Ex hunter riders...do you miss jumping?

[snaffle635]

I'm evaluating my options. I have a horse that I love. LOVE. I love this horse.

However, said horse does not seem to love being a hunter. I'm kicking around the idea of switching to dressage.

For those of you ex-hunters, do you miss jumping? How was making the switch?

[degas]

I used to be a jumper rider. I always did some dressage with my horses, but it was never my main focus. I recently bought a new mare who seems very talented and interested in dressage. I have made dressage my main focus with her, we do a little bit of jumping for fun because I do miss it and she enjoys it, but it's not our main discipline.
You could try something similar maybe? Dressage most days, and jumping once a week?

[Silk]

Yes...so much that I went back to the hunters:) My horse wasnt loving jumping, but I decided to be content keeping him at the lower level he liked and settled just so I could be back in the hunter ring. The dresage was/is great for my horse though..and he is a better hunter becasue of it. I plan to still do a dressage lesson monthly.

[BluewindFarm]

NEVER!!!! About 6 months after I started Dressage, took one more jumping lesson and decided, I really liked Dressage and could care less if I ever jumped again.

After that lesson I decided in Hunters I just a navigator. In dressage I truly feel part of the "team" with my horse. I'm so much more involved in the various movements.

[canticle]

What about eventing? You get the best of everything. :)

[J-Lu]

I used to do jr. jumpers (a while ago) and more recently eventing and I loved loved loved going cross country. I've been able to keep jumping in the mix even with the horse I have now. However, she's the biggest wimp you've ever seen. She is genuinely fearful of new objects and wants to stop. If she's jumped the same jump a number of times, she's totally fine. Ho hum. Add an empty flowerbox, or some plastic flowers and it's like she's never seen it before. Took the fun out of jumping so unfortunately, I don't jump much anymore. But I do miss it.

If you're a good jumper, you can always find someone who'd love for you to occasionally school their horse. In the mean time, try jumping once a week or so, and try dressage. You might get really hooked! Or maybe it'll teach your horse that he'd rather be a hunter. :)

[JRG]

I find I miss it when I see the younger girls at my barn jumping. Then when I see something that goes wrong, I remember..... it hurts when you land on the ground.

I am no longer an equitation rider....I am a dressage rider.

[Samantha37]

I didn't miss it for about 2 years... But, I never rode the hunters competitively, I just took lessons and did summer camps, etc... I made the switch to dressage because I had a silly horse that responded better to a deeper, more connected seat.
I found the switch incredibly difficult. I had a lot of trouble learning to just sit UP and not lean forward and stick my butt out. I also was/am a terrible knuckle-grazer, and I am still getting yelled at for that one!
I think dressage itself is really hard, so it makes it challenging and fun :)
Always trying for that perfect moment.. sigh..

But, I have recently been trying out eventing and I LOVE it... can't wait to compete in my first HT this summer :D It brings the best of jumping and dressage together... how fun!

[FancyFree]

I do! I'm going to go back to it as soon as my horse is old enough. I'll continue with dressage, but I want to do both. I think it's good for the horse too. My old horse used to love to jump. It was a treat to her.

I'd event but those cross country jumps scare the heck out of me. If it doesn't fall down, I don't want to jump it.

[Eventer13]

FancyFree, there are some very small XC jumps out there (BN 2'7", unrecognized even smaller than that). Most of the danger in XC is the rotational fall, which really isn't seen on fences 3' and under. Really there's not a much greater chance of getting hurt on the smaller fences than there is jumping stadium, IMO. And actually, I think it really helps the horse learn where his feet are so he can keep himself OUT of trouble.

Not to try to take you away from dressage... its great in and of itself, and what I'll be doing after I stop eventing.

[amastrike]

I do both, so nope, don't miss it! If anything, jumping makes me miss dressage because my horse is an idiot over fences (runs at the jump, then stops dirty... jerk). He does exhibit some lovely lateral movement on course, though. Cantering absolutely sideways so he's parallel to the jump, turn on the forehand in motion to pop over the fence, then back to cantering sideways. I have a very talented horse :yes:.

[mg]

A balance between dressage and jumping helps keep my pony and I sane :yes: Without the dressage though, the jumping would not be NEARLY as fun. I cannot wait until it warms up again so I can school xc!!

[Foxtrot's]

It depends - on you. I always found I did the discipline my horse appeared to be best at.

[Equibrit]

I don't think there is any rule that says you can't do anything except dressage with your horse! Why would you not jump, ride cross country, go hunting, team penning, trail riding, barrel racing, gymkhana, in fact anything you please for fun? Your horse will thank you.

[Peggy]

Like Silk, I went back to the jumping. The horse that made me convert to dressage was a jerk over fences. I sent him out to a dressage barn to be sold and then started having fun with the upper level stuff as he progressed. We almost showed PSG and were schooling higher. I did jump various horses off and on during the dressage hiatus. Then I bought a new horse, did the dressage for awhile, had him started o/f as a diversion, and starting jumping him myself. He prefers jumping, but suffers thru the flat lessons. I don't regret the dressage b/c I learned a lot, but I do regret the time spent away from jumping now that I've gone back b/c it definitely hasn't been easy at times.

[backinthesaddle50]

I bought my guy as a 3yo eventing prospsect. Started out in the baby greens and found that we needed ALOT of flat work. Moved to a dressage barn and put him to work. After 18 months - he is quite a different horse - but we BOTH missed jumping - so he now gets a once a week break from his "arena" work and jumps with either myself or my daughter-in-law. I wish we had the facility to trail ride, run some low XC or swim. Cross training is good for all of us. His brain is SO much better after his jumping session.

[Daatje]

Sadly, yes. I wasn't thinking straight when I bought my current horse. She's very good for LL dressage......can get over the smaller fences alright (up to 2'9") but is really not brave enough to be an event horse. :(

But, I LOVE her. She is one in a million. So, we train dressage.....while I long to be galloping xc again.

I'm working on her though......she's only 7, and getting a little braver and more confident every time we go out. Maybe someday, she can do a little BN for me.....she's just not a natural at it.

I've contemplated selling her so many times.......don't know why, but I can't bring myself to do it....

So yes, I miss the jumping (on a brave horse) very much.

[Donkaloosa]

Not exactly... I did some jumping, and my horse loved it, but when he got sick, later died, got other horses...just didn't really go back to jumping. Of course, by then my knees were getting bad and I quit riding hunt seat all together. So overall, I just miss hunt seat in general. I've been lucky in that my horses have been willing and able to go hunt seat or western...but western just isn't as much fun for me.

Donk

[rabicon]

Yes I do miss jumping and this is why we do C/T's also. My guy hated the pace in the hunter rings, but he loves to run around a stadium course and jump. Try this instead of purely dressage. We do just dressage shows also and throw in a C/T monthly as well. Just schooling shows to keep the cost down. ;)

[FancyFree]

FancyFree, there are some very small XC jumps out there (BN 2'7", unrecognized even smaller than that). Most of the danger in XC is the rotational fall, which really isn't seen on fences 3' and under. Really there's not a much greater chance of getting hurt on the smaller fences than there is jumping stadium, IMO. And actually, I think it really helps the horse learn where his feet are so he can keep himself OUT of trouble.

Not to try to take you away from dressage... its great in and of itself, and what I'll be doing after I stop eventing.

I think it's those down jumps that freak me out the most. Jumping down: :eek: I did go XC schooling once and had a blast, so I wouldn't rule it out. I don't know how you guys pull it all together for a show. You have dressage, stadium and XC. You have to have all the appropriate outfits and be prepared. I do so admire event riders. You do it all!

[Jupes]

Yup.
I evented (tried to anyway) my guy for several years with varying degrees of success, but ultimately quit showing him in any kind of jumping; now I mostly focus on dressage. I do miss it, and I'll jump little stuff at home once in a while, maybe go along as a spotter for XC schooling and pop over a couple. Jumping is not what he really wants to do, but since I love 'im, and have made a commitment to the horse, those're the breaks...

However, I still show (dressage), and am pretty-goal oriented, so my need to feel accomplishment is still met.

And... whenever I *really* need a fix, I might beg my way onto a friend's horse. Friend's horse is a BLAST to jump. :)

[VTHokie]

Not yet anyway. :winkgrin:
I bought my current horse in December knowing that she won't be a hunter. I have started taking monthly dressage lessons, and having fun working her on my own. I will occasionallly jump her over a tiny little jump for her entertainment and mine but she is only 3 so not more than that. When she gets older I may try low, low level eventing for fun.

[snaffle635]

I'd event but those cross country jumps scare the heck out of me. If it doesn't fall down, I don't want to jump it.

Here, here! I find the idea of eventing terrifying. I did Pony Club as a kid and would fly around the cross-country course. But now, not so much.

[rabicon]

If your scared of the xc then go to c/t that have the stadium rather than xc. C/T's are in one day and you usually do the dressage first and then do your jumping round. You don't have to do xc at all of them. One that we do is just dressage and stadium and the other is dressage and xc only.

[degas]

Wow! I am really happy to find other adults terrified of cross country! I also flew around the cross country courses as a kid, but as an adult all I want to do is dressage and a little stadium. I never wanted to admit that, I thought I was the only one. Phew... I think I would like this "combined training".

[neVar]

Yes and no??

i haven't jumped in 7 years. . . . and sometimes sometimes i miss it- mostly though when i'm talking about it- if i'm pitch hitting teaching a lesson or if i'm taking a flat work lesson and showing how it applies over fences. I quit jumping because of an injury not 100% because i 'wanted to' i just came to the realization taht i SHOULDN"T jump any more and dressage i had always had a secret love affair with so here i am.

But do i miss it when i'm riding?? NOPE. give me a good half pass, an awesome up hill canter transition? and i forget allabout what a 4' triple bar felt like