Learning to jump soon!

[Arctic Myth]

Currently I go horse riding once a week on fridays, my instructor says I have just about mastered the trot and I am doing great with canter! Soon I will be doing jumps, (In the lesson is a friend who is my level) I have been going 3 months riding and would love to know what its like to jump.

If anyone can tell me whats it like, or maybe what you should do when jumping with/without a whip on LARGE horses, I never ride smaller than 15 hh.

[Just.Jump]

I personally would not recomend jumping for another year, in the very least- if not two to three years.

I would give you an essay of a lecture, but instead I'll redirect you to an identical thread, along with a poll.

http://newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=75771

Read the entire thing before you respond, please. :)

[Rips]

What?! Just.Jump I don't agree. Maybe where you are, you learn specifically jumping in a lesson but here its integrated as I'm sure it is in the UK. I don't agree with the whole specialization theory, jumping helps make you a well rounded rider. It does so much for your balance (although you do have to have pretty good balance to start off with -)

3months is a little early to start jumping, but as long as you have good balance (I'd wait til your canter is up to scratch) a few crosspoles aren't going to hurt. Don't let yourself be pushed however.


Jumping is just dressage with speedbumps ;)

As far as what it feels like to jump - exhilarating :) best feeling in the world.

[kedwards]

I'm sure you'll have a great time. The size of the horse won't matter much, so long as you are comfortable on him. Sometimes bigger horses will have less movement over the jump which can make them easier to learn on, but this isn't always the case.

There aren't any real tricks to jumping. You may be surprised to find that you don't actually tell a horse to jump. The main role of a rider when jumping is to tell the horse which direction to go and at what pace. Beyond that, your primary objective is to stay out of his way so that he can best use his body . If you stay in balance (a balanced jumping position has your weight centered over your stirrups rather than on your seatbones) and give him ample room to stretch with his neck (you'll learn to "release" your hands forward), he'll take care of the jumping part all on his own.

For what it's worth, I agree that jumping is something that can and should be taught as part of a well-rounded riding education.

[vimto92]

Hope you have a great time! I'm learning to jump this Summer!:D

[~*sugarlump*~]

oooo! I love jumping.
the first jumps you will be doing will just feel like when you are doing trotting poles as the horse will just step over the jumps.

justjump, i dont agree i learned to jump before i even started to canter and i can jump ok ( i think :o)
you would probabaly be jumping in trot at first, make sure you have a good energetic canter, but make sure the horse is not rushing.
in preperation for jumping, do some practice of your jumping position and try standing up in the stirrups.
have a good time!

[prettybluepony]

I've been riding since I was 4 years old, and I think you should just make sure your happy and confident, can control the horse, and can do all the paces etc.

[Method_Acting]

Wow, well done on picking up trot and canter so fast. I think after 3 months i was still holding on to the saddle.:o
I didn't start doing trotting poles for about 9 months.

I think jumping is much easier in canter. it just feels like a longer canter stride kind of.
I'd say try trotting poles first [if you haven't already] in the jumping position so you get used to the feel of it.

oh and when you are jumping keep straight on the approach to the jump! hah that's always something I struggle with. shorten your stirrups by a hole or two will make jumping easier, and wrap your legs around the horse.

remember jumping is fun:D good luck :)

[Just.Jump]

What?! Just.Jump I don't agree. Maybe where you are, you learn specifically jumping in a lesson but here its integrated as I'm sure it is in the UK. I don't agree with the whole specialization theory, jumping helps make you a well rounded rider. It does so much for your balance (although you do have to have pretty good balance to start off with -)

3months is a little early to start jumping, but as long as you have good balance (I'd wait til your canter is up to scratch) a few crosspoles aren't going to hurt. Don't let yourself be pushed however.


Jumping is just dressage with speedbumps

As far as what it feels like to jump - exhilarating best feeling in the world.


Rips, my whole point was that she, like the rider who started the other thread, has not had enough riding time. I whole-heartedly agree that it makes you more well-rounded - That is exactly what I say about it. But you can't flesh out your riding knowledge without a firm base- and having just gottent he trot down, I would be very ill at ease if thise rider goes on to jump right now. Horses often come out of a trotting jump at a canter if the rider has to push them to keep them going, and if she is only jurt learning the canter- well, you see where I am going.

I just really did not feel like spewing out another huge post when this topic has only just been covered a couple of weeks ago with an almost identical situation- other than the fact that this rider here has less experience. I mean, how are you supposed to correct, say, a horse that blows it's shoulder out and avoids fences if you can't perform any lateral movements? Those situations are what create problems and annoyances for the riders who smooth out the lesson horses, such as myself. A beginner to riding is fine, but a beginner to riding starting jumping so early on is not fine, in my books.

Don't get me wrong, I love to learn, I have a passion for it. I just would rather see someone starting to learn a new area once they have honestly gotten a firm grasp of the level before it first and formost. To be honest, I can't see getting too much out of a specialization until you have the lower concepts down pat- and even if you do skip it, that means you don't exactly have the upper hand to other riders in the same lessons.

What's more well-rounded, a rider with an excellent base and the start of a new specialization,

or a rider who somewhat has the very basics and can do the specialization to a certian degree?

Don't get me wrong, you can do both at the same time, but I think it's best to wait until you have the paces honestly mastered, and lateral movements grilled into your brain for future training of horses.

Edited to say that if jumping is dressage wth speed bumps, it may be best to know some of the dressage first ^.~

[BackintheSaddle]

In my opinion, learning to jump is mostly about balance. Do you feel comfortable in two-point? Can you hold your two-point position without balancing on you horse's neck? Can you move easily from sitting trot to rising to standing in two-point? If so, jumping will probably be easy for you. You will probably begin by trotting into the jump and cantering away. Have fun and bring us piccies!

[Rips]

Its just that you suggested waiting 2/3years to jump? It doesn't take that long to be able to maintain a balanced trot and canter, you don't need to know lateral movements for a few crosspoles either. AM's RI will surely put her on a horse that doesn't run out and that she can manage. I learned to jump on safe horses first, no matter what way I went down to that fence - they jumped it and I loved it. Built up my confidence.

Then started focusing more on groundwork, pace control, striding, lateral movements. That way when I went to jump on horses that needed to be ridden, I had confidence... I wasn't silently panicking thinking about it being my first time jumping or "what if he runs out" I was focused and did what needed to be done.

If you've been riding since you were young its quite different than started riding at 13/14 and going from there. I've seen people start at 15/16 and get to what it took me 4/5 years to do in a few months because I started so young it took longer to get the basics down.

I don't want to argue it out with you ;) I was just giving a different opinion. I've also just went on what was posted originally by AM, her RI who knows her ability and works with her in person feels she ready to go and I guess she wanted reassurance.

[Arctic Myth]

Well thank you guys for the intersting responses! By the way, when I said jumps I meant like 1 ft at the most, I have already done a few and wasn't being lead by my riding instructor, or RI as you guys seem to call it, she is very careful, she knows how long I have been riding and teaches me based on that, also the fact that I was cantering after 1 month on a pretty lazy horse.

I have a fairly good seat, may I say I ride with long stirrups and so far I cant remember loosing them..... I would love to do more jumps and stuff, I dont want to sound snotty or anything cause I'm not like that, but I amazed my RI by cantering on a dressage trained horse who rarely does it cause he likes to take the mick out of people.

I have done and do lots of trotting poles, infact did some yesterday, I have also done a few cantering poles, it is very fun!

Although I'm quite confident and would love to own my own horse and all that, I am quite aware of how little I know campared to some of you guys and how much I've learn't in the past 3/4 months, riding is a wonderful thing!

[coblover26]

Thats great....I'm sure you'll love jumping...It's so fun :)

The first time I jumped was on my cousin's horse and she didn't teach me but after watching so many of people jumping I kind of learnt it that way and my cousin said that with it being my first jump I did really well. I was so pleased :)
Now I am having lessons in jumping just to improve now. It also helps jumping on different horses as I have now learnt because I was jumping from trot which was fine with her but with the three I am jumping at the moment I have learnt that they are easier and more confortable to ge over the jump in canter.

I hope you really enjoy your lesson and update us and send a few pics in :)

Good Luck :)

[Arctic Myth]

Aww thanks, I'll put some pics online when I finally work out how....my dad will help anyway, he's a genius with that stuff, can I ask whether your from the us or uk?

[jools]

I've just started to learn to jump after 4 months back in the saddle after a 12 year break,I started on my lessons as a complete novice,now I'm riding upto the BHS Level 2 standard. :D

[Arctic Myth]

Good for you! Well thats inspirational to hear, though its probably like relearning a language you have already learn't before.:)

I'm also interested in jumping from the point of view of when you are out on a hack, at the moment I've only been on one hack but that is because the person who organizes hacks is never there, maybe she will in the summer..... but what I was on about was jumping logs and ditches, I would love to soon!:D

[sidesaddlelady1]

What?! Just.Jump I don't agree. Maybe where you are, you learn specifically jumping in a lesson but here its integrated as I'm sure it is in the UK. I don't agree with the whole specialization theory, jumping helps make you a well rounded rider. It does so much for your balance (although you do have to have pretty good balance to start off with -)

3months is a little early to start jumping, but as long as you have good balance (I'd wait til your canter is up to scratch) a few crosspoles aren't going to hurt. Don't let yourself be pushed however.


Jumping is just dressage with speedbumps ;)

As far as what it feels like to jump - exhilarating :) best feeling in the world.
You could leave it as long as I have - Been riding 53 years and have managed to avoid any serious jumping in all that time. I learned, didn't like it and stopped. I even bought a horse who couldn't jump - bad move, he discovered cross-country jumps and hunting and suddenly realised he was rather good at it. I still don't jump so he has to persuade other fools to take him.

[Rips]

I didn't mean that you couldn't be a well-rounded rider without learning to jump ;) Can I take him?! :p

[Arctic Myth]

Hi guys, had my weekly lesson yesterday, well guess what my RI included? Jumps!

Well the jump was about 1ft-2ft and it was horizontal, I was riding a 17 hh horse called Ross, the most disobediant horse ever, well atleast getting into canter anyway, try 1 he stepped over it, try 2 he actually jumped it, as a first jump I would consider myself quite good, though I wobbled a little bit I was no where near falling off.:D :D

[~*sugarlump*~]

ooo well done!!:) does that mean you jumped in canter intentially? (sorry Im a bit slow today:o)

[phyzelda]

Congratualtions, thats brilliant news, bet you're dead chuffed!

[EquestrianRider]

That's great that you jumped! Just so you know, the jump that you did is called a vertical. Weird, isn't it, that the jump is horizontal, but it is actually called a vertical! Congratulations.

In response to everyone's opinions on whether or not she was prepared to jump yet, I think that it all depends on the rider. I'm sure she has a great, certified instructor, who can tell her when she is ready to jump. I'm sure that everyone is a bit biased depending on when they began jumping too.

[Arctic Myth]

Really, lol thats wierd calling it a vertical, well he went into canter but slowed down to trot, my RI said just concentrate on jumping it in trot, then we can try canter.

[sidesaddlelady1]

I didn't mean that you couldn't be a well-rounded rider without learning to jump ;) Can I take him?! :p
He would LOVE hunting in Ireland! He wouldn't like the boat though. When he came over from Ireland 11 years ago the weather was foul and the sea very rough and he was in fits by the time he arrived at Liverpool! We've only known him to kick people twice in all the time he's been over here - once when he finally arrived at the yard after the horrendous journey from Ireland when he kicked the YO because enough was finally the last straw and once when he was in considerable pain and wanted to be left alone.

One of the reasons I took up side saddle was that I was fed up with being nagged at about jumping and I thought "I'll learn something you can't do & then perhaps you'll leave me alone." I have nothing but respect for those who do it and enjoy it. Poor fools ;¬)