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TWH jumping?

5K views 10 replies 11 participants last post by  gunslinger 
#1 ·
some competitive trail classes include small jumps, wondering if any of you have taught your gaited horse to jump? done any eventing? If you have i'd love to see your pictures!
 
#3 ·
In a nutshell, no as I don't train any trail horse to jump. I train them to step over obstacles in a controlled manner and if they can't do that we figure a way around the obstacle. Jumping just isn't safe (IMO) on anything but groomed trails and arenas. Yeah, yeah I know people do it all the time but I consider them candidates for the loony bin! I have no desire to hurt my horse or myself because the landing zone doesn't exactly have good footing.

Oh yeah, did I mention I just don't like jumping? I know the ground hurts darn it!
 
#5 ·
If you're interested in jumping I hope you get a trainer. Even a small fence takes some skill (I did hunters/equitation when I was younger), you need to be able to "find your spot" and the horse needs to pick up its feet. I don't think you would need too many lessons.

I've never understood why those indoor trail classes required jumping. I agree with Darren, I avoid jumping on the trail, I think most people do. If it's too big to step over, I go around.

Good luck!
 
#6 ·
My trail horse is supposedly a TWH, though try as I might he won't gait so maybe he isn't. He loves jumping....out on the trails only.

I discovered this one day while we were out riding a familiar trail with a fallen tree. We walked right up to the tree and then he squatted and jumped it. At first when I felt him sit back, I thought he was going to back up, but nope.

Then he decided that a barbed wire fence looked like a good thing to jump which I said absolutely not! Then the prickly pear cacti....it was like he discovered something new he could do and liked it.

Tried it in the arena and he definitely did not like it as much. So now out on the trails (you can call me crazy), he has his spots to jump and he really knows when they are coming up and gets some extra pep in his step.
 
#7 ·
Our TWH mare, almost 20, is easily working over 3' 6" fences. She been ready to move up to a higher jump since last fall, but I no longer compete and at her age, don't want to put more stress on her joints. And I one of those loony people who jumps obstacle on challenging trails, but then I've also fox hunted, gathered cattle in blizzards, ridden cutting horses in the boondocks, done some endurance riding, ridden an event course many times for fun, and think climbing steep buttes with iffy footing is fun. No groomed trails for us----we find them boring.
 
#8 ·
TWH, and several other gaited breeds I have met, are surprisingly good jumpers.

My friend has a TWH x KMH cross that loves to jump. She showed in the jumpers at the 3'6'' - 4' height very competitively at the local level.
 
#10 ·
I was at a pony club show jumping rally one time and a gal was competing on a TWH or MFT, not sure what exactly, all I know is it was gaited. That mare was not pretty to look at over fences (at least not to me) but she had wings and springs and a heart of gold.
 
#11 ·
I try to discourage my horses from jumping on a trail ride. Some of the places I ride are fairly remote and jumping in such places never seemed like a good idea to me. If something were to happen, it could take hours, or maybe days, before someone could get to me.
 
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