Riding my horse english?

Question

Hi,
Im riding english now, I have a horse already, I rode english 6 years before I got her, I've had this horse for 2 years, and rode western while I've had her, but i am going back to riding english because I like english and jumping better. I am also switching barns.

I want to get back into jumping, but i was wondering how i get my horse into it? Anyone have excercises to get her to start picking up her feet more?

Any other suggestions on converting her to english, etc. would be great.

By the way, i do have a qualified instructor, to help, but i only have lessons once a week.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Try getting yourself some ground poles, and start off by working your horse over those. They're not actually jumps, but your horse will get the idea that he is supposed to pick his feet up over them, and this also gives you the opprotunity to work on your position over the poles with out getting jolted by a huge leap from your horse.

After working with the ground poles for a while, set up one or two cavaletti (or lay a pole across the tops of two ice cream pales), and work your horse over those. Its not really that much higher, but it will give your horse the idea that now he needs to give an extra hop over those. Don't be suprised if he shies at the cavaletti, or if he knocks them over. Remember, he's just starting to learn.

Work over the ground poles and cavaletti with your instructor, and when you feel ready then you can move up to doing real jumps.

The thing that most people don't understand about horses, is that usually, if you ride them westurn, you can ride them english. A horse isn't trained for a westurn saddle or an english saddle. They are trained for a dicipline (i.e westurn pleasure, barrel racing, reigning, dessage). If you switch your horse from a westurn saddle to an english saddle tomorrow, its not going to make him get upset and scared.

However, like with all tack, make sure that the saddle you are going to use fits your horse properly before you use it to avoid saddle sores and giving your horse a sore back.

Answer 2

Transferring to English shouldn't be that big a deal. The cues are mostly the same except for the reining, but I was told in a college riding class that even western horses are broken using 2 reins so it shouldn't be anything new. The biggest difference, I think, are the bits. I switched a western horse to English and she liked the Dring rubber snaffle much much more than the western curb bit.

For jumping, start with a low X and trot her through it. After a few trips raise it a few notches and trot her again. Be sure that you are constantly thinking and looking forward so she doesn't decide to dodge. Raise it another few notches and she ought to want to jump this time. Keep her at the trot until both she and you are secure in the jump. With her being new to jumping, be sure that you land softly and stay off of her mouth. Reward her for all of her efforts and she'll learn to enjoy jumping for you. Best of luck!

To get her to lift her feet, trotting poles is a wonderful exercise. Start with them flat on the ground and as she gets more experience you can raise them a little at a time. It's been years since I rode - you'd have to check with your trainer about maximum heights. Keeping her collected ought it encourage her to pick up her feet as well.

Answer 3

I'm in the same ssituation. 1st i started with trot poles. Then raised trot poles. Then a 12 inch cross rail, and so on. I would either lounge my horse or ride him over it until he did it perfectly ten times. He was trained western too. I don't know about your horse but mine is very slow and had a little western jog. So I did lots of speeding up and slowing down to teach him to trot out. That way he would have enough impulsion to get over the jump. Hope that helps.

Answer 4

Get her nice on the english flat in a mild snaffle before you start jumping- make her pick her front end up more, increase bit contact (not be harder on her mouth, just more contact), work on a more forward trot and canter, leg cues, leg yields, etc. LOTS of circles and transitions.
Once she has that, you can start going over cavelletti (poles laid on the ground) She will start to pick up her feet more to step over them. Put them just longer than her normal stride to get her to extend as well. Then slowly raise them until you get to jumping.

It is hard for some horses to go to english from western- be patient- it may take a while, especially if she has to rebuild all of the different muscle groups. It can take months of regular riding just to get the horse to accept bit contact, and use it's back and neck correctly. If your horse is getting crabby, take a day or two off to rest- english horses usually need to use their back more and if they are not used to it, can get sore very easily.

Answer 5

Maybe you could try doing what people normally do to help a horse jump its first jump. start off trotting over poles, by leading your horse, rather than riding it. then mount, and gradually and raise the jumps higher each time.(only if the horse has become confident with the height of the jump). Hope it helps!(probably wont though!!! lol!)

Answer 6

Groundwork:
You could lead hr over trotting poles.
You could lead her over an X.


Riding:
Do some trotting poles first lots and lots of them.
If your horse continues to trip over them keep going over them.
Once you are comfortable set up a small X.
Keep going over the X make sure you jump right in the middle once you are comfortable with that put it up as a one foot vertical.
The next time try that again and put the jump up to 1'5.
ETC

Answer 7

Hi! You should try some trotting poles. They get her to lift her feet high! Also try to do some extended trot. Before you start jumping with you on her back, lunge her over some SMALL crossrails. That'll get her used to jumping without freaking her out. Once you've lunged her over small crossrails for a week, try going higher. Do that for a month. After you think she is ready, put up a crossrail at the lowest hole on the standerd, and then trot her over it. Do that for a few days, then do it a bit higher in trot. After 2 weeks, lower it back down to the first hole, and try to canter her over it. If she gets spooked, hop off, and walk her over to it and let her smell it. Get back on, and if she still spooks at it, lunge her over it in a canter. Once she goes over the small crossrail in a canter, move it up. Once she does that, you can try a small vertical. Trot her to it at first, and she might try to refuse it, my pony did. Lunge her over it if she does spook at it, and then try to do it on her back.
Always remember, if she is spooking, you may be doing something wrong. Keep your heels down, elbows in, go in two-point (jumping position) and most important, give a release!

I hope that helps!
Xoxo,
Sarah.

Answer 8

your going to have to get him used to more contact on the bit as aposed to letting him go on a lose westurn rain.
Starting agine in a snafile bit. you'll have to get him to do lots of bending around your legs like doing lots of serpentines and circles and using both hands in guieding him not neck raining. Lot of transitions from walk to trot, trot to walk, canter to walk,walk to canter.

hope that helps

Answer 9

Rider her in the ring. Set up a jump one foot high. Go over it many times. Change it to 18". Jump over it several times. Change it to 2 feet. Keep going.

Answer 10

hey! i ride english too! but did you try lunging with a whip? it works for even the worst of horses! try!
good luck!