Overjumping

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Seahorse

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anyone know why my horse will be quite happily popping over a nice small fence no problem and then suddenly puts in a massive jump? I mean massive he jumped 4ft over a 2ft jump yesterday, how I stayed on I will never know...
It put me off jumping him after that, not to mention the fact I got so left behind I cut his mouth
frown.gif

Should I jump him more often? I mainly do dressage but I like to jump him for a bit of variety.
 
was it the same fence as before, or a different one? if it's a different one (as i suspect) he's still getting his eye in... careful horses who don't want to bash their legs overjump to be sure of clearing something, until they've jumped a few more and settled. yes, i'd jump him a bit more often, and try to be ready for it i guess!
because they take off and have to remember how high to jump (can't see the pole once they've left the ground, obv) it can be a bit trial and error, obviously, especially at the beginning. i'd give him clear ground lines (almost same distance from jump as height of jump) to make it easier for him to get to the right place and not get too close and then maybe panic and launch upwards. he just sounds as if he doesn't want to bash his legs!
 
April does this seahorse and I sympathise with how scary it can be!

I normally put it down to inexperience (and over-excitement!).

She is getting much better the more I do but always clears every jump by a foot - no matter the height.
Was great fun on a recent lesson doing over 3'3ft fences and she was going well over 4ft - at least i know she has ability but it's terrifying LOL.

You don't say how old he is or how experienced?
April is blimming 22 but is an inexperienced jumper - and a bit of a silly old fart as you can see by the high jinks in my sig hehe.

I am sure he will get better with practice. At least you know you won't have many knock downs lol!
 
Lol, my last horse used to overjump everything, and really put me off jumping, as I am novice at leaving the ground! He used to unseat me all the time.
I put someone more capable on him, and jumped him a few times, and he did get loads better and more confident. I was jumping him myself after that.
 
Overjumping tends to be due to lack of confidence in the horse. The more he jumps, the better he is likely to get.

If you are worried about catching him in the mouth or coming off, you could jump him on the lunge until he improves. Aim to keep it steady and rhythmical, building the height of the jumps and the pace gradually.

Loose schooling over jumps usually encourages the horse to rush and will not help him to gain confidence as much as when you "hold his hand" on the lunge.
 
[ QUOTE ]
April does this seahorse and I sympathise with how scary it can be!

I normally put it down to inexperience (and over-excitement!).

She is getting much better the more I do but always clears every jump by a foot - no matter the height.
Was great fun on a recent lesson doing over 3'3ft fences and she was going well over 4ft - at least i know she has ability but it's terrifying LOL.

You don't say how old he is or how experienced?
April is blimming 22 but is an inexperienced jumper - and a bit of a silly old fart as you can see by the high jinks in my sig hehe.

I am sure he will get better with practice. At least you know you won't have many knock downs lol!

[/ QUOTE ]

Hi, you know how horrible it is then to be launched 6 feet into the air then! He is only 6 and not done a lot of jumping really. I suppose I'll have to put my brave face on and jump him a bit more.
 
[ QUOTE ]
was it the same fence as before, or a different one? if it's a different one (as i suspect) he's still getting his eye in... careful horses who don't want to bash their legs overjump to be sure of clearing something, until they've jumped a few more and settled. yes, i'd jump him a bit more often, and try to be ready for it i guess!
because they take off and have to remember how high to jump (can't see the pole once they've left the ground, obv) it can be a bit trial and error, obviously, especially at the beginning. i'd give him clear ground lines (almost same distance from jump as height of jump) to make it easier for him to get to the right place and not get too close and then maybe panic and launch upwards. he just sounds as if he doesn't want to bash his legs!

[/ QUOTE ]

it was the same jump that we had been over twice! I think you're right about the ground line tho, it didn't have one and we do normally have one there. Although he does overjump things anyway but this took me by surprise! We were jumping from trot, but later on I cantered him over it and he was much better.

Guess I'll have to turn him into a showjumper now then lol!
 
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