hi, i have been riding 4 11 years now. stopped for a while then started again. but one thing i cant get back to is jumping. b4 i stopped i had an accident that basically scared me and stopped me from riding. and now i cant bring myself 2 do it.

any advice??

A good tip is to just think of jumps as an extension of your flatwork.. Start with trotting poles on the floor, and mix them up abit by adding them into your 20m circles so your horse is well used to them. Then just gradually higher them up on one side but just approach them in trot. Don't look at them as a jump, but just a higher trotting pole and as your horse approaches them look straight ahead and tell the horse that YOU want to go over them and as you do so just give slightly with the rein and lean forward. Even if the pole is only half a foot off the floor its a start! Just remember this is not going to happen in one schooling session.. don't rush and build it up gradually!

Good luck!
Sarah
xxx

I agree that u should def take time building up your confidence, don't do something you don't feel comfortable with, as this could make your horse feel more insecure and that is when accidents are most likely to occur. so deffinately start with trotting poles and remember you can walk over them to begin with! having lessons should also help, because knowing that another person is there to help and guid you offers great peace of mind. when you do build up your confidence and can pop over small jumps at canter (if thats in a day or a year it doesn't matter!) remember that the jump is just a canter stride that has been extended upwards, or if you like, canter is just many very small jumps
it helps alot if you can ride a calm and easy horse who is very unlikely to do anything silly as this will be one thing less for you to worry about. if you do get lessons you can always ask to be lunged over poles and then jumps first. don't be afraid to ask for whatever will help your confidence grow, and I'm sure that soon you'll find yourself flying!
xXx