Tips for free-jumping

[BellaBee]

Long story short my lovely horse has trodden on a broken/crushed my big toe, thus I'm a cripple. Seeing as I'm too much of a wimp to try and force my boots on and ride her I thought we'd have a go at free jumping.

We have an enclosed space (indoor arena) and various jumps but I'm not quite sure how to go about setting up/ getting her to go over them.

Should I start by long lining her over a few jumps so she gets the idea first? And should I build some sort of "chute" so she can't duck out without jumping something?

Also, is there a minimum/maximum amount of time I should work her for?
She's new to jumping but her groundwork and fitness are good, its mainly to help with her technique as she tends to take off too close and jumps with nearly a foot to spare (height-wise) so I was thinking that letting her work stuff out without me on her back would help.

All tips are welcome

 

[BellaBee]

Bumping

 

[You Wont Forget Me]

No advice as such but might watch this thread as id like to know a bit more about free jumping

 

[blood_magik]

I build a sort of corridor using jump wings and poles so they can't run out.
I start by lunging to warm up then make sure they jump off both reins and increase the height gradually

 

[kittykatcat]

I love free scholling my horse, as he tends to have a good old hooney around and really seems to enjoy himself.

As for making a 'chute' I guess it depends on the horse - if it is young or inexperienced, then yes I would - I would also use placing poles as well to help sort your horse's stride out. You could long line or lunge her - perhaps try her free first and see if she gets it??

 

[scarymare]

I would only say that watch the height. Just because you aren't on board you can still overface them - I've seen this happen loads and horse gets a real fright which defeats the purpose.

 

[kittykatcat]

Ditto the above

 

[Mike007]

Free schooling,my advice, Dont !.

 

[BellaBee]

Free schooling,my advice, Dont !.

Why not? She'll be in an enclosed space so she can't escape and cause trouble that's not what she's like anyway. Nor does she have a habit of tripping over poles, etc

 

[Mike007]

As you are unable to control the rythem and speed your horse approaches a fence,it is more likely to teach them to rush than to jump correctly. Effectively you are chasing the horse into a fence,the odds are that they will either learn to rush or to stop.

 

[Dry Rot]

Hopefully, this thread will grow as I'd like to hear more opinions. I attempted to start a similar thread a while ago but no one replied!

Some do it, some don't, so let's hear more views please. I can't really believe that allowing (rather than driving) a horse to jump can be harmful. Anyway, I'm suspicious of dogma as it sometimes means "because I can't do it, no one can do it".

 

[be positive]

There was a thread about it a few days ago,very little response.
I have loose jumped ,when I had an indoor school and found the horses enjoyed it .
It needs to be done calmly and with planning,it helps if the horse is sensible and responsive to the voice.
Start with poles between wings and let them work quietly over them in trot, when able to do this the poles can be raised to a cross and build up from here.I usually didnt have placing poles but made sure the jumps were well built with clear ground lines.
If introduced sensibly there is no reason for the horse to rush, they generally maintain a good balance, shouldnt need chasing just some encouragement and it can be a lot less demanding than lungeing over fences ,which I feel is very difficult to do well.
Most horses will enjoy it and can learn without the rider unbalancing them.
I believe that some studs in Europe loose jump their very young horses to try and find the ones with real talent at an early age.

 

[Redlet the Nedlet x]

As you are unable to control the rythem and speed your horse approaches a fence,it is more likely to teach them to rush than to jump correctly. Effectively you are chasing the horse into a fence,the odds are that they will either learn to rush or to stop.

As for this, I don't necessarily agree. Yes, it could teach them to rush, etc, but it also teaches them to become less dependent on the rider, and they can have a hooney about without chucking you off. My horse loves to have a free-school every now and again because it's something different. It also helped massively when he lost his mojo earlier in the year. It is easy to over-face them so you will have to be careful of this; I start off very small and go for about 30mins, gradually building the height. Obviously this will vary depending on your horse's fitness.

It is great for assessing your horse's technique and teaches them to find a technique they are happy with on their own, i.e. without rider intervention. My horse has got very honest through free-schooling. If you're worried about how your horse will take to it, try free-schooling over poles first, then add a jump at the end of a line of canter poles. I always use a jumping lane (chute) because he is cheeky but you may not have to. Also if you're sure your horse can jump higher than you are brave enough to, free-schooling is great, but be careful about over-facing. It's good for gridwork, too, but I always use boots!!

 

[SuperCoblet]

IMO free schooling I'd good for them. It teaches them to find their own balance and not depend on the rider to hold onto them. They thoroughly enjoy it and love to have a blast around!
If your horse is good on the lunge and responds to voice commands it does help!
And yes, I would set up a corridor type thing with wings and poles, even try putting two poleson the actual jump in a V shape so it teaches them straightness over the jump. Also, try spreads as it gives them a rounder shape over the jump