Jumping Advice

[xlivextoxridex]

heyy gues just wanted some advice on my eq and stuff... umm i notice sometimes that i lean forward too early when i am jumping and throw my horse off balance...or sometimes my leg slips back...any ideas on how to help this..

heres some pics and me and my horse..give me any advice you have for me and my horse
http://myspace-762.vo.llnwd.net/01332/26/74/1332764762_l.jpg
http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL973/3750419/12420632/178413546.jpg


heres some pics...different horses
http://myspace-922.vo.llnwd.net/01130/22/98/1130628922_l.jpg http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL973/3750419/11830000/213663395.jpg

[Manda]

Was it necessary to post the same thread three times?

The main reason your leg would slip back while jumping is an insecure seat. Remember, grip with your thighs, not your knees, as that will also cause an insecure seat. You also seem to come out of the saddle too much, causing you to overjump (especially in the last one). Stay in the saddle until both of your horses front legs are off the ground. My trainer has me ride with no stirrups when jumping, it helps strengthen your thigh muscles, trying to 2-point without the aid of stirrups, and it keeps your butt close enough to saddle, so you can't get too far ahead.

Your horse is gorgeous by the way :]

[ToujoursLesBelles]

jump bareback too, that helped my seat a lot..

[theprancingpony]

agreeing to what has already been said, i'd say just ease up on the reins a little bit. it looks like you're leaning on them and holding onto the horses mouth a bit too much.

[reneigh]

Jumping bareback and without stirrups is an AWEFUL way to correct your position. I mean come on, get serious. You're just going to end up gripping more with your knees. Shorten your stirrups a hole and jump with either no reins at all (obviously on a reliable horse with an instructor in the arena, maybe on a lunge?) or make sure you have no contact with the horse's mouth. Also do some gymnastics, and focus on bounces a lot. This helped me and I had the same problem as you. Trust me. Do not jump bareback, it'll only make things worse.

PS; it looks like you aren't folding (at the waist). Think of jumping as crouching down in the saddle. Chin over hands, butt over heels. And don't jump any courses until you improve a little better. Just do gymnastics and single fences once in a while.

[Comanchegurl14]

I agree with everything that is being said. Some suggestions though. Try just crossing your stirrups over the front of your saddle and riding on the flat that way. It will improve your balance and when you ride that way, hold your legs where the would be in the first place that way your leg muscles get used to that position and they stay in the right positition while you're jumping. Have your instructor or someone that knows a lot about this subject look at where you're holding your legs too. Your legs may be slipping because you don't have them in the right position in the first place. I agree with reneigh though. DON'T jump bareback and without stirrups. It could be dangerous. Flatwork isn't as hard without stirrups. Save jumping without stirrups and bareback for when you have the position and everything in the saddle correct. Also...keep your butt as close to the saddle as possible. It seems to me you're leaning to far forward away from the seat. and bend at the hips not at the waist! You look like your leaning forward to jump a four or five foot fence!! Well from the pictures it doesn't look like the fences are really that high, you don't have to lean forward as much. Manda gave good advice when she said to jump without stirrups but doing so on the flat will help strengthen your thighs just as well. :) Manda is right..again!! You're horse IS gorgeous!

[reneigh]

I agree with everything that is being said. Some suggestions though. Try just crossing your stirrups over the front of your saddle and riding on the flat that way. It will improve your balance and when you ride that way, hold your legs where the would be in the first place that way your leg muscles get used to that position and they stay in the right positition while you're jumping. Have your instructor or someone that knows a lot about this subject look at where you're holding your legs too. Your legs may be slipping because you don't have them in the right position in the first place. I agree with reneigh though. DON'T jump bareback and without stirrups. It could be dangerous. Flatwork isn't as hard without stirrups. Save jumping without stirrups and bareback for when you have the position and everything in the saddle correct. Also...keep your butt as close to the saddle as possible. It seems to me you're leaning to far forward away from the seat. and bend at the hips not at the waist! You look like your leaning forward to jump a four or five foot fence!! Well from the pictures it doesn't look like the fences are really that high, you don't have to lean forward as much. Manda gave good advice when she said to jump without stirrups but doing so on the flat will help strengthen your thighs just as well. :) Manda is right..again!! You're horse IS gorgeous!

Definitely agree that riding on the flat with no stirrups is right, but not jumping. =] It's your calves and your core that need the strength to give you balance over fences

[ToujoursLesBelles]

Jumping bareback and without stirrups is an AWEFUL way to correct your position. I mean come on, get serious. You're just going to end up gripping more with your knees. Shorten your stirrups a hole and jump with either no reins at all (obviously on a reliable horse with an instructor in the arena, maybe on a lunge?) or make sure you have no contact with the horse's mouth. Also do some gymnastics, and focus on bounces a lot. This helped me and I had the same problem as you. Trust me. Do not jump bareback, it'll only make things worse.

PS; it looks like you aren't folding (at the waist). Think of jumping as crouching down in the saddle. Chin over hands, butt over heels. And don't jump any courses until you improve a little better. Just do gymnastics and single fences once in a while.


I agree that those things would help, but jumping bareback REALLY helped my seat..I'm not a trainer so perhaps thats why others aren't agreeing with me, but jumping bareback did help my seat, as well as balance over jumps, and your leaning on your horses neck looks like a bit of a balance issue as well.

[Reasonsmom]

I am not experience at all compared to all of you in the jumping area...but I will say that the thought of jumping without any reins, stirrups or a saddle scares the crap out of me!!!!!!!!!!!! Just wanted to say that! :eek:

[xlivextoxridex]

thanks guys soo much...i don't know if you guys have myspace's or not....but my url it

http://www.myspace.com/008577lady

if u check out the videos there is a video of my doing a triple bounce..and that shows my latest position....like none of those pics are very recent but yeahh :p

[Manda]

I am not experience at all compared to all of you in the jumping area...but I will say that the thought of jumping without any reins, stirrups or a saddle scares the crap out of me!!!!!!!!!!!! Just wanted to say that! :eek:

Well we aren't talking about jumping 4' oxers, just little crossrails and verticals, it's scary at first, but after a while it's fun. I jump my trainer's little Quarab pony bareback all the time, but I don't jump without reins. If you have good balance, and strong thighs, you can barely tell whether you're jumping with or without stirrups, but I do understand what you're saying XD

I have to agree with ToujoursLesBelles as well. Jumping bareback helped my seat as well. :] To each their own though.

[Comanchegurl14]

I have a myspace!! I have it set to private though. I'll check yours out!!
And. ToujoursLesbelles, I don't know how experienced you are, but I think for her, it would be better to work on the flat no stirrups. I jump a little bit, so I know some about it, but I also know that jumping bareback would probably not be beneficial if she's haveing trouble even WITH the saddle. Once she is confident over fences, and has practiced bareback riding, she can start improving her balance by jumping bareback. In my opinion, jumping bareback is something to do when she has mastered it in the saddle.

[Skip_n_Hide]

I also hav a myspace www.myspace.com/clairey015

I have jumped without stirrups and it does help... i wudnt dar try with a saddle thou... not personally anyways! Jumping without riens is also good but not really benefial for what you need except for not reins as much... Its good fun as long as you knot your reins and pick them back up after if ur horse has a tendancy not to stop! :p

[ToujoursLesBelles]

I have a myspace!! I have it set to private though. I'll check yours out!!
And. ToujoursLesbelles, I don't know how experienced you are, but I think for her, it would be better to work on the flat no stirrups. I jump a little bit, so I know some about it, but I also know that jumping bareback would probably not be beneficial if she's haveing trouble even WITH the saddle. Once she is confident over fences, and has practiced bareback riding, she can start improving her balance by jumping bareback. In my opinion, jumping bareback is something to do when she has mastered it in the saddle.


You don't seem to believe that jumping bareback will help at all, and of course that's your opinion and perhaps you're right. However, I'm just saying that it looks as if her whole seat is being unbalanced because she has to lean on her horse's neck for balance. I was simply saying that I had a balance issue as well, and jumping bareback helped me a lot to find balance over fences.
This seems to be a very controversial subject

[Comanchegurl14]

No,
I FULLY believe it will help. I just think that riding on the flat without stirrups and bareback will help better if she's already having trouble over fences. I think it wouldn't help her confidence to be riding bareback over fences at this time because she is having trouble over fences. Riding on the flat will help her gain balance too. Especially if she has someone lunge her on the flat, no stirrups, no reins.

[ToujoursLesBelles]

No,
I FULLY believe it will help. I just think that riding on the flat without stirrups and bareback will help better if she's already having trouble over fences. I think it wouldn't help her confidence to be riding bareback over fences at this time because she is having trouble over fences. Riding on the flat will help her gain balance too. Especially if she has someone lunge her on the flat, no stirrups, no reins.

that makes sense...i decided i agree! haha...uhh i dont remember who started this question but...if its a confidence thing then i agree with comanchegurl, but if you feel confident jumping bareback, i think it would help...or a combination of all the feedback youve been getting! haha good luck and keep us updated on hows its going! im interested!

[DarkChylde]

Blessings!
Great advice, particularly the not holding on by the mouth thing and not leaning too much.
But on the issue of riding (or jumping) bareback. Riding bareback might not FIX your riding problem, but it can never make it worse. I personally ride very well bareback, and become much more aware of the horse's back muscles, and it DOES help with balance. To be dependant on stirrups is as bad as being dependant on reins. I first got back into horses on a budget, and I had to ride bareback before I could get my saddle (I always fit the saddle to the horse, and then to me) and my husband was amazed at how I could 'stick on like a tick' and he feels insecure with saddle and stirrups. But then again, I have just enough Native American in me, I think they were some of the better 'horsemen' of the time, and I doubt if they had to see trainers and coaches, yet they rode bareback. Remember, we as humans were riding long before we developed the leather equiptment. It should help us, we should not be dependant on it.
I am not a professional trainer (not that it means you are always right or infalliable even if you are) but I have been to lots of clinics and taken some lessons from the best, and I might know a thing or two. My aim is to become a pro trainer and coach, but I have to learn this western thing so I can help in all disciplines.

[Comanchegurl14]

Yeah, to strenthen my riding ability and my leg muscles I ride every day on one of my better horses for about 5-10 minutes with my stirrups crossed over the horses withers. This helps if you are not confident on riding completely bareback. I have ridden completely bareback before, and I fell off....twice. My riding intructor then took me in the round pen and lunged the horse with me on bareback so I could learn how to do it. That was fun!! lol. But yes, riding with stirrups crossed on the horses withers in fron of you will help!

[Skip_n_Hide]

I do riding with no stirrups quite often when i have a lesson... once your use to it, it gives you a move secure seat and can be used for jumping small jumps which i really fun... as long as you have a easy going horse that usually always goes over the jump! You also end up feeling bazar having your stirrups back lol :p

[bethfornow]

My Names Bethany TOO!!!!!

bend in the waist, slightly round your back (like a mad cat). This will get you off the horses neck, place you further back in the saddle and keep your leggs under you. Riding bareback is great for balance but when you jump you gotta bend (or flex) in the waist and round you back.

Just my lowly opinion.

[DixieGirl]

i don't do english but you look really good to me (so does your horse). lol

[ToujoursLesBelles]

My Names Bethany TOO!!!!!

bend in the waist, slightly round your back (like a mad cat). This will get you off the horses neck, place you further back in the saddle and keep your leggs under you. Riding bareback is great for balance but when you jump you gotta bend (or flex) in the waist and round you back.

Just my lowly opinion.


ive always been taught NOT to round your back..
ive been taught to bend at the waist and keep your back straight so you can always look forward and up

[bethfornow]

slightly would be the operative word in my last post. if you arc your back you throw your balance off.

But, I agree, you gotta keep your hear up also.

Again, just my opinion :rolleyes: