Workers Debut - Opps!

[Crackerz]

So this year Alfie is having a year off the flat classes, i think he was finding it a little tedious. He did well though considering, with a highest place of 3rd in HOYS quals.

This means i get a year off driving all over the Country chasing qualifiers and good judges! (saves money!)

So instead, i've started jumping lightly for Workers. He is very green over fences, he doesn't have the confidence for solid fillers. At home he is scopey and clears 2'9 oxers without batting an eyelid - as long as there aren't any fillers!

On Sunday i whizzed down to the NF to attempt his first affiliated workers class. He warmed up well, the course was twisty but not big (he is only 138cm so Novice qual for his height is 65-75cm).

It started raining an hour before his class and was drizzling when i went in. However, i did not anticipate it being much on an issue, i was wrong Fence 1? check. Fence 2? fail. You'll see in the video he slips a stride into his take off which catapulted me out the saddle (i don't fall off easy!) It doesn't help that he only has a show saddle which has zero knee roll for saving yourself on occasion.

I hopped back on and took him round the whp clear round again in the rain, the monkey stopped at one of the fences! Was partly my fault not pushing him on because it was wet but partly because his character is very testing!

I am sure he is loving the change of pace though!!

Next outing is on Sunday, i have hired a spooky jumping course to work on his confidence.

Video (the clear round follows straight on from the fall so keep watching! & excuse the commentary!)
https://youtu.be/EyDls8bgyoI

 

[Sprat]

Well done for getting back on and carrying on!

He certianley isn't going to be touching any of those fences is he? Lovely and scopey

 

[Crackerz]

He has a good engine!

I'm trying to focus on the positives - he has scope and actually does a nice flowing round. Soooo much to work on too

 

[Fiona]

He is lovely, and definitely improves second time.. Do you get out to plenty of little sj comps? Just to build confidence.. Does he go better on a surface than on grass?

I'm thinking of getting a gp for my wee boy for his next saddle rather than his show saddle. They can't give much support.

Fiona

 

[ironhorse]

Some suggestions - beg, steal or borrow a GP or WH saddle - you need to be in a secure position to ride him forward and give him confidence.
Has he got/could he have stud holes? Some of these show rings are lethal in the wet and that won't help his confidence.
Regarding training - is there a local venue that does WHP clear round? There are a couple near us or could you go to someone with WH horses who has some fences and hire their course? The alternative is to make/create some fillers. We begged Lleylandi and branches from the neigbours, bought a cheap tarpaulin as a water tray, even hung coats over fences when we were schooling a baby working cob! Get creative as some of these courses are spooky !

 

[Crackerz]

He is lovely, and definitely improves second time.. Do you get out to plenty of little sj comps? Just to build confidence.. Does he go better on a surface than on grass?

I'm thinking of getting a gp for my wee boy for his next saddle rather than his show saddle. They can't give much support.

Fiona

It offers zero support! We don't get to go on surface much, we don't have a school so he was broken on grass and does everything on grass.

Some suggestions - beg, steal or borrow a GP or WH saddle - you need to be in a secure position to ride him forward and give him confidence.
Has he got/could he have stud holes? Some of these show rings are lethal in the wet and that won't help his confidence.
Regarding training - is there a local venue that does WHP clear round? There are a couple near us or could you go to someone with WH horses who has some fences and hire their course? The alternative is to make/create some fillers. We begged Lleylandi and branches from the neigbours, bought a cheap tarpaulin as a water tray, even hung coats over fences when we were schooling a baby working cob! Get creative as some of these courses are spooky !

I don't think i'd find anyone with an XXW GP saddle (haven't ridden in a GP for over 20 years as i like close contact!) But i am considering buying a jumping saddle for him if he carries on showing promise and gaining slowly in confidence.
He doesn't have shoes on so no studs
It's been a return to jumping for me after spending my childhood and teens jumping juniors before breaking my back - i'm out of practice!

I hired a VERY spooky jumping course yesterday that someone tagged me in on Facebook. It was only £10 which was a bargain as it had literally everything you could think of: style, planks, water tray, masses of flowers, plant pots, trees, spooky fillers, the lot! I kept them all around or under 2' as height isn't an issue, he flies at home. To my surprise he only had a couple of wobbles and actually jumped everything else first time! I'm going to go back in a couple of weeks and have them a little bigger and push the fillers right in so that he gets used to jumps being more solid looking. Baby steps - his confidence is coming though and he genuinely does enjoy jumping.

Only got one pic yesterday (also showing the lack of support that saddle gives my normally still legs!)

 

[mcnaughty]

My daughter has a Welsh A that has been to HOYS in the Open Welsh A class but up until when we bought him he had never jumped. Its all about repetition! Get out to every little local show you can and do SJ, XC, WH and practice, practice, practice. You ideally need to get him moving more forward in canter and if I was you, find a good local WH showing specialist and have some lessons as they are invaluable! We have a show saddle (samantha) for the 'flat' classes and we use an Ideal WH saddle for the jumping. Super comfy, nice deep seat with a decent knee roll but also looks smart. Dont get a SJ saddle to do WH as you cannot change your tack between the jumping and show sections - it is against the rules!! Take a look on Horse Gossip as there are always nice saddles up on sale on there or speak to Fylde Saddlery and they may have a 2nd hand that is suitable. If you are going to Equifest this year they will be there and will fit it.

 

[Crackerz]

My daughter has a Welsh A that has been to HOYS in the Open Welsh A class but up until when we bought him he had never jumped. Its all about repetition! Get out to every little local show you can and do SJ, XC, WH and practice, practice, practice. You ideally need to get him moving more forward in canter and if I was you, find a good local WH showing specialist and have some lessons as they are invaluable! We have a show saddle (samantha) for the 'flat' classes and we use an Ideal WH saddle for the jumping. Super comfy, nice deep seat with a decent knee roll but also looks smart. Dont get a SJ saddle to do WH as you cannot change your tack between the jumping and show sections - it is against the rules!! Take a look on Horse Gossip as there are always nice saddles up on sale on there or speak to Fylde Saddlery and they may have a 2nd hand that is suitable. If you are going to Equifest this year they will be there and will fit it.

I'm fully aware of the rules of tack & everyone i know who jumps HOYS & RI and competes in the finals do so in their jump saddles these days (Just to add, this was Alfies debut, not mine, I've done more workers classes than i could possibly remember lol)

I'm actually not wanting him to canter much more forward at the moment, he has a tendency to bomb to jumps & steeplechase over them if ridden much more forward at the moment. My jump instructor wants me to keep him back whilst working on his overall confidence, a lot of my jump training yesterday was done in trot to prevent his 'OMG must get over this as FAST as POSSIBLE' issue

Fylde do a lovely jump saddle (Nathan) that my YO has, but they never come up second hand Alfie is in the Samantha and my Sec D is in the Ray and whilst that has a lot more knee roll, i feel i need more on Alfie. I feel a WHP saddle just won't cut it when he wants me to go out the front door haha!

He will get there i am absolutely sure, i have no fear and will jump anything so he will get some confidence from me too over time.
Trying to book a XC schooling session soon too if i can spare the cash with all the show entries

 

[rachk89]

I think you did well with him considering you fell off. Think as well you did the right thing to bring him back to trot between fences and allow him time to think. Cantering round may have looked nicer but you would have had more issues. My horse does the same as he is green at jumping.

Just continue what you are doing. He will get better and already is as you have found at the spooky course you hired.