teaching a baby to jump.....

[carmenlucy123]

iv broken loads of horse over the years and gone with the just pop it while out hacking teaching a horse to jump style then take it to the pony club 3 day rally.............

well im too old for that now and a friend has got me jumping her 5 yr old after lots of me saying "when you going to jump him he's five...rant rant rant" in the end she said "you get on him"

jumped him for the second time tonight... just over tiny cross in canter all very nice.

but next? what to do next? the jump needs to get bigger.... as hes almost cantering over it....but he's a show horse and it placed nearly every time he goes out...

now showing or even advanced schoolings not my thing im a cowboy(girl!)

so she wants me to do working hunters on him and hes a cracking horse and for once i really want to "school" him over jumps he's advanced on his flatwork as he's her pride and joy and has always been well schooled.

so what to do jumping exercises?

 

[kelsi]

pole work followed by some low easy grids and gradually build up, take some time out and introduce plenty of 'strange' jumps (fillers coats over poles buckets xc fences brush trays water). get them confident over the low/easy then start building up the height. Say every few sessions of schooling pop up a hole or two as long as the horse is comfortable , you don't want to rush and overface

 

[laurenpalmer]

I agree with the above. What about loose jumping or jumping on the lunge? Yer lots of pole work and grid work and working on the approach and landing to/from small jumps. When he can adjust his stride, build it up more. I would watch him jump, to make sure hes jumping properly and looking at the right part of the jump ect. I think introducing 'scarier' jumps is a good idea, even just trotting and cantering around with them in the surroundings and listening to you, so he doesnt grow up to get excitable and silly around jumps.

 

[Theresa_F]

If you really don't know what to do, may I suggest getting ina good instructor to take both of you inhand and show you how to do things correctly in order to give him the best possible start jumping.

I have started Chancer doing a few poles on the lunge which is really enjoys but when we get to the ridden stage in a couple of years time, I will do as I did when I started my last mare, get in an instructor to start us both off, as whilst I can jump, I don't feel I know enough to do more than the odd pole starting out a young horse.