At 15:27:49 on 29.12.09, Natasha wrote:
Anyone who has a pony or a horse that refuses jumps alot?

At 18:18:33 on 29.12.09, sophieandcallum wrote:
My pony only ever refuses jumps if I am not balanced or I'm scared so look at the jump and don't think positively. He is very sensitive to where you're looking everytime I look down he will stop even just walking round the school, so I have to be very careful that I keep balanced looking over the jump and thinking 'when I get over that I jump I'm going...' rather than 'when I get to that jump he will hopefully go over it...' sounds totally ridiculous but it really does work!

At 16:39:43 on 02.01.10, markc967 wrote:
Hi all Sopie and callum comment is correct I have a 7 year old ex racer she was the same refused and ran out at fences since I have improved my riding ( seat and position) things have improved no end

At 21:47:36 on 31.01.10, Kiera wrote:
If a horse is refusing a lot something is wrong. Could be physical or mental. Check there is nothing wrong with your tack, get teeth checked and vet/physio to be sure. Worth asking the farrier's opinion... they usually have one, and may have noticed a change in muscle development etc. If your horse only stops occasionally you need to look to yourself for answers. The points above show that well but also consider are you over facing him or yourself (asking him to jump to high)?

At 21:58:27 on 31.01.10, SarahTiddles wrote:
Hey, when i got my horse she didn't know how to jump but over the past few months she has come a long way:) She can jump well and has jumped courses before and has done quite well, she jumps single jumps well but lately she has gotten into the habit of running out of the jumps on a course. I have a competition tomorrow, so can you give me any tips about how fix this? I'd really appreciate it thanks :) (hope that makes sense LOL) Sarah x

At 11:57:50 on 24.02.10, kellyt wrote:
I think, as mentioned above it is important to first rule out that your horse is in no sort of pain by getting feet/body/tack checked. Dont forget its not just about back problems, problems happen all over the body so if you get someone out to check your horse, get a bodyworker not a 'back man'!! Then you have to look at yourself: are you riding balanced, are you confident, are you jumping the correct jumps for your level, are you giving your horse the wrong signals accidentaly? Could be something simple like looking down which in actual fact throws your whole body weight forward and makes it really hard for the horse to then lift themselves up and over a fence, so the easier option is just to stop or run out. Do you keep an even contact as the horse jumps the fence? i see so many people at shows that as soon as the horse takes off, they throw themselves abd their hands as far forward as they can. Imagine you were the horse in that situation:you had good contact coming up to the jump and just as you need that contact to jump, it gets litterally chucked at you and the massive weight on your back goes flying forward-not a nice feeling!I used to do this with my pony when i was younger and when someone showed me to just keep a gentle contact throughout the jump and to keep my weight balanced, there was a transformation! Also don't forget that you shouldn't overface your horse. Just because you are comfortable jumping a certain height doesn't mean he is. He may not even enjoy jumping at all! I was told once that jumping isn't about the jumps, its about the flat bits inbetween-if you get the groundwork right-correct balance, rhythm, contact and set your horse up by riding good lines and turns to your fences then you will have a much happier horse!hope this helps xxx

At 16:07:04 on 25.02.10, sophieandcallum wrote:
Agree with the physical things to be checked too, also agree with the riders throwing themselves forward putting their horse completely off balance. Having a light even seat, a good contact, good impulsion, good balance and a good attitude there should be no reason for a your horse to refuse! Maybe it's a confidence thing on your horses part, I figured this was a problem with my pony and I took him into a 2ft class and he bombed round every jump loving it, and we are slowly working our way up. Totally restored his confidence although he is more than capable of higher! Agree with you need the flatwork sorted before jumping courses, I taught my boy to jump when I bought him but then worked on flatwork with a dressage instructor this helped no end with courses, striding, rhythm, collection and extension when needed. Setting your horse up well into a jump is half the battle, if you set them up wrong accidents can happen and confidence can be lost.

At 16:27:41 on 25.02.10, Flicka wrote:
Lots of brilliant advice. It's interesting that she runs out on a course, and sounds like you might be tipping forward too much and putting her on the forehand. Also make sure you're still breathing, you may be holding your breath and that will make your body tense. But whenever a horse suddenly starts or stops doing something I would a)ask if you've changed anything recently, such as the saddle , height of jumps etc and b) do the physical checks as everyone else has mentioned.

At 15:54:34 on 15.04.10, lozzyhorselover wrote:
Hi, i suggest using join-up, a technique using the horse's natural instincts. Do it once, then try the jump. If your horse refuses again, redo join-up. Once you have done join-up, walk away from your horse. Then walk or jog over a jump. After your horse has stepped over the jump. Congratulate him and remount. Try the jump mounted, then steadily raise the height of it. Alot of horses refuse because they are scared or are in pain. Don't force your horse to do it, make sure it trusts you. If you want to try join-up, just post saying so and I will explain.

At 20:40:34 on 03.05.10, showjumpper wrote:
if your horse if refusing a jump. i would first try widening your hands + being confident + kick them forward. if they are genuinly scared then lower the jump and once they have jumped it a few times change the jump to same height / spookiness that it originally was :)) that should hopefully work :))