Speeding over and towards jumps

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Victor11

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I am a 16 year old girl with decent experience on the aspect and have owned horses and ever retrained an OTTB. I Recently bought a 12 year Old show jumping gelding. I tried him 4 times and he was prety calm and relaxed with me and we jumped up to 1.45 easily. I took him back to my trainer's stables and he is really fussy! He will under no circumstansess stand in front of the mounting block and is VERY speedy towards the jumps. He wont relax and let out a breath and once he gets to gallop it's all he wants to do. When my trainer rides him and is able to keep him back he just jumps around and refusess to stay calm. He generally has a verry nice character and doesnt bite kick and shows afection. I just want to know how to help him relax and keep him back and calm.. Thanks for your time!
 
You need to work out why he is not calm when he was before. Your trainer should be able to help you with this.
Is the horse upset by the change of rider? I know you rode him 4 times, but presume he was ridden inbetween by his old owner. Sometimes just a change of rider position or a difference in rein contact (firmer or looser than the horse is used to) can make a difference.

Have you asked the previous owner what you might be doing differently? Are you using the same warm-up routine etc. Did the horse stand by the mounting block when you tried it? (is yours at the same height; did you use your saddle when you tried the horse; is the block in the same sort of position e.g. the horse i ride stands perfectly in the open but not if trapped in a corner and there is another on the yard which is vice versa).

Have you checked tack/teeth/bit etc?

Is it the change in venue that he is not used to? (You don't put how long you have had him). Have you taken time to build up a partnership with him before you started jumping? (There is a big difference for a horse between having someone come and ride them at 'their place' occassionally and starting again with a completely new rider).

these are just some things to think about. I could suggest many things for you to try, but it depends on what the problem is and ideally you need to diagnose the problem first (as sometimes opposite things suit different horses). But my first port of call would be ringing the previous owner for advice as they know the horse (send them a video of you riding).

Good luck
 
The horse was pretty much out of work for 3 weeks before i started riding him. He is pribably upset by the change of rider. He needs lots of control with the body and loose reins because he just got his wolf teeth out. The warm up routine was prety much the same, and the saddle etc are properly fited. I've had him for a week and a half now, and he is still the same. The horse was beaten up and neglected by previous owners. I talked to the previous owner he told me i should keep very slight contact with the reins and my body back but nothing else.
 
It's always a good idea with a new horse to go back to basics. I.e. start with just simple schooling exercises and slow work until you have built up more of a bond. this is particularly important for horses that have been beaten up in the past, as they have many unpleasant memories which are easily triggered by changes in circumstances.
Do lots of circles and work on rhythm and balance, without letting the horse get excited. There are various ways to teach a horse relaxation techniques, and your trainer should be able to help you find ones that suit you and the horse. Remember to stay really relaxed yourself with slow breathes and not tensing up when the horse does. Saying poetry or song lyrics out loud can help the horse too, as you can slow the lyrics to match the rhythm that you want the horse to do. Praise every slight improvement the horse makes so that he knows when he is doing right.
Leave the jumping until you can confidently canter him around without him getting excited. I wouldn't even bother cantering him until you can walk and trot around calmly without him getting stressed. It may take time initially to build a partnership but you will reap the benefits when you start jumping later on.
For the mounting block issue, you may need to go back to the beginning and teach him to stand calmly (i.e. start away from the block and just teach stand him to stand still first, then gradually introduce different steps).
My experience is that horses (and other animals) that have been mis-treated by previous owners take longer to settle into a new home than those that have had good lives, and need more patience initially. But they are also very rewarding!
 
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