hey,

i was wondering if anyone has any advice on my jumping position-

 http://forum.equisearch.com/photos/gm/default.aspx

theres 3 photos on this url thingy, if you could look at them and comment on this post that would be brilliant.

feel free to be harsh, thanks :)

xx

 Those are very difficult photos to critique, but my two main critique points would be that you are very very ahead of your horse and jumping up his neck.  Your bum should stay close to the saddle with a soft, closed hip angle.  Also, your hand is very restrictive and he cannot use his head and neck to round over the jump.  I would have you go back to low crossrails and practice your release and staying soft and with the horse's motion.

I agree with the previous comments about being too high up out of the saddle when in two point, by waiting for your horse's thrust to lift you out of the saddle it will soften your jumping position and allow you to be in balance with your horse, instead of burdening his front end by throwing your upper body forward. This jumping ahead could be caused by a slight too long stirrup, if you raised them by one hole or two, then worked on the flat with this new stirrup length I'm sure you'll find not only has your jumping position improved but your lower leg position as well. Your hands are also too high, and to correct this you should try approaching a fence and grabbing onto your horse's mane to help remind you to keep your hands low.    

It's a little hard to see you leg in each photo, but between the three there is alot of inconsistancy in your position. The first photo on the Appy scares me to think that you may be on the verge of being "jumped off". But, on the third, it looks like you may have been left behind, but at least you threw your hands forward in an effort not to catch your horse's mouth. I agree with Solaris and drop down to crossrails to shore up your balance, which will help you stay with your horse's motion, and to find a rythm to each jump. Do you ride a different lesson horse each time you have a lesson?

thanks a lot guys, and ill try to improve,

and yes, i do ride a different horse every week, cause i dont have my own. it then takes a while to get used to riding the horses and their movements.

ive just recently started to ride the appaloosa horse in the first photo so i was a bit stiff with my hands cause he kept on trying to take off with me and to buck me everytime i landed so i was trying to keep my hands up to keep his head high so it would be a bit safer.

xx

I completely understand you trying to accomidate to each horse's different way of going. But, if you're mind is buzzing with, 'I don't want to get bucked off today!' you're not going to be able to concentrate on tweeking the issues you want to address with your position. Maybe speak with your trainer about settling on one horse you feel confident and comfortable with for a while. Not only will you absorb more of your lesson, you will gain the muscle memory of a better position when riding the more challenging horses! Good luck!

yes, i totally agree.

but i was just doing that cause the trainer told me to keep my hands up at all times, so that was in my mind.

and i will have a talk to them thanks :)

 Riding is always a (slow!) work in progress.  I am totally sympathetic to the horse situation, I never had my own horse till I was an adult so just rode whatever school horses were available.  It can be a challenge but looking back now, it taught me a lot more about riding correctly on ANY  horse.  It is important though that your trainer provide you with mounts appropriate to your comfort level and I would definitely ask for a more compliant horse for jumping lessons so you can successfully develop a great solid position to tackle the Appy again.

thanks :)

xxx