help with jump training

Question
Hi,
I have recently brought and broken in a 7yr old stb gelding and would like to teach him to jump.
I think he has had an accident with his legs tho, as he has some scarring around his hocks and as a result panics when he touches poles, branches etc lying on the ground.
What would be the best way to go about teaching him to jump?
I have taught a few to jump so i have some experience but none with his fear of things around his legs
Thanks for any advice you can provide

Answer
Dear Ken,
I must forst start off by asking you a question this time:) Has he been jumping? And when he does jump, what is it that he does to make you feel that he has this fear? Does he refuse to jump or simply exhaggerate the height of the poles in order to avoid hitting them? Some horses when they fear hitting their legs will bulge out to one side or another in order to give themselves more room and/or height int he air. This can result in not only an extremely unattrctivejumping form but can also be unsure and uncomfortable for the rider.
Assuming the problem is one of the following, I will simply suggest a method for all types that has worked for me in the past (please keep in mind that not all horses were the same however and some needed something different and some took longer to relax)
I suggest simple poles on the ground. Leave plenty of space betweem them as to avoid clipping them. Do not set the poles by 1 or 2 steps, but between 3 and 5 or 2-3 strides in the canter.
He will willingly lift his feet out of fear, so application of a strong leg is not necessary. Relax the reign so that he will not feel anxiety. If he doe tap a pole, keep your reactions the same. Do not reward him to calm him down( hemay learn it is okay to hit rails if this is done too often), and do not apply a strong reign not change your leg movements for he may feel you are preparing to punish him.
It's likely that he was punished for hitting fences with either a long crop or a thin weed rail. This tends to cause scarring on the lower hocks and in the mind of your horseunfortunately. He needs to be reassured and confident now and he will look for this confidnce in you, so be patient and calm. When he clears fences and poles a slight stoke on the neck is enough.
Please understand that it is a little difficult for me to give any more detail without the necessary info I mentioned above and I apologize.
Please let me know if there's anything more I can do to help and let me know how it goes!
Good luck and all the best,
Kathryn