Well some of you on my FB friends list have known of the 'issues' Saffy and I have had with liverpools (tarpaulin) jumps over the past 12 months.

Normally when we move a liverpool in the arena Saffy will refuse (she's better, she used to stop metres out from the thing) at least once before jumping it. The frustrating thing is that after a few suspicious leaps of it, she doesn't blink at jumping it... until you move it again or ask her to jump it in the other direction, and then the entire scenario happens again.

I've had some really good/interesting success with using KA Raz to have a bit of a 'chat' with Saffy but we haven't had a liverpool in a comp yet to see how we are going.

HOWEVER, today I put a small (only bout 90cm) liverpool out in one of the paddocks, I treated it like going to a comp, I took her out to the paddock, walked up to the liverpool (she shied at it) and then cantered round and presented her at the liverpool AND SHE JUMPED IT FIRST POP!!!!! Woohoo!!! I nearly knocked her neck off I was slapping it so hard telling her she is such a good girl!!! Did it in the other direction, no dramas either. I have so much more respect for her, as she is still stressed by them, but she jumped it.

An interesting thing I started doing a couple of weeks ago is getting her to walk over the tarp in the arena and I picture it being all solid and I say out loud "stomp it Saffy! stomp it" and I have started using this tarp on the ground as her place to rest when we are training in the arena. She stands on it and I pat her and she gets a wee rest. Today she JOGGED up to the tarp on the ground and stood in the middle of it on her own accord for a break!!! Classic. I also say "stomp it good Saff".

When I was cantering at the liverpools today I would say a few strides out "Stomp it Saffy!" LOL. Will sound funny in the comp ring I'm sure!.

BTW, before everyone starts all their liverpool training suggestions, I can HONESTLY say in the past 12 months, I have done it all!!! Oh, and horses being colour blind is a load of crap, Saffy has a 'thing' for blue jumps and blue fillers! Not other colours tho!

wahoooo yay you... KA Raz can be helpful aye... (but shhhh dont tell her that)

go you and saffy!!!

Cant wait to hear how she goes nxt time she comes across one at a comp...

She'll be a pro by then

Gee I can't wait till we discover liverpools, I'm having a hard enough time getting Jack to jump anything that has fill, I have in my down time been painting up a storm so there is lots for him to look at once we are back in the jumping groove but it's just so fustrating as the height is not the problem it's getting close enough to jump the fence when it has fill. Any tips??

Glad Saffy is going great guns!!

Hi Harley, I know how frustrating it can be. Saffy used to stop metres back from liverpools and couldn't get her near enuf to even sniff the darn thing.

Just start with coloured things that are teeny, so he can just step over them, I find that if I led Saffy over the tarp at first, she trusted me and would follow, just be careful Jack doesn't try and leap on top of you at first doing this!

If it's small enuf for them to be able to halt and then safely step over it, you don't have to worry so much about being launched and you can just grab some mane so you don't get left behind and pull on their mouth.

Leave bits of jump filler littered around where you ride and they soon get used to them around and it wont be long before curiosity gets the better of them and they want to go check them out. As I have discovered, the bully treatment doesn't work at getting them near something they don't like either.

And if that all fails, get KA Raz to have a 'chat' with him. Worked wonders for me and Saffy!