Jumping Position

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~Howrse~Mad~

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However hard i try i cannot seem to get into the right jumping position whether it be during schooling or going over a jump, i especially struggle with my position over small jumps. I try tell myself to bend from the waist, and put my hands high up on my horses neck, with my lower leg relaxed and down, but it never works. I dont know why this is,help please?
Fab jumping position
picture10edited.jpg
 
Its said if you take the horse away you should land on your feet. I think you would probably be eating a little bit of the ground!! Maybe you could try not to over stretch forwards so much and push your bum further towards your horses tail. This would re-align you. You can always stretch your hands forwards a little more if you feel the need. But you have a good seat, dont beat yourself up about being perfect. Its what works for you. Your not hindering your horses movement, and to be honest we've all seen much worse sights that think they are perfect!
 
Hahah sory, I thought everyone would realise that it wasn't me since i said that my jumping position needs help and isn't good, and i said in the cation above the photo "Fab jumping position" but anyway. And thank you haha
 
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Lol, I thought it was you in the photo too! Her hands could do with being further up the horse's neck- see how she is having to stick her elbows out like chicken wings?

A photo of you jumping would be much more helpful :p
 
Ok ill try find one, how do i try get with the action as most of the time i tend to lean back incase my horse refuses and this is why i think i tend to get left behind, so then i cant get in the position, my main concern with jummping seems to be getting him over it, and then thinking about my position which by then i usually too late.
 
I was having a bit of trouble before with getting left behind and my instructor told me to get into position before the jump, that way I wasn't getting left behind as much as I had more time to get into the correct position. Hope that helps :)
 
I didn't think the picture above is what I would call a fantastic jumping position. Nothing too much wrong with it, but could be improved.
 
Lurds said:
I was having a bit of trouble before with getting left behind and my instructor told me to get into position before the jump, that way I wasn't getting left behind as much as I had more time to get into the correct position. Hope that helps :)
Click to expand...

This is fine but you could well end up on the floor quite quickly if they stop, plus you are putting your weight on forehand before the fence making it harder for them to lift their shoulders.

As someone who has worked very hard on their position over a fence and still doesn’t get it right all the time my advice is lots of lessons and hard work. Walk, trot and canter work without stirrups to get your seat and lower leg still and secure will help. Grid work will help with your feel over a fence and take off. Lots of work out of the saddle in 2 point to strengthen your lower leg, keep you weight in your lower leg rather than heel so you don’t end up swinging your leg forward as you fold.
Over the fence, keep your shoulders up, push your hands forward and your butt back, keep your weight in your legs and keep your knee soft and away from the saddle. In the pic above she is gripping with her knee which makes the lower leg swing if you’re not careful. Don’t be tempted to rest your hands on the neck, keep them soft and follow the horse’s mouth forward.
It all comes down to practice and hard work, get a good instructor who can help you from the ground. Oddly I have never been told my position is bad over a fence, I just felt I could be better. I was too ahead of the movement and not central over his back so put in a lot of work to improve it.

This is what I tend to look like, a bit too ahead of the movement but it is getting less
DSCN6761_zps5b2005f9.jpg


This is what I try and aim for every time, although I would like to be out of the saddle more for a big fence.
DSCN5688_zps66b02efe.jpg
 
~Howrse~Mad~ said:
However hard i try i cannot seem to get into the right jumping position whether it be during schooling or going over a jump, i especially struggle with my position over small jumps. I try tell myself to bend from the waist, and put my hands high up on my horses neck, with my lower leg relaxed and down, but it never works. I dont know why this is,help please?
Fab jumping position
picture10edited.jpg
Click to expand...

If this is what you are aspiring to I would look elsewhere, there are too many faults in this photo it would take work to correct and get in true balance.

The rider should be balanced more centrally over the horse, if it was to stop or trip on landing this rider may well go out over its head, the reins may help keep her on but that is not ideal. There is no freedom for the horse to use it's neck, the rider has her weight thrown forward over the shoulder and is almost standing in the stirrups over what is a fairly small fence not a puissance wall. Her lower leg is secure but she is pivoting on her knees so they would probably swing back if anything happened to make her lose her balance.
 
check out some of Tim Stockdale's demo videos on you tube.

I was looking at one the other day and he was talking about position and how too many people go too forward over the horses neck and how you should aim to be more over the horse.
 
Umm... that first pic isn't a 'fab' jumping position.... There's improvement to be made there too....

ETA - Vams second pic is super - that's what I am for when jumping. Look through her pics (hope you don't mind Vam!) and you'll see some fantastic pics of a balanced, secure position.
 
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Thank you :o im about 50/50 at the moment, im better when im in a lesson or warming up. Round a course i have so many other things to remember i dont get to 'butt back' quick enough :D Still its coming much easier but its take a lot of practice and work not only when jumping. Im glad that im not trying to jump the fence for him any more thou! I also think now i have better canter for jumping my position come easier so thats another thing to take into consideration.
 
I struggle with my jump position too, but that said I only started jumping about 6 weeks ago (20 years ago before that). Without sounding stupid, it all happens so quick its hard to correct things!

Pony and I are going to have jump lessons over the winter, so don't be too harsh but what can I improve on?



P.S. How do you get pictures to show on here rather than the link? The way I used to do it doesn't work any more? I use Photobucket. Thanks
 
The trouble, OP, is that you don't yet know what you need to aim for. Instead of just looking at random pics posted on you-tube or wherever, look at pics posted by the most successful riders in each field and read as much as you can of the writings of experts/well-known instructors, e.g. Sylvia Loch, Heather Moffat, Pammy Hutton, Molly Sivewright, Tim Stockdale etc. They don't all exactly agree on the best way to achieve a great position but they will certainly all agree on what a good position looks like and with luck, one of them will use the right imagery for you to relate to.
 
Op dont think bend from the waist, that doesnt work, your leaning forward then and will make it difficult for the horses front end to come up, you should be closing the angle of your hip, like folding an ironing board, think more sliding your bum back the saddle by closing your hip angle and look up
 
to be honest that piccy off the internet is quite shocking!

http://www.yourhorse.co.uk/upload/20322/images/Olympia 2006 702.jpg - i know its a huge jump but look at how in balance he is with his horse
he has maintained all his lines: heel and hip, knee and toe. horses mouth, reins, hand and elbow

notice how the horse stretches over the jump, extending the neck and rounding back. the rein has *lenghtened* (only slightly but enough), hand relaxed (to allow rein to lenghten), arm from shoulder has extended...no leaning up the neck or pushing upper body forwards - maintaining central balance of horse.

he is looking up - prepared for landing - ready to sit up immediatly to balance the horse...if he was up the neck as soon as the horse goes down so would he (on the floor)!

the only thing he could do is push his heel down a little more as this would open the knee and create a stronger 'base' under his body.
 
i think the picture in Vams signature is the better one! What you want is a secure lower leg that doesnt swing back.

Dont think too hard about folding and shoving your hands forward as you will inevitable end up infront of the movement and half way up the horses neck. You want to maintain a contact on the horse's mouth as well and allow your hands to follow, not throw them up the horse's neck.

There are lots of things you can do help your lower leg and core stability too :) I find after any time off riding at all my lower leg goes to pot and I dont do big jumpies by any means either lol


brechinlesson016_0001.jpg



here is a nice one
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...365322.1073741836.295375645321&type=1&theater
 
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..and from the looks of it I'm guessing it's an American/Canadian pic- OP they're taught to ride in a completely different style to us.
 
I try just to aim to stay in balance with the horse, Nobody can pull off the perfect position each time as every jump is different :)

I try just to give with the hands and stay in balance means if anything goes wrong Im not interfering nor hindering :)

here is on of our latest efforts, not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I felt secure and wasnt hindering the pony :)

N2_zpsd41eefd7.png


As shes prone to doing this :eek:

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