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what is too much jumping?

14K views 26 replies 15 participants last post by  EquitationStar 
#1 ·
Hi all! i am new to this sight but I came across it and I believe you all might be able to answer my question!:) I am a dressage rider and know little to nothing about jumping. At the barn i am at, the girls who have began to jump seem to jump all the time and too much. Their instructor of course has emphasized the importance of ground work and preparation yet when they are riding by themselves they jump and jump and jump. So how much is to much jumping? when is it time to quit? I would really appreciate some advise so I can advise the girls with enlightenment and examples from others.
 
#2 ·
it depends on a lot of factors

-age of the horse
-if they are jumping courses or just individual jumps
-height of the jumps
-how long the person has been riding
-weather ( too hot or too cold can make a difference)
-what their discipline is
-how long the jumping sessions are
-how the horse is acting that day/if they are working through a particular issue
-horse's fitness level/health

those are just some among many

my rule of thumb for my low level eventer is no more than three times a week and no more than and hour (two if it's cross country because of distance between schooling individual fences) and I'm usually jumping anywhere from two feet to three foot six. If you feel it is causing a problem with the horse, try and say something to her. if that isn't working, ask the trainer if it's appropriate.

just my opinion.
 
#3 ·
Think of the stress and shock our horses joints take, whenever we jump.

Majority of GP jumpers, and top level Eventers, will jump their horses once a week. Reason being - is a horse has only so much jump in them before they start breaking down, so why waste it?

Allot of top level riders, will jump in the warm up ring, at a comp - and that's it.

I firmly believe in preperation, prevention, preservation.

I am a Low Level Eventer, and I never jump more than once a week. I know my horse can jump. I know I can jump - so why waste it on schooling at home, when I can put that towards a comp.

I see FAR too many jumping their horses, way to much in a week - and it saddens me, wholeheartedly. There is absolutely no need for it.

Riders should spend more time doing dressage and hacking. I train and prepare through lots of hacking. I do dressage/arena work once or twice a week and jump once.

I think more than once or twice a week, is too much.
 
#5 ·
Majority of GP jumpers, and top level Eventers, will jump their horses once a week. Reason being - is a horse has only so much jump in them before they start breaking down, so why waste it?
I say twice a week is good, and occasionally three times, but no more.

MIEventer, great post but I do have one point I'd like to comment on. Just guessing, but I would think part of the reason GP riders only jump once a week is because a 5+ ft jump takes a whole lot more strain on a horse then a jump under 3ft. Plus, they know they are great riders, they don't need to work a few times a week on their positionover jumps or their approach, so in the warm up ring and at shows is enough for them. I'm not argueing and you are right, but I'm just wondering if these factors contribute to them jumping just once a week
 
#4 ·
I showjump my pony and I only try to jump once or twice a week, depending if I have a comp coming up or not. I try to focus mainly on my flat work. When I jump I usually don't jump alot. I try to keep it short and incorporate my flat work into the jumping session too. I usually set a goal for the day too, like work on grids or work on courses or indiviual jumps etc I also usually start small and build the jumps up and finish the session with some ncie steady flat work too.
 
#6 ·
Could be and great point to make. Whenever I discuss this matter - *because believe me, when given the chance I ask allot of questions* with top level riders, they always stress

A horse has only so much jump in them. Save them for the important parts.

I read allot of articles as well, written by GM, Jim Wofford and I hear them stress that flat work/dressage should be focused on allot more than jumping so I take that to heart.

I also remember reading this one article, well written by an Equine Vet who specializes in legs and injuries - I belive it was in Horse Health........or The Horse?

Anyways - he discussed how much shock and strain our horses joints take whenever we jump. Especially on landing - so that mentally effected me as well. Stuck with me a long time.

~~~

Another thing I'd like to bring up - is how I see riders not taking care of their horses legs after they jump, even when they jump.

I was taught in Pony Club - how important it is to rub down our horses legs well, liniment and wrap.

Everytime I jump, I always do this with my old man's legs - even though he is well conditioned when we do.

I think proper care is very important.

At Spruce Meadows - I've seen GP horses being wrapped allot. My friend is a Groom there and whenever top riders like Eric Lemaz and Ian Millar ride and school, she always has to wrap their legs when they are done.

Yes - I understand they are at GP level - but I think regardless of what height, strain is straint, shock is shock -

Preperation, prevention, preservation
 
#8 ·
I jump about once or twice a week; then I just do a lot of flatwork. ;) It does depend on the horse though; like how much they've jumped, what you are jumping (height) & how much the horse can handle.
But I certainly wouldn't jump TOO much, like every day...as the horse probably needs a break.
 
#9 ·
I would really appreciate some advise so I can advise the girls with enlightenment and examples from others.
I'm sorry but that is not your place...and very few people in the world want "enlightenment". They will more than likely think your a bossy snob. No offense...but if someone tried to tell me what to do with my horse who wasn't my trainer that's what I would think. Talk to their instructor if it bothers you that much. As for your question...I'd say jump 2 or 3 times a week is good. But it's so much fun...sometimes its hard to not jump:D:D:D:D
 
#11 ·
If the horses are conditioned to jumping, 2-3 times a week is perfect. I jump one to two times a week, and do conditioning and flat work all the other days. Our really hard workouts are on wensdays when we jump for about 45 minutes in our lessons.
 
#14 ·
I also only jump once a week. My lesson is once a week and that is the only time my mare and I jump. The rest of the time I am at the barn we work on flat stuff. Like, right now I am working on my sitting trot but other times we will work on transitions, or we'll just work on leg yields, etc. Other times, I just let her be a horse and I turn her out and let her play. I think that's good for their minds and their souls too.

While a 2 foot fence seems effortless to a horse because they are so big, it can still put a toll on their joints. Remember that you and your horse are a team and you need each other to do what you want to do. My horse has been very patient with me learning and I owe her the same respect and love so we can continue to grow as a team.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Oh I totally agree hotreddun, it isnt her place - it is up to our coaches to educate us correctly and properly on these type of situations.

If our coaches are not putting their feet down and explaining as to why - then the horses pay the price in the long run.

~~~

I completely agree Eventerdrew! My TB would NEVER grow tired of jumping. If we are out on a hack and we come across a Fox Hunters jump - he gets extremely put out, if we don't go over it. I could be out on the CC course and he's already honed in onto a jump, before I am.

He loves the sport and is a very happy horse when he gets to do this - BUT just as you said, just because they can doesn't mean they should.

I value my horses joints and his legs - without them, he has no life. So, I baby them. If GP jumpers only jump once a week for a reason, then that's good enough for me.

A horse only has so much jump in them - why waste it.
 
#18 ·
Hot red dun, I agree. However she said that the coach HAS stressed to them the importance of working on flatwork, etc, but the girls are doing it when they are alone/without the coach. So if she feels it is detrimental to the horses, I can understand why she would want to say something. I probably woudn't, but i'm a chicken :]
 
#20 ·
Question - are these lesson/barn/lease horses? OR horses that belong to the riders themselves?

Are there rules at the barn about NOT jumping WITHOUT supervision of the coach?

If these horses belong to the fascility - I would DEFINATELY be saying something. If there are rules as to NO jumping without supervision - I would definately be saying something.

If not - then there is not much to do, other than approaching the coach and telling him/her what is going on behind her/his back.
 
#23 ·
A couple of years ago I exercised a horse with a "traumatic" experience jumping to say the least... Anyway...we didn't jump him very much but did TONS of gymnastics (nothing over a foot in complex shapes) for months at a trot. It seemed like all that tedious work eventually won him over and he realized he wasn't going to be tortured jumping anymore. After that we started him jumping over 2'6 about once a week...and did his redundant gymnastics once a week...flat twice a week.
 
#24 ·
I jump once a week with the horse i am currently on. Last year with my pony i would jump twice a week because i need the practice and she was erhm a little, well a lot, afraid of fillers. But once she was on a program and had flat work consistently she progressed. My horse now i jump once a week and the other girl who leases jumps once a week. By practicing flat work we have improved a ton. I am able to adjust him sooooo much more!

Anyways back to the OP. I agree with MIEventer. If they own the horses and there are no rules about jumping alone then their is nothing you can do. At my barn you can not jump without permission or being in a lesson. This is for the safety and insurance reasons. If you do jump you will get kicked out of the barn. I personally, although i occasionally wish i could just pop over a jump, love it because it reminds everyone that horse's only have so many jumps in them.
 
#27 ·
At our barn we jump the show horses only a max of 3 times a week. Sometimes the younger ones get a few more days than that but they don't usually jump full courses. Maybe 3-4 jumps each ride. Also, no students are allowed to jump their horse outside of lessons. This helps to keep control of how often the horses are jumps as kids sometimes get carried away and forget about it.
 
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