How can I speed up our jump offs?

[Laura+Phantom]

I haven't jumped Saphy for about 3 weeks cos of the weather and haven't had any comps, but the last 3 classes we did, we had double clears but didn't get placed because we kept getting beaten on the jump off time! We were 6th each time.

Saphy knows what she's doing, but i'm new to this jumping business, so any tips? Haven't got a vid of our jump offs on the computer but here's us doing the little mini class at our first show (i've only done 2 on her, i've had her 2 months) we just sped it up and bit and made the corners much tighter in the jump off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOxXQfIXp-8

[PinkGlamourGurl]

Practice at home with lots of mini courses, the fences dont have to be big, just tight together. Also when at shows try to watch a few people go around first, see where they turn and judge whether you could make the turn or make it a bit tighter. IMO speed just comes with time, you and your horse will come to learn just how far you can push each other. :)

[Laura+Phantom]

Thanks, I haven't had her long so I suppose it's a question of practicing! The annoying thing about the winter showjumping is that it's indoors and they shut the doors so you can't see anyone else doing their jump off! I think i'll go to some and just watch though, and see what kind of turns can be made.

I'll practice courses like you said, I heard a good exercise is setting up 3 fences in the middle of the school, one at X on an angle, one at E and one at B, to practice tight turns, what do you think?

[iluvpin]

hey


it will all just come with practice, but you could set up a few small jumps at home so you can practice your tight turns and see how tight the two of you are able to turn.

what i find that also helps me is to male sure you watch you line into each jump and as you jump look for the line to your next jump, i found this really works (by doing this on sat while practicing i managed to lose 2 seconds of my time just by looking for my lines).

hope this helps

lozzie an pinxx

[nutkin]

as others have said it will come in time.The course you have suggested to use as practise sounds like it could be good but you don't neccessarily need that many jumps to work on this. Even one jump practised at coming from different angles will help here.You could practise doing that in canter and asking your horse to land on a different leg each time obviously on the correct lead for the direction you wish to travel and maybe using poles to work on lengthening and shortening the stride as this will make a difference to your jump off. Remember changing the angle you approach the fence at will make a difference to the number of strides between fences so it pays to work on that.

[Stencilbum]

The biggest influence on the jump off is how much time and care you take when walking the course.

Pace out the distance between the elements and try and keep a consistent speed as you ride around.

Speed is certainly not the be all and end all of it, and many riders lose loads of time as they jump at 100mph and then spend the next 3 or 4 strides trying to slow down enough to make the next turn.

Spreads need a run up, but uprights can be taken with much less, square up to each jump properly and try not to be to ambitous by jumping on an angle as it makes for a much longer jump and likely to catch the pole with the back legs this comes with time and practice.

Look for gaps between the fences to cut through also and practice this at home

You need to know your horses ability and your horse need to trust you and your judgement.

This is my daughter on our pony Jessie jumping at Hartpury college yesterday in an acumulator speed class - they have been jumping together for about 3years now.

http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=3952D16CC900AE6E

And another one taken earlier this year but a lot slower and with much tighter turns.

http://www.vidilife.com/video_play_707911_Jessie_Alex_Hartpury.htm

[PinkGlamourGurl]

Ok i've had an after thought :D totally agree with what's been said. It was early when i replied hehe but now i've created something you could maybe try.

Orange dot is where it starts, purple is finish, other than that follow the colours :p Its a bit of a mess, sorry

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d49/PinkGlamourGurl/jumpcourse.jpg

The purple jump is a spread btw. You could do loads more ways of jumping the two fences, practise changing legs etc, as this saves time in jumpoffs, so you dont have to go back into trot.

If there is a good chance your horse isnt going to stop, you could always try riding in a slightly lighter seat, but collect for doubles, the amount of 2nd parts i've had down is unbelieveable, and thats with one of the most honest ponies you could ask for.

Also make sure you're looking at the next fence, so many people jump one fence then have to collect themselves to remember where the next fence is! You should be thinking of the next one whilst going over the current one. LOOK at the fence, it maximises the chance of you landing on the right leg and continuing smoothly ;)

Hope this helps a bit more than my last attempt hehe

[SJ wanabe]

I have lessons with peter Mellor (grade A Sj) he has taught me to go slower than veryone else but to do alot tighter corners and to jump the fence from any angle not just straight into it but you must practice diagonal lines because it gives the horse less time to work the fence out so some horses may refuse;)

[Laura+Phantom]

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful :D

[Herbie's mummy]

It's not all about the speed, you need to be sneaky and cut corners,sharp turns etc, you see so many people galloping about and having poles down.

When i SJ through out the winter i care about two double clears....not about the jump off any way LOL, as i do workers i have to be neat and tidy, getting my corners so jump off's don't really appeal to me any way LOL
!

And it helps if you have an 11hh whizzy thing LOL!!

Good luck :D:D:D x x x

[chaz_the_star]

It's all in the turn! I used to ride the slowesttt pony you could possibly imagine and I'd never win anything, and it was sooo annoying because she could JUMP! In the end she could win a jump-off in trot ;)

Turn in the air. Simple :p

[evilgiraffe]

Turns turns and more turns! And being able to jump off an angle. And having good acceleration (ie you say go and you GO!).

I always practiced jumping at an angle by putting an upright at X, and riding figures of eights over it. Being able to jump over something at an acute angle made me be able to help my team win a team jumping competition once, beating the three-times reigning champions :D That was really fun - all four of us did our rounds, and then we had to pick two to jump off. I was good at angles and corners, and my friend Fyona was good at going super-fast AND with corners. Easy peasy! ;)

[Stencilbum]

I haven't jumped Saphy for about 3 weeks cos of the weather and haven't had any comps, but the last 3 classes we did, we had double clears but didn't get placed because we kept getting beaten on the jump off time! We were 6th each time.

Saphy knows what she's doing, but i'm new to this jumping business, so any tips? Haven't got a vid of our jump offs on the computer but here's us doing the little mini class at our first show (i've only done 2 on her, i've had her 2 months) we just sped it up and bit and made the corners much tighter in the jump off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOxXQfIXp-8

Hi, this is Alex (StencilBum's daughter). I've just watched your video, and i think you should teach your pony and yourself how to turn, before trying to put it all together in one go.
I taught my pony Jessie to do this, by doing alot of gymkhana games with her. This incuded bending races etc. To achieve turns, you need to teach your pony how to do them, teach yourself how to sit to them, and how to ask your pony to do it.
First of all, you can teach your pony by setting out cones in a straight line with about 8 steps space inbetween each. Hop onto your pony and start practicing by weaving in and out of these. Start off in a walk, so both of you get the idea of what you're doing, and which way you're doing it. This can then be progressed into a trot, and when you and your pony are both feeling very confident with it, a slow canter (From what i can see your pony changes its canter lead fairly easily).
It makes life alot easier if your pony understands a signal in which to turn to, instead of pulling constantly on the reins. You can do this with each change in direction you make, shifting your body weight and/or your leg position.
Even thought you may not see or notice it, horses watch their rider alot of the time whilst being ridden. They see where you are looking and facing towards, which means they will learn to know which way you want to go next, by looking at your head/eye movements.
When you are confident with your turnings, you are ready to move the cones closer together. This will then get you and your pony thinking about which way you need to go next, alot quicker.


This is how i taught my pony to begin with. If you want anymore help/ideas you're more than welcome to PM me through StencilBum.

Alex
x

[Laura+Phantom]

Hi, this is Alex (StencilBum's daughter). I've just watched your video, and i think you should teach your pony and yourself how to turn, before trying to put it all together in one go.
I taught my pony Jessie to do this, by doing alot of gymkhana games with her. This incuded bending races etc. To achieve turns, you need to teach your pony how to do them, teach yourself how to sit to them, and how to ask your pony to do it.
First of all, you can teach your pony by setting out cones in a straight line with about 8 steps space inbetween each. Hop onto your pony and start practicing by weaving in and out of these. Start off in a walk, so both of you get the idea of what you're doing, and which way you're doing it. This can then be progressed into a trot, and when you and your pony are both feeling very confident with it, a slow canter (From what i can see your pony changes its canter lead fairly easily).
It makes life alot easier if your pony understands a signal in which to turn to, instead of pulling constantly on the reins. You can do this with each change in direction you make, shifting your body weight and/or your leg position.
Even thought you may not see or notice it, horses watch their rider alot of the time whilst being ridden. They see where you are looking and facing towards, which means they will learn to know which way you want to go next, by looking at your head/eye movements.
When you are confident with your turnings, you are ready to move the cones closer together. This will then get you and your pony thinking about which way you need to go next, alot quicker.


This is how i taught my pony to begin with. If you want anymore help/ideas you're more than welcome to PM me through StencilBum.

Alex
x

Um..are you saying I pull on the reins to turn? I hope not!

She isn't actually my pony, i'm loaning her, she's done quite a lot in her life, what's wrong with how she turns? :confused:

[Stencilbum]

(Ash again)

Even larger Horses can be taught how to turn on command with the right training.

This vid is of our 15:3 TB Ebony in a jump off on Sunday just gone with Alex on her (who even though being nearly 19, Ebony was very green this time last year when we got her, and had not jumped a twig for at least 14 years according to her last owner - which shows they are never too old to learn)

Ebony & Alex LHPC xmas show Hartpury 06 (http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=676BD9CA6562224F)


They were 5 seconds quicker in the jump off over ALL the horses AND all the ponies in this class on a tight indoor course out of nearly 60 entries of all ages and abilities where ponies always have the edge.

Both Ebony and Jessie have been schooled entirely by Alex to jump to this standard from doing nothing at all, and she has jumped Jessie at National level.

You did ask for critique didn't you :confused:

[Laura+Phantom]

Yes I did ask for critique and I appreciate help it just seemed a little condescending, telling me to use my body weight to turn rather than "pulling constantly on the reins" !

I think it's more a question of me learning how to take tighter turns when jumping than her, she's 14 and has done side saddle, showing and workers all her life.

I have posted my jump off vid in a separate thread.

[Stencilbum]

If it came over as condescending, it certainly wasn't intentional on her part from my discussion with her, else she wouldn't have offered advice through my PM - she is not here to defend herself at the moment due to college commitments.

She has IMO jumped in excess of 500 classes in the last 4 years but didn't get beyond the 1st fence on the first half a dozen classes due to her and Jessies initial inexperience and has learnt loads by studying where the other competitive riders make their time up - as have others she rides against from her.

If you want to improve your game, its not just enough to ask the questions, you also have to listen to the answers with an open mind.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and likewise nor is a competitive team.

[Laura+Phantom]

If you read any other thread in which I have asked for critique, including this one, you will see that that post was the only one that bothered me, so rest assured, I do indeed have an open mind and I do take on board helpful advice. I just did not like the way that was phrased, that's all, it seemed like it was aimed at a child. I'm sure it's just me being hypersenstive :o