Jumbie is learning how to jump!!

So Jumbie is catching on to jumping quickly. She doesn't seem to care about anything, just jumps what is in front of her. Often she actually just trots over it rather than jumping it but still we are going from one side to the other in a relaxed way! She has now jumped 4 times and acts like she has jumped many more!

The third day we jumped her I was riding with several other horses and she was a bit high. I lunged her for a few minutes just to take the edge off, she lept and ran a bit but settled down quickly. It is better when jumping a young horse (or any horse really) to start with them quiet and relaxed, they need to think jumping is no big deal. If you start with a horse that is up and tight they will likely be nervous jumping which will lead to problems such as rushing fences, running out, or quitting. So once Jumbie was settled I got on and trotted and cantered her around. I then started trotting over some of the small jumps in the ring. She pops over the colorful boxes and step jumps just like the cross rails, quiet and relaxed. Denny put the step jump up a little bit so Jumbie would actually jump it, she came to it just as quiet as the others but actually put some effort into it! He then had me pick up a canter and come to the step jump. Jumbie has an amazingly balanced canter for such a young horse, from the very first time I cantered her I couldn't believe how well she could hold it. When I came around to the fence she was fairly easy to adjust and just popped over it!!

She was being so good Denny had me come around and trot the barrel jump, she just got to the base and jumped it! Coming to it Denny yelled "Get ready to get bucked off!" Haha we thought she might skyrocket over the jump but no, no drama! Then Denny said to come around and canter it, again Jumbie just cantered right up and over it! We did it a few times and then took her out for a short hack. I was amazed at how relaxed and ho-hum she was about everything!

A few days later we jumped Jumbie again, she was very relaxed so I just got right on. Denny was teaching 2 others and jumping one himself so I figured I would just jump a few and be done. Denny was going to work on a gymnastic line with the other horses in the lesson but after I was all warmed up he had the first bounce lowered and had me trot Jumbie to it. I wasn't sure what she would think of the bounce but just as with everything else Jumbie just popped through it! Her foot work wasn't quite right but, come on who figures the horse will get their first bounce perfectly! She went and tried and that's what counts! I came around and did it a couple more times and she really figured it out! Sometimes it is the second time around that the horse will stop, the first time they don't know what they are doing but may come a second time and think hey what was that?! Not in Jumbie's case though! After the bounce Denny had me trot around to the panel jump we have, it is a pretty spooky looking jump and again Jumbie didn't hesitate at all. This jump, however, was different, she really jumped it! I think it was big and spooky enough that she really used herself for the first time! I then got off and loosened the girth but kept Jumbie down in the ring so she could just relax and "hang out" with all the other horses jumping. I think this is just the way to start a young horse, jump a few fences a couple times a week and really try to set up success so the horse becomes confident and competent. No big deal!!!