Hello Chronicle!
I have a lovely horse that I bought last year - we’ve moved up to the 3’ Adult Amateurs recently and are having a great time! He is quiet, easy, and most importantly, fun. The problem is, until the jumps get to be about 3’6", he just doesn’t care much about the height and doesn’t try! I’m grateful that he is scopey and finds his current job easy, but I would love for him to put in a bit more effort and use his body better.
We incorporate gridwork and polework frequently in our lesson and ride rotation, as well as dressage-based flatwork such as shoulders/haunches in/out, leg yields, turn on the haunches and forehand, etc. but I’m wondering if anyone has any favorite exercises to help a horse try a little harder when the jumps are easy. Or, whether it may be more of a general fitness thing. I do work with a trainer, but I’d also like to set some exercises when I’m on my own if possible.
Sharpen up both of you and hit the flatwork. You will need to…ummmm…package him more without the fences to back him off. If that makes sense. Lower fences and more friendly lines mean a different ride from you and a different “frame” ( I hate that word but it is closest to what I am trying to say) from him.
Just think about that. Maybe ask your trainer for some homework. Lots of transitions and lengthening/shortening at all gaits, including the walk and gallop.
Always found working a little of this into every ride instead of all at once only occasionally works best. Every time, every ride.
I’ll be interested to see the replies because mine is very similar. Flatwork is excellent, he’s super fit, we take dressage lessons, and get out of the ring as much as possible, but if the jumps are below competition height at home he remains largely unimpressed.
One thing I have found that keeps him sharp are low bounces incorporated into courses. Mine is a jumper, so we also get creative with the jumps sometimes in terms of making them look weird/spooky. But that is a double edged sword because I don’t want him dull and unimpressed to a plain fence either.
Do you want to work on it because it feels bad? Or because you want him to be more competitive?
Ditto!
Make the jumps wider, that’s the traditional way to teach young horses to use themselves without making the fences taller. In the long run though it won’t work- just plan to step up to the 3’6" as soon as you feel ready and be more competitive there than you are at 3’.
I think changing the strides between the fences require more focus from both of you. For example, you have a 4 stride set, ask your horse to do it in 5. Of a 6 and do it in 7. Also can do jump grids with poles interspersed vs all jumps. It’s more forgiving in one respect as you’re not jumping a 3 or 4-fence grid, but you have to have your horse more put together, up in the bridle and paying attention to not roll the poles.
V poles, cross rails with high sides, and bounces have been useful ways I’ve found to make small jumps interesting to horses.
My guy is exactly the same way and this is what we do.
Great question! It doesn’t generally feel bad, sometimes a little awkward, but he’s quite comfortable. Extra competitiveness would be nice - but I’m more concerned with him using his body correctly. Rocking back on his hocks, picking up his front feet in a tidy way. More about correctness (and safety I guess) more than anything! Form follows function after all 
We do intersperse poles into our grids, I do find that to be a good exercise and helps him pay attention. I will definitely work on adjusting strides - he is very long in his body so shortening/lengthening tends to be a hard thing for him…which means we definitely need to do more of it. I appreciate the input.
For an ammy thats like telling me to go jump out of an airplane 
The 3’6" is a terrifying thought! But I do agree that is probably where we are headed. thanks.
My horse sounds like your guy and honestly it is soooooo much easier to jump him between 3’6”-4’ than 3’ and below, because he actually pays attention!! You got this!
Low WIDE oxers (like 2’ high, working up to 4’ wide) has been my go-to exercise for improving juming form over low fences.
I’m not sure you want him to work harder over low fences. Is he dangerous? Is there a reason he has to try at something that is not hard for him? Rather than trying to ‘fix’ him, use this to make sure you are riding him the best you possibly can. Make sure your canter is from back to front. Make sure he is straight. Make sure you are getting to the base. Make sure you are steering to the middle of the jump. Make sure you are landing with a good canter and are cantering straight away from the jump. All of this gives him the opportunity to push from behind when he jumps, which is 90% of a good jump.
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Take him out of the ring and jump some solid fences!
I can’t speak for OP, but at least with mine it makes it hard to prep for shows without schooling competition height regularly (and I don’t really want to jump mine 1.20m every week). I don’t want to have to make the jumps bigger, scarier, or “harder” to have him rock back and use himself properly.
I think by work harder, I personally mean I want a little bit of effort and respect for the fence at home - appropriate for the height we’re schooling, of course. I don’t need him to jump a 3ft plain vertical the same way he would jump a 1.20m liverpool, but I also don’t want him schooling at home like braille rubbing every fence.
To be clear, having a very bombproof, scopey, athletic horse who is unimpressed by 1.10m is a great “problem” to have. But I do get where the OP is coming from, in that I read they want to make sure the horse is still using itself well and jumping in a nice form at home, even when the height is easy for them.
