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How high?

well i started this discussion because im really confused on how high i should jump my horse. hes 15.1 hands and is kind of on the smaller side for a horse, but he could definatley jump some big jumps. i just dont know what is too high because i dont want to make him jump something that is too high for his size! I have jumped 2'9 with him and that is the highest i have jumped with him! he jumps 2'6 courses fairly easily and doesnt seem to take ALOT of effort for him, but some! if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask! i have posted some pictures at the bottom so you could see him for yourself!

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Permalink Reply by MegPerdizzle on November 25, 2008 at 8:24pm: I bet three foot would not be too high for him at all, but any higher than 3ft 6in maybe a little hard for him...just play it by ear and don't overface him because then he will loose all his confidence; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by ♥Meghan♥ on November 26, 2008 at 9:15am: i dont know how high 1.30m is...could you tell me by feet?
for example, 3'6ft
also, is she an arabian???; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by ALLIE on November 26, 2008 at 8:21am: I remember u have a arabain. right??? I own and trained my 14.3 hand arabian to jump.The highest we have ever jumped was 4'3".It all depends on how u and your horse feels over the jumps. If he clears them good and it doesnt feel like he has to put all his energy into jumping it, them your ok. but take your time working him up to those high jumps. plus arabain are great jumpers. hope this helped!!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Emily Roy on November 26, 2008 at 8:41am: first off let's clearify that height has nothing to do with how high a horse can jump lol.. ;) you see ponies that can jump fences that go over their head and you see huge horses that can't go over 2'6 safely.

tee hee. neways you have to judge it by how much effort it feels like it takes him to get over the fences. those in the pics were tiny and he could easily have gotten over 2' 6/9", then if you posted a pic over that height im guessing it'll look like he could go even higher. just base it off of how much spring he has, how hard it is for him to make it around course (though you have to be sure to realize if you up an entire course that he may just not be quite in that shape and will get tired easier), if he totally plows into fences with his legs, etc. it's a lot easier to tell in person than online, heheh. be sure you don't throw some upsurd fence at him out of nowhere, though. take your time easing up the fences and let you both get used to them.

oh also you should take into consideration his age, any hock/back/tendon/soundness/stiffness issues he has, etc. ie: if he's an older horse with stiffness issues i wouldn't go pop him around a 3' course.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by ♥Meghan♥ on November 26, 2008 at 9:29am: nope he has no medical issues what so ever! hes 9 years old and i dont jump him 2'6 coarses until he is in pretty good shape! i think height does clearify how high a horse can jump because a 13.2 hand pony cannot jump a 6ft. jump! if you do push your horse too high for his height and size, it could cause SERIOUS injuries to his legs and thats the last thing i want to do! yes i know the jumps in the pictures are really small but i dont have any pictures of him jumping 2'9...ive only had him for 2 years so i dont think that is enough time to really push him!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by MegPerdizzle on November 26, 2008 at 10:00am: You never know really ponies can jump pretty darn high!!!! And I agree with Emily that height has nothing to do with how high a horse CAN jump.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Caroline Nauert on November 26, 2008 at 10:53am: besides you don't intend to point your horse AT a 6 foot fence right lol? you could have two identical ponies, same age, height, history, etc. and one could end up being able to jump 4'6" and the other could only do 2 foot.
it depends on the HORSE, yes it's height does effect it, as well as your confindence toegether as a pair (i'm not sure he'll do anything for you if the whole time your thinking he can't do it, and if you think it'll take more then 2 years for you guys to get there thats fine), but other things could be more importent like its history, health, how in shape it is, its confidence over fences (like you said you wouldn't want to overface him), etc. Only you really know your horse, all of us can only go by what your saying and even then its sorta hard to make a judgement, we can really only try and give you general advice and you have to tell if it applys or not.
From what your saying it sounds to me like you could consider trying a few more 2'9" singles when you feel confident in both yourself and him. see how he does with them on a more regular basis. From there you just go with what you feel he can do. Your right, you need to be realistic and not overface him, but he'll probably also have off-days every now and then. The horse I'm riding right now can clear well over 3'6" courses easily, but even she would have days where getting her around a 2'9" course was a challenge lol! I highly doubt your horse will be scarred for life and have medical issues as long as you take it slow, and know when to stop.

Anyway my point was it doesn't matter so much the height and breed adn everything as you and your horse, my horse Colby really wasen't a whole lot bigger then yours, and we could do 3'-3'3" stuff and would have moved up if we had been able too. My trainers horse was a short arabian and she jumped her over decent sized courses just fine! I think you guys will be fine as long as your honest with yourself about his abilities and potential and only do what you feel comfortable with. Good Luck!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by ♥Meghan♥ on November 26, 2008 at 6:55pm: thanks! i probably wont be doing 3ft. coarses for a while anyways because were not that in shape because its been super cold and havent got to ride that much! besides, im not making all of these decisions ALL by myself, because my trainer helps me decide, but at the same time she doesnt make them for me! she just helps me with making some decisions if i ask for her opinion! that is true that nobody knows my horse as much as i do, but just asking what your opinion would be! my trainer said i shouldnt go over 2'9 but i have heard alot of people say theyve been jumping there 13 hand horse over 4ft jumps...and im like, my horse is 15.1 and i havent jumped him that high...my horse is pretty athletic too and is an easier keeper so there is no real reason why he couldnt jump that too, but for all i know the person could be working his horses way to hard and not treat them right! lol; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Caroline Nauert on November 26, 2008 at 7:46pm: haha ya i get what your saying. thats good that you have a trainer there, to see your horse and give you first hand advice. hopefully some of the advice i offered will be helpful too! I really do think that just trying a couple fences at 2'9" every few lessons and seeing how your horse feels will work out fine. it'll probably be very obvious weather or not your horse seems capable or comfortable with it, and if you never feel comfortable attempting 2'9" courses, then at least you know you tried and what your limits together are. your horse seems like a cute, atheltic horse, and i'm sure you guys will do well and have fun at whatever height you guys end up at! Once again, good luck!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Emily Roy on November 27, 2008 at 10:16am: heheh you guys are funny... made this whole thing into 20 paragraphs ;)

tee hee neways up to a certain point height could effect a little bit the fence height it could take, but i don't think you'll be pointing your horse at 6 ft or anything like that when it would actually take in to count.. but the part about the person's 13hh horse jumping 4ft, that part has nothing to do with height.. just because all my horses are well over 13 hands doesnt mean they can do 4 ft (2 of them probably could get over it but for my mare 2'6 was her limit when she was jumping)

oh and i don't feel like going to the next page to reply lol, but just wanted to let you know that if you free lounge your horse over a bigger fence, i wouldn't just get on his back and go over it on him, you know? like my mom's gelding can trot a 4 foot fence being free lounged easy, but you get on his back and at times he finds it hard to put himself together for even a 2'3 fence. just a thought to share heheh

nneways i was bored and decided to look up pics of ponies jumping and omg their was this cuteee pic of a pony jumping just shy of 6 feet! it was soo adorable, i love poniessss! :) im obsessed with them hahah.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by ♥Meghan♥ on November 27, 2008 at 7:39pm: haha thanks caroline and emily! your advice really does help me alot! :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Jessica on November 26, 2008 at 10:33am: I have a pony that is 12 hands, she can jump a 3 foot jump like it is nothing, every horse is differant, just raise it a inch or two at a time and work him into it, as long as they are in shape they are fine, my 14 hand horse loves to jump and he jumped a 3 1/2' jump that is also 31/2 feet wide, and from a stand still. Horses can jump wel if you train for it. But you have to judge for yourself if he is using all his energy to jump it. Just progress slow and you be fine. You can always do ground work, lunging and jumping, then you can watch him and get a better veiw of how hard it is for him.

The type of housing your horse is in ameks a BIG differance also, a horse that is pastured on 300 acres is in a lot better shape than a horse that is stabled. All of our hoses are on 300 acres, and I agree that a horses height doesn't mean he can't jump higher than a larger horse. Another pny we have jumps a log that is as high as himself, from a stand still, and we did NOT push him, he offered to do it!

It all depend on the horse and the rider though, so go at your own pace.; ▶ Reply to This