Hi all - I have a greenie who unfortunately wants the longer spot (we are working on not doing this) he’s very long and hard to package. However, when he takes it he leaps instead of tucking. With a better spot he doesn’t do this.
I’m hoping just with time this stops but wondering if anyone has experienced this and has any tips to help him use himself better. Obviously never getting a long spot would be great but. Also hoping this isn’t a sign something is off/wrong with him.
He’s fine, you’re fine. I would be zero percent concerned with this because your fences are TINY. As the height goes up, “supermanning” (which this really isn’t it) will no longer be an option on the table.
If it really really bothers you at this height, you can put V poles on the front of the jump that will encourage him up a little more.
But really, you’re fine. He’s staying calm, you are too, everything looks lovely.
I have a big horse that prefers the bigger distance (what you showed definitely wasn’t supermanning to me). Looking at the video, my trainer would say you came off the turn too soon and didn’t give yourself options. I try to stay on the wall, while looking at the jump until I have a better approach. You options there was the distance you had or hold for a chip. I also agree it is harder over tiny jumps.
Dressage work to learn how to package a big horse is key. Also setting up lines and practicing doing the add (once you have worked on moderating the canter on the flat) and doing the number.
This
You are “overthinking” this. YOUR job, as the rider, is line, pace, balance, rhythm, and carriage. This is more than enough for you to think about. The horse’s job is to jump the jump, getting there with what you’ve done to prepare him, given the talent he has. You do your job, he does his job. Don’t get these things mixed up. If you’ve done your job adequately, and he has some talent (he looks fine in this department at this stage), you get the jump done successfully. If you’ve done your part of the job adequately, he can jump from where ever he gets to. Clear as mud?
Horses who take a longer spot but are also jumping across, rather than up and over, regularly (not always) do the “leap” you’re referring do. There’s no upward momentum, it’s all across, it’s what a lot of horses do when jumping a water jump without a fence, for example - reach far and wide, no need to “tuck” (though some do)
What makes you feel he wants a longer spot? In the longer spot here, there wasn’t room for another stride, he’d have chipped if he put in another. It’s a GOOD thing that he’s so quiet and ho-hum about a longer spot 
You can encourage more of an “up and over” jump effort, rather than just “across”, with the use of poles in a V as suggested. That visually raises the height of the fence without actually raising it, and visually it encourages them to be tidier with their front end
If he’s hard to package, then I’d go back to a lot more dressage work, working first on lengthening his stride (yes, lengthen!) so that he can then learn what you mean when you ask him to “shorten” back to a working stride. From there, you can work on compressing is stride from a working stride.
Don’t think that’s a fair clip to judge his form on; it was a weak ride and it got a weak jump. You’re waiting to find your distance and then adding leg; keep that leg coming out of the corner and this whole situation disappears.
Ok so here’s the thing… With the younger ones, first we have to help them understand that leaving the ground and going into the air, IS the job. So some get it naturally and some don’t. Me, I teach my babies over solid obstacles first so that they understand with the value added of impact to the obstacles and gravity and such helping to enforce that avoiding the obstacle and leg collisions are a good thing. I do not start with poles in a ring. They fall down too easily and then the horse could think, learn, whatever, that bowling for dollars is entertaining. logs, coops, post and rails have consequences when you get it wrong. (And we’re talking small ones, not the Maryland Hunt Cup course)
In addition to this, as riders we sometimes have to lose the “ideal” ride to adapt a “git 'er done” ride when the horse is learning. This can be softened and removed as the horse learns and the ride to and after the fence becomes a more normal thing.
All this said… in the top video you had to help the horse to “go” as you can see your elbows and upper body say “ok time to leave the ground” and that spot was the only “good” choice. Now… you could have stayed chilly and let him have the deep peck and teach him to be responsible for his not knowing yet to pay attention to where he is in relation to the fence, but either decision works at this point. It’s all learning.
In the bottom video, you got the right stride for the base take off and held it and he was fine.
This is all green horse stuff. I don’t see a horse doing any kind of a “superman” here and so what if he did. Not a show, no judges, not the Olympics. He’s a lovely type and all you need to remember is that every iconic horse in all the various disciplines has had to:
(Ditto for us as riders)
Emily
Suggest you look on Off Course for a thread by coffeehag called “ Will it always be this hard”. Look at her latest video. It is a textbook example of keeping the canter and letting the horse jump out of wherever that canter takes him be it a bit long, little deep or right on rider supports that pace and makes it all work.
Here, not seeing anything wrong. When you jump indoors it backs any of them off as do short turns, your job is just keep that pace and maybe choose the longer approach over a short turn to help him learn his job. See how smoothly that longer, straight approach to the green wrapped and more substantial jump rides and how nice that jump is? That is where he is right now and that is what you need to ride to build the correct foundation on him.
I think when you can get back outside without the walls and over more substantial fences he’s going to get there more easily and that will change your ride.
One thing, when you watch him in these videos, watch your hands as he lands his front legs and before he sets down behind…and IMO, would start the short turn after landing a few strides later right now. That will help him work his distances out on his own. Patience.
Everyone has already said what I’d suggest so I’ll just add that he looks like a perfectly lovely young horse who doesn’t want to get quick, which is always a big bonus in my book. And I didn’t see any zoomer take-off spots, just that he left from the spots you rode to, which again, were fine.
He’ll learn to compress his stride, giving you more options, and tighten up his style with more nuanced flatwork and gymnastic-type jumping exercises.
A long spot to a small jump is essentially a big canter stride - they don’t really have to “tuck” their legs under them. More than anything, I see you coming in a little underpaced and week and looking hesitant off the ground, which is leading him to to stall for a second off the ground and then land shallow.
Personally, I like one whose natural instinct is to go for the long spot. It shows boldness and forward thinking to a jump. You can teach them to wait and collect and package themselves. I think its easier to teach them to wait than to teach a horse that prefers the add to move up. He looks lovely, and you look like a great pair.
Lots of good comments here already. I had one import that was 18h and definitely preferred a little long over a little deep. We worked on finding the deep one intentionally for a period of time so he could learn that skill.
For this horse, I’d consider a placing pole 10-11 feet in front of the jump. Help him understand where you’d like him to take off from.
A touch more pace will help you find more options to the jump, too. That can be hard with a big horse in a small indoor. The weather here is getting nicer, hopefully it’s doing the same where you are and you can get him outside and opened up a bit more.
You both look lovely!
I just want to say THANK YOU for posting the videos. Posting online is never easy, especially rides where you feel there is an issue.
It’s nice to read a thread where there is a description of the issue of how it feels undersaddle, then to see a visual of what’s happening. It’s so educational reading these responses. So, again, thank you!
What a cute horse!
With the first one I saw that your body shift may have inadvertently told him to take that long spot. The green ones are very sensitive to body shifts, they will take their cue from their riders. The second video was much better ridden in terms of you giving him direction and telling him exactly where to go. He only had one option to take. 
Don’t worry so much about the take-off or distance. Get the canter you need first. The rest will follow.
Love the videos. Lovely horse. Keep up the good work.
Cute horse. He was right about the distance in the first video, that was all that was there, he was just off the pace and you looked a little uncertain so it was weak.
Those aren’t long spots, the distance to the green fence was ideal. Your horse is just quietly and efficiently jumping out of stride which is good in a green horse. It shows athleticism, confidence and soundness- your horse looks very comfortable in his body and very unworried about the little jumps. If you are heading for the big jumpers he’ll need to learn to be more adjustable but plenty of time for that.
In the last 10 years telling people to get super close to fences has become a thing. It wasn’t always so, especially in the hunters. This is Osczar back in 1997 jumping a perfect 100 round- he always stood well off his fences and you don’t find many that jump (or score) better than him. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10156289489040803
Horses with more blood will tend to stand off more and can much more easily jump wide spreads than many modern WBs with more trotter background who excel in jumping more upright and don’t like to stand off big spreads. It’s just how they are built and have been bred. You might have to adapt but you guys look nice together and he’s a lovely horse. I’d be thrilled to have a baby that went around like that.
He’s so cute!! I think both of those distances are fine. I would not worry about it.
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