The Practice jump at shows.....

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moneypit1

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So, how many times do you jump the practice jump at a show? My trainer told me to warm up well without jumping and jump each fence once each way just before we get called and thats it. The reasoning being that my horse knows how to jump (or I wouldn't be there) and it is to loosen him up only. Sometimes I do not even re-jump it if he has it down. I am amazed by how many people I see jumping and jumping god knows how many times. Why?
 
Usually for Blu:

Cross pole x 1/2
Smaller Upright
Bigger Upright
Smaller Spread
Big Spread

And then pop each one before going in. But it does depend on how the horse is feeling that day.
 
who know...i see it all the time too
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nearly got moved down by a small person on a pony recently, blatantly cantering the wrong way in a signposted one way only collecting ring, and I WAS THE ONE got the gobfull off the little shite!
 
i used to warm up really well on the flat then pop a few fences but we foiund that my horse goes better if i jump say a X pole 3 times, a straight 3 times then a spread about 3 times, or until i feel hes jumping it nicely, and when he does it once i leave it at that.
i always see people though jumping and jumping and the horse is doing it fine everytime, i dont understand why either. i can understand if the horse is getting it wrong or stopping etc. but over and over and over again when the horse is jumping very well i dont understand!
 
Depends on how mine is on the day I guess. He also 'knows' how to jump but, after having several refusals at a perfectly-within-his-capabilities course on sunday I do wonder whether I really got him 'woken up' before hand!

I generally would make sure I warm him in by stretching him out in canter on both reins and then doing some more collected work and transitions (he is a little stiff now in his old age and I take into account he's been stood in a wagon for at least an hour). I would generally jump say 5 or 6 horses before i am to go. Couple of crosses, upright and then a pop or two over a spread. usually then I will pop an upright as the horse before me is in and that's it.

Pointless jumping and jumping over and over in my opinion.

On my old pony i was lucky if I could get him over one warm up fence before going in - he used to get rather stressed in a warm up arena so I'd just warm him up doing flatwork and pop one fence if i could!
 
I try not to jump too much in the warm up at BE - the more I do, the more nervous I get! Usually pop the x pole 3 or 4 times, until I'm in the right canter and seeing the right spot, then the upright 2 or 3 times (progressively bigger) and then the parallel 2 or 3 times. If they are running to time I'll then stop and watch a couple of rounds, then go in.

You do see some people hammering round over the practice fences, but IMO this seems to happen more at unaff jumping shows and is usually kids!
 
ditto what your instructor says if it works for your horse. I normally find warm up arenas wind my boy up quite a lot so I warm him up properly on the flat and then pop him over a couple of jumps on each rein, maybe a cross and an upright. Else I use the clear round as a warm up if the warm up arena is that scary
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or say for example the warm up is on hard ground and the clear round is on a surface......hope that makes senses
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[ QUOTE ]
Usually for Blu:

Cross pole x 1/2
Smaller Upright
Bigger Upright
Smaller Spread
Big Spread

And then pop each one before going in. But it does depend on how the horse is feeling that day.

[/ QUOTE ]

would more or less follow this but maybe x2 on the smaller fences, i don't over jump my horses warming up but i want to make sure i've got a good feel of how they're jumping on the day and also if one of mine doesn't jump enough outside he can drop his shoulder after fence 1 and drop me.

OP do you mean you only jump twice before going in the ring or do you do x pole once upright once etc?
 
At University shows you are only allowed to warm up for a few minutes so I'm used to just jumping a couple of X bars and the upright twice then going in. I get too nervous otherwise so the fewer jumps the better!
 
I get him warmed up on the flat (but only enough for him to feel loose and not to do any damage) which usually takes 10 mins (any more and he gets very worked up) and then pop a small Xpole, a small spread and then a small upright. Rarely anyhing bigger than 2'3, because then he stays chilled, and can do a decent jump even if I cock up which then keeps me confidnt.

Alice does pretty much the same, despite jumping about a foot higher than I do!
 
I just do each jump once assuming she does it nicely. If she doesn't concentrate then I take her round again once or twice till she's found her rhythm.
 
with one of mine i tend to ride one fence, drop her on the next (don't present or really ride it), which she'll then wake up a bit and realise she has to think for herself - ideally she'll rattle it so then next time (last time) she'll really pick her feets up....and thats it -into the ring and off we go.... has worked with that one,
but other one i'd probably want to do some 'til he feels right and gets it right
 
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