I'm having troubles with my Horse! URGENT HELP NEEDED

Question

my problem is my horse refuses high jumps even though i no he can do them!

he realises what jump were heading 4 nd mini-rears to the side to avoid it. i always kick pull and use my whip but its not working.

hes on a snaffle would a stronger bit help?

our first day at pony club was a disaster because he refused everything, even though the jumps werent high.

i did mange 1.10 on him after a;ot of refusals!

i wanted to do showjumping on him but dont want to make a fool of myself if hes gona act this way!

plz help!!

Answer 1

My horse had the same problem, we jumped 3ft6-4ft at home, but when we competed he wouldnt jump a 2ft course..

We found out the problem was his travelling, so could this possibly be it? Because you didnt say whether it was when your at home or out..?

Also, dont bully him for bad behaviour, praise him and give him lots of treats when he does jump.

Only jump 'mini' jumps for a while, like 2ft3 or something, then everytime he jumps give him a mint, then build up the height, and he'll soon realise that jumping = reward

Hope this helps

Answer 2

sounds to me like he's gotten shy on them try beginning from the beginning with trotting poles then into tiny jumps then higher and then higher if he starts to feel a bit unsteady make sure to do one good jump and the quit always finnish of on a good note. patiens, it will take time he probably hurt his foot one of them thats why his a bit shy just dont get angry just tell him its ok and that theres nothing to worry about his not being naughty just a bit shy

Answer 3

Just because he CAN theoretically jump 1.10 dosn't mean he's mentaly ready to. Horses can easily scare themselves over big jumps if they're notready for it.

My advice?

Forget what anyone at ponyclub thought, take yr pony right back to trot poles, have some fun, make him happy about his work, not whips and jerking on the reins (please, it will only make it worse hun)

gradually build him up to small jumps (12/12") put up little courses, make him think about it, be relaxed.

At the same time how about having a couple of jumping lessons on another horse just to polish yr own technique, if you've been having problems with yr pony for a while, yr own jumping will have suffered so fix that atthe same time.

Once yr pony is happily popping small courses you can gradually start rasing the height, if the old problems start creeping in don't be afraid to go back a stage, lower the jumps and try again.

Yr pony needs all the confidence he can get to get over this, shouting and kicking him in the gut will not help, it will only get much worse, this is a long term thing, you may need to spend a few months schooling until yr back at a height you want to compete at.

Good luck.  

Answer 4

Just because your horse has jumped that height before doesn't mean he feels confident with doing it.

You need to start again completely. Work him on some trotting poles. Try a little jump. If he clears it then reward him. Pat him. Maybe give him a treat. DON'T go round and do the jump again straight away because he might think that he has done something wrong the first time. Canter him round or something and then try it again. NEVER just clear a jump once and then move to a higher level. Clear it afew times so that you are both confident with that height and then go SLIGHTLY bigger. You MUST biuld it up gradually.

If he doesn't clear it then come round again straight after, but DON'T get angry with him. Give him afew chances. Be patient. Trust him.

But he needs to trust you too. Are you riding him properly? Are you in the correct position? Are you giving him enough rein? Are you encouraging him to go forward enough towards the jump? Are you holding him back to much?

Be PATIENT. Be ENCOURAGING. TRUST him. Make him TRUST you. HELP him. Be CONFIDENT. And give him TIME!

Good luck =D

Answer 5

OMG!

Your so mean!

I've never heard a jumper who says they kick, pull and whip there horse just to get him to jump!

Haven't you ever heard, praise for good behavior instead of scolding for bad behavior.

Try finding out what he is scared of. Or maybe hes scared of you.

You need to gain his trust back and start over.

Good luck, I'm sorry your horse is going through that pain.

Answer 6

A stronger bit will not help.

To be honest, I don't think that your horse is ready to jump that high. Start over, with trotting poles, then a little cross rail. Jumping isn't about height, it's about rhythm. When your horse jumps to the side, put your outside leg on, and push him over. Don't move it until he responds. If he refuses, make him step over it (remember that we're only doing small cross rails now) from a halt, even if he destroys the jump in the process. Then take him around again, until he can do it on a rhythm.

Don't think about jumping a metre until you can handle ANY jump below that easily.

Good luck! =)

Answer 7

first off you NEVER whip or kick your horse because its not doing something.