first steps in jumping training?

[Caitlyn]

so i have a mare who will do anything for me, literrally. and i'd like to try her out at jumping. i've taken her over like 1' cross rails and logs on trails and stuff but i'd like to be able to sell her with some serious training on her. any suggestions for getting started?

[sarah]

just start her off over cavalettis and then move on to small cross rails with poles in front of them. i would suggest take a few lessons with a good instructor. When she starts jumping over the smaller things raise them up a little at a time. an instructor can help you with setting up jumps. also do alot of cantering cavallettis to get the striding right.

[tori]

troting pole start with that then ad a jump to the end. you can then start just jumping jumps start small and slowly make the jumps bigger and yea get an instrucor or someone you no that can help you with this it works i taught my horse to jump like this

[Chels]

when my trainer and i started with my horse we first had to have total control on the flat. (can not be strung out.) I had to have a solid two-point so i could be with him. then we started goinng over ground poles at the trot. we started with one then added another then another...... we placed them about 41/2 feet apart. then we went over a tiny cross rail just to get him comfortable going over that then added the trotting poles infront of the jump but the last one before the jump we had about 9 feet out. we did that for a while then we added a ground pole behind the jump at 9 feet. really we just practiced and practiced and practiced. we did a jump then what would be about four strides of canter and then another jump but trotted in and trotted out. we SLOWLY started to increase the size of the jumps. we did lots of gymnastics. after a while of jumpin at the canter steadily and consistantly we would do a jump pole jump stride stride jump stride jump pole jump ect. that really helps their form and teaches them to judge the jumps but doing that you have to be exact with distances. do small course with no relative distances then add a seven stide or add a four stride. also jump a ton of different things- cones, barrals, planks, fences, walls, muck bucks, flowers, logs, go through water, tarps, water buckets, pretty much anything you can find. just stick them under a vertical or infornt of the jump. also all the jumps should have a ground line to help the horse judge distances. i would try to work with a trainer some because they really can adress your problems and know what you need to do with your horse.

[Chels]

yeah! books are great too! they show ideas of courses and gymnastics.

[Jessica]

Yeah, do lots of caveletis, and then start small jumps, do them small at a trot, then at a fast trot and then at a canter, if she is not dragging her feet at all or having any other problems go ahead and do bigger ones. I just trained a horse of my aunts, he did great, but he liked to get ecited, so I had to stick with the trotting jumps until he quit being excited.

[Drew<3Ghilly]

The most important thing to do right now is build confidence!!!!! Start small and slowly work your way up so she gets to love it and enjoys it and reward her when she does it right and then just keep building till you get to the spot where you want to sell her.