2'0 Jumping

[hunterjumper999]

yes, and that horse jumping 3'3 will be lame or get hurt eventually- and so will your horse.


I think you'd be better suited taking yourself (for this topic) to another forum- The people on here may have horses, show horses or just KNOW horses but I think that most of us are in it for the love of the animal foremost... or we'd be exclusively on a horse forum and have no time for chickens! Go to a horse forum like Chronicle of the horse forums . . . they may have some advice but like I said- you may also find there that most of them care about their animals and don't want broken down horses at 10 .

I don't understand why you keep coming to the CHICKEN FORUM for horse advice on multiple topics ranging from gaming to hunter seat equitation. Unless you have a spectacularly athletic animal the bottom line is you will not be competitive at higher levels in everything- you need to focus more on something and you need to be using your trainer to do so. Most intermediate/beginner riders find what they want to do and enjoy doing and then buy a horse- it is difficult to find a horse first and then squeeze him into a tiny box of what you'd like him to do! I say listen to your horse, talk to your trainer- talk to OTHER trainers ( because for me a major red flag is the number of horses at your barn that are young doing things that most trainers would not have babies doing) .


I'm not being hard on you because I dislike you or anything- I'm just trying to help you see what the majority of people think is the right way to bring along babies safely. Your horse IS still a baby.


Also, maybe you can team up with a parent and go to a bookstore- alot of them have nice coffee shops and you can read and have a drink. Get all the books you can on horses and check them out- buy the one that you deem most helpfull! but do something other than listen to people on a message board!

 

[rcentner]

All opinions of you and your horse aside.....When I moved from jumping small jumps to 2'0....I wanted to make sure my horse was ready and went faster....WRONG! Jump the same as any other size jump. Nothing changes as far as your speed or positioning until you start jumping much larger. Maybe buy some bell boots so that if the horse knocks the rail it doesn't hurt as much. Especially as it gets colder, it seems to really bother them when they hit the pole with thier hoof. Some will say that will ensure that they pick their feet up, but I don't buy that..pain sucks. They get the picture with boots on too.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Bottom line to me sounds like you are determined to "do it all". Hey that is great. Your real problem is that you have the wrong horse for what you want to do. Since you don't seem to have a big emotional attachment to the one you have, sell him and buy an older, more experienced, better trained animal that can HELP you achieve what you want to do instead of holding you back. A good, experienced animal will teach YOU instead of needing to be taught himself.

JMO


Rusty

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Quote:
WE ARE TOTALLY ATTACHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[redhen]

Ooh dear... no need to yell..
Folks are just trying to help you out.

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

Quote:
I was not yelling.

 

[denim deb]

Quote:
I was not yelling.

When you post in all caps, that's considered yelling.

 

[SarahFair]

I saw it more as excitement

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

Quote:
WE ARE TOTALLY ATTACHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are so attached, then you need to slow down and stop to think about what is best for him, and not just about what you want. He is NOT full grown yet. He can continue growing until he is 5 or 6! Until the growth plates in his bones are fused and his growing is over, he is not an adult even though he looks like one. If he damages a growth plate in a canon bone, for example, and it fuses as a result, what happens is the other growth plates continue growing and he winds up with the canon bone in one leg being longer than the canon bone in the other leg. Often you cannot see the difference in the 2 bones just by looking at him. It only shows up on x-rays because you can actually measure the bones. Over time the longer canon bone will take more concussion on landings than the shorter one and eventually you wind up with a crippled horse. And this is only one example of what can happen when you push a horse before he is mature. So if you care about this animal, then look out for his best interests. He's already 4. Is it going to kill you to wait one more year? What is one year when you consider that he will have a using life of 20 or more years IF you take care of him?!?


Rusty

 

[michickenwrangler]

Quote:
What she said. Horses are not done growing until they are 5. While they may reach their height at an earlier age, they need to fill out with muscle and bone before being asked to do sports. Endurance horses can't compete in 25 mile rides until they are 48 months old and 50 mile rides until they are 60 months old. Tennessee Walking Horse trainers usually do not even canter on their horses until they are 4, usually because they are all legs and very gangly during their 2-3 year old stage. A horse should also be THOROUGHLY trained "on the flat" before even attempting to begin over fences training.

I would highly suggest that you go visit a hunter/jumper barn and talk to the trainers and instructors there. 4 year old horses should not be jumping. Schooling over cavalettis, yes, but not jumping.

Yes, you are young and excited and want to "do it all" but you have PLENTY of time. I know people into their 70s that still compete on horseback. Find out what your horse has an aptitude for. While some horses are jacks of all trades, most will have a talent for one or two areas.

I know we all sound very negative, but most of the horse people on here have been involved with horses for a long time. EweSheep used to show Peruvian Pasos and has done endurance, Patandchickens has done a lot of different disciplines, I've done Arab circuit, Arab dressage and endurance too. We love horses and would not like to see anything bad happen to you or your horse.

Does the local high school have an equestrian team? Is there a Pony Club in your area? It might not hurt to look into these. Even though you are not in high school, many teams allow younger students/riders to practice if not compete.