The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

How young is too young to start jumping/pole work?

11K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  Standardbred 
#1 ·
I have two rising three year old ponies (13hh) arriving tomorrow for me to break in/train. I am wanting to give them a basic jumping start as well but to me three seems too young to start jumping, even over little jumps on the lunge.
However, I have seen photos of horses as young as 18 months free jumping over jumps around 60cm high!! Surely this is not right? Also TBs start racing at two so presumably they are broken to saddle around one and a half at least and the OTT TBs I have seen have not had joint problems.
On the other hand, a friend told my to wait until the horse is 7 before jumping, I don't really want to keep these ponies for 4 more years!!
Surely 7 is extreme?
5yr old horses compete in show jumping over huge fences, this doesn't seem to hurt them either, is it ok to jump little jumps if they are well booted/bandaged up and are on a good surface?
What about lungeing over poles?
Thankyou for your thoughts.
 
#5 ·
As long as the horse isn't doing more than 18 in. once (at most) a week, I have no issues with a 3 y/o doing a little bit of jumping. Just take it slow and listen to the horse. They'll let you know what they're ready to do. Just don't be tempted to push them. It'll be hard, especially if they enjoy it and show some talent for it, but keep it little and infrequent. As long as you're not jumping them all the time at larger heights then it won't do them any harm. It'll be a good mental break for them, at the very least.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gypsygirl
#7 ·
LOL, ponies know how to jump, it's refining that ability that is the fun part:wink:

At rising 3 I wouldn't want them making much jumping effort, but I would be happy with them working with ground poles, and poles at all different spacings, so they get used to working over them, and at being careful and being aware of their footing.

Rising 4 I would have them working over very small cross rails, again playing with ground poles, and difficult distances, again, not teaching them to jump, but to think, and to be able to lengthen and shorten as they need to be clearing the pole.

Rising 5 is when I would start introducing actual jumping. Good luck, I want to see pics, and what is a kaimanawa:oops:
 
#8 ·
Doing some very light work over some very small jumps shouldn't be an issue with a 3 year old. I like to start young horses over poles and things early, starting by incorporating it into ground work, but the key is to keep it very simple and easy, in short sessions. Popping over a little cross rail now and then is fine. If they're being really good, do it once or twice then stop. Leave the courses and multiple jumps for when the horse is older. Less is definitely more with a young horse.

I like to incorporate a lot of poles into my flat work with young horses, it keeps things more interesting for them and they gain a lot more awareness of their body and where to place their feet. Then when it comes to jumping later, it's easy peasy because I've already laid the ground work. Jumping is just flat work with stuff in the way!

At 3 I would just do pole work with the odd cross rail here and there. At 4 you can start introducing low fences and small courses, and slightly more intense work. By the time they are 5 you should be pretty well good to go if you've laid the foundation right.
 
#11 ·
Ok, I am definitely not planning on jumping them when they are only two, I'm not even riding them yet!!!
One of them has been led over poles without any issues so they should take kindly to jumping.
A Kaimanawa is a breed of horse that comes from the Kaimanawa Ranges in New Zealand. They are a carefully managed wild horse. Kaimanawas are usually very surefooted with intelligence and a good work ethic. They are often talented jumpers, the pony that won pony of the year new zealand, Watch Me Move was a full Kaimanawa.
 
#13 ·
Well, the ponies arrived today, very pretty but very immature.
I think they are underweight so I am feeding them up a bit. :)
Link to photos below.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=296614250473615&set=pcb.296614813806892&type=1&theater
As they look a lot younger than rising 3 I will probably not jump them for ages yet so I can give them some time to grow and fill out. :)
BTW, I'm riding a 6yr old 16.1hh TB for a friend and he is allowed to jump anything (we are only jumping small occasionally though as he is very unfit and I want to build his fitness slowly).
 
#15 ·
My old gelding was started jumping as a fresh 3yo. He is now a 10yo pasture pet with arthritis in his hocks that is so severe that his right hock is fused and his left hock is 80% fused. He's a 14.2hh Arab/NSH cross.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#16 ·
at 3/3.5 years i introduce pole work and then start jumping over low fences at four. once they are 5 they can jump over 2'6".

that being said, I don't generally jump my horses even once a week. Sure they will have hard weeks during show season, but in off time they don't jump much.
 
#17 ·
Thankyou for your help and comments, All the ponies have been led over poles before at a walk.
I have backed Cornflake (11hh) and Kanuka (13hh) and they have each had a 2 minute walk down the driveway bareback in a halter and were very settled so that was easy!!
I'll give them a couple of days off before I ride again as they are so young.
I'm going to start lungeing them over poles at the end of this year and small jumps (30cm) late next year but Kanuka and Dawn will probably have been sold by then.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top