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Post by Bara on Mar 14, 2003 12:52:44 GMT -5
Excuses first .. what with divorces, floods, moving home and starting new businesses over the last year I confess that Forry's schooling (and mine!) have been neglected. We've put our names down (not that the poor little devil had much say!) for a cross country at the end of April (start of the season.)
So I need to get us both back up to speed ... trouble is .. 'speed' is the operative word here. As we're just starting to get back into training, I thought I'd ask your advice right now!
What I'm doing is half an hour's flat, then just popping a couple of little cross-poles in trot and canter. What Forry is doing is a combination of the Grand National and Olympic Show-jumping. When I try to balance him up - I'm actually UNbalancing him. With the result that he's cat-jumping and launching me half-way to the stars. I'm thinking of taking a second job servicing spy satellites whilst I'm up there.
We are 'horse-and-rider-as-two'. Anyone have any good exercises or tips to bring us back down to earth and slightly under Warp Speed?
Thanks.
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Post by Amy on Mar 14, 2003 13:49:32 GMT -5
Have you tried any ground poles before and/or after the jump? I like to work Tango over 4 ground poles, set 4'6" apart to trot to approach the jump, the last pole before the jump should be about 9' away from the jump.(sorry I just realized your metric, but I don't know the equivalents!) You can also place one 9' on the other side of the jump. This should help with rushing, and I think it may also help with the launching as he'll have to concentrate where to place his feet on the other side.
I'm sure others will have some ideas, also, perhaps better!
Good luck.
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Post by CC on Mar 14, 2003 14:20:32 GMT -5
This is what my instructor had me do with Carambi. We actually started with one pole on the ground...walk over it, halt, than trot over it and halt...than make it a x-rail and trot over it and halt. Eventually, Carambi got so used to halting, that he slowed down on his own and actually stopped rushing. So once he was quiet over the jump, I just added a little leg to keep him going instead of halting.
The other thing I disovered is I hold onto his face too much. Once I let go but made sure I kept my leg on him to support him that way, things got much better!
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Post by Bara on Mar 14, 2003 14:30:05 GMT -5
Oh lord! I keep losing replies. It must be the ghost! What I was trying to say was ..
Yes, I do trotting poles, but haven't tried the halting or ground cross-poles, CC. And Amy, the pole AFTER the jump is a brilliant idea. That will almost certainly slow him down. (ps - no, we're not metric, that's Niaru you're thinking of!)
I probably AM holding him too tight to stop him rushing. I'll try all that tomorrow (it's 7.30 pm here!) It's all complementary and should take the excitement out of it for him. Thanks so much. We - who are about to die - salute you!
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Post by Amy on Mar 14, 2003 14:54:23 GMT -5
Ah yes, CC...the halt afterwards works really well, too! I completely forgot my trainer had Tango and I do that when he started getting silly. He's so funny, even before he shows signs of boredom, he starts inventing games and was throwing all kinds of things at me. (Like over jumping one time, rushing off afterwards the next, trying to scoot out the third time, etc.) He REALLY makes me pay attention! I loved the response I got from him after he started expecting to halt, he would sort of pause and wait for what was next (almost like an automatic half-halt.)
Something else you might want to incorporate once the halting is working, my trainer would have me do something different everytime after the jump. One time I would halt; the next time circle left; the next time circle right, the next time go straight and halt further down...you get the idea. Keeps 'em guessing!
Let us know how it goes!
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Post by Bara on Mar 14, 2003 15:09:04 GMT -5
So tomorrow we do intensive cavaletti's, with halts. Then we switch to poles with a cross-pole. Then we try a couple of weeny jumps - with marker poles after. I leave his mouth alone, but circle after the marker pole - left or right. Or we simply canter on, down transition to trot and change rein. We do that for 17 hours without a break ... No, no!
How clever you are!
Then Forry goes and lies down with a hoof laid dramatically over his brow, muttering that he could possibly force a small carrot, if it was fed to him by that tarty mare in the front stall - and I go to the pub!
Cool!
Thanks. I'll report back....
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Post by Amy on Mar 14, 2003 15:41:10 GMT -5
Ha, ha! Bara, you crack me up. And will Fory be the ONLY one laying down begging for refreshments and a break?!
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Post by Bara on Mar 14, 2003 15:49:43 GMT -5
You'd have to ask CatB! She's my manager .. LOL! :hahaha: :smirk: :curse:
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Post by CatB on Mar 14, 2003 16:13:30 GMT -5
I am unable to reveal identities or name names. However, I can tell you, without any reservation, there are multitudes that beg for refreshments and breaks from the rigors of the bewitching taskmaster, Bara. She rules with an iron tennis racket and leopard-skin hat. ;D
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Post by Bara on Mar 14, 2003 16:35:29 GMT -5
That's the LAST confidence??
ps How's the Boy??
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Post by CatB on Mar 14, 2003 16:37:28 GMT -5
Which one?;D
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Post by Johnnie on Mar 14, 2003 19:10:58 GMT -5
Phillip Dutton told us something that made alot of sense to me, but I never would have thought of it. We had one horse who was rushing fences horribly, dragging his rider to every one. Phillip told the rider to stop fighting the horse and just let him go at it like a wildman, and he would stop. She did, and he did. Phillip then explained that the horse was expecting the fight/constant picking before jumps, and as soon as you stopped giving him what he wanted or expected, it would turn into a "nothing" sort of thing. In about 2 minutes this horse went from a maniac jumper to a horse that could have won a Hunter round.
I also like the exercises that everyone has been giving.
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Post by Einstein on Mar 14, 2003 20:10:33 GMT -5
Johnnie, that's a lot like what Frank Chapot said. If you just can let them go and be nuts and rush, they'll hit it hard a few times, realize it hurts and you're no longer fighting. Works on every horse I've ridden that rushes ;D Sorta backs them off the jumps and lets them learn to respect the jump without your help (interfence?).
My boys never jump huge, they like to conserve that energy for squealing, farting and bucking as I pick up the canter going to my first jump. I'm not joking. Some days Nate and I put on a good show ;D
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Post by leeann on Mar 14, 2003 21:37:18 GMT -5
Who can argue with Phillip Dutton?  The man is a machine! Plus I'd set up gymnastics and be sure I had enough room to just let the horse canter along afterwards. Sometimes those huge leaps are caused because the horse/rider feels they need to stop on landing. Here are a couple of exercises that work for my quick, hot jumping little mare: Set up a small vertical (2' -2'6", something you can jump easily from a standstill) with poles on either side at 9'. Use two poles on the vertical & put the top one at whatever height you use & put the bottom one two holes beneath that. The top-heavy look to the fence makes the horse take a better look at it, and the poles bring them to the base. Trot to it (do not grab the face) keeping the shoulders waiting & the think of squeezing the shoulders slower with your thighs. It also helps to think of someone pushing your nose back the closer you get. Let the horse land in canter, then come to a quiet halt a few strides later. Once the horse is waiting for you, start jumping it and continuing on as small a circle as you can make without yanking the horse around, alternating direction every time. Set up a gymnastic line on a slightly short distance, come in on two point (just think of not squashing a piece of bread under your bottom) and just maintain your two point. Don't jump for them, don't hurry the rythmn, don't try to push. Do nothing. After the line, stay in the two point and just canter a lap or two and then pop over a single fence. Repeat until bored silly or exhausted (or both). Another thing that has helped me with her (and this is a Jimmy Wofford thing) is to look at the center of the top pole on the fence until it disappears between the horses ears. This has helped a ton with Bugsy. When I look a long way ahead she feels the need to get there quickly--this really helps hold her to the fence, plus it helps to see a spot. All that said, sometimes it's just that they're feeling pretty darn cheerful to be jumping after a layoff.  |
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Post by sk on Mar 15, 2003 10:27:41 GMT -5
LeeAnn: After the pole disappears between the ears, where do you look? ;D
I think that's interesting about letting them go to figure it out on their own. I did that last time my mare was rushing a freakin' trot fence gymnastic. But mentally it's a tough thing for a rider to do.
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The man is a machine!