Speedy Jumper - advice please

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RhiannonE

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Hi all,

I am very fortunate to have a cracking little showjumper who so far hasn't batted an eyelid at anything i've shown him.
He happily jumps 2ft to 4.5ft!
When I got him his flatwork was a bit poor so we've worked on that and only now, when that's quite solid, have we started concentrating a bit on jumping.
Problem is, i'm not a very experienced showjumper (hence buying bombproof, jump anything, clever with his strides Connemara) and Whisper tends to like his speed...

Although quite rhythmical with his approach (doesn't suddenly rush up - its ALL just fast) and will let you shorten/lengthen his strides as needs be he is just sooooo fast! His canter is so quick when we jump that I worry we'll get in trouble - should I be concerned and try get him to slow down or should I just roll with it?
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Is his canter steadier when you're not jumping and just doing flat work? Maybe he just finds it really exciting, especially if you haven't been doing much jumping up to now. Are you in control or is he just taking you round at his own speed?

Mine had taken to going flat out into everything, then either jumping it or depositing me on the floor depending on his preference, which wasn't nice! We have gone back to basics, lots of slow steady canter work and circling between jumps to get his attention back before moving on to the next fence, which seems to be working.
 
Lots of canter-spaced poles both before and after the fence - especially after the jump (10 or more if necessary) to stop him rushing off for the next jump.

It really teaches them to look and think.
 
If he keeps up the same speed, so its not rushing; and you can alter his strides when you need to, and he seems capable of jumping a decent height (what is 4.5ft in m?) and I assume you can corner ok,

I would leave well alone and just trust him!

Some horses just like to jump fast and he seems to have the scope. There is no point in upsetting him by trying to make him go slower just becasue it seems like 'the correct thing to do'.
Horses (especially those with a bit of 'pony' blood) can be very quick on their feet, they are not stupid and I don't think you need to worry about him getting into trouble.
You may find that if faced with a large double he slows down and 'sits up' and takes it a tad more rationally/steadily any way.

As far as I am concerned he sounds like a dream ride, and at least you will never have trouble against the clock =)
 
His canter is still relatively fast when doing flat work but not as fast- his canter can be a bit unbalanced (hence all the schooling!) so although a nice rhythm it is faster than what you would ideally want for dressage for example. I’m in control in regards to steering and say I have to get him to fit in an extra stride, he’ll let me collect him up but if I had to stop him I’m not a hundred percent sure I could….

He does get very excited! So excited he tends to make girlish squeals after the first jump haha! I’ve had my more experienced friend ride him and he was just as fast – she didn’t seem concerned, just asked if she could take him to a speed test! So I don’t know really.
 
4.5ft is probably about 140m something like that?? We can corner ok – it’s about the only time I get a decent bend out of him is when we’re jumping lol!
I suppose I should just a few more different types of jump with him and see how he goes. As you say – it’s not rushing its just bloody fast the whole way!
Then I suppose if I feel like he isn’t concentrating at any point then I could start chucking in a few poles before and after the jumps etc.
I was just worried I guess because my previous horse was 16.3hh and slow and had large loping strides whereas whisper’s canter is more bouncy and is like a coil – you think one day he back end is going to ping! Funny how you get used to one thing and then have to get used to something completely different!
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