Being on a horse who is determined to run as fast as he possibly can towards every pole, fence, or jump that he sees is nerve-wracking! There are many reasons your horse might do this. And assuming that you have ruled out discomfort or pain, then retraining can begin.
Unfortunately, retraining a horse who has become practiced in rushing jumps is a long and slow process. It requires time and consistency. And often requires the rider to make some changes as well.
In this episode, plucked directly from Daily Strides Premium, we will focus on you, the rider. My goal here is to help you identify where you might just be ‘enabling’ or even encouraging your horse’s tendency for rushing jumps! I know this sounds a little bananas, but it happens more often than you think!
This is an audio horse riding lesson and can be listened to as you ride your horse to help you become more aware of what you are doing in the saddle and how this may be influencing your horse.
Retraining Rushing Jumps – 3 Areas to Work On
I honestly believe that retraining on this particular issue will require a holistic approach if you want to achieve long-term results. Any ‘quick fixes’ that you use (even the ones that seem to work initially) are simply bandaids, Meaning they will slip right off at the first sign of pressure.
1. Basic Training on the Flat
The basics I’m referring to here are half halts, responsiveness, relaxation, rhythm, forwardness, and just overall clarity between horse and rider regarding communication, expectations, and desired outcomes.
2. The Riders Mindset & Reactions
The challenge for many riders in this situation is that it’s so easy to fall into bad habits when your horse is rushing jumps. You must be aware of what you are doing, when you’re doing it, and how you’re doing it. Bringing awareness to your own behavior and reactions will allow you to more easily help your horse.
3. Ground Poles to Retrain Your Horse
The final step is to start small. This can feel really difficult for many riders, especially if they are used to and love jumping more ‘substantial’ jumps! But it is 100% necessary if you want to really help your horse with this challenge. Poles allow for mistakes and don’t require a whole lot to get over. They also give you both the perfect place to begin replacing those habits that have not been serving you both.
Re-schooling Rushing Jumps on the Flat
If you have been struggling with this challenge, the month of October 2024 in Daily Strides Premium is dedicated to working on this. This episode is the first lesson from a week of audio horse riding lessons titled “Re-Schooling the Basics for Both Horse & Rider on the Flat”.
In this group of lessons, we begin working towards re-training a horse who is rushing fences by working on the basic aids, responsiveness and, equally as important, how the rider thinks.
Remember, re-shooling a horse usually involves also re-training the rider to think and act differently as well. The horse will respond better if the rider changes their approach and is consistently correct in what they are doing and asking…. These lessons will help you to develop better habits and responses.
Happy Riding
Lorna
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Online Training to Help Your Riding
Connect with Lorna online:-
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