Please help! Jumping position

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katie_and_toto

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When I jump, my heels come up and my toes point down. My lower leg slips backwards and my feet slip further through the stirrups. Also, I sometimes come out of the saddle too much. Please help me, I just can't seem to keep my heels down and legs forwards! Any advice?
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I used to have this problem, unfortunatly the best way to improve it is practise, as its primarily caused by a lack of muscle and balance. Make sure you have your stirrups short enough, push your bum back and look up. Also if the fences are small dont over fold your upper body!
 
You can practise by jumping a grid with a placing pole infront of the first jump and as you come over the pole push you heel down and hold the mane so that you get to feel what it feels like to be in a secure position without having to do anything, don't try to fold just by holding the mane you will be forward enough and then you can work on pushing into your heels over and between the fences.
 
What i'm about to say depends on if you have jumping lessons from a SJer or an eventer???
I shove my foot as far into the iron as it will go, SJers will frown upon this, eventers wont mind it!!
I find that not only do i have a more secure lower leg, but that i can also be alot stronger with it, when my foot is as far into the iron as i can get it..

This is me, with my foot as far into the stirrup as it'll go, and (even if i say so myself
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) i don't think my position is all that bad
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Thanks for all the advice, I was jumping today and working on keeping my heels down and legs forward, not easy because Toto seemed to be stuck on early take off mode, but all went well until he decided that he'd like to go in now and ploughed off towards the gate twice!
 
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