Riding a horse that likes to rush around a course or to and from a fence is no fun. There could be a few reasons why your horse is acting this way. He may be sore or your tack might not fit properly. Your horse may be nervous about jumping a certain height.
Maybe going down a few inches will boost his confidence as well as yours.
Also, take into consideration his age; is he really ready to jump at this height? Before you start jumping your horse, he should be well schooled on the flat and can walk, trot and canter properly. Going back to the basics might help your horse to better understand and listen to your cues over fences.
Back to Basics
Before you take your horse over another fence, there are three important things you and your horse should be able to do:
1.Your horse should have a nice steady rhythm. You should also be able to regulate his rhythm; make him speed up or slow down when asked. Your horse should go around the arena in a nice steady and even pace without rushing when heading towards to gate or slowing down when not asked.
2.You as a rider should be able to keep your horse forward and straight. How are you going to ask your horse to go to a fence if he is zig zagging and swerving all over the arena? You should have your legs on him and his front legs should be in line with his hindquarters and not all over the place.
3.You must also be able to give the proper cues and have control. If you do not have contact with your horse's mouth then you have no control. You must be able to tell your horse what to do without him getting confused. You can't kick him to go forward and pull back on the reins at the same time.
4.Do a lot of circles and transitions, such as walk to halt, trot to canter and etcetera in your flat work. Doing these types of exercises will help you to give your horse better cues and he will be paying more attention to you, your cues and your aids.
Not only will these exercises make him pay attention to you, but they will also help him to get into better shape and become more balanced.
Work on your basic flat work for a week or two and see how your horse is then. If the problem still persists, here is another trick you can try.Placing Poles
Placing poles are just trotting poles in front and or behind of a jump that will make your horse pay attention to where he is placing his feet and allowing him to slow down and think about what he is doing.
What you will need to do is set up a small cross rail. Place a pole about nine feet away from the base of the cross rail. You can start out by just using a pole in front of the jump. If your horse still seems to be moving forward to the jump, you can place another pole about ten feet from the backside of the cross rail. These poles will encourage your horse to think about stepping over the pole(s) instead of speeding to or after the jump.
If your horse is still continuing to rush to or from the fences, here is another tip that might do the trick.
Stop, Halt and Whoa
If your horse is rushing to and after the jump, it is a good idea to teach him that it is not okay. Set up a cross rail and approach it at a trot. Once you have landed from the jump, continue on a few strides and make your horse stop and halt. Sit deep in the saddle and try not to let your horse pull your forward.
Once your horse has stopped and stood still for a few seconds, give him a pat and tell him that he was good. Then continue the exercise a few more times. Each time try and get him to have a quicker response to stopping. Once he does this nicely at the trot you can try it at the canter.
If you are approaching the jump at a canter, do not allow him to speed up and drag you to the jump. Remember to sit back deep in the saddle and check and release or half halt him.
Don't go over the jump and turn in the same direction every time. Horses need to work both sides equally. Try changing it up and going in both directions.
If you don't correct your horse's rushing problems as soon as you can, they will only get worse over time. Before you continue jumping your horse, focus on flat work and basics for a while. Using trotting poles throughout your workout routine will help too. If your horse's rushing problem is still occurring, ask your trainer or another horsey friend for some advice.
Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1352044/whoa-nelly.htm
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