SJ help needed

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beaconhorse

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This is a little complicated, but will try and make it as simple as I can

I have been jumping my horse now for about 6 months and sometimes when I take him SJ to a new venue he is so nervous he can hardly trot never mind canter. Other times like today he goes around at 200 mph I am not sure whether he is nervous of excited, his ears are pricked and he flies over most of the jumps BUT it is like he switches off, it is all I can do to steer him I have no chance of half halting etc

Today after he had gone around all the jumps I had to point him at a wall to stop him
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I just don't know whether it is excitement or nerves how on earth do you know the difference?

Just as added info out hunting he can be very strong and difficult to stop too.
 
Excitement and nerves - best cure is to keep at it until he gets thinking "actually this ISNT all that" - some horses tho are just over zealous out competing and there is not a lot you can do about it but keep going!

You will prob find he is better at outdoor venues than indoors as they are less intensive?

Not much help am I!
 
I don't know where you are based, but round here the bigger venues do course hire in addition to running clinics over their BSJA courses. I find it's great way to take them somewhere they KNOW is supposed to be exciting/scary and just work quietly. If you can have a lesson with a trainer (at Patchetts it's not much more than the course hire alone!) they can help identify and resolve the problem for you - a fresh eye cast over a combination is never a bad thing.
 
I used to have a horse who jumped so fast through excitement and nerves - he'd canter on the spot, spin round then zoom at the jumps top speed.... funnily enough I found pushing forward and relaxing the contact a bit worked really well.... after the first few jumps, because I wasn't fighting him he began to accept the contact more and really calm down
 
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