Putting your stirrups up for jumping

[Equus Leather]

I've noticed recently that lots of people jump with their stirrups really long. On the course walk with Ian Stark he said he alwasy puts his up 10 holes from his dressage length. I know he'll have an amazingly long length for dressage, but still. I put mine up a good 3 holes. Why do people jump with them so long?

 

[connie1288]

I hate jumping long, I dont actually go up from dressage as always do that in a different saddle but if i do flat work in jump saddle it is usually down 5/6 holes, then xc is one higher that showjumping.

 

[JenniferB]

I cannot abide jumping long - I used to when I was younger, but once I started getting regular lessons with external trainers I was encouraged to hike them up which has made me so much more secure - I look back at old pictures and cringe ha ha! The biggest differential I reckon I've done in a day is about 10 holes plus - from working pointers first thing in the morning to going to do dressage in the afternoon. On my own saddle I have three lengths I use - flatwork, jumping and galloping work so that's a 6 hole variance, I probably do dressage at least two longer than my normal flatwork length (different saddle) and work the pointers about 4 shorter than my galloping length from my own horse so if I've done the sums right that's a 12 hole variance

. I absolutely cannot jump in long stirrups - it drives my trainer mad as he'll say to me to come to a fence while we're still working on the flat and I have to stop to change them

 

[millitiger]

if i have done dressage in my jumping saddle i go up about 6 holes to show jump and another 3 at least for xc.

 

[Haflinger]

I go up about 3/4 holes for jumping, depending on the horse! But I don't really ride on the flat very long.

 

[PucciNPoni]

Maybe its an in-experience thing? I'm pretty new to jumping - have really only really started in the last year or so in earnest. I'm terrible for keeping my leathers long, for some reason I feel more secure. Is that why I nearly got jumped out of my saddle the other week?

 

[*hic*]

It's interesting when fence judging to watch who has short and who long. By the time you get to Novice very few people use "long" stirrups, at Intro it's particularly prevalent.

I don't jump atm but my daughter goes up 5 from dressage to SJ and then another 3 to XC.

 

[PucciNPoni]

I'm such a wimp. If someone suggests i shorten for jumping, I maybe go one hole!

 

[Pep12]

Can't jump long. Go up 4 to SJ and then another 2 to go xc. I don't think you can realistically go XC with long stirrups as you wont' manage to get off your horse's back effectively.

 

[sillygillyhorse]

When I was eventing I would go up about 6 holes between dressage and sj then another 2 or 3 for the xc making a total of 9 or 10.

 

[MandyMoo]

i ride pretty short like all the time anyways :/ (according to everyone who sees me ride lol) so when i jump i only put them up 1 more hole...otherwise i think my knees would be at my chin! haha xx

 

[Festive_Felicitations]

I prefer to jump long (er) than others seem to. I tried riding shorter but felt unsafe as I felt perched on top, and unable to sit down and get a good grip on the saddle when things got dodgey. I don't find that I have any trouble getting out of the saddle and staying out XC.
People have commented (to me) that jumping long is a bit of an 'old school' thing, so may be it is just a matter of what you are used too...

I don't know if being 5'11 has any impact (no idea how WFP manages it) but even in my 17.2 in saddle I think that if I put my stirrups up by 5/6 holes as some have suggested my knees would be off the front of the flaps no matter how much I shifted my legs back...

Interesting post though. A few pictures of everyones definitons of long/short would be good/ helpful

 

[sar1]

I have different saddles so don't actually change them, but have the same leathers on each saddle. They are I think 9 holes shorter on the jump saddle. They seem to get shorter every year!

I am also 5ft11/6ft. I have an 18" jump saddle to accommodate my long legs!

 

[MegaBeast]

I go up 8 holes from dressage to SJ then another 3 to galloping/xc. So 11 holes difference all told

 

[Coffee_Bean]

I go up 2 holes, but I ride short on my mare anyway, so my legs aren't round her knees. On a bigger horse however I expect I would probably have about a 4 hole difference.

I bet it is an inexperienes thing- I'm relatively inexperienced

 

[KatB]

I do dr in my jump saddle at the moment, so go up 3 for Sjing and 4 for XC, however, when i have my dr saddle I went up 7holes from dr to SJing and 8 to XC

 

[TarrSteps]

I think the saddle issue is one thing that affects how short/long people ride but it really shouldn't - if your knee is over the roll or too far behind it with the proper stirrup length then it's not the right saddle for you.

How big you're jumping is another issue. Many experienced riders will jump small stuff - 3' and under - with a stirrup only slightly up from "jumping saddle flat length" but then will go up more as the jumps get higher.

Out of curiosity, how many people were taught to measure their stirrup against their leg to determine the proper jumping length. I (and everyone I know) was taught to measure the bottom of the stirrup at or just above my ankle bone with the foot out of the stirrup and the leg hanging down as loose as possible, at least as a starting point. Then slightly up from that for bigger jumps and xc, even more for steeplechase. (Hey, it was the dark ages.) The general feeling was if that wasn't a comfortable length then there was either a position issue or the saddle didn't fit properly.

As above, I'm very tall and very long in the thigh so this has always meant 18" saddles, or possibly 17.5" with a very forward flap, and a preference for blocks or "pencil rolls" rather than large knee rolls.

 

[Kentisheventer]

I always go up a lot... i go up 7 from dressage to SJing, and a further 3 from SJing to XC (so 10 holes shorted than dressage)

 

[Kentisheventer]

My only problem going up a lot is that my knees do go over the knee rolls though ( if i go up too much!)

 

[Zeus]

My instructor says that if you ride too long jumping wise you are less likely to get ejected out of the saddle when it all goes wrong and end up staying in the plate. I proved that the other day when x-country schooling when my horse hit a fence with his back feet and nearly flipped over. Because I had really short stirrups I was thrown clear and didn't end up with the horse on top of me.

 

[hannahkirkhill]

TarrSteps I was taught both of them, I find if I feel my jumping position is feeling a bit iffy then I will make sure I spend some time with my Irons just above my ankle bone doing some grid work. It really helps!
I go up 8 holes from flat in jump saddle to x.c length.
But I flat much shorter in jump saddle than I do in my dressage saddle- only flat naughty youngsters in my jump saddle

I jump at very diffrent lenghts depending on what im riding / doing- I ride much longer when im jumping babies than I do when jumping older horses. And I ride much shorter when I am going x.c Nov and above than I do when taking something around its first Intro.
So I jump from 7 from top to top hole, just to confuse things lol