Horse that Jumps too soon

[pwrpfflynn]

I have been told that it is good to do gymnastics to help my horse with timing but I would like to know if I should let him go on a loose rein or hold him especially on the approach to the first obstacle. Some of my friends have said to let him go on a loose rein and he will figure it out on his own while others have said to hold him and not allow him to jump too soon. What is your opinion?

[JinxyFish313]

It all depends on how you set your gymnastic. Are you trotting in? Are the jumps set at a forward distance? A steady one?

[pwrpfflynn]

Yes trotting in. I found an exercise from a book by James Wofford I was told to get that has a 9 foot trot pole to a single cross rail and then 2 more ground poles following set at 10 ft out.

[dab]

Let the horse figure it out -- The 9' pole is setting him up for you --

[ctab]

to set the pace and balance. So yes you should be doing something up there to keep your horse trotting to the first pole.
Just becasue good riders make it look like it is effortless does not mean they are not riding the horse the whole time.
In the gymnastic you should not do too much to interfere with the horse. Small releases over each fence. Big releases only abandon the horse over the fence. Your release should only be as big as needed. Some horses need to be held a little over each fence until they learn not to over jump. Some do better with more freedom.
Make sure your flat work is more than just trotting and cantering around. Get the horse in a correct frame. Make him work over his back at all gaits. Trot cavaletti with the horse on the bit. This does not mean more gadgets or a more severe bit. Once the cavaletti go well then start BUILDING a gymnastic. You never build a complete gymnastic and expect the horse to go over all the elements all at once. Start with all poles on the ground placed at the proper distance and trot over them a couple of times. On the bit. The progress to a crossrail followed by poles. Then build whatever you want one jump at a time. You ask the horse to go through a couple of times then add the next element. A ground person is invaluable for this! For ex. a cross rail first, then a cross rail to a one stride vertical or a cross rail to a bounce. Then the next would be 2 or 3 strides to a oxer either ramped or square. Then may be the last element would be another vertical or oxer.
Depending on what it is you want to work on would be how you set the distances and landing poles.
Your job is to make sure the horse comes in at the correct pace and is balanced and straight.
I have seen horses jump the first pole AND the first jump as one huge effort! Scary! Some horses are lazy and want to canter the first pole so they are cantering the first jump. Not what you want.
Oh yea, wear a helmet!

[pwrpfflynn]

Thanks so much for your help you guys. I really do appreciate your input since I am new to all of this and am trying to figure it all out.

We jumped tonight for the first time in over two weeks. My horse was better. I only jumped a crossrail 2 times after trotting ground poles and doing some cantering. I had a 9 foot ground pole before the jump and that seems to help me with my timing on when to release him as well as him to judge for himself. Do you ever set a gound pole at 4.6 before a crossrail?

Do you think it is better go over just 1 or 2 jumps a couple times per week for a horse that gets too excited or should I jump more to get him more used to it?

[fourmares]

No you never set a ground pole at 4'6" before a jump. At 9' your horse will step in to about the middle of the space which puts him at the right place to take off.

I can't answer the second question without knowing why your horse is getting excited. Is it because he loves it, is it because it worries him, is it because you are making a big move in the air and sending him forward, is it because you grab him in the air which makes him rush to get it over with. I think that you are better off saving jumping for the days that you have a lesson, or at least a knowledgable friend to help you.

[pwrpfflynn]

That is exactly what my husband told me last night that if I moved the pole that close he would hit it. I guess I should have asked him first. : )

I think he is a little nervous because my timing isn't good trying to figure out when to release. We are both new a this. He isn't really rushing the jumps just taking off too soon.

[JinxyFish313]

Are you working with a trainer?

[tidy rabbit]

I like to set my trot poles like this with a greeny...

two trot poles 4'6" apart, then 8' to the X then 10' to 12' to the canter pole on the backside of the X depending on the horse and the size of the X.

My motto for exercises like this is "Let the exercise work for you."

My job through a gymnastic is to guide the horse but not to interfere with his learning process.

Perhaps a 9' gap to the X is too big for your particular horse?

[pwrpfflynn]

I was working with a trainer and that is how this all started. We were cantering crossrails and doing fine before I started taking lessons with her and she insisted I trot the crossrails and that is where the problems started. My horse seems to want to jump sooner/bigger because he doesn't have as much momentum like he does at the canter. He is about 16 hands and big bodied. I don't like to skip training steps but this has caused a big problem. I am more nervous trying to figure out when to release him so he doesn't over jump and I don't land on his neck or worse on the ground which I have done once. That in turn makes him more nervous cause I am having to hold him. It's like I am saying to myself "Do I release now? and he is saying "do I go now"?

Tidy Rabbit, I was just looking at Jumping exercise book and it has that exact set up in it and I want to try it tonight. Do you think I just jump him over one or 2 jumps every day or jump more times on just a couple of days a week?

[tidy rabbit]

By the time I finally get to a gymnastic the horse is going over poles and cavaletti very confidently. When a horse can trot 4 or 5 trot poles in a row (4'6" apart or whatever is appropriate) and when he is trained well enough that he can come out to the ring and trot that exercise without batting an eye and without touching a rail, then I'll move on to an actual gymanstic jumping exercise.

With my baby horses I start them on this grid with just a pile of poles instead of the X. I trot through it until I feel like the horse really has a grasp on it and is comfortable with it. If there is any croockedness or change in rhythm or stumbling I don't advance it to an actual jump.

When I do this type of excercise it's the only thing I'll do on that day with the horse. So I have my exercise set and I walk him through it several times using the entire arena. Then I'll start trotting it. I want to build his confidence and repeat the exercise until he's bored with it. Then I'll put the X up. I start with a tiny X. Anything that looks different is going to get their attention and back them off. You don't want to scare them and get them rushing through it.

Have someone available, if you can, to fix the pole placement incase the horse rolls a pole or knocks it hard enough to change the distance. Having a set, reliable distance for the horse makes gaining his confidence much easier.

Also, in the beginning, with a greenie, I will only go one direction during a ride when doing a gymnastic and I keep it very brief, 15 to 20 minutes total (including the walking time). The most important thing is their confidence. Ultimately you want them to think its fun and to jump anything you put in front of them.

[pwrpfflynn]

He is trotting 4 ground poles 4.6 ft apart without any problems and isn't trying to jump them anymore however, if there were a couple stocked up or they were elevated in any way I'm not sure he would just trot and not try and jump them. Should I start there with trotting a couple stacked up or elevate the ground poles with a couple of blocks before I start doing the gymnatics?