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Discussion on Rushing after jump
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 5, 2007 - 8:42 pm:
After much work I have my mare Roxy, staying relaxed while working trot poles.
Now I would like to reintroduce small jumps. Even tho I have worked her through trot poles with standards when she actually jumps she reverts to getting very excited and rushes away from the jump.
Should I stop her after the jump, pause and walk away, or trot circles until she relaxes? Since she is very eager she will land even a very low jump in canter, I think at the least I should bring her to a trot after landing.
Thanks
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Member:
kthorse
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 5, 2007 - 10:09 pm:
Sounds like she is still not quiet ready. Maybe have one cavalletti with poles after wards to help force her to slow down and look where she is going. If you are already doing cavalleti work put lots of poles after the jump. It should force her to slow down and bring her back to you. Horse's running after jumps is a sign of panic , fear or confusion. Unless they are a trained competitive jumper who is just anticipating and even then they should not run after a jump.
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Thursday, Apr 5, 2007 - 10:48 pm:
putting a cavaletti after the jump is a good idea, I think I would space it about two strides out. That should give us time to get settled and slowed a bit.
She was just pushed and taught go..go..go!
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Member:
imogen
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Posted on Friday, Apr 6, 2007 - 3:42 am:
Then stop and pat her. Or perhaps a trot pole or a cavaletti either side of the jump so you can turn around and go back the other direction, and stop and pat after the jump.
Be careful that she is not starting to anticipate you hauling on her mouth to slow her down after every jump. Try relax and DrOp the reins and pat if you can do this safely.
All the best
Imogen
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Friday, Apr 6, 2007 - 1:14 pm:
Great tip, thanks Imogen
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Member:
36541
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Posted on Friday, Apr 6, 2007 - 2:23 pm:
is she ready for a gymnastic line? I find they aren't as willing to rush off after they have had to think their way through a four-fence line, even if it is minimum height. I like to put a bounce in as the second fence, then a one stride between the last two so they have to stay slow towards the end of the line. Boot her legs up in case she knocks a few poles while she is working it all out... you shouldn't touch her mouth much at all, let the fences slow her down and wear her out mentally. It can be incredibly klutzy the first several times, I only do it if I have someone on the ground to adjust distances and pick up poles! Stacy
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Member:
teddyj1
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Posted on Friday, Apr 6, 2007 - 8:41 pm:
Hi Lori, please don't take this the wrong way, but also, if your mare is really sensitive, then your position is of utmost importance. Meaning, are you positive that first of all you're not getting anxious about her taking off after the jump, and possibly making a "quick movement" with your own body at the jump thereby "snapping back" in the saddle a little bit upon landing, so then to keep your balance you might be inadvertantely tightening your lower leg( "gigging" her) there by sending her forward?
I obviously have no way of knowing how tight, and quiet you are over fences, but I see this a lot in lessons, especially with my adult amateurs who are thinking so much about the correct distances,etc... Have you had a well respected trainer watch the two of you? Even have another person hop on her that you know is very talented over fences, (like a Junior Equitation rider), that can just sit there dead quiet over the jump, and you can watch what your mare's reaction is, and then see if you can compare her behavior.
I also like the idea of the small gymnastics, you could even set up a free jumping chute for her, and let her go thru on her own a few times to get the idea with out the added distraction of a rider, and when you put a rider thru the gymnastic it's very important to stay still, quiet, out of the horses way and let the horse do
her job.
I really like having a knowledgeable person on the ground to watch me and my horses when I'm working on something like this, so I can have a better idea of where the resistance is coming from.
Good luck 
TOD
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Friday, Apr 6, 2007 - 9:39 pm:
Last fall I had the mare in a clinic, we did a line of 5 gymanstics, by the last jump she was nearly in a run. The clinician got on her, when he handed her back to me he just said, "She needs a lot of work!".
So, all winter we have been doing as per first post.
So, the idea is to put a cavaletti after the jump, this is to give her something to do/think about immediately after the jump.
Hmmm, yes, my position, well, it certainly isn't as secure as it used to be.
I do always put boots on her.
Thanks for your help
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Member:
sarahb47
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Posted on Monday, Dec 3, 2007 - 1:08 am:
Hi Lori,
When you ask your horse to approach a jump in a trot, you should expect her to land in a canter. Jumping small jumps from a trot approach is a good exercise to help a horse develop athleticism and use her back, but the jumping effort is actually half of a canter stride, so she should then land in a quiet canter, going forward out of the gymnastic with slightly more energy and impulsion than she had on the approach. Allow the canter after the jump, give her a quiet pat for putting effort into her work, and repeat your cavalletti-to-crossrail grid until it becomes boring. If she lands and rushes forward, create a pattern in which you GENTLY ease back to trot and then walk after finishing your line. After about 10 times through she should expect the quiet downward transition, and being to put on the brakes for you.
Many of the problems in jumping have to do with the landing, not the approach. Help her focus on regaining her balance upon landing by placing a ground rail ten feet beyond your small jump. This will help her focus on the canter stride after the landing, helping her to re-balance as she shifts from the up-and-down motion of jumping to the forward motion of the canter in the departure.
On landing, be sure to stay steady and balanced, with weight in your heels and only the lightest feel of the reins. Help her find her balance by staying very balanced yourself, and let her learn that you won't interfere or punish her if she's a little disorganized on landing.
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Member:
sarahb47
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Posted on Monday, Dec 3, 2007 - 1:14 am:
PS And if she's still rushing, DrOp the jump to a single ground pole and just canter random ground poles. Then progress to cantering ground poles at related distances -- for a horse with a 12-foot canter stride, set poles at multiples of 12 feet. Be sure the spacing is set perfectly for her stride -- if she has an 11-foot natural canter stride, don't set two ground rails 12 feet apart! Set them at 11 feet apart for a bounce, 22 feet for a one-stride, etc. Canter lots and lots of ground poles.
Trotting and cantering ground poles is a wonderful way to develop a horse's confidence and eventually help her become almost bored with them, which should be your goal with a quick, sensitive horse.
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Member:
kstud
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Posted on Monday, Dec 3, 2007 - 1:32 pm:
Hi Lori,
What has worked for me is the one rein stop. Very cowboy for Ireland but very effective. I start in the arena in walk and let the horse walk on a loose rein without steering then I pick up one rein and flex the head right around and immediately release when the horse stops moving its feet and gives to the rein. I spent a week practicing this on a horse that rushed before and after jumps and who had been through a lot of professional riders and so knew her job and how to avoid it! At the end of the week I could stop her at walk trot or canter on a sixpence softly and easily. Then I put up jump stands without poles around the arena and basically cantered her around the arena for 15 to 20 mins at a time, stop for a few minutes and then canter again. In all this canter work I do not pick up the rein and let the horse choose where to go but do not let the horse trot. This mare used to gallop around instead of canter but every time she tried to speed up I would do an emergency halt and after only one day she learned to maintain an easy canter. Interspersed with a little hacking to keep her interested of course. After less than a week of this she had transformed and was very easy so I then put poles between the jump stands and cantered over them (steering this time) but again with no great pressure on the reins and periodically halting after poles. Next we made a grid of 3 canter poles and she was fine with that and so we raised the last one to about 40cm and let her canter the two poles and jump the last and then I asked for a halt shortly after. She immediately and softly did it and I repeated that on both reins gradually over a few days increasing the height and number of jumps but always stopping 6 or 7 strides after each jump. She became a joy to jump after this as she would balance herself over jumps in order to be able to stop after and would lengthen and shorten easily. I used to jump her after around big tracks and would never have to pick up the reins at all as she was so light and responsive (previously she would literally lengthen your arms by pulling). She was sold after as an American Hunter to the States and did very well. You guys probably do all this stuff anyway but it was a revelation to me as we had tried every bit, grid etc before this method. It does require a single minded approach and an ability not to worry what anyone might think but it really works. It takes 21 days for a body to recognise a new habit and this system basically gives the horse a new habit. Honestly if you even thought stop after a jump and sat up slightly in the saddle she would stop so fast that you would nearly fall off! Three weeks earlier she would gallop around the arena 3 or 4 times after a jump before you could pull her up.
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Member:
imogen
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Posted on Tuesday, Dec 4, 2007 - 4:09 am:
Great explanation Catherine. Thanks for explaining it so clearly, definitely something I will try.
Imogen
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Tuesday, Dec 4, 2007 - 5:06 pm:
Catherine, we have made great progress since I first posted this thread.
My course of action was much as you described but you laid yours out so well I will adopt it.
Thank you
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