Spooky horses, bruised kidneys and five bar gates...

[Lou_Lou123]

So, yesterday afternoon I had planned some confidence building for my slightly nervous, but talented 7 yr old. He is now good over coloured poles but not a fan of fillers. We warmed up over some coloured poles until he was jumping well. I then put a few feed buckets under one of the jumps (keeping them small), which went okish - he hesitated a little and then started rushing on landing. Walked for a couple of minutes to let him settle, then changed the buckets around abit - then trouble. He rushed towards it, took off and then seemed to change his mind and spun mid air. Cue me falling backwards and landing on his hind leg as he was trying to canter away. He then galloped up the field and jumped out over the five bar gate! A few hours and a trip to A & E later turns out I have a bruised kidney

I'm a little frustrated as we've really been getting somewhere with this lately and now feel like I'm back to square one, except now I've got a bruised kidney to boot!

A glass of wine to anyone that got this far, and sympathy and suggestions welcome!

Lou

 

[diggerbez]

youch! i didn't even know that it was possible to bruise a kidney

on the positive side he's clearly feeling more confident if he feels he can take on a 5 bar gate

 

[kerilli]

oww, poor you. big sympathy. hope he's okay too, at least you know he can jump a 5 bar gate... sounds as if he was a good boy not to kick out in his panic.
umm, i'd say keep it very small. maybe do the "leading him over a sheet" or a tarpaulin thing, get him braver hopefully without the challenge of the jump at the same time. lots of small fences, what i do is have a day where i hang all the different coloured rugs i own over small fences so the babies get used to jumping whatever is there, at all of 1' high, so it doesn't matter if they make a bit of a horlicks of it.
fwiw when my 4 yr old had her first ever jumping lesson the other day, i led her over the fences on foot first, just to limit the questions as much as possible. it worked... so far, anyway.
very best of luck, hope you heal very quickly.

 

[Lou_Lou123]

Kidneys definately can bruise!

It's good to know that he can get over the gate, but I think it was in blind panic. Luckily, he cleared it easily, so not a scratch on him, and he wasn't stiff toady (phew).

He was good not to kick out, and that's part of the reason that I have persevered with him for so long - he is not a mean horse at all, very sweet natured fab to handle etc, only problem is this lack of confidence with coloured fillers. I can ride him over flapping tarpaulin in the wind, and all the rugs we have on the yard. It just seems to be when they're off the floor, even if it's only 1'!

 

[Festive_Felicitations]

Kidneys OWW!
I suggest avoiding all alcohol till they are feeling better (long story about a frined that ended up in hospital.....)

My horse had for ages an absolute phobia of fillers SJing. He would jump anything XC and SJ plain poles to 1m but a 50cm filler would result in coming to a dead halt 2m out and that is as close as he would get with out some one in the ground as well to help coax him up to it. It was SO fustrating...

We managed to find a filler thing that he liked (who knows why). He would/does when bored of flat schooling, shy and if he gets a chance cart me across the arena and over it ...grrr =)
Its a lattice work /trellis thing, like the sort you grow roses up painted white, which you could jump as upright at 1m or as a sloping spread.

Any way after jumping this at home for ages he just decided one day that he would jump all/any fillers any where and we haven't looked back.

It may just be a maturity issue, as it didn't click with my boy till he was 8.

But basically persevere (spell?), and may be invest in some super glue, but good luck!

 

[MandyMoo]

ouch!

bruised kidney sounds nasty! hope it gets better soon...on the plus you know your horse has scope for a 5 bar gate! lol xx

 

[lizzieuk1]

yikes sounds v painful.
obv a scopey horse there then, have you tried putting some fillers outside his stable door so he can sniff/stare at them for ages and perhaps realise they're not monsters really!

 

[spookypony]

What a familiar problem! My sympathy!

Kerilli and Felicity_09, I like your suggestions. And it's always good to know one isn't alone in the boat!

 

[kerry1]

With young/green horses I try to lunge and loose school them from quite an early stage over fillers (pulling them apart first and just trotting over them and gradually putting them together) - I also tend to have a treat on hand for good effort! Saves a lot of problems later when riding!

 

[SmartieBean]

ouchy!!! Completely agree with all the other suggestions, my mare was a nightmare with fillers then one day i stopped being nice mummy who let her get away with messing round and turned into mummy who growled at the pony and this is the pony that now will jump anything, any shape, size, colour in front of her...not saying this will happen with your horse but my mare needed me to be mroe authoritive with her. you could try putting fillers either ends of the pole with just a gap for them to jump through and gradually move them closer together.

Hope you feel better soon

 

[Lou_Lou123]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one with a horse like this! Felicity_09, what your horse used to do sounds very familiar... stopping a couple of metres away. I haven't found a filler he likes yet unfortunately, but he definately has a real hatred for the Union Jack!

Thanks for all the suggestions (and sympathy). I've been told I shouldn't ride for a week (and it's too painful at the moment anyway, plus the painkillers are making me a bit spaced so probably not a good idea!) so I shall put this week to good use and try leading/lungeing over fillers etc. and will put some in his stable too...

I really do hope it is a maturity thing, and although he is seven (somebody asked me last week when I was out if he was four?!) he does still behave like a baby in lots of ways, so perhaps he'll grow out of it soon.

I'll post an update in a few weeks when I've tried lungeing etc!

Lou