How do you get a horse to lift its front legs higher when jumping so it doesn't knock the fence down?!?

Question

Without using cruel methods such as "rapping" (hitting the legs with a pole).

Maybe she doesn't even need to lift them higher she just needs to tuck them in neater.

Any SERIOUS suggestions would be a great help as she's currently racking up cricket scores in competitions when she didn't for her previous owners

Answer 1

If she hasn't done this with her previous owners, it may be a problem with the way she's ridden. The best thing to do is to book a couple of lessons with an experienced instructor, and get them to assess what needs to be worked on - both with the horse and rider. They will be able to tell you what to do to help your horse and get the best out of her.

Also remember that horse/rider partnerships are built up over a period of time and that she may take a while to adjust to your style of riding. Even the top riders do plenty of basic work to get their horses to the desired level, and will not even think of competing until the horse is working well enough at home. Make sure that your horse is jumping well at home before going to shows as the added stress of competition can also put a horse off - never try anything at a show, that hasn't been done before.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Try laying out trotting polls, and then trotting her into the fences, this should at least get her to concentrate better on what she's doign with her legs.
You dont say if you're using front boots or bandages, but if you are maybe take them off, or use open fronted boots, that way she'll know when she hits the fence.
You could also try putting "V" polls, this is when you lay 2 polls in a sort of upside down "V" position, on the actuall fence, this does encourage the horse to pick their legs up, becuase it makes the jump appear bigger than it is.
Do alot of gymnastic combinations:

bounce - bounce - 1 stride - bounce - bounce

bounce - bounce - 1 stride - 2 stride - 1 stride

etc....alternate use your imagination, so she doesnt get bored, she could just be getting blase about the whole jumping thing, so make it interesting for her when you're at home, and also, becareful you're not doing to much jump training with her, this wont help!

Um..fell free to drop me a line if you like, had a few horses that were very careless with re to jumping, and knocking polls.!

Answer 3

Start at ground poles and get her doing good with that before you start jumping her. My horse jumps like crap from the ground and if I would just give him his head and only steer him, I would knock over every single jump. I nudge him with my foot and also squeeze with my calves to kind of "push" him over the jump and he does really good with that. My pony on the other hand will jump the jump perfect either way I do it but he is a horse that doesn't need much leg, if any, to get him going. The other horse takes a lot of leg to get him going and a lot to keep him going, So it depends on your horse. I would never use spurs on my horse when jumping unless they're english spurs because riders, when jumping, have a tendency to grip with their feet/ legs so western (Don't even know why you would be using western spurs but ya never know!) spurs isn't a good thing to use, although if your a good enough rider and know how to jump and don't use you're feet to hang on at all, Then it doesn't really matter but you need english spurs in a show. Good luck, Hope this helps! :) Fresh Paint

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Horses are interesting creatures.

If the previous owners were jumping higher your horse may not be challenged enough and is getting sloppy.

If you are jumping all of the time your horse may be bored and getting sloppy or simply tired.

If you (no offense) are not as capable of a rider as her previous owner she may be doing the best she can with a rider who is getting in her way.

If you are not using the same farrier that could have an effect on her jumping.

She may be in need of chiropractic care or massage therapy.

Without seeing what you are doing it is hard to say, but these are some possible reasons that come to mind.

Answer 6

The power to jump comes from the horses hindquarters these need to be engaged properly for the horse to jump well. Impulsion is the key. Try a few half halts or collect your paces to get the quarters active. Then try some jumps, start with low ones at first. You should try to get an instructor or other experienced person to watch and give you advice on what is happening and what to do about it. Failing that, maybe you should look for another horse...

Answer 7

If i were you i would get lessons for you and your horse. also if u have had or anyone you know of has experience with lunging then i would either loose school over fences or lunge jump the horse with no rider.
It sounds like your horse may have lost some of its confidence over fences whilst being ridden, where i use to work in eventing one of the horses had the same problem so we lunged him unridden over jumps and also loose schooled him, after a while he started to pick up and watched what he was doing to the point where he was clearing all jumps.
Once we started jumping him properly again and he got more confidence in the ring with his rider the problem stopped so its worth thinking about trying it.
Make sure that you have someone experienced helping you if you have never tried it before for your sake and your horse's.
Hope everything works out well and that you start winning.

Answer 8

If she was jumping well previously then it can only be the rider. Sit up straight, dig your heels in and ride her into the jump with confidence. Get your strides right and do not falter. She will only jump properly if she trusts you and understands firmly what you want. Give her enough rein to manoeuvre without loosing contact. Start small jumps again and praise her when she gets it right for reinforcement. I have ridden horses that performed beautifully for me and no-one else, and brilliant horses that I just wouldn't jump well for me - but would for others, even beginners, so maybe it could be a personality clash too.

Answer 9

Go back to the little things. Try doing some cavelti, or trotting poles. And she could be jumping lazily because she is bored. If you always take her to the same jump, try a bit of variety. And just make sure your approach is perfect and well thought out. A little more impulsion and encouragement from your half will help her tremendously. Good luck!!

Answer 10

Agree with gymbo. Urge horse forward with your seat. Make sure the take off spot is hit correctly (proper stride between jumps.) Or try practising with fluffy plants (or something) on top of the jump to make it appear a little higher to horse, but won't injure.

Happy hacking!