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At 16:45:02 on 07.03.11, Angelalain wrote:
I once jumped a 5 bar gate quite by accident. It wasn't hung, and was therefore not full height, but it was on the small c/c course in the wood at the riding school where I worked. I was messing about on my fav pony, a 12.2! I zoomed round the corner, forgetting the gate had been put there, saw it, expected him to stop, and he just flew it! I was astounded, if I'd had time to think I wouldn't have considered it. Shut my eyes? I reckon I probably did! |
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At 21:48:24 on 10.03.11, NMH wrote:
On my first Connemara, who was only 14.2, I jumped gates out hunting, not only 5 bar wooden ones but 6-7 bar metal ones too, when hounds were running. I trusted him totally, most especially in the hunting field which he lived for. I always used to say he'd do it all exactly the same if he'd a stuffed monkey on his back, I don't think I did a thing. He was a very good upright jumper, which adds to feeling safe. He was always totally committed. Once I'd been sent on point round the back of a covert & had to rejoin hounds when they found by jumping a locked metal gate quite solo. One or two metal ones I can remember jumping were hung well clear of the ground. The very first big metal one like that I jumped, the whole field came to a halt as it was locked, & this frightfully posh young man in a top hat, on a big TB said "Out of my way!" & jumped it, I thought "Silver can do that" & followed: he was only 5 then, trace clipped & scruffy as anything. The young man was rather shocked! Someone once said "Don't the jumps look awfully big, from such a little horse?" but to me, how big jumps appear, relates more to your confidence in the pair of you. I admire jump jockeys who'll take on a horse that's always fallen in its races! I preferred jumping gates to hedges on him really, as his scope wasn't always enough for a ditch behind, tho' he perfected a flick back with his neck to keep me on if he landed in a dip- he didn't want to waste time by me falling off! He was a miracle, a one-off, & I was lucky enough to have him from age 3 to 26. I've never jumped a gate out hunting on any other horse; jump near the hinge end they say, as if you hit it & it unlatches, it'll be a worse fall at the latch end. Jump it as you would a big planks SJ- power not speed, bouncy stride? |
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At 10:45:34 on 13.03.11, I Love Napoleon xx wrote:
haha omw!! my horse, Napoleon is definitely NOT a jumper!!! but I have learnt that he can jump when me and him are arguing=]] lol=]] I was riding him one day, just in the paddock with the other horses, trotting around, chasing my cousin and her horse Bailey, when we decided we wanted to go out on an actual ride (these horses are trail horses on a game farm) so Roxie got off Bailey (Roxie is my cousin, Bailey is her horse) to go and get all the tack (=]] lol I love how I make her get my tack) we tacked up, and when I was about to get on Napoleon started being naughty and stepping away from me, I thought he was spooked at the tractor, so I took him behind a building where he couldn't see it, and then I got on, when I walked back to Roxie he decided he didn't want to leave (my horse is a stallion, so he has his days where he holds up stallion crap, this day being one of those day!) so Roxie told me to go first, and Napoleon decided that he was not going to leave his mares in the paddock, so every time i tied to turn him away from the paddock he just did a complete 360 degree turn so he was facing them again, so I asked him to trot, so that I would have more control, and he started bucking and rearing to get me off, so I calmed him down and asked Roxie to give me the dressage crop of hers, asked him to go again and he started bucking and rearing again so I smacked him on his bum and told him to go, (I talk to my horse a lot,) after a long time of circling and bucking, I stopped him, told him to stop causing crap, and then kicked him into a pure gallop, this got him away from the paddock, far far away from the paddock, lol he just galloped away with me, when I was far enough I slowed him down and got off of him, took of his saddle so that he could relax a bit and just sat with him for about an hour hoping he would relax, we sat and I just spoke to him, told Roxie where I was, eventually we went bak, and when he realized we were close to his mares he broke into another gallop and went straight to the paddock gate, thus giving me heart failure because I knew he couldn't jump and I knew his leg was too injured, I was also worried that he would get stuck in the fence, he realized that he was skew, turned around, and went straight for the gate again, I ended up knowing he was going to try, so I went into lightseat (luckily I jump meters at my actual riding stable so I knew how to jump) and he completely cleared the gate!!!! I was so angry with him that when we were in I just got off, untacked him and told him to never do that again! and then as if he had been a total sweetheart he goes and gives me a 'napoleon kiss' haha!! that was an exhausting day, heres a pic of him standing proudly by the gate that he jumped, this was taken the next morning....
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