Horse Who Rushes to Fences

Sometimes that’s just who they are. I know of a mare where my friend used to work at that does/did the grand prixs (NS, 1.55m) and she was nuts, major rushing to the fence. I know the trainer and my friend are very good horsemen and tried correcting it going back to basics, gymnastics, everything; but that’s just how the mare is, the rider would keep her at counter position through the turn and the let her do her thing to the distance and somehow it just works. I’m not saying this is correct or not, but some horses have personalities that you just have to adapt to make it work.

but yeah like jealoushe said, that’s not really rushing. It looks like she stretched out in the line to cover a longish 5. Does she rush individual jumps or just in lines?

Sometimes that’s just who they are. I know of a mare where my friend used to work at that does/did the grand prixs (NS, 1.55m) and she was nuts, major rushing to the fence. I know the trainer and my friend are very good horsemen and tried correcting it going back to basics, gymnastics, everything; but that’s just how the mare is, the rider would keep her at counter position through the turn and the let her do her thing to the distance and somehow it just works. I’m not saying this is correct or not, but some horses have personalities that you just have to adapt to make it work.

but yeah like jealoushe said, that’s not really rushing. It looks like she stretched out in the line to cover a longish 5. Does she rush individual jumps or just in lines?

Holy loping horsie, Batman! I would kill for my guy to canter that slowly around any part of a course. She’s cute as a button and seems to enjoy your ride. I think, as others are noting, she’s actually under pace, or with insufficient impulsion, the REST of the time, and is making up for it to throw herself over the fence for you at the last minute. The resistance to half-halts makes sense: she knows she needs that extra speed to comfortably get the spot and a nice jump. She’s coming away unbalanced because she just picked up the speed at the last minute, and probably isn’t getting her ideal form over the fence.

I wouldn’t suggest asking her for another gear while you’re making your way around the course or on a line to a fence, but see if you can increase your impulsion some in your canter. It may take her some getting used to, as at first she might not realize she doesn’t need to make that big adjustment at the end, but as she is able to canter off her hind end all the way up to the fence, her jump will improve–she’ll round over the fence more-- and she will land better balanced and not needing to scramble away. A win on both sides of the jump for you.

Holy loping horsie, Batman! I would kill for my guy to canter that slowly around any part of a course. She’s cute as a button and seems to enjoy your ride. I think, as others are noting, she’s actually under pace, or with insufficient impulsion, the REST of the time, and is making up for it to throw herself over the fence for you at the last minute. The resistance to half-halts makes sense: she knows she needs that extra speed to comfortably get the spot and a nice jump. She’s coming away unbalanced because she just picked up the speed at the last minute, and probably isn’t getting her ideal form over the fence.

I wouldn’t suggest asking her for another gear while you’re making your way around the course or on a line to a fence, but see if you can increase your impulsion some in your canter. It may take her some getting used to, as at first she might not realize she doesn’t need to make that big adjustment at the end, but as she is able to canter off her hind end all the way up to the fence, her jump will improve–she’ll round over the fence more-- and she will land better balanced and not needing to scramble away. A win on both sides of the jump for you.

There are only two jumps in the first one. The second one as you say is good. So you need to show the bad and the ugly that shows the problem you are talking about if you want people to help you.

I see lack of impulsion too. The “rushing” you feel is her self defense mechanism as she desperately attempts to build enough power to jump the obstacle in front of her in the last strides.

Practice riding with more impulsion, more power rather than more speed. The powerful canter you need has room to shorten stride and room to lengthen stride in front of a jump without having to make a huge effort to do so. A very simple exercise to find your canter is to ride a cavaletti or very low jump on a circle. The jump should be low enough that she just needs to lift her legs rather than jump. You shouldn’t be releasing or otherwise changing your ride - it’s just one more canter stride. When you find the right canter she will be able to shorten or lengthen as needed without chipping or leaping. You should barely notice the adjustment. If you are lurching forward or back when she adjusts her stride length, then you need to alter your ride. Think uphill balance and powerful push.

Test your canter when you think you have it. Canter down to the other end of the ring and jump a single fence. It should be as easy as the cavaletti - though being a proper jump you will do your release as you should. Make sure you are maintaining the correct canter and riding forward, uphill, and with power.

On the second video, she makes a bid to the out fence of the line because she’s getting there on a half stride. She looks like shes naturally short strided and she needs to motor along more to open that stride enough to get there on an even pace instead of chunking around behind your leg then making a bid to a decent spot.

Count, sing a song, something to keep the same canter stride 1-2-1-2-1-2-1-2 jump-land 1-2-1-2-1-2 is what you want. Not 1—2---1—2-1-2jumpland1-2-1—2---1—2.

Couple of times you are landing dead losing what little impulsion came from the bid. You need to ride to the fence, over the fence and away from the fence with equal stride length, rhythm and pace. Need to keep looking up over and landing after too, when you look down, your upper body collapses and the horse sort of gets stuck trying to adjust balance to gallop away-also called landing in a heap.

Might help to shorten your stirrup and get off her back so she can carry and hold some pace. Looser elbow, more relaxed shoulder, hands out of your lap in a decent crest release, grab mane if it makes you more secure. Leave her alone, let her find her spots. And hit the flatwork, blowing thru halts is unacceptable and should not be allowed to continue, these are little fences, don’t be afraid to expect obedience and correct instead of let horse keep doing it.

Not sure a rubber snaffle is a great choice here. Not that she’s a wicked runaway or anything, she’s learned she doesn’t have to listen, so she blows you off, she’s learned she can, there’s nothing " honest" about that, she knows and she’s cheating.

Have to say she moves a little stabby besides short a few times. Overall does not look comfortable. That could be because you aren’t getting off her back or she’s just not a great mover with a great build for over fences work.

Stabby is likely- footing wasn’t great and she needed her stifles done not too long after that, as well as a half pad/tack issue.

Haven’t gotten videos of the “explosions”. That first video, we have impulsion, and the perfect “ping” off the ground.

Had a 4* event rider tell me to sit and ride her with a heavy leg to heavy hand, and that has worked well. I was trying a rubber snaffle to see if we could find a bit she “liked”; it’s not a bit we’ve kept her in.

If you get off her back, she gets flat and runs. We warm up with on the buckle + with me two-pointing or half seat at the canter to ask her to stretch out and gradually collect. The line she got quick to the oxer- I asked for that distance, and she did listen to move up. We have made progress in last 1.5 years- it used to take 2 laps of the ring to get her to stop galloping vs. 3-8 strung out strides. And we flat 2-4 days a week, and jump once a week. We do cavaletti and pole work every other week, and go over actual fences alternating weeks.

We did have to have a small “conversation” this weekend about trotting fences and listening to half-halts. I wish I had videos of her actually being ugly. I’ve definitely been working on letting her go and find her pace- it’s better over larger fences because I need that big canter.

Overall, not looking to fix this mare’s issues because I’ve only got another month and a half with her; just looking for advice for the future, I guess. :no:

She’s a very talented horse, so I usually just assume I’m the one who’s riding incorrectly. :lol:

Looks a lot like my jump school this week, sigh. Horse thinks we’re about to head out for the Grand National when there’s more than 3 jumps set in the arena. Mysteriously he settles sooo nicely in 30 degree summer weather!

Overall, definitely agree with needing to improve impulsion. The canter is not there. Some of it is a discombobulated adult amateur trying to remember how to actually ride with her weight in her heels/give an actual release. We get the rushing to fences, but the videos definitely don’t show it. I think the second video shows the unbalanced nature vs. galloping.

FWIW- I do lease the mare, but will not buying her/taking her with me (from previous threads). I like COTH because it confirms the not-so-happy correct thoughts that I have.

Overall, definitely agree with needing to improve impulsion. The canter is not there. Some of it is a discombobulated adult amateur trying to remember how to actually ride with her weight in her heels/give an actual release. We get the rushing to fences, but the videos definitely don’t show it. I think the second video shows the unbalanced nature vs. galloping.

FWIW- I do lease the mare, but will not buying her/taking her with me (from previous threads). I like COTH because it confirms the not-so-happy correct thoughts that I have. Also, bless the mare- she is a brick house. Definitely very very wide (36 cm tree Prestige saddle fits her).