How can I get more confident jumping??

joey_olop

joey_olop

I Love My Olops!!!!!
Jul 15, 2003
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Basically here is my story: I used to jump anything when I was a kid(I used to frequently win chase me charlies at my RS cos I was scared of nothing!!) Then when I was 19 I did my BHS exams at college & had a really nasty fall from a 16hh jumping about 3ft(I was off work for weeks, my back was severly put out!) I never jumped again for about 3 years.

Blackie(my current horse) is an awesome jumper but I just cant seem "to go with him"!! Ive been jumping on him for about 2 years now & I have got a little bit better but I still get very nervous to the point I start to shake or worse crying my eyes out!

Anything over 2ft & I start to shake & he just stops dead. Ive had lessons, Ive even done competitions but just cant seem to shake these nerves.

Ive plucked up the courage to do another show on Sunday(My 1st one since I did terribly at a show in August) & I am absolutely wetting myself!! Im not looking to come away with anything just to get round clear & safe & get my confidence up a bit.

Please can anyone give some advice???
 
Do you actually want to jump?

The reason I ask Is I had a very similar experiance to yourself used to cry shaxe be physically sick.

I then stopped putting any pressure on myself to jump, I did it if I wanted to when I felt like it not because I felt I had to and slowly gained my confidence that way.

The more you force it the worse you will be you need to find a way of making it fun and enjoyable I did this through small XC to me they just wernt as scary as coulerd poles? I then built confidence and height XC then slowly went back to coulerd poles?
 
Yes I do want to jump-which makes me feel a bit strange now!! I want to jump but when I do it scares the hell out of me??!!

Thats a good way of dealing with it, I do very low jumps at home(under about 2ft ish & Im fine as soon as they start to go up I get the shakes & butterfly feelings)
 
Forgot to say-Blackie often puts in some very nasty stops when we jump, but its all me cos he can feel me being scared, he has been ridden by other people & he jumps like a stag for anyone else.
 
Sorry what I mena is do you feel like you should jump as everyone else does?

Thats what happend with me I felt that as the horse I rode was a grade A show jumper I had to jump him.
 
what are you scared of? falling off? not jumping very well? if its falling off, do you not want the pain again?

i had my first fall recently, and it was about 3ft, a height i felt very confident at as i've jumped bigger and i'm the type, that thinks "if i've done it once i can do it again" so i don't get nervous. any type of jumping is dangerous to a degree so try not to get nervous whilst doing bigger jumps:)
i'm more determined than ever to jump well yet i'm still getting abit nervous so that's where my rescue remedy comes in :rolleyes:

maybe instead of jumping bigger try different types of fences to build your confidence, such as spreads, fans, doubles, bounces, all at a height that you feel comfy.
when you do feel abit more comfy with it put the jumps up by one hole and jump that. slowly work yourself up and convince yourself that you can do it.
when i jump bigger i jump a fan as apparently its a more natural jump for a horse and they find it easier than an upright. it also looks smaller (my bf told me i was jumping 3ft, turned out i was jumping 3ft6:p)
and wear a BP :p
good luck with it:)
 
i have the smae problems, its like a mental block, whats your fear the horse stopping dead and you falling off or jumping the jump and coming off the other side??

mine is the horse stopping which means i dont ride into a jump!

ive just started playing with snappers just cantering over poles shortening and lengthaning the strides ect, will raise the poles and keep going, once our other beast is sound may jump him as he dosnt rush at jumps, and just pops them nicley! saying all this i have jumped pluto, and he has a scary big jump on him but i did survive!
 
rescue remedy? tried it once it didnt help me, im ashamed to say a few glasses of wine does much more! i didnt think you should worry about the doing well at the moment get all thoughts of winning out of your head, that should take some of the pressure off!
 
http://www.eq-paradise.com/other.htm
if you go down abit theres one there, you can put them as low or high as you like. i dont know why but i feel more confident jumping them :)
i find that rescue remedy works to a degree. a few days after my fall i went riding again and it took abit of the edge off my nerves. i dont know whether its mind over matter or whether its something that actualy works, but it does calm em down (calmed me down a treat before my english A level:p)

take things as slowly as you want, but remember to keep challenging yourself every now and then so you do work up some confidence and determination:)
 
jaydevon said:
i have the smae problems, its like a mental block, whats your fear the horse stopping dead and you falling off or jumping the jump and coming off the other side??

mine is the horse stopping which means i dont ride into a jump!

ive just started playing with snappers just cantering over poles shortening and lengthaning the strides ect, will raise the poles and keep going, once our other beast is sound may jump him as he dosnt rush at jumps, and just pops them nicley! saying all this i have jumped pluto, and he has a scary big jump on him but i did survive!
Click to expand...

Mine is eaxactly the same-stopping before the jump so I dont ride into it!! Thats probably why Blackie stops as well.

I will have a go at that tonight then, thanks so much for the tips!! Ive got to drive to the show sunday so wine is def out of the question :D:D
 
You could try hypnotherapy - Ive just had a session to help with interview nerves and I feel so much more positive now. Even if you dont have a full on session you could try a hypnotherapy CD - I know NR sells them :)
 
Do you have someone you can ride with?
Me andd my friend were both nervous of jumping bigger and we found that when we jumped together it made us more confident, we went from being nervous jumpingg cavalette to jumping 1.10m in about 6 weeks.
Also maybe getting a confident rider to jump your horse higher for you and watch them? so you can SEE what he does when he stops and why and you can see that HE can do bigger which will help you to do bigger.
otherwise I would suggest getting some jumping lessons on a schoolmaster type horse.
 
~*sugarlump*~ said:
http://www.eq-paradise.com/other.htm
if you go down abit theres one there, you can put them as low or high as you like. i dont know why but i feel more confident jumping them :)
i find that rescue remedy works to a degree. a few days after my fall i went riding again and it took abit of the edge off my nerves. i dont know whether its mind over matter or whether its something that actualy works, but it does calm em down (calmed me down a treat before my english A level:p)

take things as slowly as you want, but remember to keep challenging yourself every now and then so you do work up some confidence and determination:)
Click to expand...

:eek: that fan looks scary!! dont think I have the confidence for that yet!!
 
Lubii said:
Do you have someone you can ride with?
Me andd my friend were both nervous of jumping bigger and we found that when we jumped together it made us more confident, we went from being nervous jumpingg cavalette to jumping 1.10m in about 6 weeks.
Also maybe getting a confident rider to jump your horse higher for you and watch them? so you can SEE what he does when he stops and why and you can see that HE can do bigger which will help you to do bigger.
otherwise I would suggest getting some jumping lessons on a schoolmaster type horse.
Click to expand...


The thing is I have seen him being jumped by someone more confident but I still get scared :eek: I have been having lessons on him but I feel like Im not achieving anything still, I might go & have a lesson at a RS on something, on a horse that has been there & done it.

Thanks for all the advice everyone :)
 
The other option is find an instructor that will inspire you. My ex partner just wouldn't jump over 2ft, but she had 2 lessons with a fab instructor who got her jumping around 3ft 6 just by making her believe in herself - I knew she could do it but at that stage wasn't horsey enough to convince her I knew what I was talking about.
 
slimjim said:
The other option is find an instructor that will inspire you. My ex partner just wouldn't jump over 2ft, but she had 2 lessons with a fab instructor who got her jumping around 3ft 6 just by making her believe in herself - I knew she could do it but at that stage wasn't horsey enough to convince her I knew what I was talking about.
Click to expand...

lol My partner is a bit like that, he stands there going "come on Jo I know you can do it" bless him but inside me Im screaming "no i cant!!"

Def need some decent lessons me thinks!
 
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