United States Eventing Association

Teaching a Horse to Jump with Tik Maynard

Tik Maynard is slated to take two horses to the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover at the end of October with plans to enter horses in the eventing and freestyle categories. In preparation, he has taught his off-the-track Thoroughbreds how to jump, and he shares his strategy with us.

It's easier to win a title than to defend a title. The returning victor has the pressure he puts on himself. He also feels the expectations of others. The underdog has nothing to lose, and everything to gain. I suspect Thoroughbred Makeover Champion, Lindsey Partridge, will be feeling that pressure. And I will be feeling it as well in the Freestyle division.

My job is to not let my horses feel any of my anxiety. My horses and I will arrive at the Kentucky Horse Park the last week of October. We will hear the booming voice of the announcer. Our noses will wrinkle with the unfamiliar scent of popcorn in the pavilion. Our skin will goosebump from the sharp Kentucky wind. My stomach will tingle with anticipation as we await our turn. I won't be able to stop the adrenaline but I try to transfer none of it on. The horses inevitably notice the differences from home, and a little adrenaline is good, but with too much we lose our calm and focus. Exuberance is exciting, and fun to watch; don't mistake anxiety for it.

People and horses need a little pressure in order to learn and perform at our best, but very quickly with a little more pressure our ability to think and focus goes down. Imagine a bell curve. And the latter part of the curve is descends even quicker for horses than for people.

There are ten divisions at the 2016 Retired Racehorse Project’s Thoroughbred Makeover, and each competitor is allowed to enter two horses. Each horse can be entered in up to two divisions. I plan on entering two horses in the same two divisions: Freestyle and Eventing.

This year I am in the unique position that I have three Thoroughbreds. As I am only allowed to enter two, I will have to choose which of them compete as we get closer.

Tik working with Johnny Football (right) and Haxby (left) on the ground. Photo courtesy of Tik Maynard.

Johnny Football is a medium bay from Arizona. Co-owned by Reed Zimmer and myself. Johnny is light on his feet, and quick in his mind. If he was a beer he'd be an IPA, fresh and hoppy.

Haxby Park, of Lexington, Kentucky, co-owned by Jeff Tow Arnett has never raced, but he does have a "published work": A work-out at a track or training center where the time and distance is officially recorded. Haxby is a chestnut that is the ying to Johnny's yang: sweet and smooth. A Summer ale.

Unlike the first two , Commander is a racing veteran. A Guinness perhaps, proven and true. He was a crowd favorite in Edmonton and Vancouver before his retirement at 9-years-old. He is owned by my father, Rick Maynard, and is always ready to work and please, yet he would also be the most set in his ways. He wants to adjust to this new life, but it's going to take him longer as he adjusts to new habits. Try brushing your teeth with your left hand - that's what Commander is learning to do.

Learning to Jump

As we prepare for the eventing portion of the Makeover, these three horses will learn to jump. This is not a natural skill to learn for many horses, much less one used to racing. Most wild horses, given the choice, will go around a jump, not over it.

So we progress systematically. I have a plan about what the priority is at any given time. If I am very careful I can set things up so progressively, that Haxby rarely stops or runs out, but mistakes happen. Even at the Olympic level we see horses stop or run out.

Here is my rule of thumb: I'd rather have a horse stop straight at the jump, than run out. I find running out is a harder thing to fix. Running out is not so tough on Haxby, he can just keep going, sometimes only with a slight change of direction, and so it can easily become a habit.

But when Haxby has to slams on the breaks at the last second, all his momentum crashing onto his forehand or into the jump - that's no fun for him! And that's what I want, I want jumping to be the easiest option for him.

At first Johnny Football might just accept it, but athletic playful horses often learn to enjoy jumping. My body is in a different position for teaching a horse to jump, than for a horse that already knows how to jump. That is because there is a difference between teaching a horse something new, and communicating to them to do something they already have learnt. I want to be in a position to give confidence, and also in a position where if he leaves the ground earlier or later than I expect I am safe. I let him jump in front of me - I want it to be obvious to him what is expected. With a more experienced horse I jump with them - there is more trust.

Step 1.

I make direction a priority over speed. I widen my hands. I keep my body behind the motion. Look at my shoulders behind my hips. I let the horse jump in front of me. As I stay behind the motion I let the reins slip through my hands. I am careful to steer without pulling.

At the very beginning I might even let him stop at the jump. If he does stop, I don't want to have my leg on. I don't want him to ever learn that he can be behind my leg. I think, "I didn't want you to jump anyways, I just wanted you to come up and look at this." I have to be mentally flexible. I encourage the horse to look or sniff the jump, and then to look to the other side of the jump. Maybe I even let him eat grass on the other side of the jump. "THAT'S where you want to go," I think. Of course if the jumping turns into a habit that is no good either, but that is something we will address later. I want respect from a horse, but that is not given to me, or demanded by me. Respect is earned.

"THAT'S where I want you to go!". USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

Step 2.

So if the horse continues to run out, I get in the habit of quickly and smoothly UNWINDING what just happened. If my horse runs out to the right, I do not keep going right and circle back. I stop and go back left and stand in front of the jump. I let him look at it, put his nose and neck on it. Then look past it. I want him to think the other side is better than this side. I use just enough pressure that he looks to the other side, for some horses this is a gentle closing of the leg, for other horses it will be using the crop. To earn respect I try to know my horse perfectly so that I use just the right amount of pressure, not too little and definetly not too much. Then I go left and start again.

As I approach the jump I am thinking about lots of things: His pace, his rhythm, his balance, his bend, his amount of relaxation, my position; just to name a few. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of things I could focus on. The trick is to pick a priority and focus on that until it becomes a habit for you or for your horse. Then pick another priority.

All good trainers are trying to get you to the same place, but rarely will two trainers pick exactly the same priority. Some trainers see position first. Some have an eye for anxiety in horse or rider. Some trainers will focus on flatwork. There is no one right place to start. But it is important to have a plan, otherwise it is too easy to get focused on trying to fix eight or nine things and never really fixing any of them.

Tik demonstrates a proper jumping position. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

Jumping position is a matter of never ending improvement. There are two main reasons for my position over these fences. The first reason is to be in a position that allows the horse to move, and jump, at his most athletic. If I am landing on his back as he lands, or jerking him in the mouth as he takes off that is not helpful. If I distract him by being in the wrong balance, he can't give the jump all his focus. The second reason is to put myself in a position to communicate to him. Do we want to land and go left? Or right? Or stop? Do I need to communicate confidence?

Step 3.

If Commander, or Haxby or Johnny is now stopping. I need to first think, why? Why might he stop?

Sometimes there is more than one thing going on, and the reasons overlap, or add to each other. Sometimes one reason causes another. I try to be thoughtful. If I diagnose the reason wrong, the medicine may end up creating more problems.

Step 4.

Fix the problem. And if necessary, I isolate the problem, fix the problem, then add the jump back in. For example, if Johnny gets behind my leg, I get him in front of my leg first, then come back to the jump. I don't try to fix the behind-my-leg-problem, and the jumping-stopping-problem at the same time.

I fix the problem I have. I don't try to fix all problems the same way. If I have a horse that is over faced I deal with it differently than if I have a distracted horse.

Stay tuned for Tik’s next article where he will discuss some common reasons that horses stop, and how to fix them!

Until then, you can learn more about Tik by visiting his website, www.tikmaynard.com