jumping position etc help and CC needed!

[harrihjc]

Even after 18 months I still find Flash's jump very difficult to sit to and stay with when he really uses himself and jumps properly! I almost feel like I'm being catapulted into the air then catapulted forward, and I feel like a pretty c*** rider and I don't want to unbalance him or thud down on his back, so i need your help please! I know I need to give with my hands more, sit back quicker after, stay sitting back before, not fold so much, sit deeper...the list is endless, but it's so much to think about! Flash is incredibly bouncy, and very lazy, and you constantly have to be a few steps ahead or he loses the impulsion and dies, he's not stupid when it comes to avoiding doing something, but he's quite heavy on your hands too, so stopping him running on, and keeping him off the forehand, but keeping him going forward is pretty hard work and a lot to think about. We do loads of work on his schooling to get him thinking forwards, but it's an uphill struggle. We've been right back to basics, but it's not an issue that really kicks in until he starts to jump properly and put some effort in

Here's some videos (nice cringeworthy ones!). please be as harsh as you like with the CC, I'm not a sensitive soul, and I wouldn't ask for the help if I didn't want brutal honesty

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeccIhFD4bU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDpII_IAjns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaCB32wVYbw

Thank you in advance!

 

[DidiR]

Hi..

This isn't half as bad as you suggest!!!! you aren't restricting your horse in any of the vids, and he seems happy to jump for you.

I've had a look... but its quite hard analysing on such small pieces of footage... the last is the most useful..

If you look at your hands going through the grid, they don't move forwards at all. This isn't an issue as the grid is quite low... but in the grid you can practice the movement that you need to become second nature in your larger individual jumps, so I would practice that again at home, with the following in mind.

Try to have someone dead side-on taking stills... to get you over the fence, they will need to follow you in the last 2/3 strides then click as you go over the fence, if you have a camera that can do it, taking multiple pictures from take-off through to landing can be very helpful. If they focus on the fence and wait til you appear in the view-finder, they will always be too late in the "clicking" !

What you are looking for is your point of balance... as your balance will be over your stirrups during the jump, you need a lot more weight down through your thighs, and into your stirrups, at the moment your hands can't go forwards as you don't have enough weight down to your foot...

If you look at your siggy pic on the right (in the school)... you can see that if you pulled your hands forward your toes would point down? (ie if we freezed you in real life, at that point... and then pulled your hands forward, keeping everything else the same, you would pivot around your knee... ).

A useful mantra to think of as you come round the turn to a fence, is "stay behind your foot"... although your leg hasn't swung back in the siggy pic, the knee and heel are gripping "up"... rather than taking the weight and security down.... by "staying behind your foot", you will hopefully fold and in that secure, balanced fold, be able to release your hands forward.

The other thing, is that your hands need to be in front of your chin over the fence... if that is a helpful thing to think about too... look at some pro pics.. and then compare to yours again, in relation to hands and chin!

does any of that make any sense? or help!?

 

[harrihjc]

yeh that does help and make sense, thanks. I always try to think of pushing my heels and legs forwards, although not actually forwards, just to stop them swinging back. Pic in sig is particularly bad, he really unseated me! I think I almost try to jump the jump for him sometimes!