Jumping Position

[WandowenRedFx]

Hi,
This post is just too see the different views on things,
The subject is : Jumping positions

How far out the saddle do you go, how far is too far, legs, things like that, what is your ideal postion? :)


You laugh at me because im differnt, i laugh at you because your all the same

[Cool Rider]

Sorry WandowenRedFx no advice but I'm just learning how to do the jumping position so this would be really helpful :)

[Merlinz gal]

you dont want to go as far out of the saddle so you dont have bend in the knee, just basically fold FROM THE HIP and lift so your chest is about 3-4 inches off the horses withers.

the ideal position is:

* heels down
*toes foreward
*nice bend in the knee
*legs underneath you
*straight back folding from the hips
*LOOK UP

heres my jumping position ...........its far from perfect but along the lines:)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/dreamin_of_depp/merburjump.bmp


hope ive helped :)

[WandowenRedFx]

Cool postion
Mine goes something like this :

* Bum should be very very close to the saddle at ALL times, if under 2 3"
idealy your but should be in the saddle, this takes practise!
* Look up
* I DONT stand up, dont go too far out, you will lose balance
* Let your leg swing a little but only a little, this shows that you leg is relaxed
* Give your horse its head, its very important

Well thats mine i will post a pic when i find out how lol, its so hard :rolleyes:

[Merlinz gal]

wow that sounds really hard :eek:

i understand riding is taught different ways in different places and i respect that:) i hope you dont mind me posting this but a majority of what you have posted id get yelled at for doing if jumping :p .

im going to post about what ive been taught regarding your position im by no means critisizing but will suggest somethings to help if you take offence just say and ill remove them :)

keeping your bum close to the saddle~ this is ok if your just learning to jump (are you??) to get used to the movement, but as you get used to it folding means you will be over the horses centre of gravity making it easier for him (or her) to jump balanced.

looking up~ great :D

standing and loosing balance~ this isnt true you will be more balanced through coming out of your seat but not standing, again this means you will be over the horses centre of gravity.

letting your leg swing~ i can sort of see where your coming from on this one (i.e being relaxed) but you must remember that our leg means go to horses and your less likely to be balanced so when you di fold you would loose balance. so next time keep your leg quiet but soft and try folding forewards im sure youll find it much more comfortable:)


giving your horse its head~ yes this is EXTREMELY important but you do still need a contact as shown in my picci:D


to post a picci go to
www.photobucket.com
make an account
upload your photos
youll have 3 boxes under your photo
go to the URL one and copy and paste the text next to it on here :D

please dont take offence by what ive written this is how I have been taught as i have sai people do things differently in different countries an im quit a way away lol :D

just out of curiosity how long have you been jumping and do you ride at aschool or on your own horse? :)

[colouredcrazy]

In my opinion, you should release your hands to about halfway up the horses neck (this is over about 3'6'', not 2' as has been said earlier). Leg should stay on the girth, it shouldn't really move back, thats a sign of gripping with the knee. Possibly a little back over a big spread to encourage the horse to stretch. Bum should be out of the saddle, towards the cantle. Out by about 4 inches, not that I've actually ever measured! You should stay fairly close to the saddle, but not in it because you have no flexibility then! Ankles should stay soft to absorb movement, as should your wrists incase the horse pecks on landing. But most importantly - DONT COLLAPSE ON LANDING! This puts the horse on the forehand, which is near impossible to jump from!

Ellie

[diva]

Elbows in aswell- pet hate of mine. I also don't like to see the rider going too far forward in case of a refusal and also because it causes them to collapse on landing. I'm not sure if the bum near the saddle comment was refering to the height or position :) but if I was teaching you Merlinz girl ( which I appreciate I'm not) I would like to see you give more with the hands and less with the body. No offense intended :)

[shaka]

Personally I think the 'perfect jump position' has a lot to do with the horse you ride. I had to change my style when I got my first horse, who is 3 hands bigger then my old pony with a completely different jumping style. Some horses have an extravagant front end technique, others a powerful backend technique, some stretch down, some jump with their head up etc etc.

Although it's not perfect, I think this rider has an excellent jump position
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v325/ShowjumpersWorld/Horses%20Paradise%20Photos/melia14052.jpg
She and her horse are both looking up and ahead, she is well balanced with her toes turned slightly out and her leg under her. She's come out of the saddle well without throwing herself forwards and she's folding from her hips. This horse tends to jump quite hollow and is quite quick so can get away on landing, so she has kept just the right kind of contact.

(Following on from points already raised)
It is easier for a horse to jump well and clear a fence if you are off its back. It allows them to bascule properly and clear the fence behind, sometimes sitting down over a fence will cause the horse to hollow.

Eyes up, remember where you look is where you go. The combination above are both very focused on where they are going next, they are probably riding a combination. You can see the horse is concentrating on her job and the fence ahead.

Your leg needs to be under you to help you balance, like with the rider above, however swing isn't neccessarily a bad thing if you keep the heel down. When jumping bigger fences, especially spreads, the rider has to throw their weight forwards as they go over to give the horse every possible chance to clear the back bar. The riders leg will slip back slightly. If your leg goes to far back you won't be able to 'land on your feet' when the horse lands and you could go out the front door!

With releases, try not to get in to the habit of using the crest release, as a lot of riders who do this then lean on the neck. The rider above is not leaning but has a good contact on the horses mouth. This particular horse is very quick, if she moved her hands up the crest more it would bring her body more forward, her reins would loop and the horse would probably get away from her on landing. Some riders over release which results in a loop in the reins, not good if you're jump a course. Your hands should be independent and you shouldn't need them to balance so I prefer to see riders moving their hands forward. I'm sorry I'm doing a very useless job of explaining this. I'm probably coming across as meaning something completely different to what I'm trying to say :p Sorry. :o

The rider above has a good upper body position, almost parralel to the horses neck, any further forward would be out of balance, any further back and she'd be out of balance. A lot of pony jumpers tend to throw their body forward, ending up lying on the neck with their lower leg somewhere up the horses back, this is unstable and prevents the horse lifting its shoulder properly.

[Merlinz gal]

but if I was teaching you Merlinz girl ( which I appreciate I'm not) I would like to see you give more with the hands and less with the body. No offense intended

none taken :) although i would like to add..........just look how close he is to the jump lol its the only one i can find at the mo ...........oops tell a lie heres another:
http://www.freewebs.com/merlin4eva/merbur%20jump.bmp

[kedwards]

Shaka, that's a lovely picture. The overall balance and quietness shown in the rider is very much what I try to visualize as my ideal when jumping (not always what I achieve, but certainly what I aim for).

[casey]

Here is a couple of my photos. The 1st was taken 4 years ago for Your Horse mag...thats why the cheesy smile :eek: :D
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y207/casey2312/EBSYOURHORSE.bmp

The next was taken a couple of month back. I use automatic release, ie following the movement of the horses head.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y207/casey2312/060505074.jpg

Just one more because I like the colours :D
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y207/casey2312/DSC_0412.jpg

[jUmPingIsLifE]

http://nikkibeth05.tripod.com/facres

the picture of the mustang named says who over some benches in a field i think is a decent position. most of the pictures i put on my website show an OK position, each as faults here and there though.

idealy your but should be in the saddle, this takes practise!

wait, butt in the saddle...over a jump?
i could do that every time if i wanted, sometimes when i make a mistake i do have my butt in the saddle but you should really be off your horses back for them the jump to allow them to bascule and jump it correctly.i know my wrists get slaped if i were to sit on them or restrict them in any other way (leaning on the neck ect...) if you were a horse would you rather have the rider sitting on your back or off it? the little pony i ride wont hesitate to buck anyone off who sits to early, gets left behind or gets ahead. he hates those three things. i dare you to sit on him over a jump :p

[Eli_Jay]

I have a tendancy to over jump the horse, look down or get left behind:o
The three things i focus on when jumping (keeping in mind I've never gone over 3") are:
1) sink weight into heels especially at the approach... this way if the horse does run out of refuse you have more balance.
2) tilt you're chin forwards and let your body follow rather than 'folding' which i think will generally lead to people over jumping.
3) if in doubt, grab a hunk of mane halfway up the neck. I learnt this very simple but incredibly valuable piece of information from a 3 star competitor I've been having show jumping and XC lessons from. Holding a hunk of mane helps you balance, gives you support and allows you to move with the horse, hence lessening the chances of you being left behind or jagging the horse in the mouth on landing.
These pics are recent ones of me and my gelding cheque. we're schooling at around 2"/60cm but i haven't got any photos of us going over that height (the sj are warmup jumps and the XC is a low gr4 jump)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y219/eli_jay/goodjump.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y219/eli_jay/goodjump2.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y219/eli_jay/XC.jpg

[WandowenRedFx]

wow
There are alot of different views on things, what i ment bye bum should be in the saddle, or very close to it, there should be no weight in the saddle but your butt should be in contact with the saddle, and when you start jumping huge, you learn to appreciate this!
this is nice isnt it :)