Answer: If you know when your horse is not going to jump (which
is most of the time cause u can feel it) take your whip and just
before the horse jumps give a little tap so it knows you want it to
do something.
Answer:
Never, ever 'smack' your horse. The whip is an artificial aid,
and is used as a connection between the horse and rider. Therefore,
due to the horses high level of sensitivity, it should be used
lightly, to tap the horse behind the leg/girth if necessary.
Have you looked into underlying reasons for your horse not
jumping? Such as injury or discomfort, ill-fitting saddle, or a
history of abuse when jumping, such as it's rider pulling on it's
mouth, getting left behind etc?
If your horse seems wound up when about to jump, trot in wide
circles to clam him down, and gradually approach the jump. If he
still seems worked up, repeat trotting, and lower the jump.
If this doesn't work, try working him over trotting poles, and
don't even think about a jump until he is calmly listening to your
aids, and the advance. Let him know jumping is the right thing to
do, and fun, but giving him his head when you are jumping, and
praising him afterwards.
If this doesn't work, think about how you react when you're
about to jump. Do you get nervous or scared? Do you completely
trust your horse? If you're not certain about the jump, your horse
will pick up on this, and think that the jump is a bad and
uncomfortable place to be, and try to avoid it. I know this was a
big problem for me.
Finally, maybe your horse just doesn't like jumping. It takes a
lot of effort, and probably doesn't seem that appealing. Some
horses love it, while other take it or leave it.
Remember, you horse is a animal; a living, breathing being, with
feelings, emotions, and above all survival instincts. It's
ancestors relied on their instincts to keep them alive, and the
first reaction is to preserve one's life. It's a flight or fight
animal, and the jump is a scary object.
Answer:
Bring your horse to a trot around the jumps to get them used to
it. then trot-jump them over it. do this a few times till they
relax. do this same thing at a canter when they get used to the
trot-jump. don't hit your horse, don't kick them, and don't go hard
on the reins. it will make them think " why are they hitting me?
was i supposed to jump? i guess not. i only want to please my
master." and if your horse keeps refusing, go around and repeat
these excercises until they will be able to jump. remember, if your
horse refuses, don't hit them or kick them, only pat them and say
"nice try" and restart the excercise.
Answer:
If a horse is refusing a jump maybe its because you did
something to the horse while jumping or its just to high and you
are pushing your horse to fast...A lot of people pull back on the
horse's mouth which makes the horse's head rise when they are over
the jump which then makes them not know when to land or where they
landing...if i was a horse like that i be terrified and would be
refusing...that's what a horse would think and just start refusing
becasue they don't want to guess what is going to happen
next...they are just terrieifed...if you are teaching a horse to
jump and want to jump higher and higher and you think the horse is
ready...well "YOU THINK"....htats a big NO...you will know when a
horse is ready to go higher...how would you know...if it starts
taking the jump more easy and calming...take it to a horseshows a
couple times on the low jumps like ground poles, cross-rails, and
18in...you think that's boring but the horse will actually like
that becasue then they know its just jumps and that they aren't
scary or anyhting and will start to relax more...you NEVER EVER
want to rush a horse for jumping...jumping can be scary for some
horses or you just think you can go higher and your horse can't but
you want to...when you do that and go to the jump and pull your
horse back right away at the jump then that just makes the horse
more afraid of the jump then calming down...when going for a jump
and feeling your horse getting ready to refuse just give it a
LITTLE squeeze...NOW a big kick...tlak to the horse calming and
help it calm down before the jump so it wont refuse...if this
happens at a horseshow in your class while your jumping and all you
care about is getting first place...then you will never succede
becasue your horse will see a scary jump and all you do is just sit
there and expect the horse to just jump...no...it takes time...i
been riding for my WHOLE life...i LOVE showing but i don't care
about winning or even placing...i train horses....and i still get
first even if i don't care and even from talking to my horse during
the class...the judge sees what you are doing and that you don't
care about winning...judges like that you just think about how your
horse is reacting...so if you have a horsee refusing or your
teaching a horse to jump for its first time then do what i
wrote...it does really help...i have gotten so far that i have done
the Olympics and got first in the Olympics...i have done Kentucky
rolex every year...i got first in that a couple of times and lots
of seconds and thirds...i do that well because i took patience in
my horses and got them to not be afriad of any jump that they see
becasue they trust me and i give them the signals that the jump
isn't a monster that will eat them.
Answer:
It is very important to always incorporate fun into your
exercising and training of a horse, this will get the idea that
training can be fun and can be enjoyable. I have also been thinking
that have only been working with rails but what if it was a wall or
more solid object instead of the more open jumps, it might be more
comforting. Another thought is, I have worked over simple logs and
she always takes those very easy but the uphill log is harder for
her, so take the ground levels into consideration. There are a lot
of different reasons why your horse does that, but just take what
you want to use from these words that are given, everyone has
different training methods.
Also, if a horse runs out from refusing a jump, I would lower
the jump maybe to poles or low, low crossrail and trot over them
until there is no hesitation. Then I would maybe raise it if you
are comfortable or wait till they next day or ride. (still keeping
it a crossrail) and then work your way up. Working on flatwork
around the jumps might also help. My horse used to get really
excited about having jumps near her but by working her around the
jumps and maybe getting over a few at the end of my rides after a
few weeks without the jumps.
