htobago
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 30/03/2007
Posts: 2279
Loc: Oxford and London
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You may remember my mentioning that Tobago is learning to loose-jump in preparation for stallion gradings next year...and that while his jumping is very impressive, his tendency to race around at 100mph with his head in the air and tail over his back, not looking where he's going, leaping about and giving everyone a heart attack, is rather less impressive... 
Well guess what his clever trainer tried, to make him calm down and focus and be a bit more sensible about it all?
Blinkers! She put blinkers on him! 
Absolute genius! It worked a treat, apparently! She actually had him cantering round like a normal horse, and approaching the jump in a nice rhythm! 
Only problem - I don't think they allow blinkers at stallion gradings... 
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Enfys
Reged: 11/12/2004
Posts: 8538
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I have visions of Tobago doing jump jet takeoffs!
Very useful and under utilised 'gadgets' I think, especially in the short term to encourage them to concentrate on the job in hand. A thoughtful and resourceful trainer you have.
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_Claire_
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 20/06/2006
Posts: 5325
Loc: The Best Shire
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We NEED piccies ........ok not of the blinkers, but of tobago jumping.............Please!?!?!
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Enfys
Reged: 11/12/2004
Posts: 8538
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Video would be even better 
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TarrSteps
veteran
Reged: 09/01/2007
Posts: 1481
Loc: Balham and points south.
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i bet you there's not a written rule preventing them! (I know spirit of the law, not letter of the law. )
A very ingenious idea - kudos to your trainer.
The other, similar simple practice is stuffing a horse's ears. (Much more common in North America because it is allowed in the most popular competitive arena.) It's amazing the difference it makes in some horses, even ones you think would object strenuously.
Very cool, Glad you found a solution and hopefully with a bit of practice with his new tool he'll figure out how to get the job done with a little less enthusiasm.
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htobago
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 30/03/2007
Posts: 2279
Loc: Oxford and London
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LOL TarrSteps - whatever the rules, I think Tobago at a sport-horse grading will be conspicuous enough without adding blinkers!
Enfys - Tessa is indeed very thoughtful and resourceful, not to mention a saint! The time she devotes to psychoanalyzing my daft giddy horse and thinking up ingenious ways to stop him being terminally silly.... Well, let's just say I know how lucky I am to have found her.
She thinks that the blinkers partly worked because they made him a bit less cocky and over-confident. He thinks he can do anything - and to some extent he is right: he's extremely agile and balanced and quick-footed - it's like watching a cat. Tessa says any other horse would fall flat on its face if it attempted some of Tobago's acrobatics!
When I was there watching, she pointed out to me that even when he is flying round at top speed, not looking where he's going, he still jumps perfectly every time. She says he finds it all too easy, but she doesn't want to raise the jump or add more jumps until he is consistently approaching the single 3ft jump sensibly and calmly...with or without blinkers!
That makes sense, don't you think?
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Bananaman
Reged: 23/03/2003
Posts: 2761
Loc: East Anglia
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LOL at Tobago but if it works.......?
Just a though, and I add I am far from an expert in loose jumping, but does he get led into the line of jumps or is he being sent in loose?
If they are led in you seem to have a bit more say in the speed of the approach but at a recent grading some horses weren't caught up in between attempts and were flying but it wasn't helping the jumping efforts.
In my very limited experience of warmblood gradings the horses are led into the chute and released.
I don't know which is more normal but just a thought.
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htobago
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 30/03/2007
Posts: 2279
Loc: Oxford and London
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Good point Bananaman!
I'm not sure, tbh - when I was there watching, he was led in the first time, but he then kept galloping on round the school and back into the jump-lane by himself, several times before they could stop him, or even slow him down...
Now I come to think of it, this is NOT what I've seen proper horses doing on the grading videos!
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Bossanova
Reged: 30/11/2004
Posts: 11497
Loc: South west
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The way that you can construct a proper jumping lane in a big indoor make it much easier to stop them!
If Tessa still just has that relatively small school then I doubt there's a lot she could do to intervene!
We really are going to need some photos.....
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htobago
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 30/03/2007
Posts: 2279
Loc: Oxford and London
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Ah - you know Tessa!? (I have PM'd you.)
Yes, the school is relatively small - although Tobago thinks it's plenty big enough for his attempts at breaking the land speed record!
When he is just turned out in there, they have to put up obstacles to stop him getting up too much speed. So he does slalom races in and out of the obstacles instead, and practices his handbrake turns...
I will try to get someone to take some photos of him jumping, I promise!
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TarrSteps
veteran
Reged: 09/01/2007
Posts: 1481
Loc: Balham and points south.
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Some of the inspections/gradings insist on "catch and release", sometimes allowing the handler to catch the horse again in an open arena, although having a completely closed chute makes life easier for everyone and the task clearer for the horse. If that's the way it's going to be done on the day it pays to practice a bit because even though it is safer than having a horse burn around like a fool, a handler that doesn't let go soon enough/lets go too soon/makes the horse crooked can screw up the jumping effort, too. Most people want the horse to walk in the corner, jog a bit, then they let go and the horse either trots or canters a step or two before the first jumping effort or placing pole.
For doing horses completely free, some of the big European books/yards have "hamster cages" which are not completely oval (they have sort of points on the end) so the shape naturally slows the horse down. Some just use REALLY short, narrow chutes so the horse pretty much has to stop at the end.
I have often had to teach horses to free jump alone and so it was easier for me not to catch them up each time. BUT it was very important they learned to keep a steady pace or, even better, come back to trot before coming to the chute again. The few I had that didn't learn that easily (I hardly ever jumped a horse more than half a dozen times over a couple months for preparation unless it struggled with something) or that got completely over excited went back to doing catch and release.
I think it is possible for free jumping to impact on a horse's later ridden jumping and I was always very worried if they started to run at the jumps/ (or stop, depending on the reasons) or otherwise show something I wouldn't want to see under tack. My concern has been borne out by following a couple of horses that definitely learned some of the wrong stuff early on.
Anyway, nothing to do with the horse in question, who is clearly in good hands and learning his task well if a bit enthusiastically. Just a general note. But I would suggest finding out how the grading you're going to attend does its jumping and following their format as they may or may not let you "freestyle" and you'd hate to be asking the horse to do something new to him on the day.
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volatis
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 22/05/2007
Posts: 2640
Loc: S Lincs
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Trakehner grading is in a closed chute so the colt is caught at the end and then trotted round in hand to the start of the lane again.
Has Tessa had him doing grid work yet? I often find just a single fence doesnt give them enough to think about, especially the ones who find it easy, so very early on we work on grids, with bounces, or single strides etc to work on technique.
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