Suggestions for horses that refuse when jumping?

Question

Hi

I have a very forward mare, who on some days just wont jump. I have used my voice, whip, leg aids etc. tried everything. When we are at home i can jump her over 1m but out at comps she is silly with much smaller. Its no a confidence issue, i think she is just being purely stubborn and naughty.

I might now try spurs just to give her the 'don't you dare' cue when jumping. However because she is already a very forward horse, i'm afraid they might not be the best solution. If i was to get spurs though i would only get very small dummy spurs.

Does anyone have an suggestions about the type of spur or anything?

Thanks

Answer 1

when you approach the jump, speed up. not like all out, but enough so it will be hard to stop before the jump. and make sure you use your whip on her real good before you get to the jump.

DONT LET HER WIN!

Answer 2

Before you do anything, call a vet out to check her back and legs. A horse that refuses regularly may be in pain. It may be as simple as an ill-fitting saddle, or she may have some slight arthritis. But the sooner you can have her evaluated, the quicker you can go about fixing the problem.

If the vet declares her sound, you can start addressing the behavioral issues. Examine your own position and the way you ride first. You may be tilting forward on the way to the jump, or you may be nervous or apprehensive on approach. Either way, you could be feeding your mare's nerves and giving her the opportunity to run out.

You say your jumping 1m at home right now. If you were my student, I'd bring you back down to poles and crossrails until you were both going confidently over them. Some horses get over-faced, and a hot horse like yours needs to learn to go quietly and without hesitation. It's easier to fix problems over low fences because you can do more repetitions without straining their joints or muscles. Then you can reinforce the proper way to jump.

I recommend working with a few simple gymnastic patterns: trot poles in small crossrails, bounce striding between two fences, etc. The poles will encourage her to keep moving forward through the whole thing, and the striding won't give her the chance to rush forward.

It's hard to get too specific without seeing you in person. I highly recommend you meet with an experienced trainer who can observe you and maybe get on the horse herself. It's hard to fix anything on your own. And remember, never jump unsupervised.  

Answer 3

i would recommend using the spurs right before you get to the jump, so your mare wont stop, to give more of an aid to jump. Don't use them to make her go. They'll probably only make her more exited.  

Answer 4

train her out of it

here's how

obviously i don't know where how your farm is set up but find a gate that when the horse goes through it then they are still in a fence. make a gap between panels of a round pen or something like that

every time the horse refuses to jump, when your done riding her, put her in that round pen or area and set it up to where she HAS TO go over the jump. if the opening is too wide then put barrels or pallets or something on the sides

put her feed on the other side. she doesnt get it until she jumps, NO MATTER WHAT

she'll learn eventually, it'll take time but it works  

Answer 5

if possible practice jumping away from home at a mates stables or anywhere you can put a jump up something like that to fool her into thinking shes at a show if thats like u say when she plays up.how do u feel when your at a show? if your nervous and maybe not very confident then that cud have effect u might not think your nervous but your horse could still sense it?if like u say its pure naughtyness then never give in no matter how long it takes! try different sorts of jumps and use poles to make her think about what shes doing.i had a horse called lady she was 16.1hh irsh draught x tb and before i had her shed been used for hunting and everytime u would turn to jump she would go as fast as she cud and there was nothing u cud do about it! it got really dangerous though cause if i was riding in a field where there was xcountry jumps or any sort of jump u would ride round with no intensions of jumping but she thought that she had to jump everything!so when u least expect it of course shed take off over a massive jump with noway of stopping,no pulling out! it scared the h**l out of me so i had to sell her in the end i tryed all sorts! not that ,that has anything to do with u but its just an example of what can happen to some horses.but with your horse concentrate on jumping small,small enough so that if she refuses u can stil make her go over it from standstill.use trotting poles b4 n after the jump,get sum1 2 help u &keep changing the poles,jump etc. so she dont get bored!spurs may help but it wont solve your problem! goodluck!