Jumping Question? Please and Thank You. : )?

Question

I'm on my high schools equestrian team, and i'm using my horse for english, western, trail, reining, and all that stuff, and i'm using my sister's horse for jumping. Now, my sisters horse is an amazing jumper, so he's not the problem.. but i always choke up before a jump, panic, and we end up all over the place.i've been jumping for 4 years, so i don't know why i'm suddenly freaking out.

any tips to help me get over it?

Answer 1

Have you raised the height recently? Sometimes a simple 3" change freaks people out. I still get a little worried going at a 3' fence if I havent done it recently. I have done the height loads of times in training and in competition and have jumped higher but when Im not use to it, it freaks me out and my first couple jumps are horrible.

If you have raised the height, you might have hit the highest your horse can comfortably go. Same thing if your horse is a little older. My friend jumps 3' without a problem on everyone but her older show horse. It scares her half to death to point him at  fence that big. She says its because at that height, he doesnt ever feel like he is going to make it over the jump. You might be getting that feeling from your jumping horse without noticing where its coming from.

When ever I get a confidence blow, I go to the posting trot or 2-point w/o stirrups for like a week. It makes my leg really tight and I feel like I can stay on through anything Jazz might do (not that he misbehaves on a regular basis but PC trainers have the abitlity to bring  out the worst in him).

You might also want to try learning how to jump w/o stirrups. Just go back to x-rails and work your way higher as you get better at it and your confidence improves. Going to a lower height and solidifying your jump will help with confidence issues. I would suggest just dropping the height but this could be a good chance to learn how to jump w/o stirrups (if you dont already know how to)

Answer 2

thats soo cool that your high school has an equestrian team!!

you have to trust your horse, and yourself.  when your confident, your horse will recognize it and be confident too!  you guys are a team, and he will get you through the good and bad!

if you want to build trust with your horse... walk, trot, and canter your horse with no stirrups or reins.  have your trainer control him on a lunge line.  once you do that, you can move to jumping with out stirrups or without reins!  (probable not at the same time though!)

always remain calm when your on him... and believe in your team!

i know you will do great!!!

best of luck and i hope this helps!!  :]

Answer 3

I have the same problem, even for little jumps. I'm beginning to think that I don't like English and jumping very much. It could be trust issues too. Or is it like that with every horse?

Answer 4

use trotting poles and then work your way up to a cross then put the jump up to a straight and never look at the jump because that always scares you good look and i hope you get back into the swing of jumping

Answer 5

Sounds like you really need to have more trust in your horse. Make sure your riding him alot on the flat as well, it may help if your not jumping every time you ride him...Or maybe your over faced... gain confidence by perfecting a lower height and gradually work up to the height you wish to be at.. it also helps to practice at a higher height than what you plan on showing, therefore when you go to the show it seems easier that what you have been practicing.

Do you freak out before the jumps in practice, or is it just at shows? Get yourself into "the zone" and concentrate on what you really need to do as you approach the jump, take a course one jump at a time..focusing on just the jump that is in front of you and what you need to do to jump it successfully.

You may want to try reading a Sports Psychology book to understand how to not let your mind get the best of you.

Best of luck! :)