How do you fix a horse that stops at fences?

Fixing a horse that stops at fences requires first identifying the specific cause of the stopping behavior before applying a correction, because the appropriate response differs significantly depending on whether the stopping reflects pain, fear, insufficient preparation, learned evasion, or rider error that has inadvertently taught the horse that stopping is acceptable or rewarded. Pain-based stopping — from back soreness, hoof pain, ulcers, or other physical discomfort associated with jumping — will not respond to training corrections and may worsen if training pressure is applied to a horse in physical pain. A veterinary assessment is the appropriate first response to a horse that stops suddenly after previously jumping willingly, particularly if the stopping is accompanied by other signs of discomfort. Fear-based stopping in a horse that has had negative jumping experiences requires the systematic confidence-building approach of reducing height significantly, building positive associations through many successful repetitions at comfortable heights, and gradually working back to the height where the stopping occurred over many sessions rather than forcing the issue. For learned stoppers — horses that have discovered that stopping is effective at avoiding jumping demands — the correction requires making forward to the fence more comfortable than stopping, which typically means maintaining strong leg and forward energy through the final strides, using a stick if the horse ignores the leg, and not releasing any rein pressure when the stop occurs — releasing rein when a horse stops rewards the stop, while maintaining forward energy after the stop and immediately re-presenting the fence teaches the horse that stopping does not achieve its purpose. Rider-caused stopping — from defensive riding that signals the horse to stop, from pulling to the base, or from a rider who inadvertently rewards stopping with a reduction in pressure — requires correction of the rider's approach as much as the horse's response.