Jumping Training.

Hey,

Well I was just wondering what you did when you trained your horse(s)when you trained them to jump. I don't push Chinga but I expect him to try. Now that he has learnt he is meant to go over the "jump". He is working at the hight of one tyre at the moment. I expect him to go over it instead of through it. I don't expect him to go over it EVERY time. But when he goes over it a few times and walks through it every time then I do get a little bit dis-appointed. But he is only learning and I understand that.

So how do you train your horse to jump?

I'm at the same place in Gunthers training as you are. Good luck!

The best training for jumping is lots of flatwork. Lots of bending and flexing. Know your horses stride over ground poles spaced all distances. Once your horse trusts you after all that...all you got to do is raise them higher. :) And you should expect him to go over it EVERY time. The more you allow him to balk the more he will continue to do so. Don't be aggressive and don't push him to hard but be firm and confident that he WILL go over it.

The best way to start is with just a poll on the ground they may just step over it and not jump it but that's how you want them to start. Use your jump standards or blocks on either side of the poll on the ground so they get used to going between the standards. When going over the poll on the ground is easy then you will put just one side up on the lowest setting and also have a ground line, a second poll on the ground in front of the jump right at the base not too far out. When your horse can go over the slightly raised poll then you make a very tiny x still keeping a ground line very important. The ground line tells the horse where the base it making it easier for the horse to jump.
If the horse is still just stepping over and not jumping the jump then you can raise the x a little higher. If the horse continues to hit the jump and knock it down you can roll the ground line out a tiny bit still keeping it close to the base but creating a bigger ground line this will encourage the horse to jump instead of step it. They must go over the poll not past it !! It is worse to let them run past it than to keep them straight and have them stop.
But they should master the poll on the ground before you go higher.

Do lots of groundpoles. After you can control his stride then lunge him over a small jump a couple of times and even if he just trots over it its okay. Eventually move him up into a higher jump and put him in what most people I know call a "shoot". Line up a jump perpendicular to a wall and parrallel to the wall set up some high poles so it's like a hallway that he goes through and over the jump, then freelunge him over the jump, drive his motion forward as he approaches the jump and he will eventually move up from trotting over it (or plowing through it) to picking up just the back feet and trotting with the front, to Finally picking up all feet. It might take some time but he will get it eventually.

A horse wont 'jump' over a tyre with a log over it.
Hmm hold that thought. . Maybe if it was a miniture.
Walking over a height [jump] is much harder for a horse, after he knocked it once or twice and it doesnt hurt, he will continue to do it. Its the easy way out. . Think about it. . Wouldnt you?
Anyways, all horses have a natural abililty to jump to a certain height. Its just the rider that needs to adapt to it.
Ground poles, and bouces will help your horse gain muscel, while your learning to go with him [jump].

Cheers

I've found that gymnastics really help. You only need three or four jumps, and they start as poles and go up. It makes them concentrate and they don't have to worry about distances. Make it one stride between the poles.

Lunging is also always good. Sometimes horses are scared to go over a jump with a rider because they don't no what the rider will do. Just be consistent and make it really fun for him so jumping is a good thing not a bad.