# Arabs can't jump!



## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

But shhhhhh, don't tell Zierra that, she hasn't figured it out yet. :wink: Any commentary is welcome on her style, I always enjoy hearing what she's doing right and wrong from different people. Also, critiques for me! I'm going for an unbiased opinion here, and I have feelings made of iron, so jab away!

I will say that in most pics I'm jumping in a Dressage saddle because she's a cow to fit and it was all I had. We don't show, we just have fun. I HAVE taken quite a lot of professional lessons throughout the course of my life, so I do "know" what I'm doing, it's just hard to get that good position when you haven't had a coach yelling at you for 4 years. I have a personal rule of not jumping higher then about 2'6" without a coach, moreso for the safety of my horse. She's well trained to jump and can scramble herself out of any "mess" at that height if I screw up.

And no, I don't wear a helmet. You can comment on it all you like, I'm a 23 year old adult and it's my own choice. I have my reasons, and if it makes you feel better to attack me for it, go right ahead, but I'll ignore you. 

Anyway, critique away!










Zierra's first time free jumping as a four year old









Zierra as a 5 year old learning how to jump, and me when I had a somewhat regular coach









Flat for fun, critique me









Flat pic from last summer (no coach for 4 years now)









Jumping last summer (yeah yeah, I know our jumps aren't "normal", but they work)









Bareback in a halter, LOL, long spot!









More jumping bareback, can't really critique this one much, but it's one of my favs so you get to see it 









More jumping last summer, my position is off in this one but I can't tell how - jumping ahead?









She likes to take off long, we need more work on striding









Hmm...I think I need a better release??









Haha, when I'm off, I'm REALLY off. This was our first time jumping together in about four months, she was off with an injury. She didn't lose a thing, I lost EVERYthing!









Little better? I always get left behind on landing, any tips would be great but I think I just need a stronger leg.

So yeah, that's me and my girl! She absolutely LOVES to jump, you show her a jump and she immediately gets excited. I think my worst habit with her is she won't refuse - if a jump is scary, she'll slide to a stop and then catleap over it. So I often trot her up to a fence and ask her to whoa on purpose so she can take a look! She's as honest as they come, which is nice, when people give me critiques I can work on fixing myself because I don't have to worry about her much (just not letting her gallop at it, her other love!)

I've also finally got an all purpose saddle that fits her, so hopefully that will be a big improvement this summer! Thanks for reading!


----------



## Jillyann (Mar 31, 2009)

you guys look really good! and yes arabs CAN jump! haha. sorry i wasnt much help, but i love looking at pictures! =)


----------



## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I think she's very cute. I'm not a jumper though, so can't critique really.


----------



## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

I agree with what you thought- you need to release a bit more. It looks good in most pictures, just in a couple, though, I think you should move your hands up her neck a bit. You might want to get your heels down a bit, also. You and your horse look really great- ESPECIALLY in a dressage saddle! Your horse is so beautiful - tell her I said that.


----------



## Chuckface (Apr 25, 2009)

I think you guys look great! your Zierra is gorgeous! I love her colour. nice jumps by the way, very inventive. hehe


----------



## Fire Eyes (May 13, 2009)

_I can't critique too much, but she's so pretty!_


----------



## reining girl (Jan 30, 2009)

She is a gorgeous girl!!! =)


----------



## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Very pretty, and B/S that Arab's cannot jump. It's just that there is something with their backs that prevent them to - was it round? or Lift? - I cannot recall..something about their conformation.

But they can definately jump


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I believe Arabs are missing a rib, making their backs shorter. I want to say that there's something funky with the number of vertebrae that make them "unique" as well.. I can't recall at the moment.

HOWEVER it is complete and utter bull that Arabs can't jump!! Your mare has lovely form, and I know many Arabs that have made a name for themselves in the hunter/jumper rings.. guess it's a well-kept secret?


----------



## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

Arabs can jump, and yes the only difference between an Arab and most other breeds is that they do have one or two less ribs. She is an adorable girl. Not a huge Arab fan, seen too many of the crazy saddleseat arabs, don't have many decent arabs around here, but she reminds me of a tiny 13 hand Arab gelding I used to jump. He loved it.


----------



## Whipple (Feb 2, 2009)

Gosh she is lovely! The first pic of her free jumping is beautiful! Sorry, but I'm not a critiquer.


----------



## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

AHA! I knew there was something about their conformation that made their backs differnt from other breeds.

The rib - gotcha! Thanks for posting that!


----------



## brookelovesparelli (Jan 21, 2009)

ummm why can't arab's jump?? there's thread i posted in this critique section & he's an arab, it's called something like Wildey & I at camp, or something like that  please have a look, but don't mind me, i got a bit left behind in the first picture. My first time doing x-country


----------



## acey (Dec 3, 2008)

some have 5 lumbar vertebrae instead of 6 maybe that's the back thing that makes them "unable" to jump???


----------



## brookelovesparelli (Jan 21, 2009)

'unable' hehe yeah wild_spot got up to 'B' grade on Wildey the horse that i was riding, & asked everyone to look at, He's 100% arab


----------



## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

I'm sorry guys, maybe some of you didn't realize I was joking? I guess "sarcasm" is hard to portray on the internet, I get quite peevish when people tell me Arabs can't jump, especially since I live in TB/WB central and everyone sneers down at us. So I always say "But Arabs can't JUMP!" when I post pics of my girls doing it with style heh heh.

Typically, because of the high headed conformation, Arabs jump rather "flat", but the sporty ones can jump just as well as the jumper breeds. I much prefer old classic Crabbet lines that produce a less typey but much more solid and sporty animal like Zierra. A local rider purchased an Arab gelding off our farm and did 4'0" jumpers and eventing with him quite successfully.

Thanks for the comments guys!


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I gotcha, Macab.

Just as a PS - please be careful with some of the jump setups you have. If a horse catches a rail when it's on something solid (like that piece of lumber stuck in between the chairs) it can cause an accident much more severe than just knocking a rail


----------



## brookelovesparelli (Jan 21, 2009)

ohh lol hehe got yah


----------



## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I think you look really good, and your horse is STUNNING. I just noticed you need to bring your shoulders back on the flat. And continuing with the sarcasm... you know Arabs can't drive either? Or be vaulted on? I broke an Arab to drive, and we vaulted on that same Arab, and he was AMAZING. He took to the cart in like, a week [after a bunch of long-lining experience] and he took such great care of us when we vaulted. I'm not a typical Arab lover, but I respect the breed for its versatility.


----------



## hotreddun (Jun 27, 2008)

> This was our first time jumping together in about four months, she was off with an injury. She didn't lose a thing, I lost EVERYthing!


Isn't that the truth? My horse and I were both off for almost a year because of the pregnancy and me taking time off to learn how to care for a baby. When I got back on he was top notch...I looked like it was my first time riding in my life.:lol:


----------



## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

*JustDressageIt *- Heh heh, I know, I know! We're going to be building proper jumps this summer. We only used the chairs for the really low jumps, they're only a foot and a half at best and all the horses can step over it. The older trail mares knocked it down a few times, but they're old hands at dealing with things from being trail horses their whole lives, so nobody being jumped is prone to spooking or freaking out. But I agree, it does present a much bigger danger then your typical standards, so we're building new ones this summer and purchasing some thick PVC to use as rails. Thanks for the concern!

*riccil0ve - *Thanks! I know, I have a TERRIBLE habit of both leaning forward AND tipping into turns :? I've been a Western rider most of my life, and spend half my time in a "half seat" and leaning forward from galloping around, so it's definately created bad habits! When I DO finally get my shoulders back, I arch my back, arg! And thanks for the commentary! I think I love Arabs so much because I just grew up with them, we never had any other breeds, so I just fell head over heels for their intelligence, willingness and versatility. They're not the best breed to love unless you're actually into Arabian shows since they tend to get frowned up in many open showrings, but for a backyard hack around trail lover like myself, they're just perfect!

*hotreddun* - Haha, it's actually quite nice! I mean, I DEFINATELY need to work a lot on her collection after not seriously riding her for four years, but she's the kind of horse where she had almost the entire winter off due to a leg injury and yesterday I fished her out of the pasture and went for a bareback ride down the road with my friend and she was as calm and happy as can be. Now that I've bought a 2 year old, it's nice having the horse that CAN get backburnered for a week (training wise) and not really lose much.

Thanks again! And anymore critiques, let 'em rip!


----------



## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

She's a lovely little jumper! You guys look great together! I think I like your form better in the bareback pics, but if you just do it for fun, then considering that factor, you don't look bad at all! Just work on your release and her take offs and you'll look even better!


----------



## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

Classy jumps!!! P 

I think you are a good jumper.. Better than a lot of jumping pics on here. I think your best jump was one of the ones in your dressage saddle. Don't be so hard on yourself!

Your arab is cute! My arab was a good jumper before he bowed a tendon! Your arab is cute upfront but her hind end is doing something different... a bounce pole would probably help her get a little more organized. Perhaps ride up the jump in a half seat to get off her short back so that her hind end can get together a little more? And yes.. a little more release!


----------



## speedy da fish (May 7, 2009)

these ones really can


----------



## MovingOn (Feb 1, 2009)

Arab's miss a vertebrate. It causes them to not obtain the bascule as well as others, but they more than make up for it in heart.

She is a beautiful girl, and makes me really miss my Arab's. I need to ride! You look great together!

Check out Russian Roulette. He is an amazing Arab beating Warmbloods! And he is older!


----------



## MovingOn (Feb 1, 2009)

> It's nice to see others who believe in the Arabian Jumper. My horse has been competing in the Open & ATR classes in Southern California. To date he holds 8 Division Jumper Championships from the Open Circuit and 8 Jumper Championships from the AHA circuit. He's coming up on a milestone of 1000 all breed horses defeated in open competition in 24 months. He's 19 years old, his name is Russian Roulett. We are proud of his record and have shown to all that the Arabian is more than capable of competing in open show jumping ... ps, he's only 14.2 hands and jumps the 1.10 to 1.15 meter fences. I know there are more of you great jumpers out there, I hope you will bring your horses to the open circuits in your area.
> said  aangelq


I got this from webshots. I wish I could find pics of him!


----------



## leviijeans (May 17, 2009)

Lets just say she is an beauty, and yes arabs can jump. But any ways. Lets start. One for not having alot of professinal training you got alot of skill, and you seem to know when your doing something wrong. OOO IMA HAVE FUN my friends ***** at me when i critque them
1: dressage saddle could be one of your problems when you jump, but i have done it before its just differnt
2: You should try shortening your stirrups, when your working with flat longerstirrups are good but jumping wise shorten them up a little it will help you raise yourself out of the seat and into 2 point. 
3: I agree with you, in the pictures she tends to take off way to soon. If you have a wooden trot poll place it in front of your jumps as a little reminder for her where she should take off. My gelding does that and i HATE IT.
4: You already pointed this one out, you need to release your reins.

I HAVE NOTHING BAD TO SAY ABOUT YOUR BAREBACK JUMPING. now that is amazing i cant do that and i have been jumping since i was 5. I dont know how people do it haha iv tried and the only thing going over the jump is the horse and im left on the ground xD


----------



## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Thanks levijeans! I agree, she's definately a rusher, she thinks everything needs to be powered over. Haha, as for bareback, I've grown up with horses and as a 7 year old who NEEDS to ride and parents who'd rather sit inside, what was my alternative? Why, go find the quietest broodmare we had and jump on of course!










Haha, it took me so long to get that saddle over my head, I rode bareback most of my young life! Plus in winter, it gets so cold, we forego saddles almost entirely, so bareback is pretty much second nature to me!

And I think you're the first person to tell me to shorten my stirrups! Normally I ride with them quite short, even for flatwork, but with the Dressage saddle I was trying to keep at least part of my knee on the saddle. :lol: But I'll take your advice when I finally get to ride in my jumping saddle this summer!


----------

