Giving horse freedom to jump, if really uses neck over fences - tips pls

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BeckyD

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Hi All

Please could someone give me some tips - my new horse really uses his head and neck over jumps, and I find that I'm losing my secure lower leg and am instead throwing myself up his neck, so that I don't catch him in the mouth. I can't seem to mentally untangle myself enough to keep my bum back, but arms forward. Here is a pic to give you an example - I am far too far forwards I think, and I feel insecure.

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Can anyone give me some mental or physical things to practice so that I give him the freedom and don't catch him in mouth, but am nice and secure? I start a jumping session doing it correctly, but then I seem to slip out of it, and end up doing the above. :confused:

Thank you. No food to offer as my 1pm conference call hasn't started yet and I can't get lunch until it's happened :mad:
 
Shorten your stirrups a bit, so you are secure in your position (lower leg under you) keep your shoulders up a bit, which will free your arms to go towards the horses mouth. You're fine in that pic though :)
 
i'd do a full release up the neck (try to touch third plait down, kind of thing) but try not to put your hands on the neck and lean on them... if you can keep them hovering or at least light, you won't rotate forward on them around your knee. in that pic i think you are leaning on your hands a bit in that pic, rotating forwards around the knee, and that's why your lower leg's going back.
think of shoving your bum back as the horse takes off, and keeping heels down and forward. you can practice this on the the flat obv.
 
I have the exact some problem, my horse really stretches down and i find it hard to stay back and keep my leg in place.

Shortening stirrups really helped, even one hole shorter! x i also really sit into my seat, shoulders back and push through my lower leg when approaching a jump then keep heels down and push arms forwards when jumping. I've caught her in the mouth a few times a while ago and put her off jumping bigger jumps as she was worried about me yanking her! poor horsey! x I used to approach the jump when practising and literally throw the reins at her...only just about holding onto the end of the reins so she got her confidence back but obviously you cant do this at a show, lol....you'd look like a retard!! lol x
 
wench said:
Have you got a jumping saddle?
Click to expand...

Yes I have, as I'd be flicked into the air without it!! It's like sitting on an equine helicopter over the bigger jumps - he just comes up and up from his shoulders and then his bum catapoults me forwards! Bless him I hope he never learns to buck in anger...

Lord knows how awful my position on him would be without the jumping saddle :(
 
KatB - thanks - you're right I do nomally jump a hole shorter than that for SJ and 2 holes shorter for XC, but as it was my first ever XC I left them long in case of any stops/runouts (and I think that's the only reason I satyed on when he did whip round left at one point). I still struggle even with them shorter :(

Kerilli - thank you, I do try to do that but I can't seem to pull it off somehow. I feel like an unco-ordinated lump that can't stick bum back and hands forwards at the same time. I'll do more work on it on the flat - maybe if I keep on practising it will become 2nd nature. I already get laughed at (I'm sure) for spending so long riding standing up in my stirrups, or in 2-point position :D Oh heck, in for a penny in for a pound! People will just have to laugh at me some more :D

LCharles - I'm so frightened of putting him off jumping. He's got a cracking jump and no matter what happens I mustn't ruin it! I'm so relieved for you that you managed to fix it, you must have ben so worried!!
 
Ah theres may theory out of the window - jumping saddle helped me somewhat.

My legs used to flick back something cronic, you then tip forwards to balance yourself. Might help to practise going over smaller jumps, and really think about keeping your weight in lower leg and heel.
 
What jumping saddle do you have? Could be that the fit (of you, not the horse) isn't quite right and it's throwing you off balance.

Try thinking about rotating at the hip, and folding your upper body, rather than moving your upper body forwards, into jumping position. It may help your body understand what your brain is trying to tell it!!
 
Saratoga said:
What jumping saddle do you have? Could be that the fit (of you, not the horse) isn't quite right and it's throwing you off balance.

Try thinking about rotating at the hip, and folding your upper body, rather than moving your upper body forwards, into jumping position. It may help your body understand what your brain is trying to tell it!!
Click to expand...

i agree about the saddle, some help a LOT more than others, depending on the placement of the stirrup bars, and the length of your thighs in relation to the forwardness of the saddle flaps...

i'd try thinking of folding at the waist not the hip though, i.e. try to leave your lower torso upright and just fold slightly at the waist.
 
Saratoga said:
What jumping saddle do you have? Could be that the fit (of you, not the horse) isn't quite right and it's throwing you off balance.

Try thinking about rotating at the hip, and folding your upper body, rather than moving your upper body forwards, into jumping position. It may help your body understand what your brain is trying to tell it!!
Click to expand...

It's a Fairfax jump saddle (I'm not a massive fan - I've sat in better! - but it fits him the best out of all the ones we tried, and it's not *bad* just not as comfortable as some).

Thank you - that thought will help I think. I have been practicing the folding thought when driving over speed bumps this weekend(!). I just don't know why I have started doing this - I never used to. It's awfully annoying and frustrating. Still, no point getting hung up on why I'm doing this, I need to focus on what I need to be doing instead. Thanks for all your tips everyone.

Hopefully I'll have some "before and after" pics soon...!
 
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