how do I stay UP while jumping!

madmav

madmav

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Ancient teaching methods mean I am so blooming forward while jumping. When I was young, it was all "get off the horse's back" so we were permanently on their shoulders. Now is opposite, so I have discovered latterly coming back into it.

It makes a lot of sense the new take, if horse is going to run out or refuse, you are safer sitting back. And you're off their shoulder, they can lift better into jump.

But, thing is, I can do one or even two jumps, sitting back between jumps, but face me with several, or put height up, and I'm crumpled up on horse's neck. Please help, body not listening to brain (or other way round)!
 
Will be very interested in the responses given...I learned many years ago to sit before the jump. We moved and I changed clubs and the new trainer wanted us in a" suspended galloping"(French translation, sorry) over the saddle, standing in the stirrups...

All this, with a young horse that was tripping after coming over the jump and I was lost! This was 5 years ago. As a result I took several bad falls and finally the horse flipped(after tripping) on top of me, leaving me rather badly injured.

It took me a long time to get back on a horse and i started jumping again recently. Is this position new Does anyone still teach the sitting back position?

Would love to come over(somewhere near the ferry from France,) and do a start from scratch jumping clinic...whatever

good luck anyway...rr
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I had this exact problem when I returned to jumping too. Start by practising over really small jumps. I found not looking at the fence but making sure I was looking up at something high up on the horizon helped me to sit up and also that you then only start to fold when you feel the horse start to take off.
Also check that your lower leg is secure - if its slipping back your upper body will tip forward to counterbalance this. Check the length of your stirrups aren't too long. Think about pushing all your weight down into your heel and keeping you lower leg still .
It might sound silly but I chant sit up, hands down, heels down as I go round a course to make sure I'm thinking about it all the time (sometimes even out loud - people probably think I'm mad but it definitely helps me)
 
Thank you. Today's pony club for my son and when I watch these youngsters learning to jump, I would like to do the same! I have stopped telling myself, just a few years ago, I was jumping one meter, no hands on the reins, etc The accidents really made me afraid in a big way..

A while back, beginning with the same trainer on a GREAT HORSE, my own I keep on the farm, the first bloody session he had me jumping a meter. I do it because he tells me to but am fighting the fear, always composing myself(no fun.)

I started riding at 40 and had the bad accident at 50! I will be 55 in Feb and though I don't believe in age, I know I don't quite have the same amount of time left as say, some in their 20's or 30's,...and I did so love to jump!

It would be an absolute dream to go on a hunt in England one day but in the state that I am in, it's a long way coming...(plus there's the channel)
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..rr
 
what are you doing with your hands when you jump? if you're putting them on the horse's neck, then leaning on them and rotating forward, i think that's the problem (it's what i do if i'm not paying attention... i was taught the same as you!)
make a rough plait where you'd make your third or fourth from the top, and touch that lightly as you jump. if you have nothing to lean on, you won't collapse forward. look between his ears, keep your hands off his neck, and it will come right.
 
Thanks...Alot of the problem comes from the fear of losing my handlebars...This is how I describe it.
First dumb thing was being a young rider(even a 50) with a Big, young horse,I KNOW for starts ,...THIS IS NOT INTELLIGENT...(now).

Then the BLOODY TRIPPING PROBLEM...At any moment(he's much better now! Hack out rain or shine every weekend,) my horse would trip and disappear, falling literally down on BOTH forehand knees!(like losing your handlebars at any moment while riding a bike...) My professional English and Irish Riding friends tell me I WAS STUPID to jump with such a horse, but I wanted so much to make him right!(REAL DUMB OLD/YOUNG RIDER)

Leaving for pony club with William, I insist, I think my horse and I are going to walk, trot, and gallop over poles on the ground till we both feel good, then progresss,...just like pony class...at 54!

But every chance I get to watch, experienced riders jumping, god do I want to be there...maybe again someday...

Thank you always for your help! rr

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i know this position as the 'new zealand seat' (as all the NZ event riders started it off!) the idea is not so much to be standing, and just very light in your seat, with the weight in your feet, and with your knees to balance....

i find it incredibly difficult to stay up between fences, and have to permanently think about asking for a halt to keep myself sitting back. On a bad day my instructor will even shout halt randomly at me to get me to prepare for halt even if i never actually ask for it.

you need a lot of core muscle strength and good thighs to stay put!
 
When I was on ponies (probably about 15 years ago now!) my trainer made us do gridwork with our reins tied into a knot and our hands behind our backs - and a (slightly flexible) pole under our arms across the back. Doing this regularly at a young age was hugely beneficial for my position. This will teach anyone to sit properly! Obviously not to be attemped on your own or with big jumps.

It may seem like a slightly medieval method, but the trainer was and still is one of the most reputable SJ trainers in my native Sweden, and the exercise really works!
 
I have a similar problem, fine while jumps are small ish, but as soon as they get to about 3ft or its a course I become hopeless. Have to think constantly about my hands, heels, lower leg, body, staying on lol! I cannot stand in my stirrups and 'hover' for some reason tho
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maybe its because he's such a lazy boy and I need to sit down and push to keep him from coming to a halt and eating the grass
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Sympathy from me - my body refuses to behave too. I never had any jumping lessons, i just did it, and have all the worst habits, leaning on the neck, hailing a cab, you name it....

..but I'm too old to change and decided long ago that it was kinder to the horse if i just didn't do jumping!
 
I was taught the same way as RichardR, that is to ride in a light seat. I also spent most of the time going out the front door!
Riding in a light seat works well if your horse is off his shoulder, engaged behind and very much on his hocks. However if he is not engaged enough behind he will stop at the jump and you won't!
In the end I retrained with a brilliant chap in England, as I found that all the falls were denting my confidence and well as my body. He taught me to sit into my saddle and most importantly to have the horse up in front of me, with his hocks effectively underneath me. Basically so the horse is bouncing, which is very difficult to do in a light seat unless you are a very good rider.
 
I used to do this too(the hands behind the back, reins knotted.) The accident has just taken the stuffing out of me...And you are certainly right when you speak of starting young...

And I used to be lazy and in poor style on the smaller jumps. It seemed the horse(not my tripping one) and I were just naturally better once they started getting higher...but I never jumped higher than 1m20...
 
No, I learned in the seated position and then when the second trained tried to teach the "old dog new tricks," I didn't know where I was! The trouble is, though I like and admire this trainer, I want to sit, the horse in front of me, like before...

One evening not to long ago, he gave me a rather problem horse I had to ride(and jump) with German Reins and if I even got close to the saddle near jumps, the horse went nuts, ending the line of jumps bucking and unhappy...At this stage i really don't need to have all those reins in my hands and a weird horse!
 
I have similar problems!! I cannot get my hands off my boys neck, and can fold too much or not enough! I cannot sit between fances though!! I can do the hovery light seat sitting back, but cant plant my arse! The onyl times I have sat up between fances was no stirrups an dno reins!
My instructor says he has a eay to cure me but I wont like it - thankfully I have not been bad enough to get that lesson yet!

I do argue though that I cant be that bad if I have only fallen off twice over a jump on my horse - 1st cos he tripped and as it was like 1ft I was talking to my mate and turned round and came off. 2nd cos I lifted off too soon and so did he - then he changed his mind mid flight! Other than that I can survive him taking off 2 strides away from jump or crashing through it and pecking. We have had a few that instructor though that we were going to go over, but we didnt!
 
The main issue is that people project themselves forward by trying to 'jump' the fence at the same time as the horse. Tipping forward normally makes lower leg travel back and this is to be avoided.(if the horse shortens, pecks or stops, you part company very quickly) So secure your lower leg by putting weight through the heels and most impotantly Raise your hands. slightly higher than normal...dont try to jump the fence, just go with the forward motion. If possible, have the confidence to jump with longer reins, as this makes you raise your hands to keep a contact. Jumping on the lunge wihtout reins also helps people to staty more upright and balanced...but not recommended for everyone of course.
Riding in a half seat is a balancing act and some folks cant get it, and those that cant tend to be more unbalanced as a result of trying. One exercise that works well for jumpers is to canter around the arena in a half seat asking for changes of stride length, shortening & extending as this is a useful skill and gives you time to practice your light half seat.
 
Practice is the only way I guess - always jump in front of someone so they can yell at you to sit up all the time! Possibly gridwork might help as you can't really be far forward during that. And just try to imagine sitting on the horses hind legs rather than his front ones.

Failing this, ride a horse who DOES refuse and then you'll soon learn to sit up or you'll go out the side door!
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My instructor tells me just to lift my bottom out of the saddle for anything until 2'9" - I'm finding that I over fold and my lower leg flies back and I tip forward and find recovery really hard.

Just brought some of the stirrup straps to keep my lower leg in place and I'm having a mate lunge me without stirrups tomorrow.....
 
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