This is an oval loose-jumping school where the horses ‘leave the ground’ for the first time in the lives. The jumps consist of a telegraph pole threaded through car tyres which can be on the ground or raised to height of nearly four feet. When a horse is jumping for the first time, we attach them to a long rope and start by guiding them over the low tyres. The soon understand that they have to jump them and when they begin to get confident at it, they are let loose and go around on their own. All horses can jump, it just important to teach them gently and patiently. The ones who jump the best are the ones who are taught the best and enjoy it the most.
One of the highlights of a trainer’s day is introducing a horse to jumping for the first time and then watching the horse whizzing around on his own, loving every jump. We put every horse in the jumping lane, often the day after they.ve worked to see how fresh and happy they are. Also with it’s high sides it is the perfect place to listen for any defect in a horse’s wind.
