I have a 4-year-old OTTB thoroughbred mare for sale that I’ve recently started working over poles on the longe line and doing small jumps in the chute. So far I haven’t asked her to jump anything over 2’6, she is young, green and new to jumping. She is up for sale and I have a potential client coming to try her out this weekend. They want to free jump her, but they said they can’t see any technique at 2’6 and want her to jump bigger. I most likely won’t let them free jump her over 3 feet, am I being unreasonable? I don’t want to set up the horse for failure or potential injury, but I think I’m also the one to take things way slower than most. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! =)
I’m not a breeder, but I believe 5 year old jumpers jump 1.0-1.20. I would think a few larger jumps would be fine. Most injuries come from overuse over time, not typically one time incidents. Take video so you don’t need to jump her more in the future.
I would certainly try it beforehand. Just so you know what to expect.
Is this an expensive horse? I’m thinking a 4 year old, green OTTB is not. If they’re wanting something that is going to be a 1.20m jumper, you may be dealing with some unreasonable shoppers. I would not risk an accident by asking the horse to jump over 3’. And, as Scribbler said, I’d definitely practice beforehand.
How are you marketing this horse? If you’re saying she would make a nice little hunter, then there’s no reason to jump her over 3’. If you’re marketing her as a potential 1.20m jumper (which I can’t imagine at this stage), then the potential buyer’s request is reasonable.
Also, I disagree that you “can’t see any technique” over 2’6" if you’re just looking for a 3’ horse. I mean, we’re talking about a 6" difference.
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You can’t see technique at 2’6”. Because most horses can jump that height without having to use themselves too much. You have to jump bigger to see how they do. So in that regard, their request is a reasonable one. But it’s also reasonable to say to them ‘she’s not ready for that yet.’ Sorry that doesn’t help you much. I guess it depends on how your horse is feeling about what you are asking her to do now.
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Why do you think she isn’t ready or will fail/injure herself? Did you see something that concerned you when you sent her down the chute at a lower height?
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I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the buyers to ask. I wouldn’t buy a horse who free jumps with dangerous form.
I also agree with the buyers that 2’6” is too low to properly assess technique. There simply isn’t time with a small bascule to snap those legs up. I would consider 3’ the minimum for a 4yo. If they were comfortable going down the chute, I wouldn’t hesitate to do one jump at 3’6”. If they’re over jumping and you can see technique at the lower height than there’s no need to raise the jumps.
Measure your distances with a measuring tape, send her down with the jumps set low. If she’s really struggling with a distance you can adjust by a few inches.
Keep the jumps at the beginning of the line low, it’s only the last jump that needs to be raised. This way you know that she’ll get to that higher jump at the correct distance, and it should be easy for her.
Set it up, send her through. You should be able to get everything you need, including the raised heights, in no more than 5 trips down the chute. Film all of it. Get a few helpers so you can get different angles.
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Three feet is fine for your horse to free jump. Just make sure you practice with her first and start low. You don’t want to scare her. I usually hand walk them through the chute a few times over ground poles to start.
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Thank you, everyone, for the insight, I really appreciate it! I did set up the chute again today and I let her go through it a few more times, she seemed more comfortable today and I did end with a 3 ft jump. She did fine and I did get it on video too. Like gertie06 said, I think there is a bit of an unrealistic expectation, I am selling a cheap OTTB project, not a 120 jumper. But if these requests keep coming, the price will go up accordingly! I’m half tempted to keep her to myself now.
I wouldn’t set a hard boundary. Let the horse jump. If she starts showing signs that she can’t/won’t go higher, stop (or go back to a height she’s comfortable with). As long as she’s calmly stepping over the jumps without much effort, I wouldn’t get stuck on a number.
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