does anyone here know how to train a horse to jump?

Question

does anyone here know how to teach a horse to jump over a 8 inch tall board? i want to train my horse to do it.

mt horse just gos around it and i also wanted to know how to do it without riding the horse also.

do you ride english or western? if you do ride

Answer 1

Hi I actually own a horse ranch in Texas. I've trained jumpers, dressage horses, cutting, reining, roping, barrels- basically any discipline.

The best thing to do is start on ground poles and lunging your horse. This is the most efficient way to teach your horse to be confident. When training my horses I've found it useful to build the jumps out, not up. After your horse gets comfortable going over single ground poles on his own then push several ground poles together. This will teach your horse to reach and pace himself.

When you are confident enough to get on your horse and go over ground poles, then build up. Do not build up if your horse is not good with lead changes or transitions from a lope to trot back to a canter. Your horse may over or under pace himself if he can't maintain his own speed. REMEMBER- speed does not equal height. A soft canter is more than enough to jump any barrier or fence up to 3 feet.

Always remember to wear your proper gear- helmet, gloves, riding boots, and have the correct saddle that fits you and your horse well. If you are a beginner- you may just want to get a seasoned horse or take lessons at the local stable from an instructor you trust. Jumping is loads of fun- but safety is the most important.

DARNGOODFARRIER1(the professional farrier below) is wrong. Horses are natural jumpers- when in the wild horses become reliant on jumping over fallen logs, large ditches, and other debris in the way if they are being preyed upon. The reason we don't see jumping regularly in the pasture is because we as humans naturally put our horses in paddocks and pastures away from ditches, fallen timber, and steep slopes where they don't need this skill. This is why we have to train them to do such things that are natural to them in the wild such as crossing water and jumping. And if your horse is sound and healthy he won't have any unusual wearing of joints and hooves than any other horse. i.e. why do you think most jumpers are between the ages of 8-16. When most people think the older the horse the more wear of the body.

If you have a healthy horse that is sound enough to jump- you shouldn't have a problem.

Answer 2

i am an experienced hunter/jumper rider and have trained many horses through the years. if you don't have any jumping experience, i would recommend getting an instructor. take some lessons on a seasoned school horse so you're comfortable with jumping small fences before trying to convince a green horse to believe you, that you know what you're doing. a green horse needs a confident rider who can instill that same confidence in the horse. get some professional help. then approach it simply and slowly with your horse. start by just walking over a board laying flat on the ground, then trotting over it, then cantering. then turn the board sideways--a few inches tall--and repeat. then try something a few inches taller, and so on. training a horse is a slow process, and is safer with professional help. it will make you a better rider so that you can pass along your skills to horses.

Answer 3

the best way is to put the board in such a position that when the horse approaches it, he must jump it. For example, place the board perpendicular to the fence and a chair. The board should be solid enough that it will stay up should he rub it slightly with his foot, but not so solid that it wont fall over should he hit it with any sort of force at all. once the board is in place, put your horse on a lunge rope and warm him up. then move closer to the jump so that when the rope is let out, his circle will go over the jump. make him start to lunge again, but only at the trot. as a natural instinct he wil jump it. dont over do this exercise, as it can cause damage to his legs and also it will tire him easily. you may want to walk him over it the first time as horses learn a lot from social mimicking. Seeing you do it may jut give him the encouragement to do it himself.

Answer 4

Somebody said that horses naturally jump. Not in my opinion. I constantly watch my 5 in the pasture. They walk trot canter, spin on their haunches, turn on the forehand, back, rare up, lay down ,roll, bow when playing, but never have I seen them jump if they had any other choice.
I don't agree with jumping I think it is hard on their knees and joints and feet. And their topline. BUT, if you are set on jumping your horse, think about a few things.
- Your horses age, bone maturity, are the knees closed
- is he athletic enough
- pay attention to how much pounding your horses body can take
- being a farrier, it can cause all kinds of problems from a foot standpoint b/c remember the foot is the foundation of your horse. No foot No horse
- What breed is your horse
- Are you proportional to your horses size. I have seen 250lb men riding 14h horses that you can see the ribs on long trail rides
And like alot of others have said get an accomplished instructor and educate yourself on your horses feet. What a good knoweledgeable farrier job looks like and be able to talk intelligently about it b/c you have studied. Finally, Study. Don't rely on everyone around you to know all about what you want to do and how to do it. Be successful and align yourself with the best. Good luck

Answer 5

yup- 8 inches is very small. All you need to do is canter up to it and be confident and keep him straight. They naturally jump. At 8 inches he may just hop over it though- I can't get my horse to actually jump it unless it is over a foot and a half (she is 17.2h)
If you want to train him slowly- start by troting and cantering over ground poles to get him to pick up his feet. Slowly raise them. If he starts to get shaky or tries to avoid it, lower it a little and stay at that level until he is confident.


Read your details- then you don't have to teach the horse to jump- you need to teach yourself to jump- use your legs- do not let him go around it. Start at a walk and force him to go over it. Right now- he is dominant and you are just a sack of potatoes on his back. Walk up to it confidently- shorter reins and keep your legs on him put leg pressure to push him over from the side he veers to. Also put more weight in the opposite stirrup but only while you are training him not to refuse- doing this at a canter or an actual jump will offset your and his balance- pressure with legs will not. I ride 1st level dressage but do some eventing and western events for fun as well.

Answer 6

Start with poles on the ground, advance to cavaletti - low jumps that he can really just step over - and increase the height gradually. Lunge him over the poles, then ride him over. Each time you raise the height, lunge first, then ride him over them. Soon he will be jumping. But eight inches?? That's not very tall. He can step over that easily.
It may help to have barriers on each side where he cannot avoid going over the jump. Praise him when he does it, and be patient when he doesn't. Keep
"asking" him, firmly but gently.

Answer 7

You really might want to get with a professional trainer for this. I wouldn't attempt it on your own. Dressage can be difficult as well.