Ideas For Me and My horse to do in the summer?

Question

I have a 5 year old, 15.2hh Warmblood Gelding Who absolutley ADORES jumping !!The Highest i have jumped him is 1m 50 :) =]..I jump him 3 times a week (this includes a schooling nite fortnightly ) Do you have any ideas of what Fun jumping exersises i can do with him during the summer and beyond =]

Thanks x

Answer 1

make a fun trail ride.. put a huge log/barrel/stump ( anything ) out to surprise your horse and have him jump over it.. tteach your horse to cross water.. set up jumps like your in a big show... do barrel racing around 5 gallon buckets if you don't have barrels.. ride bareback.. ride bridless... make yummy treats for your horse.. creat a whole bunch of obsticles, may sound lame but it is soooo fun. put up barrels .. jumps.. poles to sweivle through some thing to back up and turn abd back up again in... something to go uner.. ( tree limbs ) just anything fun like this will be good for your horse... make sure hes okay around everything though.. don't just assume he won't buck if he goes by water.. slowly ease in to introduce things

Answer 2

Practice a pattern while jumping. For example have someone make up a pattern for you and then you have to memorize it and perform it. For an example you could set up a cross rail trot up to it jump over it then go into a canter jump over one, then set up a pole and walk over it and get into a really fast  canter and jump over the jump and go into a gallop. Or set up a cross rail, two poles, then put another cross-rail at the end. If someone else jumps at your barn have a "fun show" doing jumping, and a pattern jumping class. This could help you when you show, plus it could be lots of fun. You also could have a race with who ever finishes first over the flat. If at your barn you have a track set up a race at the canter or gallop and who ever comes in first should get a prize. Make sure he can handle galloping or going fast before trying this. Have fun and make sure you are safe!

Answer 3

Introduce him to new jumps, things that aren't usually jumps. The girls at my barn take our horses out on cross country picnics, where we pack lunches and go out jumping then stop at our lake to eat and play. Also, a fun thing to do in the summer with horses is go swimming in a lake, river, pond, even ocean. Back to jumping exercises, set up courses, then once he gets good at those add new things. We added two cones to the sides of a jump and it made my horse think twice about just popping over it. Tip barrels over, use logs, add flowers, sticks, cones, put jumps on new angles. My trainer always says "Get the experience, then you can get the height. You never forget how to ride a bicycle, but you need to get used to new bike trails."

Hope I helped :]

Answer 4

you could try cross-country!

Answer 5

my friend did this once (you have to have a lot of space and jumps though) : she made a bounce out of like 6 standards and put them as high cross rails. she said it was a blast. You could also smush the last two jumps together or make an oxer or something at the end. You could even make the jumps low verticals.  Have Fun!!!!

Answer 6

If you have the space and area, make a small cross country course with logs and such; just be careful at all time when outside of an arena.  Take him for trail rides around lakes and go swimming with him!  Use your imagination, but be safe!

Answer 7

traler out to a x cuntry cors and jump around-

thats wat im doing.

Answer 8

Do some gymnastics or try a jump course.  There are so many things you could do.  Or try going out on some trails and jumping over logs.  You could also just lunge him over some jumps.  or free lung him over some.  Since he is young and his bones are still somewhat forming dont jump him too big.

**EDIT**

I love some of the ideas that the person right below me said.

I am planning on trying some of them myself!