Slowing down the landing and step troubles!

Charmin

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 April 2013
Messages
670
Visit site
My little homebred is never going to set the world on fire but I'm hoping we may be a strong grassroots team at some point.

However she has hit the jumping is VERY FUN stage which although very nice to have such an eager ride wasn't the prettiest. She fired herself into jumps and would run away the other side, usually with a few celebratory bucks. I've spent time working on the canter and now her approach is beautifully balanced and collected but as soon as her feet hit the ground, she speeds up. I've tried sitting up immediately, giving less of a release over the jump but likewise don't want to catch her mouth as she can be a sensitive soul.

SJ tends to be okay as she's more careful of the fences and there's time to rebalance in between so she does generally very smooth rhythmic rounds. however in the middle of a double she can speed up and I'm at a bit of a loss as I don't want to hook her but likewise she flattens.

Today XC schooling it came to a head as she was hard to manoeuvre between tight combinations, tends to want to put her head down and go as soon as she lands. She also puts her head quite low when fast cantering or galloping, not extremely but it's her default position in faster paces but means I spend more time setting up for fences, sitting back and collecting her off her forehand than I would normally. However she's only small so to make the time she needs to push on a bit!

And the steps - she went through a stags of launching but now she just springs off the top all four hooves at once, like a lamb! no matter what speed, even at walk, she'll gather herself up and spring off then race off at the bottom. bizarre!

Any thoughts or opinions very welcome! freshly baked Cornish splits on offer :p
 

HotToTrot

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 November 2009
Messages
1,911
Visit site
Mine makes up a lot of ground in combinations. I ride the first element imagining it has a drop after it, which means I sit up a little more and I steady him with my shoulders, so I don't have to hold onto his head to slow him. When schooling, I have also given him a bit of a sock in the teeth in between them - he went through a phase of taking a stride out each time! So I would just pull give him a sharp check, which admittedly meant he then went over the next element with his head in the air, fighting me, but he did at least put in the correct number of strides!
 

Lanky Loll

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 June 2009
Messages
4,089
Location
Wilts/Glos border
Visit site
Have you done much gridwork with her? My TB likes to hoon off after a fence if permitted, but with lots of grids and especially poles on the landing side we've managed to slow her down. Like HTT we've had a few sit up, big pull and learn to wait for the stride moments - in the early days it definitely wasn't pretty but she's much better now.
 

Red-1

I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
Joined
7 February 2013
Messages
17,814
Location
Outstanding in my field!
Visit site
Mine does this (speeding up on landing after a lovely approach AND the leaping off steps in a launch style) if his saddle needs adjustment.....

It does not have to be bad enough to cause a mark or anything to make him a bit unusual jumping.
 

stilltrying

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 September 2009
Messages
665
Location
Kent
Visit site
Good exercise for rushing off after a jump is a fence at E or B but halt at the end of the long side. Only takes a few goes before the horse starts to sit up and listen on landing, once they do that you can maintain the canter.
 
Top