Oh Dear XC Schooling Yesterday

[Eira]

Well , as I posted on tuesday night I was pertrified about going xc
The weather was lovely and Danny had been going well in the week over SJ's so thought all would be ok ..................
Left the yard at half 8 and didnt arrive at xc course until 12.30 after having to take a HUGE detour .
Warmed him up and all was going well , went to pop him over a little log and he happily cantered towards it locked onto the fence and then a the very last milisecond stopped dead and wouldn't even walk over it so not the greatest starts tbh .
Few more stops later he started jumping really well and happily popping over the jumps . Then he changed his mind and decieded that he doesn't like xc again , cue a unplanned dismount narrowly missing the jump and landing on the floor , the start of more refusals over tiny little logs

So not the best of days but I did jump a few jumps and had fun up and down the drop thingies
will add the vid and photos when uploaded

 

[KatB]

Why did you canter into the first fence?

 

[Eira]

Because he may have taken off and I had no brakes

Did I forget to mention that ??
but did try again at trot about 3 times after and was not going over it

 

[KatB]

Sounds like you have a control issue and he is taking the p*ss! Sorry, may sound like I am stating the obvious. If you go again, trot slowly into a very little fence to start with. Doesnt matter how small, he has got to learn how to get to the other side. If he pulls your arms out, circle or blooming well make him pull up! Work on building up from there, and do not allow him to canter into anything until he is getting over eveyrthing from trot. Small logs etc, there is no reason why you shouldnt walk into them.

Pleased things got better though,m and well done for perservering

 

[Eira]

Walking into it doesnt work

I took some advice and took a friend up with me who also is a RI , she reckoned the reason he wouldn't jump was because I was being negative over the fences , she jumped on him and he wouldnt budge she trotted him into a TINY fence and he stopped dead and wasn't going to budge she stood well sat there for 5 minutes trying to encourage him over the fence but he wouldnt budge tried circling giving him a tap with the whip even let him follow someone over it he still wouldnt move in the end he did go over it a jump it nicely

Just at the end of my tether !!! He obviously wants to stay being used as a showjumper

 

[pinktiger]

o dear, bit of a bitter sweet day then?!? i dont want to offend you but i think that to try and offer some solution to your desire to do the xc, it mayb an idea if an option to pop someone else on him and give him a really possitive session over piddly stuff to gain confidence,, i think you both kno each other sooo well, and team works great, but i think its kind of working agianst you at the mo,, is just a thought and fair play for gettin back out there, just gotta keep goin now!! I recon with your determination in a few months time we will be getting diff posts from you!!

 

[PaddyMonty]

[ QUOTE ]
it mayb an idea if an option to pop someone else on him and give him a really possitive session over piddly stuff to gain confidence

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like a very sensible idea.

 

[aran]

It sounds like he isn't enjoying XC - i know that's no excuse for stopping etc - however if you got the fun back into it then maybe he'd be more willing.
My TB has a good stop in him. once he's stopped then he looses all confidence and I have real trouble even getting over the smallest log - the brain has decided NO. He can go fantastically and that was the annoying thing.
I had a lesson with Debbie Topping and she told me that he had loads of ability but just was worrying and needed to learn to enjoy jumping again. She told me to hunt him and do team chasing or pairs XC. this has really worked - he is loving it and when XC schooling at MKEC he did jumps happily that we wouldn't have even considered in October.
So my advice would be to make it fun again?