need help maintaining open body jumping, not rounding back

[friedegund]

I just started jumping, crosses and small jumps, maybe a little more than two feet. I am alright on the flat, though my couch always at me to sit up tall, shoulders back, body open.

Now, I am jumping and getting so discouraged. I think I am folding at the hips, but am jumping with a rounded back everytime. I think that maybe subconcsiously I am looking doen, and that is making my back round. Last lesson, I did same thing (I also go into two point too early, horse refused at base and I flew over her head.

Any pointers on how I can keep back straight? Someone told me to think of sticking my butt out, and taht would keep my back flat. I am getting SO discouraged.

[XxTraceyxX]

What you could maybe do is praticse your Foward postiton on the flat before jumping, this way you could get your insturctor or a friend to point you out on how to help starighten your back. Sticking your butt out the saddle will make you back straight but its important that you keep close contact with the saddle so when you've come on to the landing you can sit up pretty much straight away and keep in balanced with the horse and maitaing a good seat to the next fence. Please don't look down at the floor! :o as this is where you'll end up! Try and say in your mind as you are approching the fence "look up, look up" and look straight ahead and not at the jump/floor.

Hope this helps

XxTJxX

[LMS]

My coach had a good one though when you do it it feels like you're exagerating but supposedly from the onlooker you're not.

At a halt, bring your head down close to the withers, then pretend/envision that there's a bar across (almost like limbo dancing hehe) & you need to get under but not touch it. Or you could pretend it's an electric fencing hehe.

So first the eyes look up, then the head, shoulders, and then the back. You'll feel like your back is concave (opposite of convex which is a rounded back/shoulders) and end up in the 2pt.

I'm not very good at explaining so I hope it was a bit clearer than "mud".:rolleyes:

[friedegund]

Riding the limbo.......under the pole, makes perfect sense to me! Start with the eyes and backwards.

I had another jumping lesson last night, did a few jumps, then a course of five jumps around 2'3", and did OK. First few I was rounding back, but also when rounding back, I letting hamds hover in air, once I started to focus on resting hamds lightly on crest, it somehow seemed easier to keep back flat (probably becaue I was leaning on neck) but somehow I was able to keep with motion and not get left behind, when my back is "roached" I am ALWAYS left behind.

Frustrating, as I see small kids popping over jumps, flat backs, and heels down, and wonder, why on earth can I not do this????? Maybe I am thinking too much, need to relax and just go for it, hehe!

Anyway, I also read teh thread below about jumping I think I will print it off and try to study it verbatim, thaks for the advice guys!

[friedegund]

Tracey, you are so right about not looking down, as that is where you end up, I have done that more than once, and I tink that has shaken my confidence a bit.

I will practice more on the flat, last night I did 30 minutes flat and 30 minutes over fences. The mare I ride is very forward, she is 18, and draft cross, but she LOVES to jump. When I fell off last week, I wsa riding a young horse who has a tendency to be lazy, and refuse, so when we got to base, I looked down, and she stopped dead in her tracks, leaving me doing one of the flying catapult somersults......I'm still smarting over that.

Thanks again for your advice, I get discouraged easily, but I haver to keep trying!