Slowing a speedy jumping pony down-help please!

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paintsplat05

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i'm bringing a 19yr old ex showjumper back into work after having a foal, and i have weekly lessons and we've just started jumping. Only problem is i'm used to 'safe' horses or horses who i really have to ride into jumps. Elle bless her is rather over-enthusiastic and locks onto the jump and goes for it! Teamed with her jumping rather big over and being rather hard to stop after them them its starting to scare me a bit. I've really clicked with her on the flat but i think its cos she's so different to jump that i'm having problems. Does anyone have any exercises i could do in a half hour lesson to get her to slow down a bit?!
many thanks!
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If she's an ex showjumper who 'knows her stuff' sometimes they have developed their own techniques...and if you try to slow them down or change their way of going it doesn't work.
It might be better to adapt your strategies to her...so let her 'lock on' to the jump, but as a rider just make sure she approaches in a good line...and she may overjump (perhaps she's just used to bigger fences?) so shorten your stirrups right up and take jumping position early...and think about riding large circles after the jump...til she slows down again.
19yr old mares can be a bit set in their ways....but she sounds great.
S
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Have you tried starting with trotting poles, once she goes over them slowly and controlled lift one of the poles- second or third into a small cross, continue to trot over the fence, as if were trotting poles.

eventually reduce the poles to one before the jump, an upright, and a canter pole afterwards- give her something to think about ??
 
I think at 19 years old you would have a job to change her.If she jumps well,just let her get on with it,and you go with her!!!
Have fun!!!
 
My horse (nearly 21 & the bay in my sig) is also a bit like this & is definitely too old to change now - he just loves jumping!
I find that he is better with a shorter approach - so sometimes I put a small jump on a 20m circle (e.g. put the jump at X) & then practice trying to keep a decent canter on the circle & over the jump.
Other than that, I try not to fight with him on the approach to a jump. He tends to throw his head up about 3 strides out to see if he can get away from me - but if I don't react to this & just keep a good contact, he will then drop his head back down & look at the jump properly. I agree with previous posts that to a certain extent you have to just go with it but I do try to pretend that I am the one in control most of the time anyway!
 
wouldnt try and change her, either dont jump her until you feel confident, keep it small, or just grin and bear it!!

If she has done it all her life, she will know her job and your job once she has locked on is to keep the rhythm and get to the jump (and hold on!!).

It you are not ready you would be better not to lose your confidence which may lose her confidence too....
 
A favourite instructor of mine had great success with getting riders to ride forward to the jump in trot and stop the horse a few strides away from the jump. Then trot on the couple of strides and pop it. Do this EVERY time until horsey is expecting to be stopped in front of the jump and NOT allowed to charge into it. Once she's got the idea, you can let her NOT stop and see what she's learnt. If nec, every time you jump, do some jumps first where you stop before the jump, just to remind her.
 
Hey, at 19 she is probably set in her ways, so you might just have to learn to flow her way! I used grids to slow mine down and improve position, it was a learning curve for both of us!!
 
Well agree with some of the above comments, I ride a very fast 12.3h NF pony, and he is 15 and still gets very excited when jumping. Trotting poles in front of the jump ( 2 or 3 ) works well for us, as does walking towards the jump, then letting him go a few paces before ( he still gets over easy) However when he starts getting silly, I trot past the jump several times until he's calmed down a bit. His reward is going over the jump again, even if I have to go past it 6 times.
 
yep, the stop always a few strides after a fence is good. echo jakesmydog & sunnymum
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Also good is when you approach fence, if you feel horse getting faster, turn her away from fence (circle).

Then try again. If horses goes too fast, turn her away from fence again.

Repeat, and every time horse speeds up turn away from fence.

The first time horse doesnt speed up towards fence, let her jump it. (maybe this is your 10th or 20th attempt!!) Then stop, rub end flesson. So horse figures out she can have fun of jumping fence, but only on your terms.

My youngster would also only either walk or gallop over fences (too much lunging badly over fences). i did the stop a few strides after fence, and rewarded every *better* jump (ie not as much panic) with rest & rub. All done with me on ground. 4 weekends later, hes like a different horse jumping, balanced and keeps nice easy rhythm on loose rein if I want. The speed & running is gone.

Horses also rush for different reasons too. Like jumping, taught to rush (like mine) pick up on your excitement, etc.



Good luck
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just because she's fast doesn't mean she's not 'safe'.
she sounds wicked!!

i agree with other comments at 19 i doubt you'd change her much.

TBH it sounds like your jumping her too small - hence the big hurry and over jumping, both classic of a horse who is not thinking about what they are doing because the jumps are too small.

stick with her learn to ride her, then whack the jumps up a bit and see what happens. she will probably slow up a bit then.

when she locks on and tanks in make sure you dont just sit there doing nothing, try to keep her between hand and leg and all times... when they lock on its relaly easy to just sit there and let them drag you in and over the fence.

aslong as she's not dangerous, pulling dirty stops or run outs then go with the flow she is probably just a typical woman and thinking i know what im doing let me do it !!

my little mare is very fizzy jumping and although much better now if i slow her up too much she "thinks" too much and makes mistakes. she is better if i let her get on with it, shes 14 and knows what she is doing she just wants to fly around over the jumps at speed
 
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