A horse that stops out of nowhere mid-course, after jumping everything else well, is usually reacting to reins that have quietly got shorter fence after fence. Dan Bizzarro explains the confidence bank.
A horse that stops out of nowhere partway through a course, after jumping everything else nicely, is almost always reacting to reins that have quietly got shorter fence by fence, catching him in the mouth on takeoff or landing. It rarely comes from one bad moment. It builds over several fences until he's had enough and says no. Why does my horse suddenly stop when the round was going so well? Because it isn't sudden. Something has been building for the last few fences, and the stop is just the first moment you noticed it. The most common cause is your rein length. Somewhere in the middle of the course, without a clear decision to do it, your reins get a little shorter. You don't feel it happening because it's gradual, a few centimetres at a time. But a shorter rein gives your horse less freedom to use his neck when he jumps, and if he takes a bigger jump than expected, he gets caught in the mouth. Once, that barely registers. Repeated fence after fence, it adds up to a horse who decides jumping isn't worth it anymore. A horse that stops out of nowhere partway through a course, after jumping everything else nicely, is almost always reacting to reins that have quietly got shorter fence by fence, catching him in the mouth on takeoff or landing. It rarely comes from one bad moment. It builds over several fences until he's had enough and says no. Why does my horse suddenly stop when the round was going so well? Because it isn't sudden. Something has been building for the last few fences, and the stop is just the first moment you noticed it. The most common cause is your rein length. Somewhere in the middle of the course, without a clear decision to do it, your reins get a little shorter. You don't feel it happening because it's gradual, a few centimetres at a time. But a shorter rein gives your horse less freedom to use his neck when he jumps, and if he takes a bigger jump than expected, he gets caught in the mouth. Once, that barely registers. Repeated fence after fence, it adds up to a horse who decides jumping isn't worth it anymore. What is the confidence bank? It's the goodwill your horse has built up from being ridden correctly and fairly, and it's what lets him shrug off the odd small mistake without it affecting him. If you caught him in the mouth once, four weeks ago, after weeks of careful, correct riding, he'd probably barely notice. He's got plenty in the bank. But if your reins get shorter fence after fence, two, three, four, five times in a row, that balance runs down fast. Nothing about your riding changed on the outside. You just kept making the same small withdrawal without topping it back up, and eventually there's nothing left. That's the moment a horse who was jumping beautifully three fences ago suddenly, apparently randomly, stops. Why do my reins keep getting shorter without me realising? Because it's rarely a decision, it's a reaction. Your horse gets a little fast during the round, and instead of rebalancing him with your seat