Looking down when jumping

[Hormonal Filly]

I have a awful habit of looking down when jumping.. I'm pretty good on my other horse but am so so much worse on my younger horse.

He use to have a habit of stopping and I think this has formed my bad habit, as I was just so use to him applying the breaks.

Sounds so simple to stop doing, but it really isn't. I look up to the next fence so know where I'm going, but when I get to the fence I look down.

Any tips? Really need to book a jumping lesson to get back into it..

 

[be positive]

Looking down will take your weight forward and may unbalance the horse just as it is about to take off, once you are on the line you want you need to focus on something ahead of you and keep looking at it, much easier to practise at home with someone reminding you, they don't need to be an instructor just a voice that has a firm tone to help break the habit.

 

[Mule]

I've had it drilled in to me to look up into the horizon and not at the jump. It works to stop me looking down. It can be a bit disconcerting though. My looking down used to cause the horse to stop and he no longer does so it's worked.

 

[Bernster]

Same here. It’s my default and hard to break. If I remind myself to do it wbefore I start jumping it does improve but it needs to be a constant mantra even into the fence to break the habit. Also find it easier when horse is travelling forward properly so I suspect it’s partly a reaction to that.

 

[ohmissbrittany]

Once you spot your fence, pick something outside the ring to look at that is past the jump- a tree, pole, whatever. stay there til the back end hits the floor.

 

[LEC]

Take some skiing goggles - black tape them apart from a strip in the middle and bingo it will soon stop this bad habit. There is science behind it and here is a nice video about a rider who does just that.

 

[Equi]

Practice practice practice. Thats all i can say. Carry a whip and whip yourself anytime you look down and you might stop eventually