Jumping Limitations

Question
QUESTION: I am 17 and have been riding since I was 8. I have always wondered how many times a week a horse should be jumped so that he is prepared to show and not in need of retirement by 5. Also, should I practice the jumps at my show height? (3ft) or something lower?

ANSWER: Dear Katie,
There are many factors that need to go into formulating an educated response to your question: how old is your horse? What kind of physical condition is he in? How old is he? What is your overall riding program (how much is the horse worked- how much is on the lunge, how much on flat work, gymnastic work, and recreational [hacking] riding)? What is your footing like? Has your horse ever had any previous injuries?
All of these factors figure into a meaningful response to your inquiry. In very general terms (with all of these open-ended questions in mind)- I do not ever like to see a young horse worked very strenuously over fences- and that is in good footing with leg protection. I like to see all horses have a varied training routine- horses with variation almost NEVER become ring sour. Include rides out of the ring if your facility can accommodate this- if not- then just do some "fun" rides in the ring. Include flat work with lateral work and basic dressage movements like leg yield, travers and renvers. Practice extension and collection with an emphasis on relaxation. Include gymnastics with ground poles and cavaletti and very low fences- 18". I would only work your show height two days a week - if you are on a five day a week schedule. You could step this up as your show dates approach- but don't sour your horse before a show by changing his schedule too dramatically.
Best wishes,
S. Evans

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QUESTION: He is 10 and he is in good condition, I have been riding him 5 days a week for about 6 months. I usually do 2 days of flat work, onw with emphasis on conditioning (about 10 mins of long trotting, is that enough?) annd the other on basic dressage training. I also like to do a trail ride once a week and I usually jump him twice a week. One day focusing on an entire course and the other on whatever he needs tuning on. I dont really ever do work over poles or gymnastics. Also he has a pretty severe club foot, but I get him shoed every 5 weeks which keeps it under pretty good control. Can you give me a more revised schedule for our needs?

ANSWER: Dear Katie,
A club foot may or may not interfere with his jumping career- your vet would be able to give you better advice on how this may figure into his future.
I think gymnastics are a VERY critical of any hunter or jumper's routine. Most horses begin with gymnastic work before they ever do a course. This is how your horse learns to lengthen and to shorten strides- to extend and to collect- and to vary strides and approaches. If you do not have a coach or a trainer- there are a few good books out there on equine gymnastic and cavaletti work- just Google and you should be able to find some or to order from a big store like Barnes and Noble or Chapters.
I like to see a horse aways lunged before being backed- at least five minutes each way- no more than 20 minutes. A few days a week- I like to lunge in side reins (I use the kind with the rubber do-nut) and a surcingle.
I would cut back on the "entire course" work and focus on some more skills-building basics. This will help him to build confidence, muscle tone and better form over fences. Even if you are doing jumper and not hunter- a jumper needs to jump carefully and clean.
If it is at all possible- see if you can work in a lesson with a coach whose students and horses work you respect at least once a month to get some feedback.
Good luck,
S. Evans

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QUESTION: The reason I cut back on gymnastics is bc I was doing them once a week and like 2 months later he needed hock injections and I thought it could have been from that? Why do you like a horse to be lunged? And I do hunters, what are some other excersices I can do? One thing I have had a problem with is he drags me to singles if they have a long approach? Also, in our upper transitions (w-t, t-c, w-c) he raises his head, pins his ears and swishes his tail. And other than in the transitions hes a really easy going horse and he doesnt pin his ears or tail when I ask him to move off my leg or otherwise apply leg pressure. And I dont ride with spurs so I dont know why he does it. Any suggerstions?

Answer
Dear Katie,
It is very doubtful that gymnastic work (done correctly) would have either developed or aggravated a hock problem. Working a horse too hard too often and over fences too high (or in dressage schooling high level movements - especially with extreme collection like the piaffe) as well as either genetic or conformational predisposition is usually what leads to arthritic changes. Also- a hock that is injected once- is likely to need ongoing maintenance.
Resistance on all of your up transitions is a serious issue for a hunter- resistance is a disobedience. Make sure that your tack fits correctly and that he does not have physiological issues that are the root cause (back etc.) I would suggest having your vet or and equine physiotherapist come out and watch him go. Ruling these out- it is a basic training issue and I would cut out ALL of your fence work until you have this horse forward and relaxed on the flat. Lots of circles- outside rein support- counter flexion, serpentines. Use your quarter line and your centre line and stay off of the wall of your arena. Make sure that he isn't dropping his shoulder through the transitions. Try to send him out for a month to a trainer who you respect for an assessment if you can possibly afford it.
S. Evans