Critique my Arabs jumping, Pics included?

Okay so he is a 5 year old Arab, recently rescued. He loves to jump and I would love to know of anything he or me seems to be doing wrong. Critique his jumping please (: I need some tips. I dont have a trainer so... I need help from the Yahoo World.

http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/horse-forums/members/love.of.horses-albums-rescued+arabian-picture89336-ya-looks-like-i-am-whip-him.html

http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/horse-forums/members/love.of.horses-albums-rescued+arabian-picture89335-hes-my-baby-boy-3.html

http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/horse-forums/members/love.of.horses-albums-rescued+arabian-picture89347-ya-you-fly-boy-3.html

Okay. So ya, I know the jump itself isnt very good... but hey, jumps are expensive and I am saving for one. :D So please critique away (:

2011-04-14T07:52:10Z

Okay so, In the caption on one of those pictures I said he slows down a bit, but not anymore. That pic was taken about... 3 weeks ago. Yes, he was a little unsure of him self but now he flys over the jumps with out hesitation (: Thank you all for saying he is beautiful. Yes, I too have noticed how one legs is like further behind but I didnt know if that was a flaw... Thank you (: I will work on that. And him rushing to the fences. Thanks you all!!!

2011-04-15T05:21:52Z

No he doesnt have rain rot but we just rescued him about 4 months ago and the people we got him from, well their horses were biting him and since he was malnourished he had bad hair and skin so were they bit him he had chunks of hair missing.... ): All those spots though are now filled with new summer hair (: And when he sheds his winter coat he will be a sight to behold.

Lauren2011-04-14T07:09:35Z

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hi! first of all, beautiful horse :)
also, he looks a bit unsure of himself. in the one the pics, a caption came up saying he slows down before the fence. that may be because he is spooked by the fence (probably not because he is jumping it) or it may be that he is slowing down a bit to find a better stop to jump. keep jumping him and he will figure it all out. also, in the last pic, he has his hind legs sprawled out behind him. it looks like he went up, almost refused, but at the second decided to jump. with no video, it is hard to tell whether that is true or not, but it looks as though that may have happened. it looks as if he is using his neck nicely. some arabians keep their head very high which gives them a hollow, springy jump. he doesn't seem to have this problem.

so these are my critiques from the pictures, but all in all, a video would be better, but the pics worked fine. overall, he is a great jumper. just work on a couple of things and he will be fabulous. for example him being sure of himself, not slowing down before the fence, not jumping at the last minute, and not having his feet sprawled out, or out of alignment.

i really hope i helped! good luck with him! :)

azlasangel2011-04-14T17:56:42Z

Looks like he's doing well getting over those jumps :) From the pictures, however, it looks like his timing to jump is a little off. For instance, the first photo shows him jumping a bit too early, while in the second photo, it looks like he's jumping too late. I think that the more you have him practice getting over the hurdle, he'll learn not to anticipate it, but be patient. What will really help is, if at all possible, you could ride him over the jump. That way, you can use your hands to put pressure on his mouth, releasing the tension only when it's the perfect time to jump. That way, he won't go too early. He looks like an eager learner, so I wish you the best of luck in your training! :)

swing low2011-04-16T18:05:08Z

He's slowing down before jumps BECAUSE he's unsure and needs the extra time to figure out what to do with his feet. I wouldn't be cracking any whip before a jump thats why your having trouble with him rushing now.
He is also having trouble with where to take off from- he can't see the distance. Practice nice and slow at a consistant tempo and he'll start to get eh hang of it.
His knees are hanging out all over the place (you would like him to be snapping them up) but since he's just learning that excusable
His knees are also REALLY uneven and that needs work. Its dangerous.
Good luck! He sounds like he's doing much better and got lucky to have you.

Emura2011-04-14T13:36:23Z

I am in no way an expert but he seems unsure of himself. Also it looks like he might be rushing the fences based on his feet placement. Also he is waiting until the last second to jump. Maybe try using an A frame (you can make one) to get him to start jumping from a further distance away.

Beautiful horse

Anonymous2011-04-14T13:51:10Z

Stunning horse! Looks like he takes off one foot slightly before the other, look up horse jumping or watch some on tv, and you can see in the air the best jumps are when the horses front legs are pretty much aligned with each other. Still, i don't see how you can change that, but he is a very beautiful horse! Thanks xx

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