# Jumping Critique Please?



## piglet (Oct 2, 2012)

I love your horse's blaze!


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## leahandtucker (Nov 8, 2015)

Pretty good just try and get your hands up his mane and keep your eyes up to where your going next hope I helped😂

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk


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## xJumperx (Feb 19, 2012)

One thing I can tell is that you're jumping ahead of your horse, and landing early as a result. Your position is good, but you're forcing it too much. Think about just sitting lightly in the saddle, and just letting your horse bounce you out of the saddle into your two-point/jumping position. Another exercise to try is to get up into your two-point one stride before the jump, over the jump, and for one stride after the jump. This will help you to feel each part of your horse's jump and develop necessary core muscles to keep you up and out of the saddle for an adequate amount of time. 

Your horse is super cute, and you look like a lovely rider!!


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Looks good, especially for being self taught!

I agree you're over jumping a bit--also, try to give with your hands a bit more. It looks like you're bracing on his whithers~


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

look into what a crest release is. this is a good way to start. and, if you want to event, get comfortable wearing a helmet now.


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## CinnaDex (Jan 19, 2014)

Thank you  



> I love your horse's blaze!


Thank you, he is a cutie 



> Pretty good just try and get your hands up his mane and keep your eyes up to where your going next hope I helped


Thanks, I know I chicken wing like crazy, I've been working on not doing so, as well as looking up 



> One thing I can tell is that you're jumping ahead of your horse, and landing early as a result. Your position is good, but you're forcing it too much. Think about just sitting lightly in the saddle, and just letting your horse bounce you out of the saddle into your two-point/jumping position. Another exercise to try is to get up into your two-point one stride before the jump, over the jump, and for one stride after the jump. This will help you to feel each part of your horse's jump and develop necessary core muscles to keep you up and out of the saddle for an adequate amount of time.
> 
> Your horse is super cute, and you look like a lovely rider!!


I will try that when I can, thank you very much, it sounds like a handy exercise! I tend to get a little nervous about a stride before the jump, and that makes me move early lol, It's something I've been working on haha, I need to take some pictures or a video this month when it dries out to compare. 



> Looks good, especially for being self taught!
> 
> I agree you're over jumping a bit--also, try to give with your hands a bit more. It looks like you're bracing on his whithers~


Thank you! I work pretty hard to be decent, which is always the easiest thing to do by yourself, I'm so glad I have a trainer now.I get a little nervous jumping sometimes and my automatic response to that is to reach out and grab mane, I'll have to try not to do so  



> Look into what a crest release is. This is a good way to start. And, if you want to event, get comfortable wearing a helmet now.


Thank you, I'll look it up  I usually wear a helmet every single time I ride, I just accidentally left it in the wrong car that day


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## 7reining7training7gaining (Nov 7, 2015)

I think you look good. 
Improvements would be:
Roll your shoulders back a tiny bit, you have great posture though.
In the left middle picture you're a little high out of the saddle
In the right bottom you could give him more rein.

Exercise I like for moving those front feet apart(I know you said not to critique your horse..sorry lol)
Lead change at the jump, if you know lead changes


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## arrowattack09 (Jul 10, 2012)

Make sure that you keep your stirrups on the balls of your feet. Heels down, eyes up, elbows in, shoulders back. Make sure that you are off of your horses back through the entire jump. I would also recommend looking into a crest release.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Over that height there is very little need to swing out the saddle so much, nor to do a crest release - which I think is a horrible habit to get into - throwing the reins at the horse, especially if you want to event.

Really there is nothing terribly wrong, if you had more pictures of you jumping over a bigger fence it would be easier to help.


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## EdmontonHorseGal (Jun 2, 2013)

shorten your stirrups a hole or two. it will help stabilize your leg.


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

Look at your very first picture: the one in the upper left hand corner. You really aren't jumping or moving your body or position much. Your bootie is out of the saddle just enough to free up your horse's back. You're solidly balanced and centered over your seat. This is a really nice position, and your horse is rewarding you with a nice jump as a result. You've really just lifted yourself lightly into a 2-point position to get out of your hrose's way, and you're letting your horse do the work.

Compare to your position in the other photos. In those, your body is being thrown forward, and your balance/weight is too far forward on the horse. You are not in a solid, safe position. If your horse stumbles when you do that, you're falling onto his neck or heading over his ears. You're trying to actually jump for your horse, which is throwing you both off balance. No need to jump for your horse. Your horse has got that part 

I never learned the crest-release, and I have so much muscle-memopry for the automatic release, that I don't think I could do a crest if forced to do it. I'm not a fan of the crest release, because it doesn't let you move with your horse's head position. when you have a position like you do in your first picture, you don't need a crest release to help stabilize your self. In that first picture, you could likely just let go of the reins altogether and put your arms out to the side like an airplane and still be able to maintain your position and balance. If you can get that position down, go for the automatic release. When you're jumping ahead, you need the crest release to keep your balance. If you were to attempt an automatic release in those pics, you'd fall forward onto your horse's neck.


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## aquariusw (Jun 16, 2014)

That's looking pretty good for a self taught rider! I think you should pay more attention to your hands and hold a steadier contact. Because right now it seems like your hands are too low and when the horse raises it's front legs to jump, you lean on it's neck causing the reins to be too loose. Yes, once you land, you get the contact back but I bet it's uncomfortable for the horse to have unsteady contact like that. So it would be better to hold a nice and steady contact throughout the jump.


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## BearPony (Jan 9, 2013)

I would also suggest shorter stirrups to stabilize your leg.


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