How to Stop a Horse Rushing Jumps

A horse that rushes his jumps may have a number of factors at work that are causing the rushing. If you break down the jump process and examine the problem from the horse's perspective, you can soon retrain a horse to stop rushing his jumps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Examine the horse carefully to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with him. If he has any bit of problem with his legs or if he is uncomfortable, he may be rushing the jump to get it over with so he can do something less painful.
2. Check the saddle and bridle. Make sure they properly fit your horse.
3. Evaluate your jump style. Determine if you are landing too hard on the horse's back as he clears the hurdle.
4. Go back to a simple jump. Help the horse re-focus his attention on you, the rider, rather than just him getting over the jump as quickly as possible.
5. Remove the anticipation of the jump from the horse's mind. Make him focus on what you want him to do. For example, ride up to a jump but do not jump it. Instead, turn to the side. The next time you ride up to the same jump, cross it. By doing this maneuver, the horse learns to listen to your commands.
6. Come at a jump from a different angle than normal. The horse now has to focus on your commands as well as figure out how to jump the barrier. It slows him down enough that he can't rush the jump.
7. Work with the horse regularly. If at any time he begins rushing jumps, go back to the basics again.