Just interested in some opinions, I have a super cute little tb mare I am trying to sell, I think she will make an awesome kids hunter/jumper all around fun horse. The last trainer who came to look at her thought she was great but didn’t like that she doesn’t pull to the fences. I ride her in a nathe Mullen loose ring as she has a soft mouth and really doesn’t require anything different. I agree, she does not see a fence and start pulling the rider towards it, she just maintains the same step & soft contact. I understand some people’s preference to be taken more to the jumps, I’m more wondering if people think this is just a natural preference of each horse or if it is something that you can school? Can you teach a horse to pull the rider more to the fences? I quite enjoy her soft way of going myself, she is the same in her flat work. Just curious after an interesting convo with this trainer 
Long ago, I was working with this BNT, he had won olympics and World Championships and I was exercising this former winner of his, awesome horse, now older.
Horse was going super great for me, he told me I could show horse in a couple of months.
After riding the horse for a while, he got on and did some short courses he had set up and then told me, I had the horse way too light, horse would go better if it pulled to the jumps more.
We worked on that and I had to go against my normal way of riding the horse the lightest it would go, let horse take a bit more hold.
The way he explained, too light would take a bit of the power the horse has if it is a little more into the bit and of course he ought to know, he had won enough, at the top, on several different horses.
I didn’t have that trouble riding his other horses, they were less super sensitive and obliging as that one was, more into going to the jumps in very controllable but forceful ways.
Once I understood how he wanted horse ridden, I adjusted fine to it.
I wonder if there is a point where soft in the bridle means a bit too much backed off contact to be the whole ride sufficiently forward, if there is too soft for better consistent performance, needs a bit more leg?
You may want to ask your trainers, see what they have to say.
Maybe your horse could go better with more contact when jumping, not as soft as you like it?
Is a shorter rein and more contact being explained as “pulling”? Every school of horsemanship I’ve run across is seeking a light, soft mouth!
Seems to me that the horse should maintain a rhythm to the jump, NOT “pull” nor “back off” to the jump. Maintaining a rhythm is key to finding the right take off spot. But with what goes on these days in the show horse world, I guess a variety of different ideas prosper. Some of which a person may agree with, and some NOT. I want a horse to look to the jump, maintain his rhythm, unless it needs adjusting. If it does need adjusting, we both agree that it does.
Are we talking hunters or jumpers here?
I was assuming jumpers, but may be wrong, OP mentions both.
I prefer the soft way of going especially for a nervous kid/ammy or kid moving off of ponies. I hate being dragged to a fence which my current horse does.
We’ve just recently noticed my young horse (jumper) has FINALLY started actually pulling like that to the jumps, so I’ve been thinking about this a lot. He tends to get too light and off the contact and that means he is not over his back. In turn, that means he isn’t sitting and jumping up and over, he just sort of either jumps like a deer with his head up or he dumps onto his forehand and then lawn darts himself with his very powerful hind end over the jumps. Having him in the bridle more (not pulling, just nicely in my hand) means we are balanced, forward, flowing, and able to be adjustable to the jumps. He’s so much more confident now, it’s been a really nice change to experience in him.
Both of my horses are much happier in my hand- just that bit- to the jumps (along with a lot of leg to keep the hund end up under me). It’s a good line of communication between us, and when they aren’t pulling just a little things aren’t what they should be to have a bold, balanced, confident jump.
Total guess but I doubt he means drag to a fence but perhaps more of an open throat latch and seeking the bit feeling. I’ve been land bound for many years but when I do jump I prefer a horse that feels like they are taking me to a jump. It doesn’t mean that they changed tempo, grabbed the bit, or root in any way. It was a feeling that the horse saw the fence and you had a feeling of yes we are going to it and over. Comparatively, I’ve sat on some horses that are so lovely and even tempo but three strides out you have a bit of a “they do see the fence right?” Feeling.
Rather than try to change the horse I’d be inclined to find someone who likes a horse that is so comfortable with waiting for the fence and gives that super light feeling than try to change the horse for a potential other rider.
I think your mare’s way of going sounds lovely.
Maybe it’s more the feeling of the horse “locking in” on the jump, not necessarily dragging the rider? As a more timid rider myself I don’t mind having to push my horse to the fence, but a soft horse that locks in usually makes it easy to find the right stride!
I think theres a semantics issue here…think “pulling” was not referring to getting dragged to the jump by an out of balance horse. Have heard many riders say they want a horse to “ take them to the jump” and/or they prefer a “pull back ride to a kick along ride”. Heard that mostly from successful Jumper riders used to big courses with tight time allowed.
However, the better I got, the more I learned it was a whole lot easier to find the distances with a 3’ Hunter off a pull back ride then a push ride.
Anyway, think that trainer in the first post was referring to preferring one that would take them to that fence. Not drag them.
I have also heard some say “I want the horse a bit more awake to the jumps, not just cruising along, half asleep”.
If you see that trainer again, ask him what exactly he was seeing, what else did he want from the horse and why and how would he work to get that?
I do love a soft ride but being a bit of a nervous ammy I prefer a horse that “takes me” to the fence or makes a bit of a bid for the jump. I hate having to squeeze/kick/hope we’re going over the fence if that makes sense. Maybe that’s what the trainer was looking for?
Many moons ago when I was starting ponies we would teach them to “hunt the fences” by going around courses nice and forward and it seemed to work! Not flying around at crazy speeds, but a nice forward pace towards the jumps.
