Scared of Oxers

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alinni1336

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So. Today in my lesson, I could not get my stride to this small oxer. Basically oxers freak me out because I have fallen into them one too many times with 2 horses I was trying out a couple of months ago, who would stop if the distance was long or stride was not perfect. Now when I don't see the perfect stride to a oxer, I freak out, stop riding, and my very unsupportive trainer says I am putting on my leg on-purpose, what do I expect. Well trust me, I am not doing it on-purpose. So my horse speeds up and takes the holy **** stride:o:confused:

Going to jump my horse again tomorrow by myself because my trainer is just being unsupportive of my fear and says I have no reason to be scared because I never had a bad fall.

Want some ideas on what exercises I can do to help with this.. I thought maybe putting up two oxers on a nice big circle with a pole 3 strides away from the jump to help place me and my horse. I don't want to put multiple cantering poles before the oxer as I feel this will help me to much and only want something that will meet me halfway. Thinking about getting my dad to come with tomorrow and say wait wait wait to me before the jump and sit back so I can snap out of it and just starting riding again. For my warmup I will put out a separate oxer with two cantering poles away so I can jump that first and get the "feel" for a take of spot because my trainer did that today and I was surprised as to how close we took off to the oxer :p:D

This problem really upsets me, I actually started crying in my lesson:( I use to be a dare devil, use to be the kid that would jump the big jumps first and give confidence to the other riders who were scared. Now I freak out over a little ass oxer:mad: great.

So any exercises I could do tomorrow? Thanks a million :)
 
I would start by only jumping oxers in a grid, so that you know you will be coming to it on a good stride - and obviously start small and narrow. Just build it up - if it were me I would be changing my instructor tbh. Yes we all need a kick up the backside sometimes, however your instructor should be setting up exercises that improve and build on your confidence.
 
Seriously no instructor should make you feel that bad. There are lots of lovely supportive instructors out there who will help you build your confidence at your own pace. Persisting with this rude and unsupportive instructor will damage your confidence and rob you of the enjoyment of jumping.
 
My dad just got really mad when I explained to him how I felt and he said I should just give up horse riding as a sport if I am scared. Wow. I can't believe he said that to me. My dad has never been very invested in my sports. Never came to look, only my mom knows what I have done etc. He thinks horse riding is just getting on and jumping the jump. Just getting on and jumping 1.20. Like it's nothing. Just get on and do it. So I guess it's just me tomorrow. My instructor is my countries best rider lol and she has helped me a lot before but I never truly liked her because she just really does not care about her riders, she does not instruct because she WANTS to help people become better riders and truly cares about their riding and helping them get as far as possible, it's just extra cash for her. She said we need to do lots of gridwork to solve this problem but I don't like how she handled everything today before she said that. #youmademecryandjustwalkedaway - We have 3 instructors in our town and I know the one won't push me enough and the other one swears her riders. So this one is the best of both worlds so far I would say :/
 
Sorry to hear you're struggling with confidence. I think your idea with the placing poles is a good one. I have a bit of a dislike of oxers, I think just because they're wide I panic I haven't got a good enough canter sometimes so try to go for a long stride even though I know this is a bad idea! I find placing poles really help, also just trying to get as balanced a canter as you can coming into the fence, thinking slow and sitting rather than rushing. Do some small circles in canter to get the horse more on their hocks and make sure you have a good canter well before you approach the fence, don't just pick it up in the corner just before you turn.

I went to quite a good clinic a few years ago where the instructor suggested building a big forward canter, almost riding medium canter on the long side before you turn to a jump, then sitting back and balancing in the corner and letting the jump come to you, you've already created all the power up the long side so your horse should be able to adjust themselves if necessary as you come to the fence and so should jump it nicely. Don't think I've explained that very well but basically don't try to create loads of impulsion just before the fence, you need to have created it earlier and then contain it.
 
Sounds like you're in a no win situation with instructors. Is there a facility online where you could post a video of you jumping and ask people for hints and tips? You could even post on here?

For tomorrow, why don't just start with the overs either with the front Poe a couple of holes lower than the back, or start with a cross pole in front?

Then you just have to keep going, keep low and keep narrow until you're getting bored. There's no easy fix with confidence sadly, you need time and repetition. And look up and over the fence. Another exercise is to put a marker 4/5 strides from the fence (like a set of wings to ride through) then you sit and count out loud the strides until you get there. Counting 5-4-3-2-1 can really help see you stride, and more importantly it will keep you breathing on the way in amd help keep you calmer. You need to say it out loud though.

Sack the instructor off for a few weeks at least, and just get your dad to help you. And if he thinks it's that easy, ask him to get on and have a go, I'd bet he won't!
 
Until you explained your problem with instructors, I'd have said you absolutely have to swap instructors, simple as that. I think you should continue to try to explore that if you can, fewer lessons with a great instructor would be better than more lessons with someone local who is undermining your confidence.

I had a total phobia of oxers when I was eventing, and also had one of those horrible lessons where you end up in tears and don't know where to turn next. I was luck to find a super super trainer who sorted me out, as I saw fliers when I was afraid. He made me mentally jump the back rail, rather than the front, and that helped me to see better distances.
In between lessons, when I was having a wobble, I only jumped them in grids, until it was so routine, and I'd jumped so many of them, that it was just like an upright. Until you can find someone with the right mixture of pushing you, and building your confidence, I agree with the poster above who says you need to keep them small and keep going, until you get it right, calm and happy.
 
What is it about oxers! ...The thing is that the rider has to be more accurate . Any fool can scramble over a big upright , even me! But oxers need placing and also TRUST. Trust is an equal street between horse and rider . It is not easily built and it is easily smashed.Any trainer worth their salt will work hard on the trust aspect . Sounds like you need a real trainer.
 
You need to jump grids with another instructor.
You also should work on developing your feel for the best canter .
You should also get an instructor who works hard on your position as most of these funny hang ups are greatly helped by improving the basic way you ride .
I had a huge thing about parallels at one point it's just went in the end I now have developed one about those piece of cake type skinnys it's a bit a thing with many riders to develop these issues .
 
Agree with the others about grids. Suggest also that you drop the fences right down low and jump them wider than high until you are happy with them (e.g. at least 30cm wider than high). Use a placing rail and trot the approach (do the jumps low enough so that you don't mind doing this).
Also agree that you should tell your dad to get on and show you if he thinks it is so easy; I did this with my dad when he got quite competitive at one point and i had stopped at a ditch on XC. Needless to say he declined the offer.
Some tips from top riders that I have been given:
1. on the approach to any jump you are nervous of, focus completely on having the perfect position (Olympic team rider)
2. after the jump, pull up (not abruptly) and halt. Close your eyes and picture the take-off point that your horse used in your head and then tell your subconscious whether it was too close/too far away/ or good. Apparently this helps train your brain to make adjustments. (International Showjumper)
3. Jump lower jumps (horse should be able to work out take off up to 1.10cm ok) and make the same mistake as your horse i.e. if he going to get close to the fence then ride for the close stride; if he is going to stand off then ride for the long one. But don't make sudden adjustments - just go with the horse. (Can't remember which book, but some famous rider).
Remember, you are meant to be enjoying it so stick in your comfort zone, then gradually increase the comfort zone rather than think 'I should be able to do X cm by now'. Retraining the brain takes time but can be done.
 
ok you need to take the concept of the oxer is bad out of the equation. so first we need to work on your approach without you thinking that you are putting your nickers in a twist! i good thing to develop is the ability to change your horses stride lengths into and out of pole work, if you image a 20*40 arena and you have placed poles around x in the shape of a cross with blocks either side of the poles, they should be on 15 m circle and will not touch at x, this will give you space on the track to go large. and diagonally through them etc

the first part of this is to walk, trot and canter round, incorporating these into you flat work and start counting the strides into and out from the poles, if your horse is able to do this increase to medium trot canter etc. the idea is for you to work out where you are without thinking, also change up and down gears as you go. then switch up to small crosses, then as other posters have mentioned small oxers which are wider than high. this idea of this approach is to give you the decision for the speed and the approach, make certain that you also ride a true approach even with the poles and are in the middle of them. i have even worked small fences into a figure of 8 or serpentine with nervous/apprehensive people, we need to give you something else to think about! other fences are not a problem master the small fences, now you have control for speed and where and the bigger ones are straight forward.
 
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