At 22:11:40 on 11.04.10, QuinnyQ wrote:
I own a lovely 15hh arab x welsh mare perfect in every way until i want to jump we go 100mph to the fence and it scares me! I really want to xc and sj her she's an ex bsja pony and never really been schooled, my biggest problem is i dont have a school to school her in. So i have to school out hacking, I only asked her to trot over a stick on the floor today and she bolted at it and jumped it as if it were a 4ft fence is there anything i can do about it?? also she's ridden in a stright mouth gag on the first ring should i lower it or change the bit HELP!

At 13:54:16 on 12.04.10, Run Rabbit Run wrote:
If she has been ridden in the larger BSJA classes it might just be that she needs that sort speed to jump and that was just the way she was taught. I have a very hot headed mare that gallops at the jumps,and I have found saving up my pocket money every now and then for a dressage lesson really helps. Also if she has been ridden by a larger stronger person before it might be a good idea to consider a stronger bit. I hope this helps, Rabbit. :)

At 23:31:24 on 12.04.10, kibby wrote:
this is what we did on my horse. after each jump we pulled up to a stop if she was too strong and racing. you need to stop within 5 strides (or work towards that).. This is only a suggestion, you need to be really committed to this. and every time she runs you need to do it.. another idea is to turn off and circle until she is calm again, approach the jump again if she goes to run turn of circle.. ect. good luck

At 19:36:49 on 13.04.10, JumpingBuster wrote:
Do not get a stronger bit! It will work for a month or so, but then she will resist it, and then you'll need a stronger one etc etc and it gets worse. Basically, you need to stop jumping until your confident you can control her. Loooots of schooling until shes on the bit and going nicely, then at the end of a workout session, then pop her over a small fence. Pull up as soon as possible. School her *around* the fence, so she gets used to seeing it, and doesnt associate it with going fast. Get her calm and collected again. Then try again. I suggest walking into the jump, then trotting the last few strides. Trotting poles help to start with, hopefully she wont jump them all (like my horse used too!) But it all comes down to control at the end of the day. Its hopeless to try jumping without it. :)!

At 01:32:23 on 15.04.10, QuinnyQ wrote:
Hi all thanks for the suggestions :) unforchanatly i dont have a school hopefully moving soon to enable me to school her more shes strong out hacking too but i think she was prevoiusly asked to gallop flat out as soon as her feet touched grass thats slowly improving but we still get the odd jig about and bouncing on the spot so any ideas for out hacking would be fab :)

At 16:06:41 on 15.04.10, lozzyhorselover wrote:
I would try calming her down. Stroking, T-touch, anything like that would probably help. If you do different paces before jumping aswell, that will improver her mood over jumps. You can research T-touch on the web, you will find it is very useful for horses that get wound up and at the same time you will be forming a bond between the two of you. Hope this helps.xx

At 20:42:12 on 03.05.10, showjumpper wrote:
i agree with kibby, come up to the jump in walk, then trot when your a few strides away, then after the jump stop as wuick as possible. :))

At 20:49:36 on 03.05.10, showjumpper wrote:
you could use a stronger bit as long as you use enough leg with it. if you didn't use your leg with a stronger bit then the horse would not go forward etc. i used to jump in a snaffle, but now use a dutch gag with my pony as long as i use a lot of leg, nothing will change except youll have more control hopefully :)

At 22:18:56 on 03.05.10, codfish_ wrote:
I would try to use a stronger bit as an absolute last resort if possible. Read the 'Bolting- towards fences' thread on this group as well as it has some good ideas from everyone on how to settle an over excited jumper. You need to concentrate on an even rhythm, and if there's anywhere near you on bridleways where you can canter for a fair distance before a log or something this could help her to settle, as you can space to establish a rhythm before approaching a fence, something which you cannot do in a school. If a schooling area does become available to you, gymnastic exercises are always helpful to try to create an even canter, a circling around jumps is helpful to get your mare used to jumps being around. Remember that she is an ex BSJA pony, so she is obviously used to jumping anything near her, so sometimes it can be helpful to get into jumping regularly if possible, as this is the routine into which she was settled before. I say this to everyone with ponies who rush at fences, but it always key to use your legs. I'm not suggesting you don't do this already, but too many people when presented with a rushing horse tend to pull back and use their seat without using their legs to maintain control and 'push the horse into its bridle'. I'm sure you have probably checked for any medical problems too in case the pony is running away from something, but if you haven't it's worth doing and is often the root to any problem. Good luck, and have fun with her, I'm sure she'll be brilliant!

At 13:39:52 on 08.05.10, CaffCaff wrote:
One of my friends had a similar problem, she loaned her horse out to someone who didn't school him at all, she started riding him and he would shoot off for the jump. If you have a flat surface of a field, if it needs to be fenced off or if you can ask around if you can borrow a menage, what i did was stick trotting poles in a row, to get him to watch where to put his feet. If he tripped, it was because he wasn't watching where he was going and was rushing. Put them in any formation; whether it's in a circle or however many strides they have to fit inbetween each pole. However long it takes you, i recommend, keeping the bit as it is if it works and if it works better in getting your horse to listen, swapping between the staright gag and perhaps something weaker. Getting your horse to supple and play with the bit. I also put wings either side of the poles to create the illusion. I also put the poles on a slight slant by resting them on the lowest hole/cup. It allows the horse to concentrate and center. Give it a try : )