How long before my pony can start jumping?

peaceloveandhorses: How long before my pony can start jumping?
ive just started getting my pony back into work after about 3 months off(I was showing minis all summer and barely had time to ride him) how long should he be in consistent flat work before he can start jumping low stuff? And does jumping help build more muscle in the hind end or the front? Or both equally(because of landing and take off)?

Thanks 🙂

Answers and Views:

Answer by sazzy
It depends what you mean by jumping.
It shouldn’t take him long to be fit enough to pop a couple of small jumps, just so he’s fit enough to be able to walk and trot for say half an hour without being knackered then popping some jumps won’t do any harm.
However, if you mean a full jumping session with a course of jumps, you’ll want him to be happily able to walk/trot/canter consistently for a good session without getting knackered.

Jumping should build up the hind end on a horse, because it takes more power to take off than to land. However, they must be jumped correctly, working from behind and not just being allowed to hair all over the place – or it won’t do much for them at all except wear their legs out.

Answer by LaLuna
I would get him in shape over ground poles and cavalettis after he’s been doing flat work for a month. After a month of cavalettis and ground poles, you could probably start doing some low cross rails. Just take it slow, and don’t rush it.

Answer by ♥Bearley Smokin’♥
I’d wait untill both his hindquarter muscles and forearm/chest muscles are fully developed. It may take 2 weeks, or it may take a few months to get him back into shape. Personally, I think jumping builds more muscle in the hind end because the horse has to push off inorder to make it over a jump.