Tips On Training My Young Horse To Jump?

I do not think it is too old to start now. In fact I think it is better older as the horse has had more time to mature and strengthen his joints. Try some gymnastic jumping with strides in between (distances are important so find a site with related distances for his size and adjust slightly to his stride) and some bounce fences and these will encourage him to think forward and to place himself correctly. Height is not so important as once he has the technique right he can jump anything! Gymnastic jumping is done with 5 or 6 fences and you can do the last one a bit bigger, perhaps with a spread. Make sure you have a pole or a filler on the ground. Odd as it seems a horse looks at the bottom of the fence to guage where to take off and how high. Then you could move on to courses - just a short one of 5 or 6 and use all the available space to present him right. Don't allow rushing (which can be a sign of keenness or anticipation of pain) and try to approach from trot but allow a few strides of canter after as he moves away. Put different fillers in to make it more interesting and helps the horse get used to different things. You might not have a wall to jump but could paint some bricks on to boards etc. Put a spare stirrup leather around his neck in case he jumps big and you do not want to be catching his mouth at this or any other stage. Always finish on a good jump and then wind him down with a short hack before taking him home. Good luck.

I'd advise to free jump him on a lunge first, let him figure out whats he's capable of, then he will know he can do it when you finally jump on.

I disagree that he's too old - most people think they should learn at four but that's too young. A horse's skeletal system isn't fully formed until they're five years old, so excess work and jumping before then leaves lasting damage. Anyway, onto your question. Why does he "need" to jump bigger? It depends how long he's been jumping as to when you should increase the heights. As for how to buld up their confidence, the only way to do it is to no over face him, and try to get it right! Don't get left behind and sock him in the teeth etc, or jump ahead of him and crash on his neck. Sit quiet and praise him when he's done it; keep your leg there to encourage him forward but don't drive him into the fence. Just let him pick his own way - he'll soon learn. You need to bring in grids before you up the height, to teach him balance as this will raise his confidence too. Set up grids of poles, and then introduce little cross poles etc before building them up to small uprights etc. Keep the fences tiny and make sure you get your distances right. Ride them properly to help him through. It's worth you getting some lessons from a good trainer who's used to teaching horses to jump, to help you. It's very easy to frighten a horse off something, especially one like yours who has already taken a knock to his confidence. At 6, he's still only a baby, so be patient with him. Remember to vary his routine and not over jump him - he'll get sick and start refusing. Once or (at most) twice a week is fine, but interspace it with schooling, hacking and most importantly don't forget his day off. Hope this helps. ADD: Don't lunge/free school him over fences until he's confident - he needs his rider's help right now.