Horses go around objects instead of jumping over them, unless they are trained otherwise. Training a horse to jump means taking the animal out of its environment and away from its natural instincts, and teaching it to make educated decisions about jump height and distance, say Eleanor Prince and Gaydell Collier in their book, "Basic Training for Horses: English and Western." Developing your horse's physical ability to jump is as important as increasing your mount's willingness and interest in the sport--an effort that can take years.
Under Saddle, Over Cavaletti
Step 1
Place four cavalletti down the long side of your arena about 2 ½ to 3 feet apart. Prince and Collier recommend keeping the height of the cavaletti at 6 inches to start.
Step 2
Ride your horse at a walk over the center of the cavaletti, keeping your hands low and the reins soft to allow expansion of the horse's neck and head down into the gait. Work for evenness of the pace and maintain impulsion and cadence using your leg and seat aids. Walk over the cavaletti until your horse moves comfortably forward and feels well-balanced.
Step 3
Have your assistant move the four cavaletti 4½ to 5 feet apart down the same side of the arena at the same 6-inch height.
Step 4
Ride your horse down the middle of the cavaletti at a brisk trot. Maintain this pace by keeping light hand contact and pushing with your seat and legs if your horse starts to lag or slow down. Continue around the arena and over the cavaletti until your ride shows no resistance and relaxes into the trot.
Step 5
Place one cavalletto on the rail and increase the height to approximately 1 foot 4 inches before asking your horse to pick up the canter.
Step 6
Add cavalletto one at a time until there are three, spacing the poles approximately 12 feet apart and canter over all three.
Step 7
Continue with Steps 1-6 on a regular training schedule until your horse is relaxed and comfortable at all three gaits.
Under Saddle, Over Jumps
Step 1
Place three ground poles down the long side of your arena approximately 4 ½ to 5 feet apart.
Step 2
Install a vertical jump with wings and three cross-rails 4 ½ to 5 feet from your last ground pole. Drop one cross-rail on the ground directly in front of your jump so that your horse can see the obstacle. Place the other two cross-rails in an "X" set for 18 inches.
Step 3
Walk your horse down the center of the ground poles and over the center of the cross-rail. Let some of the reins slip through your hands going over the cross-rail to allow you horse free use of its neck and back. Keep at this gait until your horse is moving freely every time you go through this exercise.
Step 4
Ask your horse to pick up the trot and move over the ground poles and cross-rail. Give your horse free rein when trotting over the cross-rail by grabbing some of the mane and dropping your reins to the buckle. In his book, "Basic Training of the Young Horse," Dr. Reiner Klimke, winner of eight Olympic dressage medals, advises that staying with your horse's movement is imperative at this stage, because pulling on the reins could cause pain that would put "a young horse...off jumping for a long time."
Step 5
Move one of the cross-rails into a 12-inch vertical jump, dropping the other cross-rail to the ground on the far side of the jump.
Step 6
Repeat the walk and trot sequences of the 12-inch vertical jump regularly until your horse is moving forward comfortably and not slowing down or pulling out of the jump.
Step 7
Ask for the canter when you and your mount are comfortable and canter over the ground poles and vertical jump. Grab the mane every time your animal jumps the vertical. If your horse attempts to run out of the jump at this gait, use your legs, seat and crop aids to urge it forward.
Step 8
Vary the sequence of the exercise once your horse is cantering comfortably over the 12-inch vertical by placing the jump halfway through the ground pole series and adding another 12-inch vertical at the end. Continue changing the ground poles and jumps as your horse progresses, possibly running another differing series down the other side of the arena.
Step 9
Raise the jump height in 6-inch increments as your horse becomes comfortable jumping at the trot and canter. Judge your mount's confidence at each level by its willingness to try new jumps and ability to listen to your aids. Don't move ahead to a new level until both you and your horse are comfortable.
Tips and Warnings
- Dr. Klimke suggests teaching your horse loose jumping, going over jumps on its own without tack or rider, if your animal becomes strong under saddle and refuses to listen to you. Because this behavior typically indicates fear in a young horse, loose jumping instills the animal with the confidence needed to perform in a jumping sport. He also recommends that young horses in training not jump more that four to six jumps twice a week until they gain muscle and bone mass to prevent injuries as they age.
- Riders and trainers need to consider the age and the mentality of the horse when beginning jump-training, states Dr. Steuart Pittman in his paper, "Teaching Horses to Jump," presented at the 2008 Maryland Horse World Expo. He suggests that 3-year-old horses not jump any higher than 2 ½ feet. By the age of 4, they can jump 3 feet 3 inches regularly and by 5 can be trained to jump whatever height they are physically and mentally prepared for.
Things You'll Need
- Fenced arena, preferably 60 by 120 feet
- 4 cavaletti
- Assistant
- 3 ground poles
- 1 vertical jump
- 3 cross-rails
References
- "Basic Training for Horses: English and Western"; Eleanor F. Prince; Gaydell M. Collier; 2002
- "Basic Training of the Young Horse"; Reiner Klimke; 2000
- 2008 Maryland World Horse Expo: Teaching Horses To Jump?
Member Comments