Jumping outside of lessons

[WildGooseChase]

I grew up in many barns that did not allow anything but flat work without trainer supervision. Have you talked to your trainer about this?

As a trainer, yes exposure will benefit you in some ways, but jumping without a trainer present can and will have ill effects on your equitation. I would advise for your particular situation NOT to jump without a trainer present. You said it yourself. You have issues with anxiety, position and getting in your horses way. Those are things that you need to fix with a trainer for safety reasons.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

Agree with everyone else.

In horses, it isn’t ‘practice makes perfect;’ it’s ‘perfect practice makes perfect.’ Every second you’re on your horse, you are training him. If you jump alone, with your admitted issues/fears, you will be teaching him bad habits (and yourself), which it will be VERY difficult to train out of both of you!

You might check out Jane Savoie’s book That Winning Feeling. She discusses visualization techniques that many athletes today use to prepare. Some of them might help you address your jumping issues.

[AlexxSays]

My barn also had the “no jumping without a trainer rule” unless you’re one of the very few that are competing as an amature at the grand prix level. We are however allowed to do poles if they are set (and if we set them ourselves our trainers know we can accurate set the strides).

I personally incorporate a lot of cavaletti into my flatwork at the recomendation of my trainer- however it’s usually more like slightly raised canter or trot poles and I only go over them with her blessing. (I ride early in the mornings before work when she puts training rides on horses- meaning even if I’m not in a lesson I do have my trainer present).

If you’re having issues with refusals and jumping and anxiety jumping without a trainer will most likely make it much worse- plus each horse only has so many jumps in them, and you want to make every jump count! I agree with those that meantioned a training ride- I know it really helps to 1) undo all the bad habit’s I’ve accidently started teaching my horse since I’m learning too and 2) helps me feel more confident when I get back in the saddle because I know he has already successfully completed whatever jumps I’m going to ask of him.

Good luck with everything!

[Linny]

Wise words from a favorite upper level jumper rider/trainer: “Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.”

Too often when you “practice” something that is a new skill on your own you establish less than ideal habits. It sounds like your nerves have created some bad habits (not riding confidently to/over the jumps) and if you jump on your own without the trainer instilling the confidence, it is not going to be productive.

[Angela_Freda]

I would also suggest that maybe continue to take a lesson once a week on a schoolie to build your confidence.
I rode all the schoolies where I rode as a teen, and I knew each of them very well.
Knowing what you can expect can help build your confidence and might be smart to do while getting to know your new horse.

I also second the suggestion of the Savoie book That Winning Feeling.
Learning to practice by visualizing doing it right/well is a very astute way to wring more benefit out of your lessons.

[pony_grandma]

Jumping without ‘eyes on the ground’ especially on a green horse is not a good idea. Regrettably the word ‘trainer’ is not a given for instruction. Not passing judgment here but who knows in every situation here on a forum. I was a beginner rider on a young green OTTB once… that in the words of the immortal Bruce Davidson he asked “She’s learning how to jump on this???” (I was overhorsed)

Now in hind sight I think of all the things I wish I had known back then. Altho I did have very high quality help. But since then I’ve learned so much more.

#1 advice to people - go watch good riding. A tank of gas is cheap for the education. It helps you develop an eye for when it is done right (and when it looks wrong). Volunteering at Horse Trials if you are inclined to eventing will really help you learn, a lot.

#2 So while I was volunteering as an xc fence judge, at a much later stage of life, I had a huge revelation. I was fence sitting at the starter division - which is laughable bc I started back in the 70’s and there wasn’t such a thing. I saw this experienced (pro?) come through on a young horse at a big strong road trot - that horse was justa stringing those fences together, trotting into them straight and so focused that the horse never even saw the jump judges sitting there and that can be a huge issue for the beginner rider or the beginner horse that you see come to the fence in a canter that starts going sideways and ends up going plop for the rider.

We had a young green homebred horse at home that my youngest DD was riding. I came home - dragged all the standards out into the field, all over the field, set cross poles and I told her to strong trot over and over all around, and saw the same result. Horse and rider became stronger and more confident. Straighter! Then we started the low gymnastics. Horse really had the idea of forward and straight.

#3 riding out. Trail riding out, up and down, taught my kids and green horses balance, trust, relaxation and thinking/reaction skills. Built the strength they both needed to school correctly.

#4 I’ve used game exercises to relax riders. We had a young OTTB that was extremely lookey to fences. I had DDs yell out "GO!’ before fences. Just the expression of the air from the yell made their body more convincing to the horse, as well it made their body/seat more secure to the takeoff. I had kids do the ‘I don’t see the bogeyman march’ yelling it out so I could hear them to convince their horses to go past something spooky. I’ve put raw tiny eggs in their hands if they have hand tension and they clench the reins. You should see the realization on their faces after they’ve told me I’m not, I don’t do that…

Sorry for all the dialog but I am a fan of mixing things up to teach confidence for both horse and rider.

[Jarrn]

My barn does not have this rule, but I’ve seen many that do. It makes sense to have this as a rule, especially for the beginning riders and/or green horses. Riding a horse that you’re not confident jumping can become a pretty vicious cycle as it appears you have learned. The horse refuses, then you get nervous on the next approach (and likely tense up, pull back, etc), horse refuses again, etc. Like I said, my barn does not have this rule but as I’m one of only a few boarders its not a big deal. We did have a young teen (beginner) western rider decide she was going to start riding english and jumping and of course promptly got plowed into the ground after her saintly horse had finally had enough of her “jumping.” That’s the type of situation that is prevented by having a “no jumping” rule at barns.

I would do like some others have mentioned and start with poles on the ground since that is definitely doable outside of a lesson. I do think, at this stage, it is not advisable for you to jump outside of a lesson.

It does seem a bit of a moot point, however, as per your barn’s rules you cannot jump outside of lessons even if it would help you. Your trainer should be setting you up for success and should be able to start you on higher fences without you getting anxious. Have you talked to her about this? Is she actively attempting to fix this issue or is she just telling you what jumps to hit and not much feedback?

[TheHunterKid90]

Do you get nervous or feel you would get nervous if you were practicing on your own? Does some of your anxiety stem from your trainer watching you and getting nervous doing something that gives you anxiety in front of someone?

edited to add:
do you get more or less worked up when given time to process the exercise (or whatever jump makes you nervous) or do you perform better on a whim not being allowed to over think (hey Sally, pop over that vertical on the quarter line!)

[walktrot]

Apart from training issues, a horse’s skeleton matures around the age of 6,. The spinal column is the last part of the skeleton to reach full maturity when the growth plates fuse to the bones. Dr Deb Bennett has an article on skeletal development that is widely recognized as the best source on skeletal development and maturity.

From her article:

“No horse, of any breed or bloodline, is mature before the age of 5 ½.
The last parts of the skeleton to become mature are the vertebrae and teeth.
The last teeth erupt in a male horse at age 5 ½ to 6. The last vertebral growth plates also fuse at about this age, or later.”

Every contact with a horse is a training session. If you are having problems doesn’t it make sense to limit your jumping to your lessons with your trainer? There are plenty of ground work exercises you can do between lessons, mounted and unmounted. It reduces stress on her body and is a good way to build your relationship with her.