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RIDING, TRAINING AND COMPETITION: Jake won't jump a wild ditch!
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I've put up photo of the wild ditch Jake won't jump - see Parklands Blackjack. He'll jump all sorts, but even if other horses jump back and forth and away, he won't do this ditch. It's like he doesn't know what to do - he'll jump all tidy ditches, but extends on the flat to get over, no JUMP action - so then when he meets a muddy wild one he says no can do. What can we do to train him to JUMP a ditch?
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Slippery, muddy banks => loss of confidence for the horse. He may think he'll sink in or slide out and fall.
In evolutionary terms getting stuck in the mud was a death sentence, so horses that naturally avoided mud got to pass their genes on to the next generation whereas those who didn't, didn't. He has no idea ahead of time how deep the mud is.
Try walking him across a few dozen times - maybe three or four times back and forth on a given day (not more or he'll sour of it), then see if he'll take it at a slow trot. If he refuses to even consider crossing, you may have to just keep him pointed at the ditch and wait him out. Most horses will get bored, and realizing that the only way to get on with things is to cross that not-so-scary-anymore ditch, they will eventually cross. One of mine waited 1/2 hour. That's OK, I enjoyed the relaxing fresh air.
Etc.
BTW - I am NOT a coach or instructor, This is just what worked for me. -
Thanks Mike ... will try it, will report back!
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If you get off and undo one rain and get some one to stand behind jack with and whip and you jump over the ditch jack should folow you if he dosen't get the person behing to give him a tap with the whip. Do this 4 or 5 times thne do the rain up again and get in the sadle. and he should be fine.
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Thanks Georgia, will try this, but you know the other day 70 horses jumped a ditch out hunting and he still wouldn't follow, really extraordinary. Also, when we tried the muddy ditch that's in the picture in his profile, Parklands Blackjack, i actually jumped the ditch myself in front of him several times to show him it was ok, also another horse jumped alongside. He's really odd!
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how r u getting on with the ditch jumping? did u say that he has jumped other ditches? just not this 1? if so have you attempted to jump it when its dry or just in winter conditions?
kate -
we are going to get second opinions on Jake! He stopped at a ditch out hunting Saturday befor last, so left at home last sat. Think you are right that it's the wet, muddy, winter ditches he doesn't like , ok with the dry tidy ones. We haven't really cracked on with it yet - thanks for all your comments, will report back at the next attempt.
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All horses are diffrent and some won't jump ditches, some will.You should train it to help it jump.You can't make it jump a ditch but horses don't jump it normally depeending on their size or their legs.They are not sure they can jump it.But horses like throughbreds do jump them because they have long legs.Most ponies don't jump then because of their size and legs.Sometimes it also depends on their age.And depends of their liking to the ditch.If they think it's unsafe they will not jump it but if it is then it will.This does not normally happen though.I read a lot of books on horses and they contain a lot of information.Try reading the book called Horses and Ponies in Titmuss.They might have gone by now cause i bought it ages ago.
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We all have to appreciate that some horses/ponies arent all the same and might not do things that we want them to do..I kinda had the same problem my horse Jerry wouldnt jump a ditch once when i was doing an XC course but we went there alot after that and he one time decided it was nothing i think though if you have a young pony/horse they 'obvs' are scared or simply sometimes just dont want to.
Mt advice to you is that to keep going back to that same spot once in a while and he might just jump it!
thanks Liz-x -
Wow - thanks for carrying on this discussion! We've kind of called a halt to messing about with the ditch, and now that hunting is finished, Jake is chilling out and settling down to hacking out without thinking it's going to turn into a hunt. We are going back to the showjumping to build up confidence again plus going to have a go at the BSJA novice regionals up north in June. If all that goes well it's back to the ditch! By then we should all be enjoying a lovely hot summer and the ditch will have dried out - I'm sure he will remember it is the same ditch, but it should look easier. I do think that going back to it now and again is a good idea though - without having a big scene - cos we've tried having the big scene - thinking that eventually (after an hour!) that he'd get bored and just jump, and that definitely didn't work!
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Well I think then he just aint going to jump it !
liz-x -
Think you might be right! Will tell you soon as we try it next - but will be weeks from now!
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Praise him for every little effort, take him in slow and squeeze him on right before the ditch. Get people to stand either side of the ditch, because he can stop in front of the ditch but if he runs out hes just getting into bad habits. Even get someone to stand behind him with a whip. If the squeezing doesnt work, whack him on the bum with a whip right before the jump. Do all this with a horse that does jump the ditch and put the horse RIGHT in front of him. Remember to praise him for every time that he gets closer to jumping it. Training him over smaller ditches will also help. If theres a smaller ditch beside the one he wont jump, take him over that a few times. Also, if you are taking him over the ditch one way all the time, try it from a different direction. (I haven't seen the ditch by the way) Remember to not only punish him but to praise him.
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