I will be competing 1.30m jumpers this show season. Does my horse need to practice jumping this height? Or can all my training be done over 2’ fences. I know horses have a limited number of jumps so I do not want to burn him out or risk injury. But I do want to make sure he is fit and ready to do 1.30m courses and the size of the jumps wont scare him (or me). It seems every trainer has a different approach regarding this. Some put a lot of emphasis on getting the horse ‘jumping fit’ and use gymnastic jumping exercises once or twice a week using just a few jumps and working up slowly to a height 1 level higher than will be competing. And others do all their schooling over small fences and maybe a week or two before the show raise one or two up to competition height. Is it reasonable to rely on the horses natural ability to jump? Or do they need to build muscle to do it safely?
Have you and/or your horse competed at 1.30 before?
Do you have a trainer?
At the risk of being told my response is too blunt, it is time for a reality check. The naivete of this question indicates that you are not ready for 1.30m. You have no idea how to train for it or whether your horse needs “muscle” or “natural ability” (the answer is “both, to begin with”). You indicate the height of the jumps might scare you. This all looks like a formula for you or your horse to get hurt, or at least shaken beyond repair. I suggest you take it back a notch and jump 1.0m courses until it bores you into a coma. Then move up a bit at a time. For 1.30m you need a trainer, a fit, well-prepared horse, a lot of guidance about how to ride between the jumps (which is more important than the height of them) and an abundance of well-earned confidence. I wish you the best, when you are ready for it.
We need more information before anyone can give you much of an answer.
What is your experience level?
What is your horse’s experience level?
Do you have a trainer?
Does your trainer have experience riding at that level and training others at that level?
When you have a seasoned pair, then yes, you can do the majority of your training over low jumps (although I wouldn’t say 2’, that’s too low; I want the horse to at least JUMP). If either you or the horse is new to the level, and it sounds like you are, then you absolutely need to be schooling over that height with the kinds of courses and jumps that you’d see at a show.
You got good answers.
Do keep in mind that training is training, and not just for “show season”.
I agree with the other posters. Also keep in mind that prepping for your first year at 1.30m, or any height, is very different than prepping for your second/third/etc. Someone experienced in the 1.30m may not need to jump 1.30m often to prepare. Someone who has never seen the height before absolutely needs to be jumping that height at home.
[QUOTE=Gorgonzola;7971883]
Have you and/or your horse competed at 1.30 before?
Do you have a trainer?[/QUOTE]
Thank you for the responses. I competed 1.30m/1.35m successfully all last show season. I changed trainers at the beginning to a show barn and we had a great show season and it wasn’t until off season that I noticed the drastic difference in training style. Our last show was in Oct. The horses then had a month off of jumping. And since then we have jumped nothing but 2’ courses so as not to over jump the horse. With our last trainer we did a lot of gymnastics to help the horse with jumping form and build jumping muscles and now we do none. We are off to our first show in a couple weeks and I am concerned my horse is not ready and I don’t want him to hurt himself. When I asked my trainer about this he said we will put the jumps up soon but didn’t feel it necessary to practice big jumps cause the horse is very athletic. When I asked others in the barn in same training program doing same thing they advised me not to question and said “he knows what he’s doing”. And while I would love to relax and trust, my gut feeling tells me my horse needs to work up to that height again. I appreciate marathon runners don’t run marathons to practice running a marathon but they do run longer and longer runs. So even if a horse is very athletic I feel they still need some training and 2 weeks just doesn’t seem like enough time to get him ready?
My horse and I have done many shows together at 1.30/1.35 and have had much success. The plan is to move up to 1.40 this year. He’s a super horse. We’re just used to having a lot of gymnastics in our training program with our old trainer and find the dramatic difference in training style with our new and supposedly superior trainer a little confusing. My horses well being is number one priority and I don’t feel confident that we have prepared him well enough. But our new trainer insists he is very athletic and doesn’t need to practice big jumps he can do it. Our last show was in October and our first show is in two weeks. We have been schooling 2’verticles just playing with tracks and strides etc all at a very slow canter our horse has lots of blood so good exercises for keeping him settled…perhaps that’s all he needs?
I don’t know what others will say about this but ultimately this is your decision and your horse who’s care is in your hands. I say that as an empowering statement.
I’m just an amateur, but…
I totally disagree with your trainer. 2’, in my opinion, is not good enough prep when you’re getting ready for a show. It doesn’t keep your horse “jumping-fit,” as my trainer calls it. 2’ is another canter step. You really don’t get the horse to start using itself until 3’ (obviously this depends on the horse, but for a super scopey one, I’d say at least 3’).
Yes, you don’t need to practice big jumps, but you at least need to be working those muscles properly, and 2’ isn’t going to do it. I would definitely be schooling this horse over a big track a few times before you show. If you haven’t shown since October and haven’t jumped height at all since then, you might want to consider stepping down a level or two for the first show.
[QUOTE=crazyforhorses;7971872]
I will be competing 1.30m jumpers this show season. Does my horse need to practice jumping this height? Or can all my training be done over 2’ fences. I know horses have a limited number of jumps so I do not want to burn him out or risk injury. But I do want to make sure he is fit and ready to do 1.30m courses and the size of the jumps wont scare him (or me). It seems every trainer has a different approach regarding this. Some put a lot of emphasis on getting the horse ‘jumping fit’ and use gymnastic jumping exercises once or twice a week using just a few jumps and working up slowly to a height 1 level higher than will be competing. And others do all their schooling over small fences and maybe a week or two before the show raise one or two up to competition height. Is it reasonable to rely on the horses natural ability to jump? Or do they need to build muscle to do it safely?[/QUOTE]
Just in case.
[QUOTE=crazyforhorses;7972779]
Thank you for the responses. I competed 1.30m/1.35m successfully all last show season. I changed trainers at the beginning to a show barn and we had a great show season and it wasn’t until off season that I noticed the drastic difference in training style. Our last show was in Oct. The horses then had a month off of jumping. And since then we have jumped nothing but 2’ courses so as not to over jump the horse. With our last trainer we did a lot of gymnastics to help the horse with jumping form and build jumping muscles and now we do none. We are off to our first show in a couple weeks and I am concerned my horse is not ready and I don’t want him to hurt himself. When I asked my trainer about this he said we will put the jumps up soon but didn’t feel it necessary to practice big jumps cause the horse is very athletic. When I asked others in the barn in same training program doing same thing they advised me not to question and said “he knows what he’s doing”. And while I would love to relax and trust, my gut feeling tells me my horse needs to work up to that height again. I appreciate marathon runners don’t run marathons to practice running a marathon but they do run longer and longer runs. So even if a horse is very athletic I feel they still need some training and 2 weeks just doesn’t seem like enough time to get him ready?[/QUOTE]
This one too since the story is a little different
[QUOTE=crazyforhorses;7972782]
My horse and I have done many shows together at 1.30/1.35 and have had much success. The plan is to move up to 1.40 this year. He’s a super horse. We’re just used to having a lot of gymnastics in our training program with our old trainer and find the dramatic difference in training style with our new and supposedly superior trainer a little confusing. My horses well being is number one priority and I don’t feel confident that we have prepared him well enough. But our new trainer insists he is very athletic and doesn’t need to practice big jumps he can do it. Our last show was in October and our first show is in two weeks. We have been schooling 2’verticles just playing with tracks and strides etc all at a very slow canter our horse has lots of blood so good exercises for keeping him settled…perhaps that’s all he needs?[/QUOTE]
And now it’s going to be 1.4m this season.
Didnt want to do the snippet type quotes, rather be sure nothing changes in the originals.
I’m an amateur as well and currently showing at the 1.0m/1.10m depending on show and school up to 1.15m. I have an older horse (16) and I only jump once or twice a week but not always at those heights.
When my trainer wants me to work on something specific, right now it’s making use of more efficient rollbacks into a jump (difference between winning or losing a JO), we have been practicing at the 2’6 to 3’ height. But this allows for both me and my horse to gain confidence and even if we make a mistake it’s at a height my horse can easily save my bum at. However to keep my horse fit for the height we will also have a lesson or I will school a regular hunter course at the height I show.
I just find that working on technical stuff in the Jumper ring can be done at a lower height to gain confidence. Quite honestly the aids I use to make a roll back do not change when the height does so since we’re working on my aids and use of them a lower height is sufficient.
To my mind, as long as your horse is getting enough work to have him be fit to gallop around a 1.30m course, working slow on the flat and over small fences could be sufficient. If you’re empahsizing working off the hind end, for example (and even better, over uneven terrain), you are probably building up his hind end without stressing his front end the same way you might over fences. There are plenty of exercises that can be done over small fences or even poles on the ground that tune up rideability.
But really, if you’ve got questions about the process, you should sit down with your trainer and find out what his philosophy is. And if you want to jump up because of your confidence issues, that’s something you should mention, too. Don’t ride with a trainer whose methods you don’t trust.
I agree with paw- sit down with your trainer and express your concerns. If you don’t feel prepared, that is going to affect your performance. If your horse doesn’t feel prepared to you, ditto the above.
I understand the theory behind not jumping big if the horse is educated and experienced but 2’ is ridiculously small. I routinely jump my young horse 2’6"-3’ to work on trickier or new stuff, and save the big fences for a once a week hard jump school/lesson. I don’t think I would bother with 2’- horses don’t jump those the same, the distances are different, and so on. My older horse won’t jump anything below 2’6" most of the time- he will often actually step on those or blow through them, which can be embarrassing, to say the least! Cavalettis and trot poles are a different training tool, and super-useful, but they don’t take the place of decent-sized jumps to work on one’s eye and such.
I also think that gymnastics are an excellent winter training tool, and would feel weird about not including those in my show prep. Again, though- you should gather your courage and sit down with your trainer. You are paying him to help you be competitive, and you need to have confidence in his training methods for you and for your horse. 
OP, your updates completely alter the question. At first it appeared that you are a “2’ rider” planning to move up to the 1.3!!!
I’m not a 1.3 rider or even close but I would think that a horse should be doing some bigger stuff (show height) to get fit and maintain fitness for doing that height. It also helps the rider solidify her eye at the height.
Your new trainer seems to have a very different approach. Gymnastics build fitness without doing long courses or even big fences. I’d be concerned for my horse’s fitness and my confidence if I were asked to ride a 1.3 course off a winter of 2’ courses.
Have you spoken to your trainer? Maybe he is looking at a long show season and still considering this part of the “down time” and plans to build you up as the 1st shows approach? Maybe he’s looking to save some of the big jumps for when in counts? I don’t know, just playing the Devil’s Advocate here.
I don’t know where you are. Here in upstate NY, the first significant shows won’t occur until April unless you travel south. Some horses coming off a busy show year are just starting to get back into light work, so there is still time. I would be concerned about the lack of gymnastic work. I find them great for horses and riders and every barn (save for one) where I have ridden has used them often in winter.
I agree with many others. 2’ is much too small, pretty sure my cavaletti’s are almost 2’ and my mare steps over these rather than jump.
In my opinion, if all your doing is 2’, horse is not likely 1.30 jumping fit.
For me and my mare. For even difficult things, 2’6 is usually the smallest fence you will see and we only show 3’ at most.
