# Riding/jumping up a bank?



## Karen of Alsea (Nov 21, 2010)

*Jumping up a bank*

Wallaby: I am thinking that perhaps the timing was just off for her & threw her out of balance. Perhaps you leaned too far forward. Best.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Hmm, lets see if I can explain what I do :think:.

When coming up to a bank, I will take as deep a seat as possible and also I will kind of wrap my legs around the horse's barrel. I will keep a firm grip on the horn with my free hand and grab a good chunk of mane with my rein hand. When I feel them sort of bunch up for the jump, I will take a more forward seat but still balanced and when they jump, I will absorb most of the take-off with my thighs. As they reach the second level and start pulling with their front legs to get the rest of the way up, I try to lift out of the saddle just a bit into a modified 2-point type seat and use my legs to keep myself up off their back until they are solidly past the jump.

LOL, seems like a lot of words to explain something that happens in just a couple of seconds but I think I got it all correct. IMHO, the most important part is where your hands are. Holding the horn will help to keep you from being left too far behind and holding the mane will help to prevent accidentally bumping the horse in the face if you do end up behind a bit.


----------



## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

Thanks smrobs! That's very helpful and very thorough, in a good way.  

I think popping her in the mouth is the one thing I didn't do (sad, but also amusing). I like to keep my reins long enough with her that to have any contact at all, I have to physically gather them up. Obviously I don't have them that long at anything faster than a walk, but we just mostly walk so it works and at the point in question, we were just walking.
Which brings me to another question! For a bank that high, is it fair to expect her to be able to get up there from a walk or is that causing her undue stress? Should I ask her to trot so we have a little bit more momentum? I'd prefer the walk then jump method but I don't want to be hurting her somehow... She's generally plenty warmed up by the point that we get to it...

I'll have to try grabbing mane next time, her mane is finally a grab-able length again, thank goodness!

I think I was too stiff and tried to prepare too much when I really needed to stay relaxed in order to stay with her. I'll give your tips a try next time, I'm sure they will help it work out better.


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking her to jump up it from a walk. It takes a little more effort, but that's all. She'll let you know when it gets too hard for her.


----------



## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

SMR has already told you in principle how to do it but the saddle presents a problem or two which you must get over.

With the idea of helping you I have sat and written this article four times but in each case I have come back to the notion that you should learn to cope with this high bank in a training arena of some sort. It sounds like you have a pretty good horse there to jump three feet up onto a bank just because you asked him to do it. It is important for you that he doesn‘t learn to refuse and on a loose rein he easily could.

May I suggest - in Oregon there ought to be a few English riders - can you arrange a couple of lessons on a English schooled jumping horse using an English saddle and bridle set? 

It won’t take you long to catch on to how it is done but it would be better to practice on a school horse than your own good chap. Anyway, your horse already knows how to jump, it is you who does not. In principle you should be able to jump in a western saddle and the horse should be well capable of jumping three or even four feet.

Your problem to overcome is the horn of the Western saddle plus the likelihood that you regularly ride on a loose rein, no doubt with long stirrup leathers. But the teacher will put you on the right track. Once you, the human, knows how to jump a horse, then you can learn how to get it all together with your own horse at first in the in the training arena.

In a couple of months you be going up into those woods looking for fallen trees and fast flowing streams merely so as to ‘pop‘ over them.

PS The tutor might ask you to wear a pukka riding hat - but if you are going jumping, that’s a good idea.


----------



## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

Thanks for the tips Barry.  I'll have to look around for English trainers around here. I'd love to take English lessons since I used to ride English and I absolutely loved it, however, Lacey's just not a fan of the whole English "thing" so I don't ride her English anymore. 
Anyway, I'll look and see if I can find a trainer around here... Oregon is basically know for it's lack of competent trainers. I mean, I know where I could find a few but they would cost me an arm and a leg, and even then there's a 75% chance that they really don't know what they're doing.
But I'll look!

And that's so true about streams and logs! Haha! However, I have to be careful because my girl is 25, so we really shouldn't be jumping everything, even if we both want to.


----------



## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Personally, I don't think you need lessons or need to ride in an English saddle just to jump up a bank. All part of the trail experience . Just lean forward a tad, hang on to some mane, and try to stay pretty balanced. She should be fine just jumping it once or twice every time you guys go on trail. Have fun!


----------



## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

equiniphile said:


> Personally, I don't think you need lessons or need to ride in an English saddle just to jump up a bank.


Well, yeah. But riding English is so much fun! This is just an excuse. :lol:
Thanks for the tips too!


----------



## Amlalriiee (Feb 22, 2010)

This may have already been said, but I don't come out of the saddle in a situation like this, I just lean forward IN the saddle. That would help with not bonking her in the back since you will already be on her. The way I understand it is that she's jumping up a bank onto higher ground? so that she isn't really coming back down and landing right? You could even just ride her up it without jumping...most horses will trot or canter or hop if they need to, so I wouldn't worry about the gait, she'll let you know if she needs a different one.


----------



## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Wally - there is one issue that worries me and that is your Lacey is 25 years old, which is a good age for a horse. 

When under saddle, jumping three foot up onto a bank without the help of momentum is quite a strain - especially if the rider has not yet learned how to make it easy for the horse. The stress is significant on the ligaments and the joints. I’d be even more worried about her dropping down 3 feet off the bank.

Personally, if I were in your shoes, I would think twice about taking that bank. I’d go the long way round. As a minimum I’d dismount. It is easier to teach her to stand still than it is to ask her at this stage of her life to jump steep banks. But you know this already and what’s more you know your horse far better than anyone else.

The name of the game now for you is to keep her fit for riding for another five years - maybe even more. So the quality of her old age rests with your decisions about what you ask her to do. Your call Wally.


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

WHAT?

We go over these size of ledges and banks all the time. It's just part of riding in the desert. My horses have learned to approach and put front feet and then launch the rear end up and over. We do it in western saddles all the time


This rider got off before going over this ledge. ( I rode my horse over it) But you can see the riders head is lower than the horses feet. and when we return to have to go up and over this same spot











The 2nd rider in this photo just came up on over a 3' rock ledge. See how much lower the 3rd horse is. It's a pure step up, horses rock back and launch up.









Another hill we are dropping off, But we have to climb up the same hill at times. This isn't a ledge, but steep incline.










This photo shows some riders leading their horses up over a 4' ledge. The mule riders that were the leaders on this ride told all the horse people to lead their horse but they insisted their mules were better and could jump this ledge. A lot of horse people stayed in their saddles and rode up and over this ledge. Me included.









The point being, If your horse is confident to go up and over it. You just need to learn to sit the event comfortable and let your horse do what comes naturally.


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

A couple more pictures showing horses going over ledges.

I apologize that they all show us coming down over vs up over. It just seems that the only photos I have came on the downhill side. But we have to climb up and over these same spots on the return legs of our trips.

You can see this rider is not even thinking about his horse crossing the ledge. But rather looking out enjoying the scenry, the lady behind him is a little more focused on getting her horse over the ledge.









This rider waved his arm a little to keep his balance and his horse bounced over these rocks.









I can't tell you how many rivers I forded where I had to walk the horse up to the rivers bank and step off 3' banks into the water. Same thing on the far side as we exit the river, A 3' bank we have to jump up to get out of the water.


----------



## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

PHM

It strikes me, after looking at those photos of all that magnificent scenery I draw the short straw by being born in Britain.

OK, so you've got no pubs to call into for a glass of wine, but I suppose I could always take a flask and a packet of sandwiches in the saddle bag.

What a lovely picture you have painted. Thank you for brightening up my day.

Barry


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Barry, 
My pleasure. Always happy to share photos of what I enjoy.

I understand it's hard for folks who have never seen this part of the world to understand. As we sort back through history and journals and read about what cowboys and outlaws did to traverse this wild land, my trail rides seem very feeble in comparison.










As I watch the wild mustangs run across this land, I develop a new appreciation for what a horse can do. There is no hestantcy or slowing down, They cross natural obsticles at full speed.










The area of the american west is so vast. There is no way any group can provide groomed and maintained trails over all this area. Nor do we want that. We expect our horses to cross natural trail obsticles, what ever they might be.









Sometimes we have to get off our horses to help them


----------



## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

PHM
Looking at those photos of a desert in UTAH, I have to say we live in two different worlds. I'd love to have a go at what you guys are doing there.
Our riding here on this little island is just so different. But of course as the scenery is different so is the method of riding.

Here it is narrow country lanes barely 10 feet wide shared by cars, walkers, dogs and horses. The lanes lead up to a forest which has never been any thing else but a forest and is so recorded for at least two thousand years.
The peasants may have thinned it down a couple of times but it has then re grown.

The land is green - all the year round. It is wet for most of the year, the temperatures barely drop below -2 deg C and the sun comes out in the summer but rarely goes above 28 deg C You are never more than two miles from houses and a village or two. There are too many people.

The Normans - you know William the Conquerer and all that - chased wild boar through these woods and 1000 years before them, the Romans dressed in shiney armour hunted the local Welsh heathens - who back in those days were called Silurians. 

The biggest predator locally apart from man is a fox. The biggest bird is a buzzard or a sparrow hawk. There are no poisonous snakes, insects or reptiles. In the spring the colours of the flowers would make Van Gogh jealous, because he never saw them. Herds of deer run wild in the forest and they have no predator - except the occasional gamekeeper.

The horse is an Irish Draught cross Connemara who was born on the windy wet, Atlantic washed corner of Ireland. She is as hardy as they come in cold or wet weather. She'd be lost on those stoney trails However she can go like a rocket, jump like a stag and give a good show in an old fashioned classical dressage arena.

The important thing is that the horse must stand perfectly still as a car passes her - barely a few inches away on a narrow country lane bordered by steep banks whilst a helicopter flies low overhead.

I'll swop your cowboy's hat for my riding hat any day but I wonder how you'll get on with my pesky small English saddle.

Maybe we should do a swop for a while!

Barry


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I probably ought to swap you for a couples of days of english riding for a couple of days of western.

My expereince with Europeans has been that they are usually overwhelmed with the space and vastness of the west. I know I get a little claustrophibic just being on the east coast of america. 

This young girl was from Germany. She came over and stayed with us for 6 weeks. We made sure she got a couple horse rides in the mountains. Hopefully she took homes great memories










My standard joke to eastern folks. Is that I give directions in "Can Sees" 
as in Drive south as far as you can see, Then drive as far south as you can see from that point, Then make a left up the canyon. Around here, it's pretty easy to 40-50 miles. So two "Can Sees" equals about 100 miles


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Wow, what beautiful country. I think even I would be nervous riding out there, not because I would doubt my horse's ability to keep me safe, but I am horribly afraid of heights LOL.


----------



## Amlalriiee (Feb 22, 2010)

Painted Horse: those pictures are wonderful!!! Being on the east coast, our terrain is very different...but I love to ride the east coast version of those types of trails! Sometimes non-trails, too, bushwacking can be fun! Wish I had some pictures to show the east coast version and compare....quite the difference! I'm pretty sure my horse is a mountain goat in disguise, she'd do well out there.


----------



## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

PHM
I have tried to put on this thread some photos of riding in Britain - or rather Wales where I live, but it seems I need the help of a young pair of computer competent fingers. However if you look in each of the picture albums on my CP you'll see three pictures of riding hereabouts in South Wales and over in the Brecon Beacons. The Cambrian mountains is one of the few areas of Britain which have not been trampled on over the centuries by hordes of city dwellers.

Two of the horses in my life, especially the Palomino, were schooled to ride Western - even if I did cheat by using an English bridle set fitted with a snaffle bit. 

In the 80s I lived in Houston for a bit, I travelled a lot to Florida, New Jersey and Nrth Carolina and I flew over to California several times. I even managed to ride a horse in a dude ranch a couple of times. But I never got to Utah. It seems I missed some spectacular scenery. The US is such a big place for we Europeans to visualize. Of course you need to have a horse to appreciate it.

But as you will know, you need to know horses to appreciate a lot of things in this life.

Barry


----------



## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

Amazing pictures Painted. I only wish that I could trail ride like that some day. (well maybe not the cliffs, but..) =)
All of my horsey friends are fair weather riders (which there are few of here in Oregon.) and/or have completely different schedules than me. And I certainly am not going out on the trails alone. Especially those kinds of trails. =P


----------



## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

Reiterin said:


> Amazing pictures Painted. I only wish that I could trail ride like that some day. (well maybe not the cliffs, but..) =)
> All of my horsey friends are fair weather riders (which there are few of here in Oregon.) and/or have completely different schedules than me. And I certainly am not going out on the trails alone. Especially those kinds of trails. =P


I'll be your friend! :lol: I go out riding in everything. The only thing I don't like are people who want to run their horses all the time and/or riding on really loose mud. Lacey gets really nervous about mud (I probably don't help because I'm terrified that I'll get smooshed under a horse that slipped on mud on day) and she slips all over.

Painted- I would be terrified to go on trails like that!  However, there's this one little mare that comes to my camp every year that I would feel completely safe doing that sort of thing with. She's the b**chiest mare EVER but she's also the most sure footed, brave horse I've ever met. That mare, who's 13hh if she's lucky (Quarter Pony), thinks nothing of jumping things taller than she is. And I've never seen her not make it over anything. She's basically a machine. Not surprisingly, her name is Lil B**ch. However, at camp we call her Lil Bit. Hahaha I would feel totally confident riding her in any sort of situation, Lacey not so much. :lol:
Thanks for sharing your photos!


----------



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Wallaby, I just wanted to add my 2 cents about the age of your mare. I wouldn't be concerned about her age if you haven't noticed anything out of whack with her. My girlfriend did stuff like this all the time on her 25+ Arabian. The only time he started to slow down was when she couldn't get out to ride him often enough anymore. I totally expect my horses to cross whatever obstacles I give them. On one of my "trails" I have a piece of bedrock about 5 feet up that is almost as steep as your "/". We go up and down, wet and dry. They can't really jump it, they just scramble up and hitch down!


----------



## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

NorthernMama said:


> Wallaby, I just wanted to add my 2 cents about the age of your mare. I wouldn't be concerned about her age if you haven't noticed anything out of whack with her. My girlfriend did stuff like this all the time on her 25+ Arabian. The only time he started to slow down was when she couldn't get out to ride him often enough anymore. I totally expect my horses to cross whatever obstacles I give them. On one of my "trails" I have a piece of bedrock about 5 feet up that is almost as steep as your "/". We go up and down, wet and dry. They can't really jump it, they just scramble up and hitch down!


Thanks, that's kinda what I was thinking. I figure that I've known her for 3 1/2 years, which should be plenty to know her fairly well, and I know her better (and what she can handle) than anyone on the internet who's never met us. :lol: I do appreciate the concern though!

As a consensus to her age, we don't ride down it, I do get off and we go around. I don't think it's fair to ask her to be that athletic before she's totally limbered up. But by the end of our ride, she's really warmed up and completely willing to do it. Of course, if she suddenly refuses to do it one day, I'm for sure not going to make her. She's generally very willing to try anything I ask her to do so when the day comes that she gets weird about it, I will definitely think twice about asking her to do things like that.

And, it's not like she's being worked to death or anything, I mean, we go for about two 2-3 miles walking journeys a week, she gets lunged at all gaits once a week and she has two 20 minute walking sessions a week teaching 2 little girls to ride. I feel like her life is currently pretty low impact but at the same time, she's being kept moving which has proved to be important in keeping her from getting stiff.

Also, down a 5ft sheet of bedrock? :shock: I would be really scared. That's impressive.


----------



## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Well, Wallaby, the bedrock isn't as steep as yours I figure, but my girls are barefoot and have learned to be surefooted. Same as PaintedLady's horses have to be. I figure the horse wants to stay upright as much as I do and I just do my best to be "one" with the horse as I can. When I cut that trail, I almost went around the rock and then decided that if the horses can't do it, they'll let me know and I'll find a way around.

BTW, why do you have to dismount to go around your bank? If the horse can walk it by themselves, you should be able to stay on. About the only time I get off my horse because of trail conditions is when the branches are too low and I'll get cartooned off my horse if I try to stay on!


----------



## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

Oh! I should have mentioned that. It's because the way to go around is, thanks to a tree, human head height/short horse height. If I tried to stay on I'd get all annihilated by branches. haha! The next time I go that way I'm going to try to bring clippers and make the opening bigger, but for now I have to get off.


----------

