Yup. I knew she was in Mexico from her other thread. I asked height because it can be a factor moving up in jumpers.
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Yeah, I am happy I am tallish (5’9) so I am never caught in the mindset of “pocket rocket jumper” while shopping for horses / leases. I look ridiculous on anything less than 16.1, which typically comes with a normal 12 ft stride.
Some people can make a short strided animal work to a certain fence height (which I will never jump, no thanks to more than 1.20 in a grid!), but I rather not work against an animal’s natural way of going for their ‘day job’.
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This all sounds so familiar
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If I had to guess, the ‘perfect at .90 and below’ but ‘stops at 1.10+’ has a lot to do with his stride and way of going.
I have a pony, and while he manages the horse strides just fine, we don’t have the luxury of long legs. Doing courses 2’9” and below, it’s not a big deal - it’s super easy for him height-wise, and distance-wise if we mess up, he can pop a chip or go a bit long, with enough power to clear the fence just fine. At 3’-3’3”, we can get a deep distance or a bit of a long and it’s still ok, but he won’t save me from a serious miss. We’re both experienced enough to know that’s not going to have a great outcome, so he’ll politely dive out the side while I thank him for his good sense.
At 3’6”/1.10m, if we’re doing singles to school I can still have a bit of a miss and he’ll jump out - scope-wise he’s still ok - but on a course it becomes a whole new kettle of fish. If I miss going in to a combination, he doesn’t have the stride length to power out and save us over the subsequent missed distance. And doing a 2 in a 1 stride at that height is completely unsafe. The fence height is fine, but the distances start to get scary because he can’t dig me out if I mess up. He would try his heart out, but I would never forgive myself if something happened. So he won’t be a 1.10 horse.
From what you’ve written, I’m guessing that you have to gun it to make those horse distances. Can you easily, comfortably, non-scarily leave out a stride from your normal pace? If you’re already stretching a little bit to make the strides on-course, he probably doesn’t have the reserve in stride length to easily adjust out of a sticky spot, if that makes sense. I’m guessing he’s also the type of horse that gets his power from speed. So if you make him go ‘slow’ he can’t power up enough to make it over comfortably. (Compare the old-style Grand Prix galloping-type courses that favoured thoroughbreds to the modern courses that require horses to be super catty and adjustable, which favour warmbloods).
Without seeing him, I’d guess that he’s actually not that confident at that height - so when he’s ‘done jumping’ he’s scared himself and is saying ‘no way!’ to subsequent jumps. If you were dead accurate and confident, he’d probably be fantastic and competitive at 1.10-1.20. But you’re not, and that’s OK!!
(Obviously it could also be pain-related, but given that he’s a hony this may be what’s going on.)
If he were my horse, I’d be selling him as a .90m packer, and if anyone asks about jumping higher (especially if he has a competitive record at that height), I’d tell them that at 1.10m + he needs a very strong, experienced, tactful, confident rider as he’ll stop if the distance and ride isn’t absolutely perfect. 3’ gentlemen that have lovely flatwork who win at shows are always in demand anyway, in my experience.
Given that he’s knocked your confidence, I really would not be keeping him. I’m guessing your trainer likes him because he’s fast and he wins. He might be thinking ‘if we just get you a bit more accurate and confident, you’ll be cleaning up at shows’. He might even be thinking of a horse he had when he was younger, who was hellish under saddle but made him a better rider. But with the confidence issues (not to mention potential injury to yourself!) you’re probably going to develop some bad defensive habits and things will get more difficult the more stops he pulls, so I wouldn’t say that’s a good reason to keep him.
One of my trainers kept hinting that a certain mare at the barn would be ‘just perfect’ for me to step up on and made a point of talking her up every time an opportunity arose. Since I saw the mare every time I walked through the barn, I knew her medical history (tendon issues) and her temperament (she kicked AND bit), so it was a polite no from me. She was a 1.20-1.30 packer and cheap (due to aforementioned issues) and I could have probably gone up the levels very quickly with her, so I can see where my trainer was coming from. But I knew that she wouldn’t be a fun horse for me, so I wasn’t interested.
A trainer’s advice isn’t gospel, so I wouldn’t worry too much about comments that you should consider keeping him. He isn’t fun, you don’t enjoy getting chucked into fences, and your confidence has taken a hit. You need a different horse that can be fun and rebuild your confidence. Remember, riding is supposed to be fun!
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We usually do have to chip in a stride so yeah you are dead on the nose 
He just hates going long so I always try to either get the perfect distance or get him a bit buried into the jump but even at the perfect distance if he’s in a bad mood he won’t budge. I am glad he has a good sense, because I would much rather have a smart horse that says ‘no thank you’ when i mess up bad and we could get hurt than a horse that just jumps recklessly but sometimes I know he’s just being a bit of a jerk when i do get the right speed and distance and he still says ‘nope’.
He 100% gets most of his power from speed, that and his kid rider before me also seemed to just like going really fast, and we have done 1.10 courses and match all the strides perfectly but even in a combination he just wants to chip in that extra stride and that can 100% lead to us flipping over or hurting ourselves.
Thank you for the advice! I was trying out horses before, i posted on here as well, and I tried a certain horse my trainer was sure I would love and she ended up being the worst of them for me at least (she was an amazing mare but the second i put a bit of leg I could feel her rearing to go and that was a big no for me), so yeah I can see why people say not all advice is good advice
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Do share
Please forgive me for saying so, but it kind of sounds like your trainer is trying to put you on the fastest, most aggressive types that win classes (when they’re not running out or pitching their riders) versus something you can actually feel good on right now.
Being a “fighter” and having “competitive spirit” is great and all but you shouldn’t have to grit your teeth and have the blood drain from your face every time you walk in the ring and hear the buzzer. It may be time to more directly and firmly state to your trainer what you want.
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If it helps, I would personally look at it as having ‘outgrown’ him rather than ‘failed to max out his scope’. Most horses belonging to non-professionals could jump higher than they do with their amateur owners, but that’s ok because their job isn’t to jump until they can’t jump any higher! Their job is to be a safe partner. And at a certain point, you’ve maxed them out to the height you can while still being confident, happy, and safe, and it’s time for a new horse who can take you to the next level, while remaining confident, happy, and safe.
(That’s not to say that you shouldn’t ride horses who push your comfort level sometimes - but there’s a difference between ‘Wow! My usual horse is a kick ride; with this one I have to remember to half halt so he doesn’t leave a stride out in this line!’ and ‘I think we might die flipping over the back rail of this oxer if I’m not perfect and Oh No he’s run past the distance’
I also agree that you should consider if you want ‘powerful, fast, always wins the class but kind of scary’ or ‘can probably win with a smart ride, but maybe a little more chill, a little less power, and a lot more fun’ and you should let your trainer know so that he can adjust what horses you look at. I’d say that was the difference between Fin and Bronx. He probably advised you take Bronx because he’s powerful, he wins, and he’s closer to the horse you have currently, but I’m guessing you want a Fin, so it would probably help to let him know your thoughts on that.
If your trainer is just wants to win at any cost, that’s one issue, but he might genuinely think that’s the kind of horse you’re after. If so, you might be missing out on being shown/trying some lower-key confidence builders that can still jump the height, but might not be as competitive.
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Also consider that he’d probably be happier as a 3’ horse. From his perspective it would be less pressure and it would play to his strengths. He wouldn’t be worried about if he’ll make it over the fences, he wouldn’t be getting upset with his rider for missing a distance, and he wouldn’t be getting bossed around by a strong, experienced rider into flying around a course at a height he isn’t comfortable or confident at. Plus he’d probably love to be doted on someone who’s learning at 3’!
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There were a couple of threads where a young adult rider in Mexico was struggling with her jumper and also feeling jealous of friends who were mounted on $$$$ horses. Not the same username and search isn’t helpful. Probably just a coincidence! The tone was very similar, nothing nefarious. 
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People are going to go on about the health issues, DollyDoll, which I think you have already covered pretty well, so try not to get frustrated. It is done in a spirit of trying to be helpful, usually.
While I agree that looking first at health to understand behavior is a good idea, there is a strong chance that (since you have already looked into possible health issues) your horse’s training and temperment have simply produced an aggressive, high-strung jumper. These absolutely exist as a type, especially in the 1m-1.10m world.
If he is more relaxed and rideable at the lower heights that is where he should stay. It sounds to me as if when the fences go up he gets nervous and his rideability goes down, which isn’t fun for you (or him!), so he is giving you the answer. There is a chance that with a different training program this could change, but there is nothing wrong with selling him to a lower-level rider who will enjoy him, and starting a new partnership with a different horse for you. 
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If he’s been vetted, one reason he can seem to “not like” (i.e., refuse) with a stronger bit, is because you’re understandably probably riding with a very strong hand out of fear. This is completely normal, but it’s very hard psychologically to “give” when a horse is strong and fast. You may also be riding with a heavier hand to larger jumps, perhaps very unconsciously, out of fear.
Do you have someone who is capable whom you trust who could ride him for you to watch on the ground? That might be helpful to see the horse being given a different ride. I agree, however, that there is no shame in passing on a horse that’s not right for you to someone else. Truthfully, especially for a horse that’s being sold as a competition horse, it’s better to sell the horse sooner rather than later, before he picks up more bad habits from a rider whom he isn’t a good fit with.
Don’t be upset with yourself for not meshing with every horse, though. Especially as a young, non-professional rider, you’re right to find a horse that suits you (rather than your trainer).
You say he’s a very small horse, almost a pony? Were you riding a larger horse before? Sometimes smaller horses can feel much more out of control and springy, if they’re working harder to jump bigger. Or the horse might have been encouraged to race around the jumps by a previous owner, to take advantage of his small size to make the time.
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I get you are annoyed by my questions, but this is how we at Coth get to the bottom of things to help people. This isn’t a personal attack, it is an actual thing that if your horse is in pain they act out. CHECKED BY THE VET as you put it can literally mean the vet watching him walk and saying “yep, fine!” That doesn’t give us posters anything to work with and if you really want help we need all the details.
So he was X rayed. Where was he X rayed? What joints? Was the back/neck ever done? Were the feet done? Was the head done? Teeth X rayed?
You keep saying thorough vet check but are not wanting to answer the specific questions so I apologize if that leaves me asking you again and again and maybe a little suspicious that the horse has actually indeed had, a full work up. Where exactly was this horse X rayed, and have you had the horse recently scoped for ulcers?
You can argue until you are blue in the face that the horse is healthy and “been checked” but if you really have not done the above, then before anything else that is the very first step. Otherwise, you are wasting your time trying to work on training and behaviors when your horse is potentially acting this way for pain.
Your horse - based on your first post - is absolutely screaming for help. You should listen.
It would be extremely helpful for posters here if you could post some video.
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Yes, you should sell your horse. You tried once, but next time get the money before any riding happens.
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It sounds to me like a pretty cut and dry situation with his scope maxing out at 1.0m. Sure he can physically get over a 1.20m given the perfect distance, pace, track ect that a professional might nail every time, but that’s a different than doing a whole course with some mistakes. If we were perfect every round, we would probably stop paying half our salary for someone to yell the same things at us from the ground 
The long spot would be hard for him. It’s like asking him to stack two jumps together. It sounds like he can do that at 0.90 -1.0m which is great, but that it’s asking too much for him to make that happen at larger heights. It doesn’t sound that insane to me for him to stop/runout when asked to take the long spot maxed out on his scope. And if you do that a couple times in a row, then he doesn’t trust you and he might start stopping.
At the end of the day, all of these things are just fine!!! …depending on what you want to do. I think if you want to move up, you need a different horse. If you want to stay at the lower heights, you could drop the jumps down and work on your accuracy and probably get your confidence back. Both of those situations are ok. And its ok if your horse isn’t a 1.20m horse. Many aren’t. He sounds pretty great as a 1.0m jumper.
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Oh yes I remember, very similar tone indeed, as you say, probably coincidence.
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Oh yeah I understand. I 100% would go with health issues first when behavioral problems arise, I just got a bit frustrated because I kept repeating the same things and I kept getting questions
I had my trainer ride him for like two months and while that solved his bolting issue (when I first got him he bolted, we quickly solved it) but I have no idea why his personality never quite cooled down.
Honestly yeah, I do sort of ride with a strong hand because i just get really scared sometimes when he pulls towards the jumps because i just don’t know if we’ll see the distance and even if I do find a distance i worry he won’t like it so I do sometimes pull even in smaller jumps.
My trainer rides him at least once a week but he just sort of acts the same XD He doesn’t bolt or anything but you can see how he does pull towards the jump even when my trainer rides him. He is on the older side so maybe its just a habit was taught long ago and he kept it.
He’s my first horse! I do occasionally get to ride my friend’s horse when she can’t make it to lessons but I only ever ride my horse and him alone which is why when I started trying horses I was honestly shocked by them I was always expecting them to buck or rear or pull really hard towards the jump and when they didn’t I was like so confused.
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I don’t mind questions but when i’ve already answered them I do get a bit frustrated. he was checked completely, and when i say the vet comes to check him he comes to check him from his joints, to his eyes, and he even stays to watch the lesson to make sure my horses gaits are the same as always, watch if he catches anything off during jumping.
He got his entire back and neck, front and back legs x rayed by my vet this january and nothing was out of the ordinary, and when the dentist did his teeth recently he said they were fine. My moms mare passed recently of ulcers which was when I checked him for ulcers which was around the first week of december.
I really do get why you’re worried that he is in pain, or in fear, or I’m hurting him but I can assure you he isn’t suffering. He has never gotten sick the 2 years I’ve had him, he has always had the same personality throughout those 2 years, he has never changed, and I have never beaten him or even hit him with a whip or dug my spurs into him to make him fearful. When he came to me he was already a bit jumpy so we made sure he was always confident when working.
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Yeah, you’re totally right. I’d never actually thought about it before like that. I have always told him I prefer the slow goers to the speed demons but maybe since I’ve always won with my horse he just assumes that i want another one just like him, which I definitely don’t
I’ll try to talk to him today about it
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