How to Keep Your Horse from Rushing the Jumps
A: First, I recommend having a certified coach present to be your eyes on the ground and offer their expertise.
It’s easy to get excited or nervous about jumping and turn your energy level up a notch without even being aware of it. To counteract this, give yourself a list of jobs to focus on, such as:
- Lowering your intensity by concentrating on your breathing and counting the rhythm out loud, “one, two, one, two.” Think of your count as a metronome; your pace needs to fall into this even rhythm.
- Being aware of your body position, and the increments in which you apply your aids. Concentrate on keeping your head up and eyes ahead at a focal point, a tall upper body with your shoulders back, a soft following arm, and a long supporting leg with a deep heel.
This correct, effective position will assure that you are not encouraging your horse to speed up at the jump by:
- Throwing your body forward and collapsing before or over the jump;
- Tensely grabbing, changing, or holding too much contact on your approach; or
- Clenching with your leg, kicking accidentally, or abandoning your leg all together.
You might want to consider removing any artificial aids (i.e. spurs, crop) to make sure you aren’t using them involuntarily or incorrectly.
Once you have worked on yourself and gained some awareness of your own tendencies, here are some exercises I use to help the horse that rushes to the jumps.
On the Flat
1. In your flatwork, set a single ground pole and ride various downward transitions and the occasional smooth rein-back in front of the pole. This is a “zoning exercise,” and allows both horse and rider the chance to practice a rhythmical approach to a jump by giving the horse a job (the transition) to distract him from wanting to speed up to get to the other side. Repeat as
