Jumping Critique on gaited horse!

Sooo I posted a vid a few weeks ago asking for critiques of me jumping my gaited 22-yr old Paso Fino gelding for the first time....Both of our first times jumping. Yes, I'm taking lessons, we're just working on the flat right now since I'm just starting English, but last time I posted I was in a bareback pad and you told me to post some new vids.....so here they are. Only 18inches here, though we've gone up to 2'9" (yes on my 14'3" little guy) because I was just working specifically on my posture here, trying to give more release and improve my form.

Artie only tucks on the higher jumps, so no tuck here :/.

This is our second time jumping....what I can see is I still need more release, I need to keep my back straighter, and stay in two-point longer. I'm also helping him stay in a slow canter over jumps, because as soon as he sees one, he just wants to gallop lol. Luckily he listens well, and we're usually slow cantering with him pacing himself when we get to the jump. Any critiques from you guys?

YouTube - Jumping Artie 18in 4

YouTube - Jumping Artie 18in 5

I can't really get a good view, but concentrate on getting to the very center of the jump every approach. It seems stupid and minor but it'll be a habit you want to have for when you're riding other horses you can't rely on as much as your current boy.

From what I can see he looks alright.

Just with the first two he took off too early, seeming to take it as a long stretched out stride, especially in the second one where he had to really stretch to get over it.

The rest are good, except for the pole, but I think that was because he just wasn't really picking up his hind legs.

You also can't really judge that well on his jumping ability with this height, because they are so small. They are quite alot like a heightend and extended canter stride.

Thanks, guys. I'll concentrate on jumping in the center of the jump, and helping him get his pacing right. After my show on Saturday maybe I'll take a few of us jumping some higher jumps.

Love the grin. :) I'm no expert, but you both look great to me for this height and this early in the game. Love the confidence! You both look like you're having a blast! I definitely see what you mean about needing to slow him down some. My Paso was always the same way about jumps!

I'd suggest doing more flat work on the canter and pureness of gaits. The second two videos showed him coming up to the jump disunited (and that is why he hit the bar in the last video).

Otherwise, it looks like you're both having fun and that's what is most important!

I agree with DJD. Do more flatwork. Work on rythm, tempo, and even-ness of all the gaits. I think that you should get a flatwork and jumping trainer. You two arn't doing anything wrong at all, your having fun and that's good. That's how my best friend started her gaited 14.1 hand Paso Gelding. She just started expirementing with low jumps and when she decided she wanted to get serious so she started working more on flatwork and control. She used to be able to only ride him in a harsh shank bit and jump no more than one foot. Now she can ride him bridleless(though she normally rides in a bridle, she uses a D ring bit) and jump him over a three foot course in a halter... bareback :) She's never had a trainer. But it took her three years and it would've taken so much less time and made the expirence much less frustrating if she had, he's retired now though.
Do you want to show him? He seems like he'd make a nice gaited hunter, you don't see too many gaited horses with that headset! I think to help with your postition, go around on the flat in two point and work on stretching into your heels. When you jump raise your stirrups. Release more, just work on gently sliding your hands up the neck before you get to big releases. When you jump think "my back needs to be straight, I need to stay in two point" that really helped me when I first started jumping :) Good luck with him

Thanks for all the advice. I'm not going to jump him conpetetively, I'm just passing time until my eventer gets here on Tuesday. I know we need more work on the flat English, western we're amazing but English we need some work on.

I took him to our first show (for both of us) since my mom showed him in fun shows 15 years ago today. Let's just say.....ugh. We schooled perfectly at home but he got really nervous in the show ring. I was just showing western and my friend who's on the IEA team convinced me to try an 18inch and a 2ft jump class. Forced me, really lol. She said we were ready to try it; she had helped us yesterday schooling him on lines up to 3' and said he was very willing. Well.....turns out I couldn't do the 18in class because I was in a trail canter class after it or something? I'm not sure. So we ended up doing just the 2ft. We all got to jump once before to warm the horse up, and Artie just.....idk. Refused every jump in the schooling and the actual course. We were disqualified in both the 2' novice and the 2' class that just judges the horse.

I don't know what's wrong with him in the arena! When we got there we turned him loose in it to get his pent up energy out, then I cantered him around bareback in a halter, yet he was terrible on every single class. Anyway.

I do have an instructor but she'll be instucting me on her amazing $ 25,000 horse until I'm r
Ready to train with my new eventer for eventing.
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I don't know anything about gaited horses or anything or really much about jumping but I paused it and went through the whole thing and looked at your position and I don't know if it is like something but your not in a two point and in the first two your taking off too early and really your going really fast try to trot them he will make them without the canter