Why don't you jump?

Kellys Heroes

Kellys Heroes

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***not intended as a dig, joke, p!ss take or anything of the sort!
I am just genuinely wondering why people don't jump? Are people just into different things like dressage and would jump if they got given the chance or are people scared of jumping? Just like to know your reasons :)

I stopped jumping as my horse started becoming lame :( got her back in work now slowly but still can't jump and I am getting my confidence back on other horses as I haven't jumped in 12 months!
K x

ETA I probably won't get to jump Kelly again :( she has rotation in both front feet (only very slightly) and don't want to make it any worse!!
 
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The only horse in the world i trust to jump is Lucy :( :(
I'm terrified of jumping and forget what my legs are for luckly she used to lookafter me and she would get us both out of any mess i got her into. :)
Herbs loves jumping on the lunge so i may have to find some courage from somewhere and give it a go on him.
 
Because it hurts when you fall off (Mrs M will confirm that), I dont bounce like I did when I was younger, cant afford to have time off work and my mare has just recovered from a tendon injury so I wont risk it with her. I did do some jumping with her and it was good but shes too special to risk. My gelding is a good jumper but I let the younger ones do it with him.
 
I used to jump but had a heavy fall 16 years ago and was in too much pain to jump for a number of years. In recent years I have been a parent to a young child with all the associated responsibilities and didn't have a horse whose jumping filled me with confidence.

However, I now have a horse that I am quietly excited about jumping as long as he is sound to do so, so watch this space.....
 
I have a rule about jumping. If its a big lump and has a neck in front of me, no problem. So will jump on my big IDx clod botherer.

If on the other hand it is a sharp flat shiny orange Haflinger coblet with a tendency to poo 4 girth holes worth during a round resulting in snug saddle starting to slip, and with no neck whatsoever in front of you due to being adult on pony, then no way Jose!
 
Cant you sleep Mrs M? Must be hard for you at the mo. Was bad enough sleeping when I came off and broke my shoulder blade, lord knows what its like for you with a broken back.!!
 
It's scary! :eek:

Used to jump loads on my pony when I was a teenager. She was very smart & I basically just had to point her at the jumps. She did everything else. She made me think I could jump.

She was PTS at the age of 26 due to a tumour :(

I then got my current TB gelding. He had only hurdled before. Started to do some jumping with him. Quickly realised that I had no clue about how to jump! (stride / rhythm / collection) - and neither did he! Have concentrated on flatwork with fab instructor, and whilst I would love to start jumping again, he is kept on my own land & I do not have an all weather surface which makes practice / lessons difficult.

I simply do not have the expertise to teach him myself and have no-one on the ground to help me practice in between lessons!
 
Well I had a pony who was very contrary and a dirty stopper. She'd be going going going then stop at the last stride, and I invariably went over her head. Never was seriously hurt but repeated falls everytime I went to jump damaged my confidence. In hindsight, and now I am older, I can appreciate I should have focused on improving my seat. But hindsight is a wonderful thing.

After the pony, I got a horse who I was told was a reliable jumper. When I tried her I popped her over a little fence and she seemed fine and eager.

It was probably to do with a lack of ability/regular instruction, but after our first session she began to get faster into jumps. I started to hold tighter, so she got faster cause I was yanking her mouth, and you can see the vicious circle. She got so bad she would go galloping at the jumps often shooting past them or plain refusing. I eventually stopped jumping her.

When I finally did get lessons it helped, as I was able to sort my own problems a bit. I'm not sure if too many misguided years damaged her confidence or whether she was never as honest as made out (my instructor felt she probably had been kicked and whipped into fences and yanked around in the mouth by her previous owner). Either way, I was petrified of her nervousness, and neither of us were having fun. So we just stopped.

When she was pts, I ended up buying a just broken youngster. I expected my confident sister to jump him for me. But being young, I was able to start very small with him. He really enjoys his jumping, and having never had a bad experience, he's confident. He is also extremely honest. On the odd occasion he does stop, he does so from a mile out.

Today I jumped 70cm comfortably with him. He's brought my confidence back because I really trust him. He is truely the most wonderful pony in the world for that.
 
I have been told that because of what has happened to my mare in the past, if I dared to try a two foot jump, she would treat it as a six foot spread and would launch herself and me:eek: accordingly:eek:

No.........at my age and weight, I don't think so.
 
I dont jump because im not a bouncey ball and Ialways fall off jumping and it scares me!!
falling off hurts to much now im at the grand old age of 23 lol
 
I love jumping on the right horse, but am a big fat wuss in general. I had a fab ex riding school horse til last year and competed him, had such fun, but if you put me on a strange horse, i'd prob loose my life. I'll jump anything on a horse i trust but if not, a cross pole is huge. I really think it helps when you have someone one the ground thats on your side, i had, and it gave me oceans of confidence. Wouldn't have competed without him, go pat!! I'm now a bit better, but only because of him, and when i start jumping my youngster, I'll be calling on his advice again!!
 
Jazzy does his best to commit suicide by falling on his face on a completely smooth, brand new piece of Tarmac! Putting raised obstacles in front of him would almost certainly kill him!

He almost broke my sister's arm when he tripped over poles in the school - he came down and managed to trap her underneath and stood on her arm as he got up (he either stood on her arm or her head). He just didn't pick his leg up!

Jazzy had been flipped over when loose schooled (with tack on) over a 4' upright and came down flat on his side. I think he's damaged his nerves in his leg.

Having said this, before I knew how badly he trips, I jumped a 2'6" ish log in the woods as it was blocking the path :D

I have walked him over some little logs (1'0" ish) that people have set up at the sides of paths as I can't resist it. Jazzy gets incredibly tense but seems to quite enjoy it! Walking is damage limitation! I wouldn't canter into them now :(
 
I'm not presently in shape to jump. I love it and want to get back into it, but I haven't jumped for about 15 years now and in that time, I've broken my back, gained about 30 pounds and lost a lot of muscle tone.

I'm just gaining back the muscle to ride on the flat properly. Once I can handle my lower leg again, and as soon as my mare is ready to begin schooling over fences, I'll be jumping. It's my favorite thing to do.
 
I have a daughter that needs me still, horses to see to, a house and farm to run and a husband to feed, etc, etc, I also live 3500 miles away from ALL my family. I can't justify being selfish enough to risk it, just for few seconds buzz, I don't start youngsters anymore either for the same reason.

It is a tiny price I choose to pay for my life here - anyway, it's jolly uncomfortable on a western saddle;)
 
Basically because I don't have a suitable horse for it!

My share mare, although fabby in many ways, turns into a monster around jumps due to intense excitement. She tanks, catleaps, puts in dirty stops from fast canter and enjoys throwing the rider about like a ragdoll... so I am temporarily stopping until I have a bit more control of her round the offending objects.

The other pony I ride regularly is highly unbalanced, so, although she CAN jump, we are working on other things at the moment. The muscle in her back end is so poor she can barely sustain canter for more than 15 strides, so it is not great for jumping. Instead, at the moment, we work her in walk and trot, encouraging muscle development in order to improve her,

If I had a horse I could trust to jump, I would, because I love jumping. Although the longer between sessions, the more nervous I get!
 
I didn't jump because I couldn't canter very well at all!

Now I can canter, and starting to go over jumpies, I think the highest has been 2ft! :eek:
 
I mainly hack, because i love it and he gets schooled on the flat and jumping when i dont ride or am away with work (hes on a full livery with exercise).

Occassionally i do jump, but i can only do it when a certain trainer is there (im weird!), therefore i dont do it enough. He is very straightforward, but my confidence is hitty missy. Shame really, because he is really good and comfortable!

Ill stick to hacking and 10 mile rides!
 
I used to jump my old horse upto 2ft 6 but tbh I much prefer flatwork and hacking - not keen on leaving the ground! I get that 'buzz' when my horse rides a perfect circle, a balanced canter or does a perfect transition instead! Plus he has OCD in stifle so Im careful with what i do with him...And not forgetting the strong maternal instinct that I have a daughter to look after now.. fair enough accidents can happen in all sorts of ways not just jumping, but its just not really my thing :)
 
If I get 'jerked' by my horse hitting a fence, landing heavily or stopping suddenly my lower back can "lock" at worst and at best it hurts like hell so I don't bother much.
 
Because its scare the **** out of me and when I have attempted it I keep my eyes closed and don't seem to open them for some time after landing ... waiting for the pain to kick in I suppose. Must say, I don't always fall off!
 
Archiesmummy said:
Because its scare the **** out of me and when I have attempted it I keep my eyes closed and don't seem to open them for some time after landing ... waiting for the pain to kick in I suppose. Must say, I don't always fall off!
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totally agree!!! except i don't even try :)
 
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