Something has suddenly struck me...I wonder if anyone knows the answer.

[seeker]

My dd's pony, like many others, seems to absolutely love jumping - although why she should with a great solid lump of girl on her back completely baffles me. But she does. She gets really excited, can't wait her turn, and goes over jumps all bright eyed and pointy eared.

So if she enjoys it so much why, when she's left alone in a field with a jump, doesn't she jump it?

Please don;t tell me that it's because she really hates jumping with a passion and all the signs that we thing are pleasure are actually stress and fear!

Because when she's happily pottering around the field on her own, she simply can't be arsed?
Because she's got a keen sense of time and place?

hope your daughter doesn't read this , however agree with tchootnika - a time and a place, just like most horses don't hoon about with riders on their back in the same way as they do in the paddock (even though of course some do )

Thats funny, my mare likes to practice her extended trot and figure of eights when shes turned out...

Just joking, when they are out in the field they are there to eat grass and chill out.

They know when they are being ridden its time for fun.

Your mare is obviously a high achiever. Or are you secretly a Tiger Owner and push her like crazy. "Honestly, she loves doing it-she's much rather practice her flying changes than roll in the mud with the others. She is rather gifted, you know"

Still think it's odd, though. If I got as much of a kick out of doing something as that pony does out of jumping I'd want to do it all the time!

No. I was joking. All she does in the field is get her head down and eat greedy mare style.

Some do!
We had one pony who loved jumping and used to lead the others on regular break outs from their field (when I worked in a riding school).

Endless fun for us working students trying to round them up again. Especially the time there was thick snow....

When we first had ponies the farmer used to do turnout in the mornings. There were about 20 horses and only one of him so he used to go round the yard one way putting on rugs and then go back the other way letting them all out of their stables, then he would herd them towards the field which happened to be through the schooling paddock. Some of the horses did enjoy a quick pop over the jumps on their way out but not many.

Race horse always seem to prefer to go around the jumps if possible. Maybe your horse prefers jumping with you and finds it a bit boring by himself!