How can I make jumps look scary??

[Full of Flight]

I am trying to desenitise (sp?) One of my horses to jumps for shows. So far I have put pool noddles, saddle pads, towles, barrels, and cones. What else could I do to make to jump look scary?

[ForeverEquine]

I am trying to desenitise (sp?) One of my horses to jumps for shows. So far I have put pool noddles, saddle pads, towles, barrels, and cones. What else could I do to make to jump look scary?

I've noticed a lot of horses will spook at simple things such as flags, fake flowers at the base, any kind of lose trash (never know what can fly into the ring) and just a various assortment of crinkly type objects.

[Full of Flight]

He is good over flowers. I was thinking I could wrap the poles with polo wraps.

[ForeverEquine]

He is good over flowers. I was thinking I could wrap the poles with polo wraps.


You could also tie smaller streamers to them as well.

[Full of Flight]

Oh, that 's a good idea. I will try that.

[horse_lover]

My mare used to be VERY afraid of that indoor outdoor carppeting (looks like fake grass). my mare really didn't like that stuff.

Have you tried flower BOXES? not just flowers.

Some horses are afraid of solid jumps, like coops and such there is an attachement for an example of that. You could make a coop just by leaning some big sheets of wood against a normal vertical. (in the pic. of the coop, fr the record I have no idea who took the pic or where it is or who it is.)

One other thing I jumped with my mare today, was a crossrail in our jump (I've also been tring to make scary jumps!) there is an Attachment to show what I mean.

And Try putting horse blankets on thre jumps, they are a little more threatening that a saddle pad.

That's all I can think of at the moment!

[Full of Flight]

He is really good over the oxer with the X

[DixieGirl]

You could put a tarp under neath the jump, use little spinnerws like the things you put in your yard for the 4th of July, little flags, streamers on the stranderd. Thats all I have right now!

[Full of Flight]

Yeah we set those jumps yesterday really good, and I didn't fall. I know he could do the tarp because he has done it b4. Well i think he has. :confused:

[DixieGirl]

Time to go Dollar Store Shopping!!!

[Full of Flight]

Maybe we could do that this weekend to!! :)

[DixieGirl]

Yeah! That would be fun!

[Full of Flight]

I can't wait!!

[horse_lover]

He is really good over the oxer with the X

What about everything else?

[Full of Flight]

How could I make the other 2 types of jumps??

[horse_lover]

Like I said you could get some sheets of wood at lowes or something

And what about the horse blanket thing? you don't have to make anything for that.

[horse_lover]

Another thing that our TB really hated was a bunch of small like 18'' logs under and leaned up agains the jump.

[ForeverEquine]

Is your horse ok with people near jumps, like photographers? That might be an idea if they're not used to it.

[cherokee_92]

pompoms! I rode a horse in a fun show and they put them on the sides of a jump scared the crap out of that horse. flowers scared him also.lol :p

[Ruby Rider]

here are some of my ideas (i know some have been repeated)

plastic bags [like from the grocery store]
ribbons
pinwheels
flowers
tires [in a line so it makes a solid jump]
tires [so they make circles at the bottoms]
balloons [ tied to the side or the jump so they wave, helium is good but just so they dangle is good too]
pompoms
empty soda bottles [at the bottom of the jump or milk cartons]
soda bottles [filled with rocks, marbles,nuts, bolts, anything to make a sound and tied to the jump so they hang and make noice]
foam fingers [taped to the jump so they point up]
stuffed animals [at the bottom of a jump or tied onto the jump]
something shiny [ to tie onto the jump so it hangs and reflects aluminum foil is good]
hats [ hung on the sides... jackets too]
bubble wrap
pop its [so your horse steps on them]
[if you can and your willing to get wet and so is your horse] put a sprinkler under the jump so your horse has to jump through water...

just about anything you can fing that you can put by on or under a jump would work....

some of these i would want to try on the ground first so you don't get hurt..... be safe... i have tried most of these

[crazy4horses]

Some things I can think of are, get some tarp and put water in it to make it look like a mini stream, another think is to put some saddle pad blankets on the poles/cross rails! ;) What is scary to my horse, is bright colors on the poles like hot pink, lime green, bright blue. Maybe you could tape some bright colors on the poles to make them look scary! Hope this helps!

[mandyicequeen14]

Do you have any costumes from Halloween? Like monster costumes, anything that makes a shreaking/screaming noise. Lights that are constantly flashing really fast. Fog machine. Also try putting the jump behind bushes (low one acorse)

[Full of Flight]

Some things I can think of are, get some tarp and put water in it to make it look like a mini stream, another think is to put some saddle pad blankets on the poles/cross rails! ;) What is scary to my horse, is bright colors on the poles like hot pink, lime green, bright blue. Maybe you could tape some bright colors on the poles to make them look scary! Hope this helps!

We already did the saddle pads. He jumped those the best.

[crazy4horses]

We already did the saddle pads. He jumped those the best.

That's good. I think you have already done the scraryiest things I can think of!

[painthorsegirl101]

you could try puttin toilet paper on the standards.Or, my horse gets scared by just havin a pole put on the side of the jump at an angle.( i 4got wut it's called:))

My instructor had this tarp thing one time with borders and it wuz filled with water.He put that under a jump after that. The horse he wuz ridin got scared but eventually went over it.(and he's a pretty gud jumper now!!!)

U cud also try putting things that spin on the standards.The colorful things that spin in the wind work best. Basically the kindof things people put in their yards during halloween...

[Full of Flight]

you could try puttin toilet paper on the standards.Or, my horse gets scared by just havin a pole put on the side of the jump at an angle.( i 4got wut it's called:))

My instructor had this tarp thing one time with borders and it wuz filled with water.He put that under a jump after that. The horse he wuz ridin got scared but eventually went over it.(and he's a pretty gud jumper now!!!)

U cud also try putting things that spin on the standards.The colorful things that spin in the wind work best. Basically the kindof things people put in their yards during halloween...

I want to try the tarp. He will walk on and over one.

[StarGirl]

little flags would be good...maybe a pair of boots on top on each side...anything that looks out of the ordinary to a horse....something that to them should not be there, even if it's something they've seen in different places a thousand times...bikes on one side, maybe? cowboy hats perched in the center of a jump (I've got some cheap ones you can borrow if you want to)...stuff like that...

[horse_lover]

you could try puttin toilet paper on the standards.Or, my horse gets scared by just havin a pole put on the side of the jump at an angle.( i 4got wut it's called:))

My instructor had this tarp thing one time with borders and it wuz filled with water.He put that under a jump after that. The horse he wuz ridin got scared but eventually went over it.(and he's a pretty gud jumper now!!!)

U cud also try putting things that spin on the standards.The colorful things that spin in the wind work best. Basically the kindof things people put in their yards during halloween...

The poles out to the sides of the jump- wings

Tarp with raised borders full or water- liverpool

We all forget things! ;)

Kimberly, I again, suggest the hore blanket, it is much more threatening than just a saddle pad, and it looks like a great place for monsters to hide! ;)

[Full of Flight]

I got pom poms to put under the jumps, I am going to try them tomarrow.

[Full of Flight]

I jumped lonestar over pool noodles and pom poms and he did GREAT. He was a little heavy but that is Lonestar. :rolleyes:

[DixieGirl]

Yeah all the horses where good today! I was surprised Montana wasn't freaking out!

[Full of Flight]

Montana looked so CUTE!!

[crazy4horses]

Montana looked so CUTE!!

Your right! Montana is a very pretty little jumper! Taylor, you should so some 18' cross rails at the Arab show in October! You could totally place! ;)

[Full of Flight]

YEAH Taylor!! She looks SO cute!!

[timmy2 and zepo]

I was at a show one time at pebble beach and they laid blankets and sheets over the poles so it moved a little and stuff and the horses hated it!!!!!! :eek: But the horse jumped everything after it got over it!!! :D

[Full of Flight]

I was at a show one time at pebble beach and they laid blankets and sheets over the poles so it moved a little and stuff and the horses hated it!!!!!! :eek: But the horse jumped everything after it got over it!!! :D

We have jumped towels. He did pretty good over them after he did it a couple of times.

[DixieGirl]

Your right! Montana is a very pretty little jumper! Taylor, you should so some 18' cross rails at the Arab show in October! You could totally place! ;)

Thanks!! Montana is cute!

[crazy4horses]

Thanks!! Montana is cute!

Remeber that joke we made "She has that Arab in here deep deep deep down in her!!" :p

[DixieGirl]

yeah! But I really do think she has Arab in her.

[Full of Flight]

and how she holds her tail.

[PeppiPoni]

you could use a liverpool....
or for more extreme..... make an open water