Training over jumps/cavaletti/groundpoles....

[elevenelevenxo]

Any tips on teaching Rebel to pick his feet up over poles??? I figured in the beginning it was to be expected for him to knock them, but that he'd start getting it eventually. I guess he is doing better now than he was, but he still just barrels through like a train on occasion. I'm worried about him getting hurt and/or breaking the equipment (that belongs to my barn and isn't mine).

Help? :huh:

[WashingtonBay]

Not sure what you mean by "barrels through like a train". If he's rushing and getting too hyper and uncontrolled in them, it's one problem. If he's just not careful and is knocking rails because he's not trying hard enough to clear them, it's another.

[elevenelevenxo]

Not sure what you mean by "barrels through like a train". If he's rushing and getting too hyper and uncontrolled in them, it's one problem. If he's just not careful and is knocking rails because he's not trying hard enough to clear them, it's another.

The latter. He's not trying hard enough to clear them.

[Palogal]

If he's wrapped - take 'em off. Let him knock his legs, a pole won't hurt him but it might make him pick up his feet. That's how you correct horses that hang their rear legs over a fence sometimes. If you can take the poles off the ground a little.

[Palogal]

The latter. He's not trying hard enough to clear them.


Do you use a lunge whip or are you riding him over them?

[elevenelevenxo]

Do you use a lunge whip or are you riding him over them?

Both - I longe him over them, sometimes with a whip, sometimes without (depending on how lazy he is feeling that particular day), and I also ride him over ground poles and cavaletti. I do notice he tends to be a little more careful when I'm on his back than when I'm on the ground and longeing him over them.

I never put boots or wraps on him and that's part of my confusion....my trainer has told me that a horse will learn to clear poles and pay attention if it knocks them, but Rebel seems to be missing the point.

The poles at my barn do seem to be pretty small in diameter. Not sure of the exact measurements, but I know they're skinnier than most I've seen before. I wonder if that has something to do with it? I put a small cone in the center of a small jump I had set up for him once and that seemed to work in making him careful to actually clear the jump. Maybe he can't see them well enough alone? They're PVC, so light enough that I'm not SUPER worried about him hurting himself....but it sure can't be good for him to hit them enough.

[Palogal]

Argh, I hate PVC for poles. If they were to break they would break at a jagged edge and cause some serious damage. Anyway, try getting more forward out of him before the poles. Start with one pole and snap the whip behind his heels to make him hop over it. Then go to two..three...

[WashingtonBay]

The lightness of PVC poles actually leads to this problem. There's no reason to try if they fall down without consequence. I would use larger heavy wooden rounds and poles that will not easily fall down.

Better yet... a log or other obstacle that won't fall over at all. :)

[elevenelevenxo]

I don't doubt what you guys are saying at all - in fact, it makes perfect sense (re: lightness of PVC). Wooden poles make me nervous though because there's not much "give" should he hit them. I don't know, maybe I'm being overly-cautious, but I think about him smacking them and really hurting himself because they're so much harder.

Is that dumb? LOL.

[WashingtonBay]

"Ouch" Is not "really hurting himself". He's not going to hurt himself over a pole or cross poles. It's mostly mental. You need him to view it as something he wants to avoid hitting. That's why I like logs. Horses aren't dumb, and they know when something will move out of the way, and when they have to clear it.

[JetLagaside]

The lightness of PVC poles actually leads to this problem. There's no reason to try if they fall down without consequence. I would use larger heavy wooden rounds and poles that will not easily fall down.

Better yet... a log or other obstacle that won't fall over at all. :)

Exactly what she said :) & they really arn't going to get hurt with a wood pole but they will learn to pick up their feet :)

[elevenelevenxo]

Alright then. Now my quest is to find some wooden poles....

Hey Rabid - if you see this - wanna go to Home Depot together? LOL.

[Palogal]

I don't doubt what you guys are saying at all - in fact, it makes perfect sense (re: lightness of PVC). Wooden poles make me nervous though because there's not much "give" should he hit them. I don't know, maybe I'm being overly-cautious, but I think about him smacking them and really hurting himself because they're so much harder.

Is that dumb? LOL.

No it's not dumb but he's not going to hurt himself knocking into a pole, it's an "ouch!" and then its over. He needs that if he's ever going to jump things that don't move. He has to learn that he needs to pick the feet up and not hit them.

[Piper522]

Go to Home Depot/Lowes and get some 4 x 4's. With Cabo now that he is learning to jump, one of the girls at the barn who competes and has been jumping for years had me put a ground pole in front of the jump. She said that is what he sees...not necessarily the jump. So we were riding over the jump and sure enough....wiht the ground pole, he actually picked his legs up and tucked them and rounded his back....it was super cute. The girls were saying, "Good Boy" and because I wasn't riding him...I had one of the girls get on Cabo so I could see what she meant. Not that he was "lazy" before but for some reason the ground pole made him more aware.

Good luck. It is fun regardless isn't it? :)

[Palogal]

The ground line is to help the horse see how big the fence is since they have very poor depth perception due to the position of their eyes. A place poll set a stride before the fence is helpful to if you're teaching the horse to jump. The canter transition should happen at the place poll setting up for the jump. I teach kids to jump with place poles so they learn when to cue.

[Spyder]

Help? :huh:


Grids.

[Rabid_Raccoon]

Alright then. Now my quest is to find some wooden poles....

Hey Rabid - if you see this - wanna go to Home Depot together? LOL.

YES! haha. I saw the title of the thread and had to open it... I'm having the same problem with Gizzy. He's so lazy. He often just tries to get out of jumping by refusing, and he's learned that if there's no one with me he gets a break every time he knocks a pole over because I have to stop him to put it back up (he always tries to sneak some grass while I do it, too). I mean I know having a smart horse is a good thing, but... not in this situation XD. Bad Gizzy!

[elevenelevenxo]

YES! haha. I saw the title of the thread and had to open it... I'm having the same problem with Gizzy. He's so lazy. He often just tries to get out of jumping by refusing, and he's learned that if there's no one with me he gets a break every time he knocks a pole over because I have to stop him to put it back up (he always tries to sneak some grass while I do it, too). I mean I know having a smart horse is a good thing, but... not in this situation XD. Bad Gizzy!

LOL, Rebel doesn't really try to evade them...TOO much anyhow. ;) He did really well the other day though. Go figure. Weird horse.

We need a truck! LOL.