help with jumping!

[Alex]

NR, I need your wisdom!! :cool:

I began jumping very small cavaletti as soon as I could trot properly, which was about 2 years ago I think. Anyway, lately I've been doing the advanced jump class with Milly. It's been great for my confidence, but I'm still having trouble getting in the right position. We've practiced 2 point and I'm fine with jumps that are anything up to about 2'6/2'9, but when I get higher than that I seem to go too far forward and end up close to Milly's ears. If I try to sit back, I end up laying back across her bum (very unladylike! :rolleyes: I have jumped 4' with Milly but my position was horrific! What am I doing wrong??? *pulls hair out* :D

I know I'm supposed to 'fold' and go with Milly's movement, but how do I do it on the bigger jumps? I'm not scared of the higher jumps so it's not like I tense up or anything, I think I'm just finding it hard to get the right balance.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Milly's a fab little jumper, and I'd love to be able to jump better for her benefit aswell as my own.

[cvb]

gosh we've just been discussing 2 and 3 point in another thread. So now I may have to actually explain myself a bit more...

Just out of interest, what do you mean by '2 point' as for some people the 2 points seem to be their legs ie 2 point is out of the saddle. Is that what it means to you ? (For me you are still in the saddle but just slightly coming forward as if you are about to rise but stopped just before you came out of the saddle).

For a small jump, you really don't need to approach in 2 point. You can ride as normal (3 point) up to the jump and gently 'rock' over the jump. As if it is a big canter stride. The 'rock' is a gentle fold from the hips, allowing the hands to move forward.

Now you have a choice which direction you hands go in. There are two styles of 'release'. With a crest release, your hands follow the top of the horses neck. With a neck release they go straight towards the horses mouth (and the bit), maintaining the line hand to mouth and going along the width of the neck.

For a small jump you will hardly notice enough release to see a difference.

As the jump size goes up, the time in the air increases, and the angles you and the horse make get more accute (sharp). As the horse jumps it moves its centre of gravity forward - and you need to keep your centre of gravity over the horses so also need to move your centre of gravity forwards.

To help with this you may start to adopt a 2 point seat (or half seat) in approach. Then as you jump, you will fold more and release more. But be careful it is a fold, and that you are not standing in your stirrups. It will start to get to the point where your rear end is coming out of the saddle but you may find it helps to think of keeping your seat in the saddle to minimise the rise.

Through all of this, a secure lower leg is very important. Effectively your lower leg stays still and any pivot comes a little from the knee and a lot from the hip.

You got a lot of release in the rein just from the fold, but may need to add some more from shoulder by moving the elbow forward.

[cvb]

p.s. this is not supposed to be a 'lecture' as I may be teaching my grannie (or more likely grand-daughter) to suck eggs ! But sometimes its easier to start with the basics to find out what level people are at.

It can be useful to practise folding while on the flat - if only to see how much slack you get in the rein from the fold, and to get the feeling of keeping the weight in your seat rather than transferring it to your feet and standing up (standing up is a common fault to see).

You do get people doing jumping position on the flat - it can be a useful exercise to practise balance and build those thigh muscles. But it can also be over done and people end up tired and adopting a 'water-skier' position.

I have also seen people taught at early stages to approach the jump in jumping position - but then I'm never sure if they remember to teach them to stop doing this as they progress !

I've done a reasonable amount of jumping at a local level but have not done much for quite a while as I've been horseless, and now I need to teach my western trained horse to jump :D (Actually she now jumps fine without me, but is very very careful with a rider on top - I have to get her to trust me a little more !)

[Alex]

thank you SO much cvb.

yep, to me, 2 point is bum out of the saddle (or so I've been taught lol) :)

but you may find it helps to think of keeping your seat in the saddle to minimise the rise.
Yes, this does help, alot -- thank you. I think that may have been alot of the problem - I was intent on keeping my bum OUT of the saddle, rather than in it. Today we worked up to 3'3 jumps, and I was, by no means, brilliant :rolleyes: but I was considerably steadier, which I think made it much more pleasant for Milly aswell as myself.

Practicing jumping position while on the flat is something my instructor's been working on with me, and yes, I can totally understand the 'water skiier' idea (hehe I like that - it explains it well).

And cvb, your post was definitely NOT a lecture! It's helped ALOT so thank you muchly. Milly and I still have a LONG way to go, but we'll keep working on it!

Thanks again,

Love,
Alex (and a much happier Milly) :D

[kedwards]

I don't have much to add to CVB's excellent description. Definitely think of "folding" rather than "rising."

Is it possible that your stirrups may need to be shortened a little once you get to the bigger jumps? If they are too long, they may interfere with your ability to fold into the sharper angles needed to stay with a horse who is jumping bigger.