Teaching Children to Jump

[lucyc]

I have been watching a few videos on Youtube recently and in a lot of the clips (i just sort of followed video after video :/ ) when they were going over a jump they would take jumping position a long time before the jump. A lot of times the child then falls off the horse as they become unbalanced or unseated.

I don't remember ever learning this and surely it unbalances both horse and rider?? But is this the done thing and is there a reason why riding instructors get their pupils to do it??

 

[Spotsrock]

We were taught like this 20 plus years ago and I still use it but only a stride or so out. It's so the kid doesn't get jumped off the back.

 

[lucyc]

I can understand a stride or two but on some of the vids the children have been in jumping position 5 or 6 strides before the jump and by the time they get to the jump they are leaning on the horse :/

 

[Tnavas]

Presenting the rider in jumping position is far safer than allowing them to sit up before a fence.

If they have learned to balance correctly with the use of plenty of trotting poles - BEFORE being asked to leave the ground they should have little problem with the jump itself.

A neck strap placed halfway up the neck encourages the rider to move the hands forward.

One of the biggest no no's is telling the rider to lift their bottom off the saddle - this immediately translates into stand up.

Shorten the stirrups a hole or two to enable the thigh to sit more ahead of the rider to strengthen the position, fold rider at the hip, keeping back straight until the shoulder is in a verticle line with the knee and toe. this allows th erider to be in balance.

A good on the ground exercise is to have the rider balance on a pole on the ground and then fold themselves up without falling off the pole.

Apart from toes turning out and the rider being a little too folded this child is in a nice safe balanced position.