I love Horse riding i'm learning to jump now but i'm soooo bad at it the pony I ride Hazel she allways refuse

Answer 1

Hello ive been riding since i was 7 im 28 now, although not ridden for a while but if ive learnt anthing its,
what you send out of you goes into the horse and ride.
So what i mean is if your thinking "Hazel so isnt going to jump this" then she wont. You may think your relaxed, but if your THINKING negative thoughts Hazel will feel this . Your be sending her an unconfident signal.

You need to send her a positive signal and praise her loads. Try walking her around the jump a few times. let her go upto it and sniff at it a few times. Let her see both sides of the jump.

Can you not try a different pony, just so you get the feel of jumping?

Are you learning at a riding school? Can you not ask the instuctor if you can just try jumping on a different pony?
and then get back with Hazel.

Just remember that you are learning something new and so too is Hazel. She has to understand your commands and feel 100% comfortable with you. Its not just you jumping or just her jumping its team work. You have to trust in eachother and be confident in eachother.

As soon as you both connect as one your be suprised how much you both can really do and how much she will WANT to do for you to make you happy.

SO..........My advice to you is next time your about to take that canter towards the jump:;-

STOP........Stroke her neck and tell her shes a good girl.
THINK....WE can do this together.
SAY.........You CAN do this Hazel im confident in you.
RELAX........and as you approach the jump say to her "go girl" or "go on" and give that little bit more extra leg right at the very last few strides before take off.

If she DOES refuse KEEP TRYING until you get it right. Dont blame her for not jumping. Stroke her neck and kick her on and do it again, and again, and again if you must. Have patience honey.

REMEMBER its NOT horse and rider its ONE TOGETHER. Be as one with your pony.

Hope this helps.
Good Luck xx

Answer 2

a jump is simply a longer, higher canter stride (Antony Pallman, Training The Showjumper). If you ride the approach to the fence (in other words ask for a a balanced, forward going but controlled canter using your leg to let your horse know that you intend to carry on forwards over the fence) then the jump should just happen. Keep the jumps very small - poles on the ground & very small cross poles are ideal to help you and the horse build up confidence together. Just make sure that you have a nice contact on the horses mouth & you aren't confusing her by pulling back on the reins too much.
When I first started to jump I had a similar problem with my first pony, Cloudy who didn't enjoy jumping but was more than capable of jumping 3 foot when ridden correctly. You can see from the photo of me & my horse, Forever that I don't have any problems jumping now! Just think positive, try not to focus too much on the jump but setting your horse up correctly to approach it & suddenly it will all click into place with lots of practice & lessons.
Good luck & enjoy your jumping - it's meant to be fun!

Answer 3

i used to jump years ago and still can .the amount of times i fell off lots and had refuse alot .and i got there in the end .build on the bond you have with her when someone is jumping heading towards a jump the horses or ponies you are riding might have other ideas even i been over the jump with out my horse before landed on the pole had a pole make on my back for weeks .what i use to do talk to her has you are jumping .i bet you are not bad at it and the day you get it like me you have a buss and when i learn to jump started doing cross country . i wish you all the best stick with it .you will get there

Answer 4

Hello I'm a qualified Trainer and my advice is don't beat yourself up over it. There are so many reasons why Hazel could be refusing, always look at all the reasons for the answer. Never assume the horse is just being naughty or that its all your fault, look at everything. As you in a lesson the instructor should be doing this and telling you what is going wrong.

Ask other riders if she does that with them as it may not be something your doing but an issue with Hazel. By this I mean it could be poor training that she has received (riding school horses tend to get a raw deal with lots of inexperienced riders on them and not alot of training), it could be a scare that she has had in the past and now she has an issue with Jumping or it could be a physical thing, pain or stiffness somewhere due to an injury or problem, a poorly fitted saddle that is causing discomfort. She may just be young and green. If she goes over jumps perfectly well with everyone else then the problem is probably you (this is common don't worry)

With yourself it could be that you are feeling tense and afraid and Hazel is feeding off of that and not feeling confident enough to jump. It could be that you are sending her mixed messages....pushing her on with your legs but holding her back with the reins, or you may have not allowed her to have enough rein over the jump in order for her to stretch her neck out and when she did you may have accidently pulled on her mouth (this is common when your learning to jump as you lose your balance).

Speak to your instructor, perhaps ask to change horses until you are more confident (they should be putting you on a horse that will teach you and move you on to a more tricky one once you have mastered jumping)

Keep working on it though, don't be put off, Rome wasn't built in a day!

Take Care!

Answer 5

Sounds like you both need practice. But separately. You need to ride a seasoned horse that is going to jump no matter what you do so you can learn everything properly. In the mean time, start jumping your pony on the ground. Get her confidence up but don't push her too hard. You both will be ready to roll in a short period of time. Good luck : )

Answer 6

dont worry. when i learned to jump my pony wouldn't jump. i fell off 3 times in 1 session because she just kept throwing her head down and i would do a handstand over her head and off onto the floor!!!
dont feel bad. is she running out, or is she stopping in front of the jump? when horses stop infront of jumps, it is not so much the riders fault. it is more of a confidence problem with the horse. if she is running out then she might be nervous. ask if some one can run her up to the jump with you, and then at the last minute let go. it might help a little bit.
good luck, im sure she will get more confident!

Answer 7

Don't worry about it, i also horse ride, the horse i ride refuses a lot of the time. Mostly because he sees something out of the corner of his eye and is spooked. You've just got to persevere and in the end, your pony will stop refusing and learn to go over the jump with ease. Keep talking to your pony i find that always helps.

Answer 8

Do you definitely know she's a jumper?

I had a pony that would refuse a fence even if it was a trotting pole between two wings! She HATED it. Nothing you can do there

I'm just learning to jump too i have a job to keep on board but my pony loves it that much that he goes over whether i do or not!

Horses are alive and they have their own mind and good days and bad days like humans do. I'd establish if she want's to/can do first

Good Luck

Answer 9

It may not be your fault. Some horses/ponys do not appreiciate people riding them. How long have you been riding that pony? If you havnt been riding her long (2months or less) she may just need to get used to you. Try having a grooming session , always be calm round her. Check to see if her girth is too tight that may be why she is refusing. She may also be scared of the jump try to do smaller jumps with her and go over them slowly. It may helpto have somone else (with another pony) go over the jump infront of Hazel and you so she can see its fine. If none of that works maybe you should ride another horse.

Answer 10

There are 5 phases of jumping all of which need to be riden correctly -The phases are the approach which relies on a number of things,first of which is the line you choose to take to the fence which for the novice is aiming for the middle of the fence in a straight line,you must be looking where you are going towards the jump make a good turn into it so that the horse is balanced..You need to stay straight,guiding the horse with your legs.His approach needs to be balanced and rythmic,with no last minute scurrying into the fence as you are on the approach you need to see your stride and judge where your take off will be..The horse will lenghthen its neck as it asses the fence..You should have adopted a slightly ,but not overly forward seat with your weight off the horses back,pushing into the balls of your heels the approach is important
next -the take off should have been set up by a good approach ,as the horse takes off,his head and neck are raised to help him lift the forehand . his hind legs should come well under him to push the forehand up,and his hocks propel him into the air..YOU need to adopt the jumping position at this point to help him become airborn
next -the flight it is important for you to keep a still seat and look up and ahead while the horse is in flight
next - the landing As the horse lands you should gradually straighten your body whilst still keeping the weight off his back, a common fault is when a rider is out of balance it throws the horse off balance..

I think you know the rest about landing and recovery..Just remember to correct your line head for the middle of the fence keep your leg on look up and ahead if he isn't listening to your leg give him some gentle persuasion with your crop to reinforce your leg aid.....Remember to stay balanced and focus and don't lurch yourself forward before him get your balance right on approach....

Good luck hope it helps and don't let him win