I have been riding for 12 years...but the last year either I have gotton worse, or I am just a lot more aware of what I am doing and it is very frusterating. I take lessons as often as possible and get great training, but it is expensive and my trainer is super busy. I school around 3 ft. Lately, I have had a huge hunching problem of the jumps. I roll my shoulders, and no matter how hard I try, its just not getting better but for a jump or two. Any excersices (besides 2-pt on flat) ideas? I have also been losing several inches of reins over the jump...my hands open up. I think I am doing this because I'm terrified of catching him in the mouth...which leads to bucking... I just am having a hard time finding an appropriate "safe" release.

this is an old picture...My leg is so far back!

 

 Great example of me at my worst, this jump was pretty hairy too..its tiny and I look like I'm going over one twice this size!

 

I know it is hard to see my position, but again, my leg is waaay far back and I am hunching..

And, my most recent vice that I noticed yesterday is I am using my feet too much over the jump. I felt myself stand on my toes yesterday ....yeah...I feel like I am falling apart and the more I think about it...the worse it seems to get! HELP!

 (1)  Shorten your stirrups.  At least two holes.  You are jumping ahead of your horse, hence the hunching and laying on his neck.  Shorter stirrups will allow you to be more secure and not feel like you have jump for the horse.

Over the jump, you should have to do NOTHING.  Just keep your hip joint soft, wrap your legs around that horse and grab some mane.  Don't lean forward, don't overthink two point, don't do anything but wrap those legs and stay soft and balanced. If you have your hands in his mane (or on a neck strap) there's no way you can catch him in the mouth.

Thank you! That helps a lot. It's really easy to over think :)

Hi - in the 1st and 3rd pictures it looks as though you are pinching your knee and that's why your leg is swinging back. In the second pic, I'm guessing you thought you "felt your feet" which is good - because you are not pinching your knee.

To counteract the feeling of being on your toe - feel your toe going up toward your knee - and your knee drops to your toe. Feel your heel pushing down and rotating forward toward your horse's nose.

As for your loosing reins - it looks as though you're transitioning from a short crest release to an auto release - you need to still be willing to use a long or short crest release until your leg is more solid. Grab some mane up your horse's neck and keep your hands there from a stride before to a stride after. They really don't need to be doing anything at that point.

An exercise? Set up 3 or 4 bounces in a row - don't have to be high, 2'- 2'6" is plenty high - get in two point and trot to canter through several times then canter through. Notice how you don't have to do anything. You can get in two point, set your hands and just feel your hip open and close while you keep your heels down and forward. When you have that feeling down pat and committed to memory - go ahead and canter in without being in 2 pt and see if you can find the magic balance spot over a fence. Once your horse is on auto-pilot, close your eyes and ride it again. That will let you feel it even more clearly.

Happy trails and rails!

Thanks Katie!

 So i am doing an automatic on some and  a crest release on others?  Should I always just do a crest at this point?

How can I avoid "perching"? My trainer gets onto me for this... it seems hard to find a balance between the two

 

 

Hi - I think until you feel more comfortable in your leg and get more consistently balanced over the fences that you should be doing a crest release. Once you can do a crest release without any mane and keep your leg under you, then you can start to transition to all auto.

I have to admit that I am an individual who learned how to jump by just doing it. So I don't know what your instructor means by saying "perching." I would think that she is saying you are tipping forward through your hip bones instead of folding in the hip. If this is the case you have to come to the understanding (first on the flat, then over fences) that your spine and hip bones are all one solid straight apparatus (for lack of better word). You should have a strong, straight waist.

First, do you know where your hip joint is? If you sit and move your leg 90* out you will feel an indent where the leg is held into the hip socket by muscle - follow that indent in and there's your hip.

The top of your hip bone is your waist.

When you are jumping, your waist should stay solid and attached to your tailbone. Your entire spine should stretch, your head forward, your tailbone backward - your back should feel flat and wide.

When your horse comes up under you, propelling himself upwards and forwards, your ankles, should become soft so that they flex making your heel drop that closes the angle at the front of the ankle. Then your knee angle opens slightly which closes your hip angle. Your buttocks don't need to leave the saddle but half an inch - and the amount will depend on your horse's jump - you should allow the horse to move you. There is no timing involved in the grand effort of hip folding - simply relaxation that allows you to follow and stay in balance with the horse's motion.

Again, I love a line of bounces (or one strides) to get my seat correct over fences. It's the ultimate 2 pt exercise

When all else fails - it is far better for your horse and far safer for you to be in the "back seat" slightly left behind rather than falling forward.

But if I were you, I would sit down and have this discussion with your trainer - don't have it from on top your horse, do it actually face to face, on the ground. Express your concern that your position is becoming weaker - and give her time to respond, it may be that she has a completely different thought on what is a correct jump than you do - and this is what you need to talk to her about. Ask questions during your lesson as in "Is this where you want my leg over the jump" and position your leg - make it obvious when you are confused and need help - that is how you glean the most from every experience. I always am happy when something goes wrong in a lesson - because it's an opportunity for my trainer to help me troubleshoot a real life situation that may occur every day in my real life! OK done with my philosophy on life... :)

Happy Trails

 One thing that this thread reminds me of is a clinician (don't remember who, lol) who was always telling people to let the horse jump the jump - don't try to do it for him!

Doing 2 pt on the flat may be causing more problems. More often I've seen clinicians make the riders sit longer right up until the horse actually jumps sometimes.

And exericise (more for leg strength and balance than jumping, but it was during the show jumping part of a clinic) that Danny Warrington introduced my instructor to (and all of us have done - some more than others) is to stand in your stirrups. Not 2 pt - stand straight up, w/ straight legs and vertical back. Use a neck strap or a piece of your martigale if you need to hold on to something. Once you can walk a full lap in this position, shift your weight so it is over your right stirrup (don't lean, though), then centered, then left. After a full lap of that, reverse it. Left first, then center, then right. It's not as easy to switch as you would think!

If you are good (I'm not that good) you should eventually be able to do this at walk, trot, and canter. (I can only do walk and trot)

Once your legs are stronger, (and this also strengthens your core a bit - both of which give you better balance), you will be able to just "be there" over the jump.

The standing in stirrups idea is great! I have done this some at the walk...it is hard. I will definately start doing this more. Thanks for all of the advice! I do tend to really "jump" for him, or at least I think I am helping...but its true...the horse is better off doing all the work off the jump. We just get in thier way!

 

I agree that 2-pt has not seemed to help with my jumping, as far as practicing it on the flat.

thank you again everyone! I have been using a lot of this advice...and last week had an amazing lesson that was very encouraging...I still have a lot of work to do..but she said i had a 100% improvement!!!! It's great to know that I am making progress!!

 

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To address using your feet to much over the jumps, your leg sliding back, and 'perching'...ride without stirrups!!! Ride at least once a week or more without stirrups (I typically take my irons off instead of crossing them as the leather can hurt your thighs). If you have never ridden w/o stirrups start at a walk and practice 2point. Even though you do not have stirrups you should still have a bend in your knee (the knee should not be over bent though) and your heels should be down. Once you feel comfortable at the walk and you can hold 2point for a while try trotting (again...if you have never trotted w/o stirrups I would suggest having your trainer have you on a lunge line so you can focus more on your position and balance instead of where the horse is going.) Get to where you can do a sitting and posting trot then move to the canter. One big tip I can offer is do not death grip with your lower leg if you become off balance or your horse speeds up...rely on your knee and thighs to hold you on and keep a soft and relaxed lower leg (great practice for if you ever ride a horse with very sensitive sides.) After much practice you can eventually start going over poles, cross rails then verticals w/o stirrups. 

I can personally say that riding without stirrups does greatly improve your balance, posture, leg strength, leg position, etc. Even though I have been riding all of my life I still ride without stirrups a few times a month...and I make all of my students learn to ride w/o them!

 As far as the feeling your feet and standing on your toes bit goes one thing my trainer said to me that really sunk in is to "put your feet on the dashboard." Literally going over the jump I imagine myself pushing my feet up against the dashboard like you would if you were in the car with a crazy driver. It's just a visual that really helped me to get the feeling of keeping my weight in my heels.