Readiness for jumping??

[Andrea B.]

Hi,

At what point is a rider ready to begin jumping??

Is this something for a relative beginner (less than 1 year riding)?
Or, is the amount of time riding not really the deciding factor but rather the riders ability, and balance/seat, etc?

Thanks,
Andrea

[Sarah]

hello!

That is a very good question! I suppose that the answers which everyone posts will be wildly different!

Personally, i think that there can't be a golden rule - the decision must be made for each individual. Clearly the rider must be confident in flatwork, with good balance and a good seat so that they are more likely to move with the horse over the jump. This can take any period from a matter of months, to years. It is also very important that the rider is confident, jumping can be a strange sensation at first.

bye!

[Andrea B.]

Hi Sarah,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts !

I agree - there is no golden rule.

May I ask how long you were riding before you began jumping?

I just started jumping about 7 weeks ago and it is a strange sensation indeed !

I truly love it though, and I want soooo badly to be able to jump really well !
And, I feel confident and unafraid (at least in my conscious mind!!)

The challenge for me, right now, is in being aware of, and in control of, what my body is doing for that second (or two) when my horse actually goes over the jump. Sometimes, for those seconds, my body reacts without my deliberately 'telling' it to do so. For example, I might fold waayy to much, but I didn't really deliberately do that. My body reacted (through instinct????). Does this make sense? If so, does it sound familiar??? And, is better awareness and control of ones body something that comes with practice????

Thanks again!!
Andrea

[KarlR]

My feeling is that it is up to the individual, but must be based on guidance from their instructor.

I certainly think that some low-work: poles, 1 foot jumps, etc is very useful early on just so that the rider gets used to the feeling and avoids the fear of being faced with large jumps suddenly.

However, higher work is probably left until the rider has a good sense of balance so that they don't pull the horses mouth or land heavily. I would say 1 year+ for work over a few feet is a minimum IMX.

[Sarah]

Hi Andrea

I had done a bit of riding as a teenager, then at university played polo for a year then started learning to ride 'properly'. After about 6 months of propoer lessons, I started jumping.

The jumping position is a very natural fold as you go over the jump - usually the problme is when people try too much and end up up the horse's neck or something. If you are doing it naturally, well done, and try not to work on it too much!

Have fun!

Bye!

[Andrea B.]

Thanks for your input everyone !

Fran,
You said "Every now and again I manage to get most of this right, and it feels fantastic...then it's back to normal. "
=> It's the same with me - I get it right "every now and again". Wish I could get it right more often ! I think I pressure myself too much !

I also think that doing low work, as KarlR mentioned sounds like a good idea. I am jumping about 2 feet now, maybe a little higher. I think I am comfortable with this, as I do not feel fear, or anxiety when jumping. I would like to do more low work, just to practise my position, etc. As a beginner, I do find it easier to go over a small X than a two foot fence.

Any more thoughts on jumping are MOST WELCOME ! ! ! !

Thanx !

[nrob1982]

I found one of my initial jumping problems was getting in front of the horse's movement. As we approached a jump I would be so anxious about folding correctly that I would begin too early, effectively making the jump before my horse.
I found the problem got better if I oncentrated on the rhythm of the horse rather than the jump that was rushing me. If you don't start to fold until fractionally after the horse actually begins its take off stride everything is so much smoother.

[fran]

Hi Andrea - I started learning to jump recently and like you, think it's wonderful but weird...don't know if this will help at all, but the instructor who's been teaching me (down in Somerset) always says
- just concentrate on going forward and the horse will look after the jump
- concentrate on getting a stable half seat, so that the horse moves underneath you (and the rider stays still on top)
- look up and ahead (NEVER down)
- don't forget to breathe!
Every now and again I manage to get most of this right, and it feels fantastic...then it's back to normal. Where I ride in Somerset there are jump lanes/grids, which are brilliant for the novice jumper. I do recommend them if you can find some next spring.

[Tammy]

I'm probably going to get rebuked by many but ....
a woman who shares the arena in my pasture has a 17.3hh thoroughbred and is teaching him to jump. needless to say, she has 4 or 5 very nice jumps set up at a low height of 2 feet or so. My mare gets bored easily so guess what.....we set up in a nice working trot and bounded over each one. I admit I did not have the faintest idea what was correct or proper but she and I both enjoyed it very much! each time we landed going away in a canter but as I have the "race horse" mare I always brought her down to a trot before we attempted the next x . Seems to me my seat just naturally "rose" with the horse and I made sure to watch "where we were going next" instead of down at the fence. Great fun but I am not going to be doing anything more strenuous at my advanced age (41)....I thought I was quite the adventurer to begin learning to ride english at my age rather than the simpler western style. As I live in "cowboy and rodeo" country I am quite the oddball.