Posted by Katie Here's my advice: Horses should never be allowed to rush towards jumps. Even though you're not having any problems right now, it could eventually lead to some training issues that are hard to fix. It sounds like you need to find a happy-medium. Get the horse going at a good pace, but don't let him rush towards the jumps. A half-halt is okay before jumps, but you also don't want to distract him to the point of where he has the opportunity to run-out, or refuse, the jump. It's better to train the horse to keep a fairly calm, easy-going pace around the whole course instead of letting him go quickly around a course and pulling him back only to jump. Something else to think about... would you be doing hunter classes, or jumper classes? In hunter classes, the idea is to complete the course with style. The horse should look like it's pleasant to ride and be well-behaved. You should also have a good understanding of the basics of riding. If the horse flies around the course, you would probably score lower as the focus is on your riding and your horses performance - not on the quickest horse / rider combination. In jumper classes, you can go at whatever speed you like - you just need to focus on keeping all of the jumps up (ie: not lowering a rail at all). Sandy gives great advice as well.. not sure when she'll be on here again, but it'll be interesting to see what she adds. Take care Katie
on 9/19/2005, 2:26 am, in reply to "i need help!"
209.226.132.112
Hey there,
Hope this helps.
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