showjumpers......how do you 'sit' when showjumping?

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georgiegirl2

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Just out of interest really!!

I once went to the BE grasshoppers finals (yogi judging) and got marked down due to the fact i 'sit' whilst showjumping ie on approach. The comments sheet said i needed to be out of the saddle to allow my horse to use his back more effectively. Was just wondering what other people think?! Ive seen top showjumpers either sitting or off their horses back so was wondering what people deem as technically correct? I always feel much better sat up and in the saddle using my weight whereas ive seen others in the 'two point' position. Is it simply what you feel more comfortable doing or is one position better than the other? Ive had instructgors give me conflicting advice in the past so was wondering what people on here think of it?
 
I don't really know which is correct to be honest but i know that i tend to ride into my seat a bit more in the last few strides. I find that because my ned isn't the most scopiest horse, by riding him into the fences more with my legs and pushing him on with my seat i get a better jump
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i'm the opposite mainly because i tend to draw my lower leg up on approach if sitting up, find if i'm in a two point seat i don't have this problem even when i put my legs on
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. i wouldn't say this is technically more correct though, and if sitting deep means the horse doean't use itself properly why aren't all the dressage riders adopting two point for thier medium canters?!!
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I feel as if I've got more control when sitting up because I can use my seat & legs more effectively? Don't know if that's right or wrong, but my sj coach has never told me off for it...

Also I seem to be able to see a stride better sitting up...I can judge the distance better with my head kind of above the middle of the saddle rather than further forward.
 
im so pleased someone else has said they find strides easier when sitting up! Not that i every try and look for a stride.....i try and leave that up to my horse, i find i tend to miss strides left right and centre if i am off my horses back, for some reason it makes me doubt myself and fiddle?
 
I sit up in the saddle but lightly. If I'm more forward out of the saddle I find it harder to see strides and adjust the canter and the horse can get on the forehand. I was told at Grasshoppers that I rode nicely on the approach to fences (
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) but I guess different people think differently.
 
Well firstly the single most important thing is to get over the jump cleanly
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How you achieve that is secondary imo
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You will see top SJ'ers adopting both styles and often in the same round. I personally like to adopt a lighter seat wherever possible but will sit down and 'drive' occasionally if the horse feels unsure of if I feel we need a bit more ooomph.

Often when you are watching the pro's it is hard to tell exactly what they are doing anway as the shift in weight can be so subtle. John Whitaker is one who often looks as though he is riding quite upright but in fact if you look closely his weight is still ever so slightly out of the saddle
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My SJ trainer, tells me to be out the saddle around corners etc, but to sit up and light into the fence as you can wrap your legs around more when sitting up?
 
I think it's ok to 'sit' in the saddle as long as you keep your weight light ie not driving into the horse's back, particularly with babies. My natural instinct was always to be out of the saddle, until I got a horse that used to rush his fences, and then I found I felt I had more control when I sat in the saddle into a fence. But I have to say it was a bit of an illusion as all I was actually doing was bracing myself against the horse and then unconsciously driving for the fence when I saw my stride, which only made him worse! Jane Bartle-Wilson once told me that the stronger the horse is, the more you should be out of the saddle, so I guess the opposite is true as Muley said if your horse backs off it might be helpful to sit down and ride a bit more!
Sorry bit long that!
 
I had a lesson with Richard Waygood this weekend and he got me to adapt a lighter seat and i tended to sit and drive the minute i saw my stride and i really noticed the difference when i was lighter, it really allowed the horse to come up underneath you and stay balanced.
When you sit deep and then just come out of the saddle for take off etc its easy to put your weight on the forehand however if you adopt a light slightly out of the saddle seat you hardly need to move over the jump as you are allowing the horse to move under you.
 
I have a horse who is very reactive to any weight changes- I can jump him around a course either in a light seat, a forward seat or sat down on him but I cant really chop and change as his stride pattern alters-fussy beast! My last horse needed me to be bold and drive for him so I tended to be in a 2 point seat to get around the course and then sit and drive him before a fence. My horse now is bold so he just needs finite adjusting. Its a shame the grasshoppers judging seems abit subjective.
 
I sit on the approach as otherwise I'd feel insecure and think if the horse stopped or swerved I'd be more likely to fall off!!
 
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