training a horse to jump without a rider?

P

Pibstar

Had Piblet - Chucks away!
Jan 3, 2007
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in the woods
Hi,

You might have read that I am pregnant and have doing other things with Mollie. Lunging, raised poles, long reining and recently introducing small jumps back in. She is very keen to jump, she trots well before them (knows there coming) without using a whip.:D However she seems to jump uneven - by this i mean 1) not jumping in the middle of the jump (no matter how much direction I give) normally to the left side 2) jumps too early, so i put up a posting pole which seems to make it worse!!:eek: 3) doesnt bring up her back legs enough. 4) if doesnt jump too early jumps to late, looks down at the jump and does a mini skip before jumping over.

so what can i do?? just carry on and hope that she will improve? or is there anything in particular i can do to build her up to it?

When she has a rider on her back she is more in the middle of the jump and seems more confident but still throws herself over the jump.

i really want to get her jumping better when I have had the piblet I can get on jumping alot quicker without us both being so unbalanced.

HELP HELP HELP !!!!!!!!
 
Build a line like this

I...9'...I...9' to placing pole...9'...I

I's represent a jump, you can use bounces and 1strides and sometimes shorten them up a tad to make her back off and shorten up if she is getting eager. You can also build them as large cross rails (the ends way up high on the standard but the middle of the cross keep to the height you feel she is comfy jumping..that way she'll pefer to jump the middle).
 
jUmPingIsLifE said:
Build a line like this



I's represent a jump, you can use bounces and 1strides and sometimes shorten them up a tad to make her back off and shorten up if she is getting eager. You can also build them as large cross rails (the ends way up high on the standard but the middle of the cross keep to the height you feel she is comfy jumping..that way she'll pefer to jump the middle).
Click to expand...

I think I am being think........... dont get it??? "I...9'...I...9' to placing pole...9'...I" What do you mean use bounces and 1strides?:cool:

Regarding a cross pole - today i did a cross pole but one pole was shorter than the other so used a cone to bring her eye line in........ didnt work as well as I hoped it to.

Puzzles - what do you mean specialist gridwork. i am ready long reining and lunging, have been working up to this point for four months but she is not a balanced as I hoped her to be by now..............

She cant manage one jump so how would a couple in a row help? dont understand -sorry!!!:rolleyes:
 
Oh, no don't worry - you're not being thick at all and anyway, I was being very vague!

I'll have a look for some useful exercises for you.

:)

xx
 
Last edited:
Puzzles - oh thanks!! these are great. How can i measure metres with toe to toe steps - how many feet (or foot) to a metre? Also if she is unbalance for one jump would more than more be too much? or would it assist in her concentration?
 
I would suggest some loose schooling. As she is new to this, she needs to find her own way which loose schooling will encourage and allow her to do so.
Hope this helps:D
 
There are 3 feet, 3 inches to a metre (but 1 foot = 12 inches which may be different to your actual foot).

About 3 long human strides = 1 horse stride, I think.

:)

xx
 
Hey Pibs ...

Yes, setting up a row of two jumps will help her, even though she's not perfect over one yet. The problems you highlight, can be worked on by a 'gymnastic' which is a set of two or more close fences. Now, you can make them as small as you like ! The joy of the exercise comes because the horse has to really think about how to get over the next part, really push from the back end, and really start to round and use her back.... she simply can't do them by just trotting over any old how and flat ! Making them small enough though ensures that she's not going to get into any trouble over them either.

The exercise set out above I... 9ft ... I etc ... is simply a gymnastic with a 'bounce stride' in between each part.

So - set up one tiddly tiny jump - a X pole, and freeschool her over it, reward her every time, don't expect perfection, just that she go over it.

Next set up another tiddly tiny jump 9ft from the first ... and do whatever you need to to send her over it ... and then shout WOO HOO and go give her a hug.

And when she's happy and keen over that little set, add another, 9ft away, and send her over that. It's a bounce stride... her front feet land, then her back feet, then she launches from those back feet without even putting in a single stride - 9ft is a 'no stride' distance.
 
oh I think I am getting it!! Still have alot to learn with all this ground work stuff...... thanks all for responding, some times when your not asking normal riding questions you dont get much responce - so thank you very much.

So i put up a few small x pole jumps adding more jumps bit by bit 9ft apart - thus making her concentrate more as she has a harder job. ok got that bit (please correct or add if I am wrong - because I do try these things out:eek:)

also I loose school, I have watched Neen loose school before - sending away etc... so I have no tack on just a lunge whip to back up? and let her do her thing? any tips.... she is a big girl and very strong but does listen to voice very well on the lunge. mind you today she kept squeeling :D when I asked her to do anything:D
 
Just wanted to say thanks to those who repsonded above. I have loose school moles over a 2ft jump about 7-8 times since my thread above. We havent progressed to two jumps yet (Hoping to Monday with my assistant Neen) mainly because I struggle with the heavy jumps (getting fat) and only just started the lose schooling. Mollie gets SO excited and runs around like a loon!!! so funny to watch. But she is so clever and does listen. I can turn her around - so if going in one direction I can stop her and make her go the other way. make her walk, trot and canter and importantly stand. She can be lazy riding but doing this I am having to slow her down :eek::)

Today I asked a friend to pop her over some jumps just to see how her balance is with a rider and its was excellent. She even paced herself into the jump!!!:D THANK YOU SO MUCH for the idea, this means she will be a better, more balance jumper when I am back riding.

any more tips are very much welcome!!
 
Tried the two jumps today, started off with a pole then a jump, then progressed to two small jumps. Did put the distance about 18ft apart though, but will begin to reduce down as she improves. She worked really hard but did run out of the second jump on the left rein quite a few times. Neen was a great helper with the jumps, but we did change them a few times (first time with two jumps) so she switched off in that time so become a bit unwanting to make an effort, but ended on a high, which is great. I do find it hard working her from behind but then having to block the jumps so she doesnt run out, she just jumps the blockers otherwise............

keeping on trying - her jump is improving though.
 
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