pony jumping early..

[itsapiebald]

My pony loves jumping, but because of the bad weather we've had we haven't been jumping much. She gets really excited when we jump because she hasn't done it in a while and jumps early. It's not quite a stride but she doesn't take off where she should.

also, I loose my confidence jumping after having a few falls so I don't jump big.

is there any exercises I could do with her to sort her striding out without having to jump big?

I've got an instructor coming soon

 

[pennandh]

Obviously I haven't seen the pair of you, so don't take my word as gospel, but it sounds like she's just jumping off a longer stride than you're used to.

You could try asking her to adjust her stride length on the flat (eg. working paces on the long side and collected on the short side; or medium on the long side and working on the short side, etc.), which should then give you a better chance of shortening her up a bit for jumping.

Similarly, a half-halt about 5-6 strides out from the fence should ask her to rebalance herself and avoid flattening (if she's in balance on the long stride, she won't necessarily shorten, but it's worth a shot).

Other than that, gridwork over small-to-middling crosspoles is also useful for adjusting stride-length. Start off little, and gradually build them up to whatever height you feel comfortable with.

If she'll reliably go over the jump, you may find that riding the approach in a light seat helps avoid you getting left behind if she goes on a long one.

Having said all that, you're under no obligation to jump without an instructor there if you don't feel confident doing so. Do what you feel safe with, and work from there; no pressure.

 

[itsapiebald]

Obviously I haven't seen the pair of you, so don't take my word as gospel, but it sounds like she's just jumping off a longer stride than you're used to.

You could try asking her to adjust her stride length on the flat (eg. working paces on the long side and collected on the short side; or medium on the long side and working on the short side, etc.), which should then give you a better chance of shortening her up a bit for jumping.

Similarly, a half-halt about 5-6 strides out from the fence should ask her to rebalance herself and avoid flattening (if she's in balance on the long stride, she won't necessarily shorten, but it's worth a shot).

Other than that, gridwork over small-to-middling crosspoles is also useful for adjusting stride-length. Start off little, and gradually build them up to whatever height you feel comfortable with.

If she'll reliably go over the jump, you may find that riding the approach in a light seat helps avoid you getting left behind if she goes on a long one.

Having said all that, you're under no obligation to jump without an instructor there if you don't feel confident doing so. Do what you feel safe with, and work from there; no pressure.

Thank you, I will try the exercises you have mentioned ☺

when I rode her earlier, going into the jump I half halted more and she definitely took off more or less in the right place

 

[PorkChop]

It's all about getting the right canter, so I would start by using canter poles on the ground.

Usually if you are consistently taking off from too far away it means that your canter is too flat and long.

You will know when you have the right canter because it will feel easy and you will be in the right spot more often than not.

You really need to have someone on the ground to give you some feedback and of course lessons will help no end

 

[EQUIDAE]

Another thing to consider is - is the pony jumping too soon or do you see a short stride? A lot of people do see a short stride and when the jumping striding is changed for an optimal jump it can seem like the horse is standing off. One way to be sure is to lay you a few canter poles coming up to the jump so the striding is right and feel if it feels any different.

A good way to tell if the horse is standing off or getting too deep is to video and take a screen grab when the front legs are at their highest point. The position of the horse should be that the front leg at this point of the jumps should be level with the jump. If the front leg is dangling or the jump is level with the ribs or belly then the horse has got in too deep. If the front legs at the highest point are before the jump then the horse has taken off too soon.

Some pics - too close. All clearing it but if the height went up they would either knock with their front legs due to not being able to get their knees out in time, or their back legs as they follow over.

With this one look how close the back legs have got to the fence

All the jumps above are fine because the horses are scopy enough to jump clear. If the fences went up though they would start having rails down.

And now for the true rider scarers! As much as these put your heart in your mouth I would rather this than a horse get in too deep as they should still clear them even from this distance.

Lets have some good ones

I've not really found many where the horse jumps a little wonky and it's adjustable with striding, rather than being a true flier. I think this is the best example I found - a cracking jump but jumped a fraction too soon. This is the kind of jump my mare does and I've found if I try and adjust the stride to a distance I am more comfortable with, it just messes her up. I've just learned to live with it and found my brave pants

This isn't me or my horse (neither are any of the others)

I think I got a bit carried away with the piccies eh??

 

[itsapiebald]

Thanks for all of your replies, after looking at those photos she definetly takes off early. It's not just me.

I tried the half halting 5 strides out and the light seat on the approach and it has help no end! I no longer get left behind, and she was a lot more collected which obviously helped with her striding!!