Two steps forward :-)
Well that was worth doing. It's half past eight and we have only just got back from our showjumping session. But we struck lucky with a break in the rain, and he has been jumping superbly.
I figured that we were likely to get a battle at some stage. I didn't want it to upset me, after he has been so good showjumping. So I thought we may as well have a battle about something worthwhile where he would learn a lesson by not winning. So I warmed him up over a jump with a water tray - most horses seem to hate them. He stopped of course, and I just put him straight back into canter and brought him in again. Eventually (4th try?) he jumped it, but landed on all four feet at the same time - very uncomfortable. I jumped it again twice more, and then he had it fixed in his head that it was OK, and I included it in every round we did. He also had a problem with a spread with a St George's Cross filler -too busy looking at the filler and he crashed through the fence taking everything down, filler and poles, front and back.
SH rebuilt it and then Jazz was convinced that it would eat him if he did it again. I did the same as with the water tray. No punishment, just straight back to work and a good balanced presentation at the fence. He refused it twice, then suddenly decided it was OK and jumped it beautifully.
He has done two entire courses of eight fences with two doubles in, all at 3ft 2 or 3ft 3 inches. His style is incredibly improved and he feels much, much more confident of his own ability to jump. He was keen and he knocked only one pole (and one entire fence :-) in half an hour. Needless to say, I am very pleased with him. There was even one point where I was tentative about how big the fence was and he just said "no it's not, watch!" and jumped it anyway.
He has redeemed himself after the cross country nonsense on Monday :-)
C
posted by cptrayes @ 8:25 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Good going. Putting the battle behind you early seems to work. AS long as you know he is going to give you a problem about something, you will have the right frame of mind to deal with it.
I have a feeling Toby would have been a Jazz kind of jumper if I had chosen that route for him. He would spook and stop at a new jump and then finally take it in a leap, only to jump it beautifully the next time. Tucker seems to have a more positive attitude, but I haven't tried him over anything with fillers and such. Then again, I am not aiming to make him either a jumper or eventer, so it doesn't much matter. PJ was keen to take anything you set him at.
I do sympathize with your situation. It is so frustrating. However, little by little you are overcoming each new challenge. What now remains is for Jazz to finally give in and really believe that sooner or later he will have to jump whatever you set him at. And, if he's smart, sooner would certainly require a lot less effort on his part.
I'm still beaming about how confident he felt and how well he jumped things that are now getting to a serious size, two days later.
C.
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