could someone please help me ? i am practising jumping alot now with my horse, but i cant seem to ever get my jumping position right even though it feels like i am. it feels like my back is straight and my arms arms forward but it

looks more like im hunched over and sitting down. could someone help me with some tips on how to get a more streched out and better position ? <-- me now.

 

 <-- what i would like it to be more like.

Hi!This happened to me once and this is what my instructor said to do:first get someone to lunge you and tie a knot in your reins and jump some small fences without your reins .try to go as far forward as you can and to move your hands slowly.when you are comfortable and feel like you have the right positons then you can practice it with reins and then take off the lunging rope .this took me two weeks! I hope this helps!!

 You look very tight in your hips.  What you ideally want to do is approach the jump in your two-point with soft hips, legs wrapped around your horse, shoulders back.....and do nothing.  Just soften your hand and allow the horse to jump.  Don't move forward.  Don't try to get in any kind of position.  Just keep your leg on and press your hands into your pony's neck so you don't catch his mouth.  His shoulders jumping up closes your hip angle when it is soft and relaxed.  It almost feels like you are shoving your butt back towards his tail.  But remember to always let the horse do the work, relax, breathe, even sing if you have to so you can't hold your breath and tense up.

 

ETA -- I actually think your basics are better than the rider in the second picture.  Your leg is tight at your horse's girth, while hers has slipped back and her heel has come up.  Her shoulders are tipped too far forward and she is laying a bit on her horse's neck, so I would not seek to emulate that.

thank you for replying, very useful information. i haven't tried this position jumping yet, as i haven't had time but i think i know what you mean. i have another question to ask; when you say you shouldn't lean forward, do you lean forward when you have left the ground so you don't get left behind then when you are in the middle of the jump you do the position - as you said for me to do, like your pushing your bum back towards his tail. is this correct or do i stay in that same position throughout all the stages of the jumping process, even in reasonably high jumps? 3ft/1metre jumps.

It's hard to see details in your picture, but I believe your stirrups may be too long. Without flexibility in your ankle, knee and hip, you must grip to stay with your horse and that makes it hard to soften your body to stay with the motion. Try raising your stirrups two holes, then lower your jump two holes and add three ground rails (spaced 4' apart, with the last one 9' from the base of the fence. Then trot in.

 Pick up your two-point position as soon as you are straight on the line to the ground poles/fence and focus on letting your weight drop down the back of your legs into your heels. When your heel is deep, you can then close your legs ina  firm squeeze from calf through thigh. You *do not* want more squeeze in your knees compared to the rest of your leg.

 As you approach the ground rails, move your hands halfway up your horse's neck and press down into the muscle on either side of the crest, taking a handful of mane in one hand to help yourself keep your hands down and forward. Allow your upper body weight to rest there, with a flat back and your eyes up and looking ahead.

 If your horse is likely to drift left or right, use some side rails to form a chute to the base of the fence.

 Giving yourself time to settle into your position before the fence will help you get comfortable with it over the fence. Then your body will learn what it's like to go *with* the horse in the air, instead of being tense and dropping back into the saddle too early.

 Repeat the trot in exercise over a low fence until you are comfortable adjusting and maintaining your "new" position. Then add another small vertical 19' beyond the first for a one-stride canter out (and stay in your two point for at least five more strides after the fence to encourage your body to really learn the balance of that position). After you can do this exercise without thinking about it, you should be fine to begin cantering small fences. Start by doing the same thing... prepare your jumping position several strides out, so you can just wait for the jump to come to you. In the early stages of learning an effective, stylish jumping position, waiting until you are right in front of the fence to prepare and execute is just too little time. There's too much to remember and do close up!

 The rider in the second pic has a good upper body/head position, but her stirrups are also too long and her hands are too high on the horse's neck for effective style. Her hands are, however, in the correct position in terms of how far up the neck they are reaching. Compare them to your own position in your photo. With your hands so close to the withers, it's very hard for you to allow your upper body to close forward with the motion of the jump. Too-long stirrups just compound your hand problem.

Good luck!