SJ help please??

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I was hoping all you clever people in CR could give me a bit of advice...

Problem I seem to be having is with doubles, especially ones with a related distance before. Badger is big-ish and has a long stride anyway, and when he gets a line of jumps in front of him he tends to power in, and once we are over the first element I struggle to get him back again so we end up making far too much distance and end up getting too close...

So question is, what do I do about this?? I'm a bit crap as don't really have lessons, so you guys need to help!! i'm not sure if it's more control I need or a better canter on approach etc. although he still seems to get up to speed what ever canter i have!

sorry if i'm being thick, all my other horses have been much smaller so not really had this problem before, it just seems like BSJA distances are all too short for me and Badger!
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You probably need to work on improving the canter and teaching him to lengthen and shorten. Try putting two poles 6 strides apart and work on putting 6, 7, 8 and 5 strides between. Practice so he listens to you and learns to alter strides.

It also sounds like gridwork would help. Even a simple cross pole to a spread on a fairly short stride would help. Let him jump in and don't help him, if he makes a mistake come back and try again this may make him think and back off a bit himself.

I shouldn't worry too much it will come in time.
 
I used to have this problem all the time - think very small person on 16.3 unbalanced youngster. The two things I found which helped were getting a good medium canter rhythm and staying on it - teaching him to wait and occasionally get in deep but snap up as at the smaller heights this is perfectly feasible for them. Then also, lots of grid work to get them using their back end properly - bounce grids. The jumps don't need to be big but this strengthens the back end brilliantly and teaches them to use their hocks more. Now he is more balanced and can use his backside properly, he will set off in a rhythm and keep it. which means you are never far off. What he used to do was use his speed to get over the fence, meaning he flattened and often had the second part of combinations down.
 
That's what my dad keeps saying! I feel like I'm really trying to get him back together, he reacts by putting his head up but his legs keep going the same!
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When he is in a calm mood I feel I can ride him just fine but today he was really strong (and I'm not!!), and he doesn't care what I'm saying.

I'm riding him in a loose ring snaffle and Mexican grackle at the mo, wondering if something more is in order??
 
Thanks SC, that sounds like Badger!! Annoying thing is, when we are in a more enclosed space and it's a twisty course, he really uses himself and doesn't rush, but if we have more space he gets really strong..
 
Ha ha, i so know that feeling, last week in front of one of my trainers, Sov carted me round a show jumping course, I must have looked a right gimp! So came home and thought what I could try as brakes? On went the double bridle and off for a fast hack, he pulled up brilliantly and was really relaxed, so today I went to a show with it and did the workers, he was so much easier to steer and steady, because I wasnt trying to haul on his back teeth, the whole picture felt more in control.
Try it you might like it!
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BTW I have been told by several people not to worry about his head, thats his problem to sort, I am in charge of the speed and rhythm.
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LOL, it took me ages to crack this, with the help of some good lessons once a month and a swap of bit, but now I actually enjoy SJ (shock horror!).

Good luck with it, it frustrated me no end as it always felt like we got round using more luck than judgment and that I was constantly going 'hey, you, listen, lets do it this way....can you hear me....?' whilst he went' jumps, yay, faster, oh bog off, I know what I'm doing...'
 
Thanks guys, I think you are getting the Badger mentality now! He's used to hunting big country so doesn't have that much respect for show jumps
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I'm thinking I need to move up a stage, he was a git in the BN today, came out knackered and i women said "ooh, he looked like a hand full!", but in the discovery he was much better, so might skip BN next time... all though newcomers is still looking scary!!
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I had much more serious brake issues for hunting and tried him in a double, didn't like him in it at all, also a Cheltenham gag, which was ok but he hit a wall which he's never done before so don't like that..

so many bits to choose!!??
 
I sound like a broken record, but ring Heather at the neue schule bitting helpline - she was brilliant, asked me lots of questions, then recommended a bit together with an explanation of why and what the action would be, then gave me contact details for someone who hires them out. I didn't end up with the exact bit she recommended (hire place never delivered my order), but one similar, and it works brilliantly.
 
Thanks, will look that up!
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I'm trying to be nice to him at the mo, but mum said we looked like we needed more brakes today!
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Thanks again!
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Much better to have him polite and you not pulling than you pulling and wishing he'd let you ride him! I went from...waterford snaffle to dutch gag, to waterford dutch gag and have now after heather's advice settled on a jointed pelham, as I too used to contend with the 'head in the air, run at the fence OMG this is so FUN' syndrome
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Now we have tucked in nose, nice canter and a couple of SJ rosettes
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Oh yes, and I agree - the bigger the track the easier my horse is to ride too - he did his first 1.10 in the middle of June, and was a dream to ride round it.
 
Yea I used a dutch gag for hunting, did a team chase in it and I had hardly any control so decided I may as well go back to a snaffle and no control!
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I get really concerned about over bitting, and so but up with him, but I'm sure it would make it easier if we actually had proper brakes - when i say!
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I was worried about over bitting too, but the pelham is great as I have exactly the right amount of control - he still takes me to a fence, but I can keep a rhythm round a course (rather than getting faster...and faster....and faster....).

I think with these types, they don't really mind that much - no idea about Badger, but my boy is a big dim gelding who is not remotely bothered by what I am messing about doing as long as he gets to jump!
 
I did hack him out once in a quite fat rubber pelham once and he was really in my face and propping a bit which he never does, he doesn't seem to like too much in his mouth - does the link you recommended do nosebands/bitless as well?
 
I think Heather only does bits - she warned me against a straight bar fat pelham BTW so I guess the metal jointed one is rather different? I have had to play about with the curb chain a lot to get it fine tuned - we have one setting for at home and one for at comps now.

Basically she asked a lot of questions about his way of going, what the problem was, what I had tried and what the reaction I got was, then advised me on what to try first, and what to try if that did not work.
 
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LOL, it took me ages to crack this, with the help of some good lessons once a month and a swap of bit, but now I actually enjoy SJ (shock horror!).

Good luck with it, it frustrated me no end as it always felt like we got round using more luck than judgment and that I was constantly going 'hey, you, listen, lets do it this way....can you hear me....?' whilst he went' jumps, yay, faster, oh bog off, I know what I'm doing...'

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Haha yeah, Sov does that!
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