I want to learn how to jump my horse is Aribian/Quarter Horse Mare. She is REALLY pretty. But i have been around horses for 6 years but just started riding this past year. And Libby( my horse) have the ability to jump i was just wondering how you would teach her. I have been Lungeing her over the jumps and she would jump them. And i had one of my friends ride her bare back over the jumps. I don't want to show jump i just want to know how to jump her like if im trail riding and there is a log on the path. And my barn might start doing some cross country. Maybe and she has the speed for it and i just want to learn how to teach her to jump.
Thanks,Katie
ZaNnY
08-21-04 1:57 PM
well i have been riding since i was 6, (so bout 11 yrs) and for the past 4 yrs i've been training and teaching jumping. Im not a professional or n e thing but this has worked for me when training horses for riding schools. Firstly, im asuming u ride english? and have u tried walking ur horse over jumps before with you on top and fully tacked? since u've been lunging ur horse i guess she has become used to jumping and wat not which is good, so the next step is to tack her up and get her goin over them, at first just walking over them, with u on top and not on a line. (cuz they tend to react differently on a lunge over jumps, as to a person on top they will prolly refuse more) If she doesn't walk over the jump carry a crop and slighty tap her and encourage her over the jump. Then eventually try raising it a bit and goin at it at a trot. If your horse hasnt been trained to jump previously (like before u owned her or w.e) then its bout 50/50 a refuse (u can never tell some r naturals! hehe). A good techinque once ur going at it at a trot is to before u reach the jump (about 3-4 strides away) take ur reins in one hand and get ur crop ready in the other and make sure ur headed at the centre of the jump. Countinue at a strong trot and contiune to encourge her with squeezes. Right before the jump (bout half a stride away) use ur crop firmly (but not too harsh) and remember to give EXTRA rein, more then the usual jump position because if u pull while training the horse will not like jumping to much ! The crop should give the extra jolt to get her to acutally jump over the jump instead of tromple over it . Repeat this over a span of time and eventually move up to a canter and higher jumps if u wish! but if like u said all you want it for is to jump over loges on a trail this method should work! if u have n e questions bout what i've told u or n e other questions jus post em and i'll gladly reply! i hope i ed!!
Megan
04-07-05 10:09 PM
First of all, you should be completely comfortable jumping yourself before you teach a horse. If you are just learning, get someone else to train your horse to jump. If she takes a really big jump over a fence, you could end up slamming her in the back or jerking her in the mouth, which will only be detrimental to her training. Also, it is hard enough to learn to jump on a well-trained horse, and the extra force of a green horse can unseat a green rider. So please, if you are new at this, don’t ride her over actual fences (although you can start the training process below over poles on the ground and longeing over jumps). Start out walking her over a single ground rail, then a grid, then trot a single rail, then trot a grid of rails. Make sure they are spaced correctly with 3-3.5’ for a walk, 4-4.5’ for a trot, depending on her stride. If she is small, or if she has a short stride, start out at the lower end. Then you can trot her over small (1’ or less) jumps, or longe her if you don’t want to ride her. Don’t progress too quickly, or you will wreck her confidence. I disagree with the previous post: you don’t need a crop to make her jump. If ridden correctly, she should be more than happy to go over a small fence. Smacking her may just make her hate jumping because she feels like she’s getting punished.
ZaNnY
04-08-05 9:25 PM
well i agree with your post as well, but some ppl may not be able to afford to get a trainer to train their horses (if a person is wanting to do hardcore showing then they obvoiusly can afford a trainer)so i was just providing a techinique that i use and has worked for me many times. And i just felt that it would be useful for her as she just wants to do trails and such. The difference is that i use it one very green horses that i am breaking who r like 2 and 3 and it works fine. I just use the crop to get them to jump because they really dont know how to if they have never been ridden before ( i found that the crop makes them acutally jump over the fence, and i am not hitting them hard like you might think). And i also only start them off over very small fences. I am not training these horses to do huge fences or n e thing if thats what i made it seem like im sorry. I just get these horses started and on their way to jumping and then the owner sells them.
ZaNnY
04-08-05 9:28 PM
and ps. i forgot to say that once the horse starts acutally jumping over the fence then the crop isnt really necessary and instead just start teaching and working with proper jumping techinques
Megan
04-09-05 11:06 AM
I agree that not everyone can afford a trainer. What would be is if she knew a friend that could start the horse off for her just to get its confidence up, of if she could do lots of longeing over small fences, so when she gets on her mare doesn't jump a 1' cross rail like a 3' vertical. If she does teach her mare to jump, I recommend a neck strap (out of an old pair of stirrup leathers) to grab on to just in case, so she doesn't accidently hit her horse in the mouth.
lauren
04-06-07 12:48 AM
I agree with Megan. It is VERY important to not bump on the horse's back and jurk their mouth during the first jumps. Start with ground poles and walk them around with a halter and lead and explore and hear the sounds the rails make when they fall. Then walk over them for a little bit then trot but you must keep in mind that you should only do this for a little amount of time and not to over wheelm the horse. And the biggest part is that you should have slight experience jumping yourself. Many riders fail to grab mane and plan ahead where to look. If your horse refuses don't turn them the way they want, and only use the crop when the refuse to listen to your leg. The horses that run after jumps is sometimes because they feel after the jump something will happen, if your horse does that be sure to circle them before halting incase the rider is unable to communicate well right after the jump and cause another issue.
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is if she knew a friend that could start the horse off for her just to get its confidence up, of if she could do lots of longeing over small fences, so when she gets on her mare doesn't jump a 1' cross rail like a 3' vertical. If she does teach her mare to jump, I recommend a neck strap (out of an old pair of stirrup leathers) to grab on to just in case, so she doesn't accidently hit her horse in the mouth.