are horses that jump over their shoulder dangerous?

[rexlen]

[QUOTE=Jarrn;8647417]
Every picture she has posted of him has him jumping this way. But, he is also buried to the fence in nearly every picture, so it’s not clear to me if that’s the way he jumps or if he is being forced to jump like that. If he jumps like that, then I personally wouldn’t be jumping him very high at all. If he is being forced to jump like that to clear a fence, then the OP should probably go back to crossrails/small verticals and work on distances and getting a balanced approach to the jump. He also seems to rush at fences a bit and isn’t using his hindquarters and is instead leaping at the fence, making it difficult for him to get his legs up correctly.

If he is jumping like this because apparently he has been off for 2+ years (the original photo was posted 2 years ago, so he was only off for about 2 years at the time of that photo), then why are you (OP) jumping him 3ft when he is not fit enough to do so safely? If this is how he jumps because he has been out of work, then he should have been started back at a lower level and worked back up to 3ft in a safe manner.
Do you have any pictures of him jumping square? or of him jumping from a better distance?[/QUOTE]

Those are really old pictures. And the dates arent accurate. Those pictures were posted when I was in New Zealand and not in in the Us with him. And i do have squarer pictures of him. We only do 3’3 courses. How do I post a single picture?

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=rexlen;8647440]
How do I post a single picture?[/QUOTE]
You can post a link to a photo or become a premium member (by paying a fee).

Host the photo on Photobucket or Facebook and post a link to the photo, just like you did in your other thread.

[M_O_Connor]

Are horses that jump over their shoulder dangerous?

If they either can’t or won’t jump clean, yes, always dangerous.

If they can or will jump clean, not always dangerous, but can get dangerous if not ridden and managed well.

BUT–they always jump higher than necessary (they are jumping the jump, plus their own legs), which is not an efficient way to go about the task.

That makes them harder to ride smoothly while they are jumping (you never know how high they’ll go).

If they are even slightly small (and short strided), they will add strides on the lines, and this makes them VERY chancy in one-stride combinations, which can quickly get dangerous. (Thankfully, many learn to stop or add a stride in this situation).

Unless they are VERY good jumpers, it’s incredibly easy to over-face them, or over-face their riders.

So it can be ok if they stick to lower jumps, aren’t over faced, and are ridden sensibly. The chances of this happening (unfortunately) are not always optimal. And lots of time is spent trying to change them…but since the tendency to do it stems from conformation (with an ‘o’) it’s not possible to improve things very much.

Note: Do not confuse “jumping over the shoulder (and legs)” with ‘not trying because the horse is super athletic.’ A horse that can just lope over a really big fence will sometimes SEEM as if it’s jumping over its shoulder, but will almost never feel the need to add a stride or feel like stopping in a combination. A super athlete will often wait for the jump to get big enough before jumping it ‘pretty.’

[rexlen]

is this better?
http://www.judgemyride.net/huntereq-ring/445644.html#respond

[MIKES_MCS]

with each picture you have posted I see no release

[rexlen]

[QUOTE=MIKES MCS;8649130]
with each picture you have posted I see no release[/QUOTE]

I usuaully release huge. However, he really need a short release

[findeight]

[QUOTE=rexlen;8649050]
is this better?
http://www.judgemyride.net/huntereq-ring/445644.html#respond[/QUOTE]

Says " Must be logged on to view".

Most horses can jump a decent sized single fence and most riders will stay on. Means nothing. It’s when you put a course of sizeable fences together you get into trouble and it becomes unsafe. Allowing the horse to get quicker makes it more unsafe.

[rexlen]

One sec. i will fix it

[rexlen]

[QUOTE=findeight;8649209]
Says " Must be logged on to view".

Most horses can jump a decent sized single fence and most riders will stay on. Means nothing. It’s when you put a course of sizeable fences together you get into trouble and it becomes unsafe. Allowing the horse to get quicker makes it more unsafe.[/QUOTE]

can u see this?
http://www.judgemyride.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/rock2.jpg

[findeight]

Yup, seeing fine. Ouch, that’s not a short release, restricting his neck will create rushing as self defense. Any of mine would turn me into a lawn dart on landing, even the saints, if I choked them like that. Sorry, you asked.

[rexlen]

[QUOTE=findeight;8649262]
Yup, seeing fine. Ouch, that’s not a short release, restricting his neck will create rushing as self defense. Any of mine would turn me into a lawn dart on landing, even the saints, if I choked them like that. Sorry, you asked.[/QUOTE]

so now, you guys are saying that my horse is dangerous, and I’m a bad rider? Thanks guys

[findeight]

No. Nobody said that. Go back and reread what was actually said that referenced specific things you asked for input on.

[rexlen]

[QUOTE=findeight;8649286]
No. Nobody said that. Go back and reread what was actually said that referenced specific things you asked for input on.[/QUOTE]

well, thats not what someone emailed me

[rexlen]

so, you think the release is causing the problem?

[showidaho]

Good god. You ASKED a question, got a barrage of exceptional, thoughtful replies and instead of responding in kind with thanks and thoughtful follow up questions you have mucked around defending yourself and posting further pictures. What exactly are you looking for here?

[Jarrn]

You: My horse has a tendency to jump over his shoulder. Is this dangerous?

Coth: Yes, it’s dangerous.

You: I’ve jumped him 4ft. Here’s a picture.

Coth: I wouldn’t jump that horse 4ft, it’s dangerous.

You: Well he’s out of shape and hasn’t been worked in awhile so that’s why he does it.

Coth: I wouldn’t jump that horse 4ft, it’s dangerous.

You: He jumps square! He’s just out of shape and hasn’t been worked in awhile so that’s why he does it.

Coth: If he jumps like that, I wouldn’t jump him 4ft, it’s dangerous. But perhaps it is the rider.

You: Those are old pictures. He jumps square! Here’s a picture.

Coth: The rider isn’t releasing! Maybe that is why he jumps dangerously.

You: So you’re saying my horse is dangerous blah blah

YES WASN’T YOUR QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT YOUR HORSE WAS JUMPING DANGEROUSLY?! I am so lost here. What in the world. You asked if your horse jumped dangerously. Apparently you were hoping we would say no, that everything was fine. Clearly, you didn’t get that response so you tried to prove us “wrong.” OP, you’ve posted about this before. You got great (GREAT!) suggestions on how to potentially correct the problem. What exactly were you looking for when posting this thread? Because I’m totally lost. You don’t want our opinion, you don’t want suggestions on correcting the issue, so what DO you want?

The release is probably a problem. Your approach to the jump is probably a problem. Your horse’s conformation is probably a problem. Your horse’s apparent lack of fitness is probably a problem.
Solution: Go back to low fences and low gymnastics.

ETA: Showidaho I think we posted at the same time

[rexlen]

I’m confused because I posted a picture of him jumping square and you guys are saying he’s still dangerous and can’t jump square. I did say I thought his fitness was a problem. Then I got people saying he had only been out of work 2 years, when it’s been more than 4 ( i have a plane ticket, showing I wasn’t even in the US). It seems like you guys are saying it’s dangerous to jump him at all now. By the way Jarrn, thanks for making me feel really awful about myself

[rexlen]

o and thanks everyone else for the private messages telling me I can’t ride

[Jarrn]

Not a SINGLE person said he can’t jump square after you posted that picture. Where are you even getting this? You are ignoring helpful advice and reading things that no one ever said. We answered your question. Yes, jumping over the shoulder is dangerous. The danger varies, but in general it is dangerous. Do you have any other questions, or are you just arguing for the sake of arguing?

And if that is what made you feel really awful about yourself, how did you ever make it through college? I’m pretty sure I didn’t call you any names, personally insult you or your family, or even curse. It’s kind of concerning that a stranger on the internet can make you feel really awful about yourself.

[JustJump]

You look organized enough to have a coach. What does your coach say? What does your coach think about you posting photos of your horse to ask perfect strangers if he’s safe to jump or not (sight unseen, no less)? What really matters is how confident you FEEL on this horse, how confidently he acts, and how your coach thinks you do as a team and whether you might be ready to move on or not.

Presumably you have PARENTS. Parents who could possibly be concerned that you are picking fights with perfect strangers whose opinions YOU sought out…

If you are SLIGHTLY older than you are acting, then you have even bigger problems than whether your horse is safe to jump or not.