is this an established eventer or a young horse that you hope one day will be an eventer?
If it is the latter, you need to start schooling over coloured poles on the ground and building up over small coloured jumps just like any youngster. The usual way to introduce bright fillers is to have them each side of the jump, so that you just jump the pole in the middle. Gradually you move the fillers closer together until there is no gap. You will need to get out show jumping as a separate activity before you go Eventing.

He evented a couple of years ago with a past owner so does have BE points, however he has basically been left since his last owner fell ill and seems to have lost his confidence. He is a 9 year old ex racehorse so i'm just hoping he isnt too set in his ways.

 

[SOS]

Sounds like he needs reintroducing to coloured fences and slowly. As other posters have said build confidence over poles and bringing fillers gradually in. Once he is more settled use coloured fillers/poles whenever jumping.

It can also be useful to familiarise yourself with a horse’s colour vision. It’s a lot less vast than ours so what seems bright may actually be quite dull or a yellow/green to a horse. Sometimes riders may ride a fence differently as they feel it’s ‘spooky’ and to some horses defensive riding can make them nervous. I try and imagine the fence in the horses vision and it’s often a lot less spooky! Similarly remember that when you do finally get out cross country that a white stripe on top of a house or a white flower box table is no different in colour to the full round of showjumps you have just done! Ride it with that mindset

 

[SilverFilly]

Is this an established eventer or a young horse that you hope one day will be an eventer?
If it is the latter, you need to start schooling over coloured poles on the ground and building up over small coloured jumps just like any youngster. The usual way to introduce bright fillers is to have them each side of the jump, so that you just jump the pole in the middle. Gradually you move the fillers closer together until there is no gap. You will need to get out show jumping as a separate activity before you go Eventing.

I've entered him into some unaff SJ on Friday night See how well that goes! he has been trotting over the colored poles a lot calmer so hopefully hes getting over it. Going the lunge him over them tonight!

 

[Chiffy]

Well done, good luck. Start smaller than you think you need to, so that you can push him on over and he gets to enjoy it again.

 

[SilverFilly]

Well done, good luck. Start smaller than you think you need to, so that you can push him on over and he gets to enjoy it again.

He's going into the 65cm-75cm class and we are doing the BE80 in September so smaller but also not a major stretch when we do venture out Next stop, unaff dressage!