Horse drops head/neck over jump

[Highflyer]

I am with BFNE on this one. My super cute chestnut horse and I (and thank you guys for the compliments!) started out more like this (these photos are from 2009 right after he moved up to Training, I can’t find any earlier ones online): http://akdragoophoto.zenfolio.com/p178563345/h1a8c78a5#h1a8c78a5 and this
http://akdragoophoto.zenfolio.com/p178563345/h1a8c78a5#h19c28bb1 and this http://akdragoophoto.zenfolio.com/p227393322/h1d69120d#h75eb5a3

It took me until 2011 to get to this: https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/409309_2790237602775_2138381358_n.jpg?oh=7c75dcbdfc1285c34de97c86be512311&oe=5694A1FA
and this: https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/408844_2790245042961_1965272501_n.jpg?oh=e1ab1552d4ee233ba7eb2cea52be71fd&oe=56643194

Also a lot of hard work and tears!

[phoenixrises]

[QUOTE=Highflyer;8325006]
This is what I would consider a horse jumping over its shoulder (I found this image through Google so I have no idea who this is): https://zenbabyhorse.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/img_9513.jpg

It’s a serious fault because it can cause a rotational fall.

OTOH, this is a horse that’s natural style was to jump with his head low (this one is one of mine):
https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/74942_4947265527125_2029429082_n.jpg?oh=4e27f02a3db92d30b753ea4fe4ff8b31&oe=569D3CE1

Hard to learn to ride, and finding the uphill gallop for xc was a struggle, but he was a great jumper.[/QUOTE]

Omg that’s how my mare jumps! It’s been a struggle to figure out how to ride it but I think I have it now. Luckily she’s super super honest our I think I’d go flying over the front!

[Foxtrot_s]

A lot of horses do not start out with perfect technique. The jump is tiny, they don’t need liftoff. Grids and bigger jumps and learning how to work those legs. Going through that right now with my horse - she’s getting awesome.

[ElisLove]

I don’t see this horse as being dangerous or jumping over his shoulder in several photos. Does he need to tighten his form up? Yes.
I have pics of my horse doing this
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL481/2332034/22231962/389834352.jpg

But the next second he could be doing this
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL481/2332034/22231962/391255274.jpg

He now, several years later generally jumps with his knees up, but he can still fall into the knees down jump (mostly when we are arguing before a jump). We’ve never had a fall from it, nor felt he was dangerous to jump at all. He’s competed up to 1.20m.

[Gumby80]

Your horse doesn’t look like a real, classic leg-hanger like the bay horse from the Google example. The real key is what they do when you put them under a bit of pressure. A slightly larger jump, a deep spot, something that challenges their brain a bit. The dangerous ones will hang their legs even worse. In my humble experience, this is near impossible to train out of them. The casual ones who are just a bit loose in front will usually tidy up when you impress them a bit. (With the odd exception, like Rodrigo Pessoa’s horse Tomboy. Go youtube that, I’ll wait…).

The key thing for safety is they can’t drop their knees. If I see a young one that consistently wants to leave their forearms below parallel to the ground, I’ll usually pass. Sure, they can sometimes improve with training, but their first instinct is their first instinct.

If you want to sharpen them up, square oxers all the way. Doesn’t have to be tall. Start out in a grid. Don’t trap them with the distance but teach them to get to a good distance and jump athletically.

In terms of staying with a round jumper, suggest making sure your stirrups are short enough, and trying a saddle that’s not too deep or padded. Lots of two point also helped me, having a strong lower leg helps.

[SmartAlex]

[QUOTE=Gumby80;8325764]
The casual ones who are just a bit loose in front will usually tidy up when you impress them a bit. (With the odd exception, like Rodrigo Pessoa’s horse Tomboy. Go youtube that, I’ll wait…).[/QUOTE]

Wow. :lol: What lift he had!

[Foxglove6]

I’m not able to see all the pictures so I could be wrong with this advice. My lease (before I bought my own in May) was trained Western Pleasure and I brought him to my H/J lessons. He did decently well but was always on the forehand. He would do better when I had done a lot of flat work and started teaching him to engage his hind end. He was still downhill and still scared my trainer over gymnastic lines. But he kept me safe and we did just fine up to 2’3". I do think I found his limit at 2’9" and oxers at that level, but he was and still is perfectly safe at 2’ and 2’3". That horse’s current leasor is doing a lot of flat work with him before going back to jumping. That would be my suggestion. Do all of the things mentioned above, but don’t skimp on the flat work.

[JenEM]

[QUOTE=Foxglove6;8330658]
But he kept me safe and we did just fine up to 2’3". I do think I found his limit at 2’9" and oxers at that level, but he was and still is perfectly safe at 2’ and 2’3".[/QUOTE]

The big thing that sticks out to me there is that 2’9-3’-ish is where most horses actually have to start jumping over the fences, rather than just taking a big step. I’ve got some really ridiculously bad shots of my mare over 2’6-and-under stuff, because she’d literally just take it as a big canter step, so there would occasionally be a really wonky leg. That wouldn’t worry me, and presumably at that size, you’re in a ring with things that fall down easily, and you’re not going to end up with a rotational fall because it’s below the height of the horse’s knee anyway. But if you’re consistently seeing bad/dangerous form over fences, especially gymnastic lines which should (in theory) be set to encourage the horse to use itself and jump well, I’d be seriously evaluating whether the horse should be jumped.

[Crown_Royal]

I set up a little jump the other day with poles 9’ out on both sides. The first two times over felt GREAT and it was easier to stay with him, I could tell he was using his body better. The third and forth times (when I had videos taken of course), he jumped a worse. Maybe he wasn’t making an effort and was kind of cantering over it vs. actually jumping, maybe I rode crappier because I was being recorded? Maybe both.

Two quick questions though: still jumping over his shoulder? Should I shorten my stirrups? Any other big rider flaws besides the darn sliding leg?

http://postimg.org/image/mukv4isi5/

I would post the video but can’t figure out how to share it from my phone.