Okay, so my horse and I have been learning to jump together, (but doing so with a trainer). And tommorrow we are going to our first show. It just seems like lately, I jumped higher than I have ever jumped before and it was awesome. My trainer said it looked great, and we are ready to show. But I feel like I am jumping too high too soon. I'm not scared-- at ALL! But The way I land has been a little rough. My horse rushes sometimes, but it's like that is the best but when we land (and I am in the two point position) it is still really jarring, you know? And it takes everything I have to keep myself in the stirrups. My horse loves it and I want to get better, but I think we are moving up too fast. Any tips on not loosing your stirrups and keeping yourself collected at the landing? Thanks!
Answers:
I don't know how big the jumps are, but you may be going to far into half seat. If it is a cross rail or a 2' vertical then you really don't need to come very far into half seat, just enough to get your weight off of your horses back. If it is a larger jump then you should not still be in half seat on your landing. You need to start sitting up and absorb the shock of the landing through your legs while pushing your heels down.
Whenever you come over the jump predict the landing and think "sit up" because a lot of people fall forward and lose their stirrups that way.
Don't let your horse rush to the jumps. If you feel him pull out of your hand then bring him to a halt and walk him over the jump,the the next time trot and then the next time canter. Also try some gymnastics, it allows you to only worry about your form and pace as most horses will soar right through it with out a problem, (but not all)
Best wishes!
you need to have a good feel of your horse to be able to do this sport. it is always a little unnerving when you make a landing from a tall jump. learn to be in perfect unison with your horse. keep a tight reign without pulling hard on your horse's mouth. this is part of keeping collected. collection is when you keep your horse from rushing, and your composure plays the biggest role in this.
learn not to squeeze your horse, this causes the horse to rush. grip with your knees. you can squeeze as tight as you like with your knees without rushing the horse. i always found that gripping the mane kept me more balanced over the jumps.
good luck and practice lots!
sorry, but gripping with your knees will cause your lower leg to slide back and your upper body to fall even more forward, just making your landing worse. the best thing to do is work alot without stirrups, and eventually over crossrails and then working your way up to 2'. your calves will become stronger and your seat will naturally go into a correct position. you'll become more stable with a better seat, which is the anchor for a good, smooth landing. talk to your trainer about how youre feeling rushed. you should be increasing height very gradually, especially if your horse is just learning to jump and if he's rushing. you should be able to keep the same trot or canter pace all the way to lift off.
In a nutshell collection is really about impulsion sort of like coiling a spring and then letting it out when you need too. You want your horse to move forward from your leg when you need more pace or steady from a combination of seat, leg and hand when you need to slow down. It is not good to be rushing to the fence and it is sometimes the horses way of dealing with the situation when it is confused and hasn't developed his own eye yet. It can become a bad habit and make it difficult to jump even higher fences. Trotting into combinations (in and outs or bounce fences can help. You don't say how high you've jumped but keep these schooling fence low...crossrails working up to 2 feet. You can do hundreds of crossrails and practice is the key. It also sound like you may be landing on the other side of the fence in a heap.no forward movement ...since your horse is also new to this he needs to be taught to move away from the fence on landing again not rushed away . If possible you should try and take a lesson on a horse that is already trained in jumping from time to time which will give you a chance to just work on yourself and see what it should feel like. It also wouldn't hurt your horse if your trainer could give him a school from time to time as well as her experience will help him learn faster and become more confident. wish you well
Well I haven't jumped before, but I do ride English. I think you should go to the show tomorrow, do you best, but then start slowing down, you don't have to go really high right away, its a good thing that you know when you have gone far enough. Also, before every jump, make a mental note to push your heels down. Good luck!
try on landing pulling your elbows together a little and down the sides of its neck and squeeze a little or u could try bracing your self on your chest with your elbows, i know it can be rough i had teh same problem training my Tennessee walker to jump he's VERY rough on landings but u can never tall cause i hide it well in my body posture
Confidence is a major part of jumping, if you don't have confidence your horse won't .So if you feel like you're rushing into things then let your trainer know, He/She shouldn't push you into something you're not comfortable with or not ready for. If your horse is rushing the jump try a half halt right before you head into the jump and if you're losing your stirrups you need more leg work. Try taking smaller jumps with no stirrups or working in a round pen with no stirrups. It also helps when your not on yourse to have a beach ball and when youre sitting around watching t.v. or on the computer, etc put the beach ball between your legs and squeeze it really halps to strenghthen your legs...good luck...hope this helps.
to stop your horse from rushing the jump and the landing you have to keep contact with it at all times doing half halt every few seconds will help a lot. when you approuch the jump take a deep breath and exhale while you are going over the jump, this helps you relax throughout the jumping and landing process. always look up and ahead, i was told by my old trainer that if you always look up and ahead you will never fall off and my seven years of training people and horses myself i have never fallen off going over a jump because i always look up and ahead. good luck with your show and have fun jumping!
You sound a little unsure. Speak to your trainer. Most trainers school their students at a higher level than they show so the students feel successful at shows. If you feel at all uncomfortable, you definitely need to take it slower. My daughter has been riding and jumping for 8 years now and she is only now jumping 3'3 but I will tell you, her leg doesn't move when she going over the jumps because she's confident and comfortable having moved up only when she's ready. She rarely loses a stirrup and if she does, you couldn't tell because her leg is strong.
Take is slow and talk to your trainer-I'm sure she will listen.
Good luck at your show :)
Always look up, when you aren't looking at the ground, you're less likely to get jolted because you positon will automatically be more upright. Focus on keeping your heels down.
I have a friend with your same problem. You really need to push down your heels, try doing stair exercises. stand on a stair with your feet part way off like in a stirrup. Lower down (like yuor heels would be in yuor stirrups) for about ten seconds. Also, pick your head up! Don't look down at the jump, you will offset your balance.
I also disagree with the squeezing with your knees. If you do that, your lower leg is going to slide back. This is going to offset your angles, your upper body will perch and make it hard for you to stay up.
Do constant half halts, hold for 3 seconds then release. My 6 year old has that rushing problem and it seems to work. Hanging on their mouth will teach them to take the bit and go.
Remember, at a horseshow you should be jumping lower than you do at home. Move slower, get your confidence up.
Good luck!
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