Teaching an ex racer to jump

ForestGump

ForestGump

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Apr 9, 2008
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Any help/tips wanted please.
DavidH, if you see this you better reply :p (I need your expert help;))

Bit of background first, Diamond is a 10 year old ex flat racer. She retired from racing last year, so really is new to all this sort of stuff.
Shes completely happy ridden and is almost there with her balance.

I decided to try her over some jumps today.
I started with 3 poles (set slightly longer then with usual horses because she has very long legs) and she started to do very well, she picked up quickly that she need to step over them, rather then trot through them :)
So I raised them at one end, again very quickly learnt to pick her feet up higher, although did still make small mistakes.

I changed it to a small X pole (and I mean small, was only about 1ft if that in the middle) with a placing pole about 5ft away.
In trot she was ok, after a couple of goes, and in canter was fine, although again the odd mistake.
Her problem was she tended to lose concentration, and then was at the jump before she knew it. Even with me trying to regain her attention :rolleyes:

But she was definatly enjoying it and was trying to pull me towards the jump more (was on the lunge still), and if I went to put the fence back up she tried to jump it while I was doing that, which I told her was unhelpful ;)

So, am I doing this right? Should I be doing something different?
This was all without a saddle and rider, as I don't think she balanced nearly enough yet to cope with a saddle while jumping, let alone a rider at the moment.
Should I continue without a saddle and then progress to with one? Would a different type of fence be more helpful to her?

Any help or tips appreciated please :D
 
I wouldnt keep jumping everytime u play with her, she will get bored.
When shes doing something right leave it, do something else.
Also i shouldnt matter if she makes a mistake its about her having to confidence to actually jump over the pole.
Maybe put her saddle on with the stirrups down so he can get used 2 all the moving about onboard, its better her to hav a freak out with a saddle on than u! :)
 
I would get some lessons :) For starters its easier with poles etc! I have grid lessons and one of my RC mates has an ex racer and after much persistance its been agreed that it just isn't working. He's spent a bit too long doing only what he knows and grids etc. just blow his mind visually. Regular SJ on the otherhand he copes with fine. I guess it depends what your mare has done, but I would get some eyes on the ground :)
 
Sticky's GF said:
I would get some lessons :) For starters its easier with poles etc! I have grid lessons and one of my RC mates has an ex racer and after much persistance its been agreed that it just isn't working. He's spent a bit too long doing only what he knows and grids etc. just blow his mind visually. Regular SJ on the otherhand he copes with fine. I guess it depends what your mare has done, but I would get some eyes on the ground :)
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I'm not riding her over the fences, there is no way she could cope with that yet.
She has only lunged and free schooled over (and that was only today) she hasn't done anything else :)
 
its always best to let your horse to learn on the lunge to jump before a rider on board so you are starting well, i would try canter poles into jumps and out of or inbetween a double, the problem i find with ex racers they just canter over things and are quite flat until you put a decent size infront of them, my friend has just got her ex racer going good, we go jumping once a week and he is doing intermediate now and making a nice shape our them, she has more control over the larger fences as he doesnt gallop into and out of them,

one thing we had to do with him is use tram lines into and out of the jumps as he used to go into them sideways in canter as he wanted to gallop and rider wanted canter lol

good luck
 
vikkig said:
its always best to let your horse to learn on the lunge to jump before a rider on board so you are starting well, i would try canter poles into jumps and out of or inbetween a double, the problem i find with ex racers they just canter over things and are quite flat until you put a decent size infront of them, my friend has just got her ex racer going good, we go jumping once a week and he is doing intermediate now and making a nice shape our them, she has more control over the larger fences as he doesnt gallop into and out of them,

one thing we had to do with him is use tram lines into and out of the jumps as he used to go into them sideways in canter as he wanted to gallop and rider wanted canter lol

good luck
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She goes into them quite steady actually, which surprised me, and at the moment is making a nice shape, even over that tiny jump!

Does anyone else have any helps/tips for me please? :D
 
I had an x hurdler .... I did exactly same started over on lunge, obviously I knew he had a jump in him and he proved it but yes I started on lunge exactly the same.

I then concentrated on his flat work, well mainly his canter for along time making sure he was balanced and physically stong then just started fences at home, then started working with my trainer with him. I great tool was just getting on with courses and not over focusing on gridwork and 'perfect technique' it does come with time, just set them up and let them sort/think for themsleves... there can be something said for over helping.
 
charlotte+jill! said:
I had an x hurdler .... I did exactly same started over on lunge, obviously I knew he had a jump in him and he proved it but yes I started on lunge exactly the same.

I then concentrated on his flat work, well mainly his canter for along time making sure he was balanced and physically stong then just started fences at home, then started working with my trainer with him. I great tool was just getting on with courses and not over focusing on gridwork and 'perfect technique' it does come with time, just set them up and let them sort/think for themsleves... there can be something said for over helping.
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Thanks, thats what I've been doing, letting her sort it out and make her own mistakes, and then learn from them herself. She soon learnt to pick her feet up over the fences though.

I rode her today and the poles were out, she was desperate to go over them, so I let her go over once in walk and then once in trot, she did me proud, not a pole was touched :D

Thanks for the help though :)
 
havent read replies properly so sorry if i repeat. Its good to start on the lunge and then progress with tack and then a rider.

Use lots of poles to warm up andget into 'le flow :p

then try raised poles so she has to put a bit more effort into it and more concentration.

then progress onto gridwork, canter pole before and after a single jump, doubles, bounces etcc, this way she will have to concentrate on what shes doing or else she will find herself tripping on poles.

use cross bars with high ends so the jump appears bigger than it is.

jumping her from walk will teach her to jump from her hocks.

pop a small filler next to/ under the jump to make her look and concentrate?

i only know the 'how to get your horse to pick up its feet' tricks rather than get your horse to concentrate ;) so apologies but good luck and sounds like your going to do well with her :D
 
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