So I recently bought a young horse (4 yr old warmblood). She has an incredibly sweet personality, well bred, jumping small courses with a lead change. She does have a bit of a spook at the jumps that wasn’t really disclosed to us, but I’m not sure if that’s something that should simply be expected since she’s only 4. Luckily she has not offered to do anything dangerous, will just do a fairly polite downward transition, though I have not pushed the issue much since I don’t want to punish or fluster her, so not sure if there would be a bigger reaction if I did press her on it. So far, if I show her the jump beforehand and let her sniff it, she goes over. It has just been the times that I have gone to a jump without showing it to her, that she has stopped, but then gone over it when I circle back and try again. I’m a little worried, but she is so young that I’m hoping she will outgrow it. Those of you with experience developing young horses, do they usually get braver or do you find one with a spook will always have it? I don’t mind a peek here and there but would like something that goes to the other side without always having to show her the jumps as I have goals of showing. TIA
Are you working with a trainer, how often, and how extensive is their experience with young horses?
I am, we are in a full training program 5x week
Most of them get quieter about different jumps the more they see different jumps. The most important thing is that you have a stable position and don’t interfere by being off balance or catching her in the mouth if she looks/stops/jumps big. It might be best to stick to jumping very basic poles that she’s seen a bunch of times when you are riding her and have your trainer ride her over the things she might peek at. It’s incredibly important that she has a positive ride at this stage, otherwise she might get anxious and start rushing the fences or stopping.
As an aside, 5x a week under saddle is a lot for a 4yo. 3x a week under saddle and maybe one day of ground work would be a more reasonable schedule.
We aren’t drilling her 5 days a week. I think a light flat ride is actually less physically and mentally straining than a groundwork/lounge session would be, at least for this horse.
I don’t know what you’re doing under saddle but I can promise you that a ground work/longeing session can and should be less work than an under saddle arena ride for a 4yo. Longeing/groundwork should never be running in circles or working a horse until they’re sore/sour/tired.
Having a 4 y/o in full under saddle work is not at all uncommon especially if it’s bred to be a show horse. I typically have them in 5x week work by the end of their 3 y/o year, I find it helps a lot of them settle into a program/routine and understand the basis of their job. They don’t get worked hard all of the days, Some of them are quite light. But at the end of the day it depends on the horse
With that type of horse, making it very simple and boring will help build confidence that will later translate to different looking jumps. Introduce new questions slowly. You want to avoid having her think stopping is an option, by setting yourself up for her to go over the first time without stress, even if she will jump on the second try.
Thanks for your reply. I have been thinking along these lines and going forward I think I’ll show her everything so that she isn’t getting into a routine of stopping to take a look the first approach. Just hoping she will outgrow the need for that at some point !
Some horses just aren’t brave, but so long as there isn’t a pain reason for it, you can train in more confidence. It’s a slower road to being a show horse than with one that is more brave and bold, but if you are careful to avoid overfacing the horse, you can for sure get to a place where they don’t have to sniff every single jump first.
Thank you! This makes me feel a bit better! She is lovely in pretty much every other way so I have high hopes for her
Just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s good
Well I’ve developed numerous young horses, most of which were in 5x week work by the time they were 4, and so far all have turned out to be happy and successful show horses so it’s been working OK for me. Maybe it doesn’t work for you/your horse, because they all have different needs, but my point is that riding a 4 y/o 5x week is not inherently bad. I don’t think we have enough information to tell if the OP’s horse is one of those or not.
And I’ve done my method multiple times, and have had great success as well. However, I’ve seen many more horses ruined by working too much too soon than I’ve seen not prepared for show life by going too slow.
Not to point out the obvious… but there’s many roads to Rome.
It’s possible that you’re both right. AND…you both already think you’re right…so can we go back to helping the OP.
Thanks!
Em
4 days per week for a 4 year old.
Sounds like more time hacking and less strenuous days might help?
Check for lyme?
It seems to me that if a young horse is constantly spooky about jumps in the arena, it’s because they don’t believe you that they are safe. They don’t have confidence that the rider will keep them safe, and that if the rider says that it’s “safe” and to “go to the jump”, then the horse must believe that this is true. If the horse does not believe this, he will have to take over, and decide for himself whether or not it is safe. And he may decide that it is NOT safe, and thus stop… refuse to go to the jump and/or stop or balk. I think that you need to prove to this horse that what you are going to ask him to do for you is safe, and that he must believe you when you say it’s safe. You have to prove to him that what you say is true, and that he should put his trust in you. I’d ride him out. On the trail, outside the ring, let him see many different things that he might not be sure of. And you let him look, and ask him “forward” past it, or over it. All sorts of different things. And make sure that you are right, that the thing actually IS safe, and the horse does not get hurt or frightened. You put your leg on, and the horse goes forward, believing that his rider is trustworthy, and you reward him for doing as you ask. Then, when you ask him to go to a jump he has not seen before, something “different”, he will still believe you that you will keep him safe, and that he should go forward to the jump as you ask him to do.
“Forward” is the most important thing for a horse to understand. And “trust” is so important. The horse must trust that what you tell him is true, that he can trust you to keep him safe. Trust is something that you must EARN. Sometimes this comes easy with a young horse, sometimes it doesn’t. Expand his horizons, earn his trust. Reward him for giving it to you. If he is concerned about a jump, he should still go to it, and just jump bigger.
I agree that how to work a young horse, is very horse, and in my experience, breed dependent.
I’ve found that IME, TB’s (not as sure about Warmbloods, I’ve never brought one up) need the stimulation of being ridden, to learn how to behave under saddle and are equipped brain-wise to handle that training when ridden well. They learn ground manners and aides quickly and don’t require too much time for the ground work to sink in. Once that is installed, good, patient riding is important if the horse is to become successful at a performance career or a solid citizen.
I think that hacking out is very important. If your young horse is spooky hacking out, have a solid oldie hack out with you, or pony your youngster from a steady eddy.
Of course each horse is an individual, but in my experience (TBs Arabs and QHs) most well bred horses are fairly intelligent. If they aren’t (I’ve had not so bright but sweet QHs) then you may have to putz around on the ground more often for them to understand cues when a rider is up.
Yours sounds like an intelligent horse. Do what you are doing but take it slow, take it out of the arena weekly and just don’t over face her.
Best not to get too set on our method and ideas, as horses come in all kinds and adapting to each horse’s peculiar ways is most times a good way to train.
Some four year olds or around that go thru several weeks/months of insecurity, questioning many things, including jumps.
With consistent riding to help them get over their fears, again each horse may take a different way to do so, once that period of development is over they revert to the confident critter they naturally are.
Not making a big thing of things helps.
Once we received a fabulous 4 year old imported Holsteiner gelding that was stopping big time just in training, they had not shown him yet and were dumping him cheap.
We started slow and low trying to figure why he had been so bad to stop to look, but for some reason with us he never hesitated, much less stopped.
We were showing him successfully that summer and he didn’t ever shied or stopped.
Never could figure what his problem was, had disappeared by the time we started with him.
We wondered if it was one of those youngster’s fear periods and it ended as we received him.
Maybe also that with young stock, we did some groundwork to teach confidence, like dragging a feed sack in a way they became interested and followed it around, making it a game.
That seems to give young horses a more interested rather than scared attitude on odd new things.
Always remember when evaluating situations and looking for solutions, don’t believe everything you think. 
The best road to take with any young horse regardless of what discipline they are heading for, is to train them to be an “all around” horse. Get the horse off the property regularly by either hacking or trailering out. Have them learn to open gates while you are the saddle, go over tarps, go through water etc. desensitizing to scary things will be your best friend. Some horses are braver than others but you have to really help the less brave ones think the world and weird looking things are ok. You may not have this option, but if there is an obstacle course near you for horses, aspire to do this with your mare. Best of luck!
