8 tips for starting show jumping in young horses
Our motto when starting work with young horses over fences is: give them time to grow and become the best horses they can be.
Taking a young horse through the training process is an amazing and rewarding journey, but it must be done at a slow, measured, and reliable pace; a process that allows him to correct his early mistakes and build confidence.
Foals thrive in our structured training program at Milestone; they all go to school.
Every day we try to add a little to their confidence and just take one more step forward.
It is important for a young horse to know that there is a regular routine: he eats at seven, goes out to the paddock at a certain point, and knows when he will be ridden.
We set our program so that we keep the same time slots as much as possible each day.
Young horses like consistency, and this regular routine helps build trust.
The best way to train a young horse is to listen to him; ask him to “talk” to you.
Ask him a new question every day, then listen and see whether he can answer or not.
For example, ask him to lengthen his steps in trot or canter, then collect, and then lengthen again.
If he can answer your question, then you have made progress.
If he cannot, slow down and take a step back.
Remember that although you may be following a structured process, every horse has its own personality, conformation, and mental ability — and every horse grows at his own pace.
Waiting on this journey can be difficult.
The worst thing you can do with a young horse is be too human: have pre-set goals or a timetable for winning blue ribbons.
Do not impose your dreams and schedule on him.
Give him the chance to flourish.
Introducing a Young Horse to Jumping In our system, we begin training with trot and canter over simple poles on the ground and then move on to trot and canter over a single crossrail under 1 foot high.
We initially prefer using a crossrail because it helps the horse stay straight and encourages him to jump correctly from the front.
We also regularly use a placing pole (only in trot) placed 9 feet in front of the fence.
This helps the horse identify the takeoff point correctly and jump with a nice, round arc.
The goal at this stage is to teach him to stay straight in every exercise and move forward and fluidly, while you support him with your leg and a light, balanced seat.
Some horses speed up at fences at first because they think it is easier than using the hand and back to get over the fence.
This is an important moment to teach your horse to slow down on the approach.
Do this in trot (never in canter): approach a small fence with a placing pole at trot, and then stop your horse about 15 feet in front of the placing pole.
Wait a few seconds for him to settle, then pick up trot again, make a circle, and repeat the exercise.
Repeat this until he can approach the fence without rushing.
Custom Made (not to be confused with David O’Connor’s Olympic gold-medal partner of the same name) was an event horse before he came to us at the age of 10.
It took time, but in the end he learned to slow down at every stage of the jumping process.
He won championship ribbons at Harrisburg, Washington, and the National Horse Show.
©Sportfot Once a young horse has become familiar with confidently clearing a single crossrail, we move him on to entering simple combinations and lines with two small crossrails at the trot; with predictable, comfortable distances, for example about 30 feet for a two-stride line.
When these two crossrails become easy for him, we add a third crossrail; in this way he enters the first element at the trot and then, with three more strides, that is, about 44 feet, reaches the third element.
(Note: depending on your horse’s stride, you may need to shorten or lengthen these distances slightly.
) Once this exercise has become easy for the young horse after many repetitions, we use the same pattern to introduce him to new kinds of fences.
While keeping everything else the same, we turn the second crossrail into a vertical, then into a ramped oxer, and then into a square oxer; this process takes place over several weeks.
We also gradually add fences of different materials, such as a small flower box or brush jump; always as the “out” fence in a line and still with short fences.
In the next stage, we teach the horse to go by canter to that same simple, basic line of two small fences, but without a placing pole.
We set this line as a four-stride line at about 60 feet.
Finally, after months of teaching these basic elements separately, we put them all together in the form of a simple course: entry at the trot to a three-element combination with a placing pole at takeoff, then canter over a single fence, and then canter on a four-stride line, equivalent to 60 feet.
When a young horse can successfully complete this route, we know that he has a good foundation in jumping.
After your young horse has learned all the basic elements well, you can put them together in this small, simple course.
If he has trouble or comes under pressure, stay calm, back up a few moments, and start again from the beginning.
There is no need to rush, and you can give him as much time as necessary to complete the course successfully and with complete confidence.
While following this basic system, remember that a horse can learn a bad lesson just as easily as he can learn a good one.
So if things get out of control — if the horse suddenly bolts or rears — just stop for a moment and take a deep breath.
Pet him.
Let your heart rate and his come down.
Then calmly resume the trot or canter and try again.
Remember that your goal is success; if this exercise is too much for your horse, take a step back.
Young horses often go through periods in which they resist so much that you do not know what to do with them.
With horses, you never know everything; they are living, breathing creatures.
If your frustration goes too far, be humble.
Call a trainer; get help.
8 Strategies for Success When Starting Youngsters Over Fences In addition, read these other good rules: 1.
Leave your expectations back at the barn.
Do not start the training session with a strict goal or a specific expectation of the outcome.
Just begin with trot and see what horse you are dealing with that day; then decide what to do.
2.
Never enter into an argument that you don’t think you can win.
If you are not in the mood or do not have enough time, do not get into this battle.
It is not fair to either of you.
It may be better to just do a simple walk, trot, canter, or send him on the longe line.
Then go back to the barn.
3.
Give your horse tests that he can achieve.
Start each exercise with poles on the ground and then gradually replace them one by one with jumps.
Turn every addition into an easy lesson for your horse so that he continually builds on his previous successes.
4.
Always ensure that your horse is balanced and quiet before you head to the next element.
If you need to circle, that is fine.
Bacardi joined us at 5 years old.
He was very cautious and very spooky, and he always doubted both the jump and himself.
Constant repetition in our program gave him the ability to jump with confidence.
During his long time with Milestone, he was champion of the Green, Open Hunter, and Amateur divisions many times.
©Sportfot 5.
Never surprise a young horse by asking him to jump a type of fence that he hasn’t seen before.
While riding, approach each new jump at an angle and keep his body slightly away from it so he does not think you are asking him to jump it.
This allows him to look at it without getting shy and to learn to obey you even in frightening situations.
Do not let his nose hit the jump, because he may scare himself with something like a breath on a flower, for example.
6.
Make the exercise easier whenever you have difficulty.
For example, replace jumps with poles on the ground.
Or shorten a line by one stride (for example, turn a four-stride into a three-stride) so there is less distance and your horse can more easily remain straight, quiet, and confident.
Keep the previous exercise setup somewhere in the ring so that if your horse becomes worried about the current exercise, you can easily go back to it.
7.
Stay calm and controlled, regardless of how your horse reacts to each new situation.
Remember that he must believe that you know what you are doing, even if you are not entirely sure yourself!
8.
Know when to stop.
We humans are usually so results-oriented that we always want more: “Everything is going well, let’s try something else too.”
But a green horse must be taught gradually.
When you achieve something, when you are proud of your horse, end the session right there.
We hope these tips help you successfully introduce your young horse to fences at the start of your journey together!
About Havens Schatt and Fred Commissaire
Havens Schatt has had a long and successful career in the horse industry; he first competed at the junior level and then trained under Tom Wright for nine years before launching his own business in 2001.
He has consistently earned championship and reserve championship ribbons at major horse shows, including Devon and Indoors.
Schatt and his wife and business partner, Fred Commissaire, run Milestone Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky.
Commissaire was born and raised in Paris, France, where he competed at the highest levels of junior three-day eventing.
He graduated from the prestigious riding school Saumur and competed internationally in show jumping for the France army.
Working together, Schatt and Commissaire have developed many young horses that are now successful at the highest level of the show ring, including Set to Music, Custom Made, and Bacardi.
Source: Practical Horseman – Training