advice please?!

[moodymare1987]

i have a horse that is a very respectable jumper, he is brilliant in all ways really. anyways ive not done a lot of jumping, i had a pony and did riding club pony etc on her. but i was wondering i had a jumping lesson the other day and i was told to hold horse if you get me. like when i had come onto straight of jump, instructor told me to go into light seat and bring reins to me. is this right or not??

I am a bit confused as i never really jumped big fences i just did showing and quite a bit of difference really. And if i ever did it was only a fence that pony popped over. i dont actually know where this post is going.

i would like to know how you lot prepare for the jump ahead, ie change seat position etc. would just like to know as it is a bit new to me, dont get me wrong i jumped my pony loads but on a bigger horse does all this change???

 

[Weezy]

I do the opposite - I will have a light seat through the course but will deffo sit into the horse on the approach of the jump to ensure horse is set up

As for reins - nope they dont move on the approach - the contact is maintained and not tightened - if anything it is slightly released

 

[Peanot]

As Weezy has said really. The saying is, `sit and commit`, which helps to get the horse underneath you. Some riders have the 2 point position when inbetween jumps but sit deeper on the approach and some just use the 3 point position all the way round, but not the opposite. Maybe you should`ve asked your instructor.
As for the reins, you don`t alter them on the approach but give them when jumping to allow the horse his freedom of his head and neck over the fence.
Perhaps she was getting you to do this to stop you doing something that you shouldn`t have been doing. It all depends on how high an instructor she is, as some good instructors will do this to counter act for something that you are doing, and then it makes it easier to get it right?
The best thing to do is to ask her and tell her your concerns.

 

[moodymare1987]

i did think it was strange as im used to sitting on approach to jump and reins are the same, i dont alter reins i ride at a contact where i can feel the horse, and over the jump i end up giving the horse more rein, i will have to ask her to see what the purpose of me doing that was.