Jumping in a dressage saddle

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Farma

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So i have be100 in 2 weeks and i have done no proper competetive jumping for about 2 years as ive been busy with BD. So i brushed the cobwebs off my gp saddle yesterday for a school round our cross country course and i actually couldnt ride for toffee in it - i was unbalanced and felt like i was actually going to become unseated coming off the bank which i have never really felt in my dressage saddle. My knees felt like they were stuck forward and i had no seat whatsoever in it - my horse was very patient and popped over everything i asked with me bobbing about ontop like a ragdoll at times.
So does anyone else jump in their dressage saddle - will i look ike a complete nutter heading off on the xc course in a dressage saddle?
Anyone else have this problem?
 
if you can jump in it then go for it....personally i couldn't but mine has big knee blocks and alothough only a medium seat (not a deep bucket seat) i'd find it far too restrictive...

i have a similar (but not quite as extreem lol!) problem - been riding in my dressage saddle to lengthen my leg for weeks now... had jumping lesson on sun with jumping saddle and i'd lost my short leg lol! cue riding all this week in it and i've found it again - but yeah - has def taught me to ride in both regularily...

you have two weeks - i'd go out and do a load of canter work etc in the gp and i'm sure you'll find your seat again :)
 
its beacuse your not used to it and different muscles are at work in a jump saddle. Its why I fell off back in December and busted my face, I hadn't ridden short for ages, stuck the jump saddle on which has stirrups permanently at XC length as takes to long to adjust them (they are bonded leathers so extra thick!), went in to 2 point seat as far more comfortable, horse spooked and I went flying!!

Ride in your GP every day for a week and you will find it far easier in no time ;)
 
I started jumping my TB in a dressage saddle, and though I never felt like I was going to come off, it did thwack me on the ar$e every time I went over a jump. There is no way I would contemplate going xc in it, but my horse is quite green. If you have a good horse it might be alright.

Maybe your jumping seat's just a bit rusty after so long doing dressage? If so, some practice ought to sort it out :)
 
I Sj and XC in mine before I got my event saddle-have yet to come off it :D So it is possible :p Though I would agree with the others of spending some time in your GP over the next couple of weeks...
 
I know i should ride in it more - but it was such a horrid feeling i just wanted to throw it away and use my dressage saddle forever more - i will have to just get on and practice practice practice!
Maybe a new gp saddle with a better fit to me is in order ...or is that just an excuse to get a new saddle? Any excuse i suppose!
The gp saddle i have is a wintect synthetic and ill be suprised if anyone can ride well in it as the knee rolls just seem to be in the wrong place entirely - even for a gp.
 
i have done a unaff ODE in a dressage saddle before. mind you it was on my 'hangover horse' who i know inside out and find easy to ride so no problem not sure i would jump my 6 yo in his dressage saddle for saftey but if you feel comfy and jump in it at home with no probs then do what you feel is best for your comfort and safety.
 
I jump in a WH saddle, which is very straight cut.
The only problem is my body protector getting caught on the cantle of the saddle as I lean back to jump down into sunken roads/ water. Other than that, I find it just as easy to ride in as my other saddle which is a forward cut GP.
 
I do workers in my dressage saddle - it's got minimal knee rolls and is a close contact style though

If I were you, I would put the GP on, shorten my stirrups and take my horse for a canter round a field in a forward seat - make sure your heels are down and the weight down the back of your legs

It'll kill your muscles for a couple of days (!) but you'll get your jumping seat back, I promise!

Having said that, I had a Wintec synthetic jump saddle and found it really hard to ride in - I've never felt so insecure - I felt like I was perched on top of the horse, rather than sitting in the saddle - it may also be your saddle!!! :P
 
I used to ride in a Wintec GP and agree about the bobbing around, ragdoll feeling! Mine had removable knee rolls, I found taking those out helped quite a lot if you can do that? Mind you having complained that much, I retrained an ex racehorse in mine and only came off a couple of time...:p
As the others say practise makes perfect, so if you can bear to keep at it you'll probably feel much more comfortable at the end of a week.
 
I jump in my dressage saddle but only up to about 3' and I wouldn't be keen to tackle a meaty xc in it. You've got two weeks yet so I'd do a few sessions in the GP to get your muscles used to it again if I were uoi
 
Yes definately gonna have to put some practice in - im doing be90 not 100 (was gonna but bottled!) at Berkshire - anyway off xc schooling monday so im gonna swallow it, stick the poxy thing on and learn to bloomin ride in it but i...so..dont..want..to - i do have an albion gp which is fine for me to ride in but doesnt fit this horse - unless i can fatten him uo in 2 weeks..hmm
 
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