What can i do to stop my horse from ...?

Question

knocking the top rails with his hind legs? normally in lines he gets VERY excited for the 2nd jump, so he runs at the 2nd jump and grabs the rail with his hind legs. also, what can I do to collect him after jumps... because he runs away with me after almost every jump!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ICeTtT5dEk

Answer 1

okay- first your horse is beautiful!!!!

second- when you jump, try to pull on the reins a little more, and when you go over the other jump, squeeze with your legs a little harder.

It worked on my horse

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Answer 2

put a tail strap on him if you dont know what that is see your out fitter or tie a good measure of yail hair to the back of your saddle by using the tie straps then goet on and hang on or walk him he will get the idea . This method was and still is used by the famed vaqueros os spain and southern mexico and was taken from the apache indian.

Answer 3

Sundance does that too, give him half halts. Pull lightly but squeeze. You may have to pull more than you squeeze. Also give him one before you jump. Your Horse is gorgeous!

Answer 4

GET HIM TRAINED BY SOMEONE! thats what i am doing right now and its working!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

What I see in this video is that your horse is sore in his knees and the landings are stressful for him, even though he barely shows it. He wants to be back on the ground as quickly as possible, and he drags his hind end to have it back to help carry his weight as soon as possible. I also see that he compensates in his shoulders, which keeps his back a bit tight, and he also feels compensation in his lumbar area, hips and hocks. All of this is why he refused - he has a lot of heart, but his discomfort makes it seem different... He just didn't want to do it again. He was uncomfortable. Please know...I am not suggesting that any of this is anybody's FAULT, and I am NOT suggesting that anyone is negligent or doing anything WRONG!

All of this is very subtle stuff, but it's what I see.

The first thing I would do is get a consultation from a very good barefoot trimmer, to get that perspective on how comfortable his feet are and consider if barefoot would be a healthier option for your horse. (a resource is www.thehorseshoof.com). Next I'd have a chiropractic adjustment and an acupuncture treatment to help him feel more comfortable in his body in general. I would also have a talented massage therapist come treat him at least once a month for a while until he is more comfortable.

If none of this is an option for you, my next suggestion would be to do a lot of long and low walks and easy trots to ask him to relax his back and hips, making it feel good and fun for him. If you can get him out on some nice trails to open up his mind, that would be nice, too. Give him as much turnout as you can.

Ultimately, though, when you ride, you'll get this kind of behavior until he's more comfortable in his body and he can trust that he won't be pushed into total pain.

After riding, you could also poultice his knees (front and back), as well as his hocks, lower legs and fetlock joints. Super H is a really good poultice. He would also benefit from stretches and tummy lifts to strengthen his abs so his back has more support.

Try to remember that horses don't lie. There is a reason why they behave the ways they do. The more capable we are at listening with compassion, remembering that it's not all our fault, our connection with our horses just gets deeper and deeper, and the trust just builds and builds.

Best of everything to you both!

Answer 6

Well, what are you doing to work on it now? As for me, one of my absolute favorite moves is the half-hault. It works with many of the quicker horses I ride, though some I have to give a fairly strong one (though obviously not strong as in a jerk, but as in more pull)...

However, on horses with rushing problems, I'll sometimes take them, do an opening circle ahead of time, and get the exact pace I want. If it changes, and I have enough time to do it without confusing the horse, I'll return to a circle. Then, my trainer sometimes will have me take them, and do a circle after each fence to re-establish my pace...It usually works fairly well.

Oh, and also, make sure that you sit deep when he gets a little speedy, as it puts you in greater control...I have a tendency to use a very very light seat (really bad habit that I'm finally starting to overcome), to the point where my trainer said that I "ride like I'm not even there"...since I've been using a deeper seat, the horses have been incredibly more responsive obviously...especially the younger/quicker ones...plus, some horses were trained under a deeper seat, and respond to it better because of that.

Hope this helps!