The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Could my horse transition over to hunters? Kinda long?

7K views 42 replies 10 participants last post by  brodieluver26 
#1 ·
I have just started jumping my horse at shows and he has done great so far! We have done low jumpers and have placed decent, 7th out of 12 and such. BUT the only problem is that my horse is slow, and I truthfully need a slower pace also!

My eq is horrible and I'm working on that, but my horse is hard to ride that I just worry about him and not my position (aka getting the right leads over fences and making sure he jumps it!)

My eq is ok at home because I have time to practice, but where I show and jump, there is no warm up :P

I have taught my horse to jump with help from my trainer, but he was originally trained western (sorta) Lets just say he was very green!



Here is him now! This is our first jumping show and my stirrups were long because I wanted more grip for the first show! But please rate him! thank youu :)

Pictures:

Its our first ever jumping show. He has never jumped at a show before. He never knew how to jump before I got him. He was just ridden western. I trained him how to jump. his knees arent as sloppy as some horses at the tristate horse show i go to. He was sloppy in some but we were rushing to beat the clock, and the jumps weren't much of a challenge in height. they were only 2'3 maybe lower. He has jumped up to 3 so far. My position sucks, I was nervous, my hands were high i know. please just look at the horse itself! thanks!

http://i54.tinypic.com/243mhqr.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/j0xvdz.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/r0v50i.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/30cyfr7.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/29nuz2r.jpg
 
See less See more
#2 ·
You know, I think you're selling him short. He has fairly nice knees, and he's easily getting over these jumps. Much better knees than my 3'6" horse, actually. He's got natural talent. From where I stand, he looks a-ok. right on track for a green horse.

The thing is, it's very hard to judge a horse without judging its rider too. They're a team. I know you know you have some position problems, but the only one that really bothers me is your release. In every picture, you're tugging on his mouth, which I'm sure is bothering him. Let go. If you keep doing that, it could cause behavior problems. Also, on landing I think you may be catching him in the mouth with the bit because of that release, which may be slowing him down. But i don't have a video, so I'm not sure about that...

Also, just for future reference, this should probably go in the critique section. But it's ok.
 
#5 ·
I agree, his form could easily be tidied up to do the hunters.

The real question, and one that can't be answered by still photos, is whether or not he has the attitude and stride to do the hunters. It would be great if you could post a video.

It's a good sign that you describe him as "slow"; a good hunter must hold a steady, relaxed, even canter on light contact to his fences and jump out of stride, with no obvious adjustments before and after the fence. If that sounds like him, he may well be better suited to hunters than jumpers.
 
#7 ·
Oh yes I know my release is horendous...but I don't use my hands for ballence. My horse jumps from different spots each time so he always catches me off gaurd. And I will admit, I shorted up my reins at the show. I was ver nervous but at home I ride a lose rein! Here is a video of my second show. First year jumpers 2' from my barn website. There is another video on ther also. Thanks you for all the feedback so far!

http://bayberrystablesriders.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/show/14234464-first-year-jumpers-july-8th
Posted via Mobile Device
 
#15 ·
Okay so...

You need to stretch down more and support more with your leg. If you get better support with your legs, he won't trot in the middle of your course, and you'll be able to make turns easier. You should be able to get rid of your reins and still stay secure in your seat. To help this, try tying up your reins and trotting and cantering around with your hands on your head, or held out to your sides. Get a friend to put you on a longe line so you don't have to worry about steering (make sure your friend knows what they're doing though, lol) Also try riding without stirrups.

You're totally tugging on his mouth over the jumps. If you keep tugging, this could teach him that jumps=tugging=jumping hurts. Which is never a good association. Put your hands forward over the fence. Practice grabbing mane over the fences so you don't tug on his mouth. Once you have the feel of that, you can let go of the mane. But you should jump while holding mane for a while (definitely more than one day) before letting go, as silly as it may feel. It's just practice. Advanced riders on green horses do the same thing sometimes. It's just not fair to him to catch him in the mouth all the time. Look up "jumping position" on wikipedia; they have a bunch of stuff on releases that might be good to read.

Lean forward, forward, forward. You're sitting behind the vertical sometimes. If you want to do hunters, that's not good.

Lift your hands up and forward. Carry them, don't let them just sit there in your lap. If I had to pick, this would be the first thing I want you to focus on in general. Shorten your reins. This will help him not bury himself at the foot of these fences so much.

Don't pump with your seat. It's not doing anything. This is one of my bad habits too, always has been. I don't know if you can feel it or not... just picture a string from the top of your helmet, pulling you up so you can't move back and forth with your body. Or something. That's just what I've always used.

Don't just run him at the jump. This is a green horse, and he needs more help. He's being a saint and going over everything, but these jumps are low. If you want to jump any higher, you need to help him out a bit more. See the distance you need and lengthen or shorten his stride to get to that distance. Set a canter pole before a fence to get the feel for the right distance and/or play the stride game. Start by counting one stride before a fence. when you get that right, come around and count two strides out from a fence. Once you get that, come around and count three, and so on and so forth. Do you know what I mean? Sorry, it's kind of hard to explain. It helped me a lot, though.

DO NOT TROT. In the hunter ring, trotting in the middle of a course is basically a quick and easy way to get last place. In jumpers you can go around a course trotting in the middle. In hunters that won't fly. And I know it's hard. I have a green horse too, who doesn't like to stay in the canter without a lot of work on my part either.

You're hunching your back over the fences. Keep that back straight or arched. Also, on a few fences you're coming out of your jumping position too soon which I'm sure is hurting his back. So just stay up a bit longer.

Anyway, sorry, I know that's a lot of stuff to digest. You've got a lovely little horse there and I'm sure you two will be great together. But everything is a two-sided effort. If you work on your eq, you will feel a positive response from him. There's a reason for eq! If you work on it, I think you two could do hunters. But remember, hunters is all about style. And even if its supposed to be judged on your horse, your horse's looks and jumps are influenced by how you ride. And with a green horse, you need to ride twice as well as everybody else to do the same job. And it's all about practice. Practice, practice, practice, and a ton of concentration.

You're not a bad rider-you've got the basics, and I'm sure the show was stressing you out. I'm making a lot of things sound more awful than they actually are. I've had most of these problems at sometime or another myself. Sorry to be so picky! But if you work on these things a bit I think you can do the hunters. Hunters is about being slow, even, pretty, and organized. You're fine on the speed, your horse is quite cute, and so now you just need to be a bit more organized and crisp. If you do that, you could be winning ribbons! Good luck!

Btw this is a great reference sheet type thing. it's worth a read. Horseback Riding - Position On The Horse

Also watch videos of people with good eq, like this. It helps. :)
 
#19 ·
Kitty74, Update on my jumping! lol Todays lesson, we practiced strides and pace. My horse is very fast in our indoor so trying to get my half seat decent was super hard! It may not look like i released but I did I put my arms out striaght to make sure! I know I need to have a bend in my elbow, but my horse just stretches his neck, so if I try to go into a more forward half seat I would be leaning on his forehand. He also jumps a little differently each time. I am trying so hard but my trainer and I are coming to find that my horse doesnt jump the same each time. is there any exersises that could make him a more constant jumper? My trainer and I are going to work on grids! thanks :)

Sorry for the poor quality pictures its stills from a video! :P

http://i53.tinypic.com/316lxyh.jpg
2'6

2'9
http://i52.tinypic.com/2960lf9.jpg
 
#20 ·
Good for paying attention to your hands so as not to catch him in the mouth! I would try to think about getting more depth and support in your heel, if you know what I mean. That might make it easier for you to move your arms and still stay secure in your saddle. And as for consistent jumping, grids are exactly what I would recommend. That might help him snap his knees up a bit more as well. They seem to be hanging a bit in these pictures.
 
#24 ·
usually when a horse jumps differently every time its because they dont really know how to jump. i would lower the fences until you both get more solid. i like jumping a line with a placement pole [9ft away from the first jump]. also doing small gymnastics to help him rock back and figure out where to jump from.

pushing your hands forward will not help your horse to jump round, it will just make him jump with a longer body. a round jump comes from leaving the ground with a nice balanced canter and keeping the same rein contact over the fence [that does not mean dont release]. a jump is really just a big canter stride, so if your canter isnt balanced your jump wont be. at this point i would focus on giving him his head so he doesnt think hes going to get hit in the face.

hes a cute boy, no reason you couldnt do hunters with him.
 
#28 ·
hey gina! small world! and thanks! I think im going to try it next year, the only thing is would be the dreaded over crowded flat classes! and I have no idea what hunter class to enter! I was looking at baby green hunters? what should I do? you seem to know the circuit well! lol
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top