free jumping fun since weather cancelled hunts!

[bigbaytb]

Well…that LAST time we could hunt was when I posted about not hunting in two weeks and then saying I was nuts…well, that was the last hunt we’ve had! Footing is just too frozen, or muddy. Last hunt would be on the 26th prior to the croppers party, but I’m out of town for business…phooey.

Horses are finally out, but for awhile, I had to do arena turn out to let them play. Once they could go out on regular turn out, I set up a free jump chute.

Yesterday was day 2 with the chute (did it once last week). Mach 5 mare just plain gets it! The BM and his wife were riding, so I had to wait to do the free jumping. I did lead the mare (well, her lead rope was attached but looped on her back) walking through the grid. she listened to voice commands and did stop between bounces…just for the fun…anyway, finally can unleash her.

she goes straight for the chute and does it, rolls back at the end and goes through a gain…without me saying a word except “whoa, that’s good” in which she’d go stand by the door as I reset the grid. Then she’d go back and forth on her own accord. For giggles, I put the middle jump up to 4 feet (left the other and a small x to be fair). i’ve never asked her to jump that high and wanted to see how bold she was. first time through she took the top rail down. …second time she started to run at it…i yelled whoa, she stopped before the 1st jump, rolled back to the end of the arena, turned around and did a correct canter to the chute and did it perfectly in breath taking form!..she then kept doing it over and over. (i have witnesses, they were as amazed as I was that i had to get infront of her and say whoa to get her to stop) she was very proud of herself and prancing around after she would do the chute and then go for it again.

the Big gelding, who would only go one direction through the chute the first time, was almost as impressive. I walked him the direction he refused to go last time and then he started doing the chute. he would automatically change directions and come back through…but if he messed up, he’d gallop around the arena to take the same direction again…he barely gave me time to reset the fences! He was being a bit flat, so I didn’t ask for a big jump like the mare, but he did work really well both directions.

Both horses were licking and chewing the entire time they were jumping, and they didn’t make me run after them to get them to do it. …

now if I could only teach them the dressage test and give them course maps for eventing, i’d have it made! LOL.

[Hinderella]

And where is the video? In truth, I just find it very cool that you have a horse with voice control. I can’t even seem to master the voice control on my phone.

[bigbaytb]

Hinderella,

If you haven’t figured it out, I talk alot…I’m pretty sure my horses are fluent in english by now.

And it did surprise me how they were listening to me…If the BM handn’t witnessed it…no one would have believed it!

[Huntin_Fool]

Hey,

If you can’t video tell us how you set up your chute? That sounds cool. I wish I had a Hitchcock pen but since I don’t …

Huntin’ Fool

[anon68314200]

free jump

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keN68SThOcI

I just use jump standards and “caution” tape to make a chute. Horse’s are either round pen trained, or similar, in the indoor arena before I introduce the jump chute.

[bigbaytb]

jump poles and standards…

I have limited equipment, but just use jump standards…and I only have 6 ft poles since they are just cheap landscaping poles. set up on the side of the arena. My horses are used to these type of things, so I can do it alone, but if they are new to it…hand walk them through a couple times and get a buddy to help you too. once they figure it out, no prob. But I often lounge my horses over raised cavelettis and free lounge, so they are well versed in what to expect. ( I don’t lounge alot so it’s always fun for them when I do)

I’m going out of town but will take pix next week.

I Didn’t have enough standards to do what i wanted. so I did 3 verticals in a bounce (approx 12 ft. apart).so that took up 6 standards and 2 poles each (no groundlines) I had another 5 or 6 standards along the open side and put cups and poles at highest point of standard and poles from standard to standard . and made sure that the chute started and ended before the jumps. the end standards had a pole that went from the cup to the ground. Since my horses are smart and figured they could fit between the wall and standard, the ends I placed a pole from the ledge on the wall to a cup on the jump standard.

I hope that makes sense. about 1/4 of the arena was filled with equipment this year and was fenced off, that is what helped me too, but I have done similiar in full large arenas too.