Training for jumps...

[Sandee]

My guy is 4 yr. old and I'd like to try versatility this year. I have some homemade jump standards and he will trot over 6" easily. Put it up to 12" and he takes more of a running start. At 18" he absolutely refused so we went back to the 12" and had to work at it to convince him it was "ok"! I have to be careful to stay with him and NOT in front of him. The whip, as a rule, just makes him "stubborn up".

Does anyone have any suggestions about how to train for jumping? Oh, and he doesn't "free lunge" at all. Lunging is another of his problem areas. He requires closer personal attention - like no more than 6-8' away.

 

[targetsmom]

I am sure there are LOTS more experienced jumpers on here but I can at least add my 2 cents worth. First, get Jennifer Garrett's book on training performance horses, available from Small Horse Press.

I have had good luck (or maybe I was just lucky!) starting ours over tree trunks about a foot in diameter. We have beavers ocassionally and they fell poplar trees in a perfect location for trying this. The horses seem to know they have to jump them and the trees are so long they can't duck out. I do not use a whip, but do let them know how pleased I am when they jump. I would be glad to send you a beaver, next time they come around....

One of our minis has been a real challenge, but when he doesn't refuse, he is just wonderful. So I do understand about the challenging ones. With him, trust is a HUGE issue, and he absolutely must trust his handler and you must be in the exact right place (neither ahead or behind) or he will refuse or duck out. I also train all of ours to trot the jumps, because otherwise I would have no chance of keeping up.

Good luck!

 

[Jessica_06]

Hi, I do train a few jumpers every year and I've come to a conclusion that there are natural jumpers that are born to jump and enjoy doing it. And there are the ones that physically can do it, however they don't find it enjoyable. When I deal with these ones I make well worth there time by using treats after they jump once I praise and treat until they get the hang of it. Then I start doing a round of jumps then praise and treat and eventually you'll begin to see the difference. However the number one thing in jumping is you need to be consistant with them if they won't jump one you need to stay with them and be consistant until they jump and in no time they should be good. Good Luck! Jessica

 

[Ashley]

Well, personally I think your guy might the kind that just dont like it. I have trained several horses to jump. At one point I had all the horses on the farm jumping. Its very easy to see who does and doesnt like it. IF they like it, it takes very little to teach them, if you even have to teach them at all.

I had one gelding just like your guy. I gave up on it as he just didnt like it and opted not to force him to do something he didnt like. Now his mom on the other had, natural born love to jump horse. I had all I could do to stay with her on the coarse.

 

[sedeh]

I start mine in the round pen free jumping. That way I'm not interfering with them or dragging them over the jumps. I'm driving them at the jump with direction from my whip. I start with the standards and nothing in-between them just to get them used to going between them. I'll put trotting poles between the standards and then I start with just a pile of poles(pvc pipe) for them to hop over. That gets turned into an X and then a regular jump. Once they're into jumping I raise it up. When they're free jumping they get really good at judging the height of the jump....I also think it builds their confidence......and it sure saves wear and tear on my old body! :bgrin Only after I feel they have confidence jumping on their own do I start with them in hand....and I again start low and build up.Hope that helps. :bgrin

 

[spellcasterminis]

Just curious, but how many have had a chiropractor go over those horses that don't like to jump? I wonder if maybe something is out and hurting. I agree that free jumping is probably a good idea to begin with because of handler error. We do a lot of targeting and back chaining when training the dogs for agility. Our guys are either too old or not old enough for me to experiement with it and see if it works with the horses or not.

 

[wendymac]

Well, I'm in no way an expert. I trained mine like I did when I was training hunters. I started with a pole on the ground, and trotted back and forth over it. Then I made a small crossrail, and trotted back and forth over that. As he progressed, I raised it. I don't know exactly how how he's jumping, but I'm using a smaller pvc pipe laid over two plastic 50 gallon barrels, and the smaller pvc pipe laid over the feet of my regular standards (because we'd have to jump with them if we were to use the regular horse-sized jumps). I've put "scary" things on it (a raincoat, cones under it, tarps, etc.), but he just jumps right over. I've also put a pole a few trot steps before the jump and a few after the jump, to keep him focused on where his feet are, and not to try rushing off after the jumping effort, because there's another one coming up.

On another note, he was taught that he must ALWAYS stay with me. He was never permitted to lag behind when I was working with him. I used my QH showmanship training techniques for that...when my hand goes forward (not pulling on him, just move it forward), HE must move forward with it. Your body plays a big part in things, too.

I've only been trotting them, because I have two bad knees and there's no way I'd keep up at a canter. I'd end up falling in the middle of the ring. LOL My knees will go side to side on occasion, especially on uneven ground.

For the world's shortest jumping video, you can see him jumping here. Stryker Jumping . I had just purchased the video camera and the first time my daughter was permitted to lead him over the jumps. I have to keep reminding the kids that the minis are MY project...they all have their own riding horses. :bgrin

 

[Jaxjag2000]

Sounds like you have made a good start, but I'd go back to basics with him. Start him trotting over ground poles and get him leading VERY, VERY well. Trot around cones courses and in different directions. Get him to give you solid ground work. Like Targetsmom said, trust is very important. Learn to work as a team and trust each other just going over ground poles first off and give TONS of praise. Start him off at a trot so you have more control.

Once you have ground work perfected, start raising the poles very slowly and do the same thing over again. If going from 6 to 12" was too much at a time for your guy, then start even slower and build his confidence. Once he's completely confident at 6", then raise one or two to 8" and keep going over your course. If you have a few at 6" and one or two at 8", then he will unlikely notice the difference. It will take a while for him physically to build the muscle and be able to stretch comfortabley to jump so don't rush him. I usually like to spend at least 2 weeks on any new heights before progressing and I only raise them 2" at a time when I first start training. Many times I spend much longer on a particular height if I do not feel the horse is ready to progress, which often happens. It very much depends on the individual horse, but slow and steady training is very important to reinforce what you want him to know. As he becomes more comfortable and more physically and mentally ready to jump you can ask him for another 2" slowly.

Always make sure at any height, that he gives you good manners! If he can jump the moon it won't matter unless you can control him! If his manners digress, keep him at that height until the problem is corrected. He must not be allowed to rush the jumps, take off galloping, bite, kick, etc. There are many ways to get a horse to stop rushing jumps, and the two that are often most effective (aside from going back to good basic groundwork training) is getting a lead rope with a chain and adding cavaletti in front of the jumps to get the horse to think about where he is putting his feet instead of rushing.

I hope this helps! I would recommend my book Training Performance Miniature Horses: A Comprehensive Guide to Hunter, Jumper, and Halter Obstacle at Small Horse Press. I love talking in-hand performance!

Good luck!! Versatility looks like an exciting new class!