# Please critique my jumping :)



## Equuestriaan (Nov 5, 2008)

Hey everyone!

FINALLY I have more pics of me riding! I haven't seen myself ride in months, so it's good to finally have some pictures. Sunday was my first show with Dakota, and it was only his second. In schooling, he stopped at all the fences! Luckily I was able to get him over everything and when our actual classes came around, I managed to get him around the courses with no refusals.

Here are some pictures of us jumping, from schooling and from my classes.

Jumped ahead a bit here. xD









This was right after he dumped me in front of this jump. My right stirrup came off in mid-air here!









































































A bit of self-critique: I am really glad I have finally learned a solid release. My release used to be all over the place. Sometimes I'd throw my hands up to the ears, other times I would simply plant my fists on the withers and brace. Looking at these pictures, it really makes me feel like I've been progressing... I have a consistent release in all the pictures. I'm still jumping ahead a bit, but I've learned how to keep my heels down and my legs still over the fences.

I know this may not seem like a big deal, but it's a huge amount of progress for me. A few months ago, my legs swung back over every jump and I had no base of support. Sometimes I feel like I can never get better if I'm only able to afford to ride once a week, so it's good to see myself improving.

Be as harsh as you want, I promise I won't get defensive! These critiques really do help. =D 

Thanks in advance!
-Equuestriaan


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## xx chico (Mar 12, 2009)

A few things that I noticed, you seem to hunch your shoulders and arch your back in a wierd way, now it may just look that way because of your jacket. The only other things I can see you probably already know, you jump a bit ahed, your heels slip up in a couple of the pictures etc. 

Hope that helps =)


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I really do enjoy seeing the pictures you post - and I can definitely see marked improvement in your position!
You are jumping ahead, as you mentioned. Think about sinking your weight into your legs and heels (without gripping) and creating a solid base. Lots of no-rein, two-point work will help! Really concentrate on keeping your butt centered in the saddle


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

Overall in every picture the first thing I see is that you do not have a solid base of support. Your leg is still, yes, however that seems to be more from gripping in the knee rather than sinking into your heel with a solid foundation in your legs. In addition this is causing you to jump ahead in nearly every picture with your pelvis over the pommel of the saddle rather than centered over the motion with the horse.

Your release looks good and consistent (nicely done!) and I think that by working on lots of two point, relaxing your ankles, and some grid work, you can get your weight back into your heel and off the grippy-knee issue that we see here. You definitely have a lot of potential and I think with some good exercises you should be able to see a real improvement in your base of support. This will also reduce the refusals you have because you will have a lot more leg contact with your horse from your thigh through your mid-calf rather than what I see here which is basically just spur/heel contact for forward which is incorrect. You can see this clearly in the pictures taken from behind where you have lost thigh contact and are relying solely on the spurs to keep the horse moving forward over the fences. Once you sink into your heel with a relaxed ankle you will find that your leg is more effective with less need for spurs and a more forward horse (not sucking behind your leg) and as a result far less refusals.

Keep working at it and you'll keep progressing - you and your horse are a nice pair!


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

just curious - is there a reason that the faces are blurred out in the photos?


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## Equuestriaan (Nov 5, 2008)

Thanks so much all the tips you all have provided so far! The faces are blurred out because my parents won't let me show my face online. >.> They're really into internet safety. lol


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

Equuestriaan said:


> Thanks so much all the tips you all have provided so far! The faces are blurred out because my parents won't let me show my face online. >.> They're really into internet safety. lol


Ahh, not a bad thing these days at all!


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## Equuestriaan (Nov 5, 2008)

Sorry to bump but I was wondering if I could get a critique from MIEventer?


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

I will be on in a bit to do your visual  it will be done tonight, just not sure when


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## Equuestriaan (Nov 5, 2008)

Awesome  you rock. take your time xD


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## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Here you go!! Red is my interpretation of where your ideal position would be, and yellow is your position. You are not far off, you are a very nice rider, just some fine-tuning and you're well on your way.
The BIGGEST thing with you is to stop jumping ahead - see how much further forward you are than the red outline? That's throwing excess weight onto your horse's forehand and shoulders. Let the horse jump for you, and you'll keep your butt centered over the saddle and be able to balance more. 
It becomes especially important when you're training greenies over fences... they don't always go when or where you think they might; if you're not centered with a good support base, you'll be doing a solo performance!! (teehee, not that I haven't been there myself... *sigh* sadly, most of my advice comes from personal experience.)











Would you like me to do any specific one for you? 
I might have a second look at this in the morning and change some lines, but at the moment it looks fairly correct.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Hey Equuestriaan - I am so sorry! I totally missed this all together, and I do appologize hon!!

Ok - so I scrolled through your pictures, and again I am sorry for being so late........

I see allot of you being popped out of your tack, and I see allot of you jumping ahead of your horses motion.

While I am seeing an alright lower leg - the part that is screaming out to me, is you are not sinking down and back.

*CJ8Sky* gave you great advice already. As already mentioned, your knee pinching/ your lower legs are rreeeaally causing havock here. But you are not allowing your lower body to do its job, 100%.

You have so much eagerness to learn and improve yourself, and you have so much potential - which I love so much about you. You are open and willing and want, want, want - and THAT is what makes a great rider.

You just need some fine tuning. I think you are understanding that you have to stay with your horses motion, but you haven't quite got the feel and the idea as of yet. That is why I am seeing allot of behind the motion shots. You are waiting, which is FABULOUS - but you just aren't getting it right yet.

Lets start off with your lower legs ok 

*You need to re-establish your lower leg position. What i want you do to, is when you are at home on your horse - at a stand - just really focus on this.*

*Open those knees. Open them right up - work on lifting your legs away and off of your saddle - hold them out for a few, and then relax. Do this about 5 times to start, and graduate to more. When moving your legs off of your saddle, don't use your outside muslces *outter leg* use your inner muscles *inner leg*.*

*Now, once you've grasped what that feels like - work on sinking your weight down into your heels. *

*Allow your heels to sink naturally and comfortably. Then, work on wrapping your inner calf around your horses girth.*

*Over exaggerate Knees open, heels deep, calves around girth.*

*Do this at the stand. Do this at the walk, trot and at the canter. Really strengthen that lower body of yours and learn as to what it must feel like. Muscle memory.*

*Do lots of two point - lots, lots, lots, lots.* 

So what does it benefit to have your inner calves around your horses girth? Your form, yes, but you also support your horse to the fence, over the fence and after the fence. 

By wrapping your legs around your horses girth, you are aiding. You help lift your horses back, you help keep the impulsion, you help solidify your security in your tack and all the while, you are letting your horse know - we are doing this together.

~~~

Ok - now - we need to focus on your seat and hip angle. 

With your lurching ahead pictures, you are not pushing your seat back towards the cantle. You are not sinking down and back. You have to allow your seat to work in accordance with your lower body.

** When jumping, one tends to focus on the fence. It turns into a UP and FORWARD way of thinking - which tends to teach the rider to do the same. Instead of thinking of it that way, think of it as DOWN and LOW. **

Sink, low, back, close.

*Sink *into your heels and knees. Remain *low* in your tack. Push your seat *back *to the cantle. *Close* at the hips.

~~~~

As I've said in other critique threads - you must really learn to ride your horse, and not the fence. I see that you are really trying hard, which is great - but you must learn to know where you have to be, body position wise ,to accomplish this

I know most riders don't want to hear this - but there is really nothing wrong with it....LUNGE LINE WORK. I don't get why riders think they are too good for lunge line work? Why is it, that coaches today are NOT doing lunge line work with their students?

If GP Jumpers can do lunge line work, if the Spanish Riding School does lunge line work - then so can we.

I know...I said the dreaded L word - lol. *twiddles fingers*oooOOooOOo!! But one can benefit SOOO MUCH just by doing correct lunge line work.

This can only be successful if your coach is willing to work 1 on 1 with you - have you discussed this with your coach? Have you discussed this with your parents? You need to emphasise how important this is. 

If you can get on the lunge line - do allot of reinless work. You can do stirrupless work on your own - but you cannot do reinless work on your own.

I do allot of reinless work, because it makes you focus on YOUR form. Where your seat is, and where your legs are. You learn to ride seat first, legs second and you learn to not rely on your hands. 

You learn to ride with your horses motion. You learn to focus on your horses rhythm, you learn to remain with your horse, and work with your horse. 

You must learn to know what it feels like to be over your horses center of gravity and with your horses motion. 

~~~~

I would incorporate small fences with you while on the lunge - reinless. 

I would really make you focus on your balance, your center, your core. Your security. Then I would start you over trot poles. Making you focus on your horse - and not those white scarey things on the ground. 

I would make you focus on allowing the trot poles to come to you, not you to it. Just really focusing on your horses rhtym and your security.

Ride your horses rhtyhm, not the fence - that is what I would really work on with you.

I would then move you to cavaletti's. Same idea. 

Focus on your horse, not the fence. Seat, legs, core, upper body - over your horses center of gravity and allow your horse to do his/her job.

All this can be done, all the while on the lunge. 

Allow the fence to come to YOU. NOT you to it. 

~~~


Here are some of my pictures - I am not always perfect, but maybe these can help you get an idea.......

Now remember - I am an Eventer, not a Hunter........

Here is a picture I am going to use for you, so that maybe you can get an idea as to where you need to be at the base of the fence.

Legs at girth. Inner calf wrapped around girth. Knee's opened, weight into heels. 

Seat light, while driving, upper body slightly ahead of the verticle.

**ignore my bloomin hands.......I have big issues in that department**











Another one - same idea. Legs at girth, inner calf wrapped around. Seat driving while light, upper body tall, just slightly ahead of the verticle...










Take off - same aspect. Legs at girth, heels deep taking bodies weight. Inner calf around girth. WITH horses motion - allowing horse to close the angle, not the other way around.










Lost my leg a bit here, but same idea. Release - yea....relase is atrocious...I know...










Sink, Down, Low, Close





















Does that help?


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## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

the biggest thing i see is that you are coming too far out of the saddle. Think about pushing your whole body down over the jump, not forward. My Trainers in the past have said think about sticking your butt out towards your horses' tail. Let the horse, as he comes up for the jump, close your hip angle, dont throw yourself forward to close it. There should only be a few inches, if any, air between you and the saddle.


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## Equuestriaan (Nov 5, 2008)

MIEventer said:


> Hey Equuestriaan - I am so sorry! I totally missed this all together, and I do appologize hon!!


No worries! And I'm really sorry about getting all snarky at you in one of your other critiques of another person.  I'm still learning how to take constructive criticism.. I get on the defensive a lot but when I open up to suggestions I find it really helps me improve.



> Ok - so I scrolled through your pictures, and again I am sorry for being so late........
> 
> I see allot of you being popped out of your tack, and I see allot of you jumping ahead of your horses motion.


I think this bad habit started when I first learned to jump. I was so afraid of hitting my horse's mouth that I was practically flattening out on the neck to make sure the horse could jump. I've been getting better at that, but I still really need to work on staying back. :?




> You have so much eagerness to learn and improve yourself, and you have so much potential - which I love so much about you. You are open and willing and want, want, want - and THAT is what makes a great rider.


Thank you!  That means a lot to me. I only ride once a week so I need all the help I can get in between lessons, and here is the perfect place. The critiques I've gotten are really helpful.



> Lets start off with your lower legs ok


Okay. xD

*



You need to re-establish your lower leg position. What i want you do to, is when you are at home on your horse - at a stand - just really focus on this.

Click to expand...

*


> *Open those knees. Open them right up - work on lifting your legs away and off of your saddle - hold them out for a few, and then relax. Do this about 5 times to start, and graduate to more. When moving your legs off of your saddle, don't use your outside muslces *outter leg* use your inner muscles *inner leg*.*
> 
> *Now, once you've grasped what that feels like - work on sinking your weight down into your heels. *
> 
> ...


I'll definitely try this during my lesson tomorrow.  I have to go to homework now but I'll respond to the rest of your critique later tonight.


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