# For those who combine dressage and jumping...



## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I'm just curious... How do you deal with the different stirrup length? It's definitely a pretty big difference in length and feeling of the leg/position whether you do dressage or jumping.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_^^Good question!_


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

If your seat is good you should be able to ride with any stirrup length in any saddle (well.. almost any saddle).
When I'm jumping I warm up in two point to really get my heels down and attempt to bust my ankles further  Haft spray (orange spray bottle) is my savior lol. It sticks you right in there. I don't jump often so I figure one handicap is OK.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

It is a bit weird the first few minutes of switching the length. Even for jumping I do ride in a slightly longer stirrup, still plenty short to really get me out of the saddle and off the horses back, but not as short as a lot of people put them. Just lots of stretching the first few minutes to get the leg to really stretch down through the heel, works for me.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I tend to jump with a longer stirrup than most, so it's only 2 holes for me if I'm in my jumping saddle. Otherwise I use my dressage saddle on days I don't plan to jump so no adjustment is necessary.


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

What Anabel said!

Once you've started jumping around 2ft you should be jumping with your stirrups a hole shorter then you flat with. The higher you jump the more you'll need to shorten your stirrups (up to a certain point of course!). It's difficult to do proper flatwork with a short stirrup, it's difficult to jump well with a long stirrup. While it's not impossible, and you should be able to get by if needed, you're not setting yourself up for success. Although, while I do dressage exercises, I don't do them at quite the length of stirrup a true dressage rider would.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

What is Haft Spray? Orange bottle. I have never heard of that before.


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## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

I don't really notice it, to be quite honest.
It's just something I'm used to, I suppose.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Yeah, I am quite used to it - just as Anabel said though, once you've established your seat and your core, you can ride competantly and functionally at any leather length.

I do my Dressage with a longer leather, a couple of holes lower than my jumping length, and when I am going to jump, I just shorten my leathers to accomodate that.

I'm just so used to it


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

tinyliny said:


> What is Haft Spray? Orange bottle. I have never heard of that before.



It's this sticky spray that you put on your legs or saddle that help you grip a little better! Comes in an orange spray can. It's pretty cool! i use it when I'm breaking in new boots or if I'm showing a particularly squirrely horse at a show. It also comes in this gooey pastey form in a little tin that you scoop out and smear with your fingers. It's messier though!


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

I agree its just domething you have to get used to. Right now when I flat I only go 2 holes down from my jumping length because I have a cc (close contact) saddle and with jumping saddles you can't ride effectively with a long stirrup length. In my old saddle I did dressage in very long stirrups and it was much easier !
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

upnover said:


> It's this sticky spray that you put on your legs or saddle that help you grip a little better! Comes in an orange spray can.


Is it true or some kind of joke? I've never heard/seen it before either. What is the name of this stuff? And if it's not a joke how do you clean it off the pants?! 

Thanks for everyone who responded!  I was curious because dressage length is really _lengthy _(hmmmmm.....), so I'd think 1 or 2 holes for jumping is not enough. The length my old instructor asked me to use is WAY shorter than my current dressage length.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

OK. So here is my old pic in A/P saddle. Is it too long for jumping (up to 2 feet, not talking about high jumps here)? OK for flat? I'd really appreciate critique for saddle, seat, length! I got dressage saddle short after (as I started taking lessons with dressage instructor), and I definitely have longer leg in real dressage saddle.


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

LOL, definitely not a joke! I only put it on my boots. If I use a lot for several days in a row it can get a little gunky on my boots/saddle but it comes off with soap and water. If you get it on your pants it does wash out.

Sporty Haft-Spray


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

upnover said:


> LOL, definitely not a joke! I only put it on my boots. If I use a lot for several days in a row it can get a little gunky on my boots/saddle but it comes off with soap and water. If you get it on your pants it does wash out.
> 
> Sporty Haft-Spray


Sounds like a gimmick to me! :rofl: Just kidding...

I wonder if only jumpers do it or dressage people as well.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I, have been Eventing for a long time....and I have NEVER heard of that stuff! LOL! I might have to go and grab some! hee hee!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

MIEventer said:


> I, have been Eventing for a long time....and I have NEVER heard of that stuff! LOL! I might have to go and grab some! hee hee!


C'mon, MIE, you are good without it! You get ribbons all the time!


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

kitten_Val said:


> I wonder if only jumpers do it or dressage people as well.



Actually the person who introduced it to me was a dressage rider! And I know that Beezie Madden uses Saddle-Tite (which is sticky stuff in a bar form, kind of looks like deodorant). 

MIE- it's not a miracle leg fix but if you ever need a little extra something it's nice! It takes some getting used to though. The first 5 minutes it's pretty sticky. Then it's just a little extra added oomph. Great for new boots that are still slick! Try it!


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## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

Lol I've never heard of the stuff either! 

I suppose it would also be quite helpful if you're jumping higher on a horse that really will toss you up out of the tack because it's so scopey. xD But I'd rather not have to rely on something like that.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

AH HA! So THAT'S how Beezie Madden does it!


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

You get used to riding with different lengths, although everyone has a preference I suspect  Personally I would rather ride a little short than a little long, probably spent too long riding racehorses 

In reference to the saddle question KV, unfotunately I think of all-purpose saddles as no-purpose saddles. They are a mish mash of different styles and allow you to master none - Most of them have a seat reminiscent of a dressage saddle (not AS deep) and flaps that are reminiscent of a jumping saddle (but not AS forward).

The main thing I notice with the saddle in your picture is the flaps - they are not as forward as I would like to see for jumping. Just means that you won't be able to shorten your stirrups much more than where they currently are as your knee will run out of saddle! It should be fine for smaller jumps providing you can have an effective 2-point in your current stirrup length, which I think you should be just fine with.

If you wish to jump higher at some point (3' and above) I would investigate getting a proper jumping saddle which will allow you to shorten your stirrups as needed. Good luck!!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Thank you, Sarah! 

I use this saddle for trail riding mostly (as I don't want to take my nice dressage saddle out there :wink: ), and do little (1 - 1.5 ft) jumps occasionally just to give my horse something different. I know I'll need real CC if I ever decide to go higher, but it's definitely not any soon.


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## ArabianAllie (Oct 3, 2010)

my legs don't really bother me, it's the seat position, I'll go jump for a day and then when I get back to doing dressage I always have a hard time keeping my hip more open than closed like jumpers.


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## CessBee (Dec 6, 2008)

When I worked at a race horse stable i found I could easily go from riding full gallop length (or is it short ) and then go home and ride my own horse in dressage length.
I find the hardest one really is going from short to long, so ill just do a few minutes without the stirrups to remind myself to stretch deep.
I go up about 4-5 holes for jumping now from my full dressage/showing stirrup length.


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## Luvs2jump (Oct 11, 2010)

kitten_Val said:


> Thank you, Sarah!
> 
> I use this saddle for trail riding mostly (as I don't want to take my nice dressage saddle out there :wink: ), and do little (1 - 1.5 ft) jumps occasionally just to give my horse something different. I know I'll need real CC if I ever decide to go higher, but it's definitely not any soon.


Kat, I've got to agree with the flaps, I've got an Wintec A/P that's got more of a dressage length flap on it without them being forward either. I've jumped in that saddle before but my BO suggested I try her cc and love it for jumping so when I can, I'll be using the A/P for trail the the cc for jumping. 
As for stirrup length for jumping, I've been taught that there should be a 90-110 degree bend of the knee and said knee should brake over the knee roll if.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Luvs2jump said:


> Kat, I've got to agree with the flaps, I've got an Wintec A/P that's got more of a dressage length flap on it without them being forward either. I've jumped in that saddle before but my BO suggested I try her cc and love it for jumping so when I can, I'll be using the A/P for trail the the cc for jumping.
> As for stirrup length for jumping, I've been taught that there should be a 90-110 degree bend of the knee and said knee should brake over the knee roll if.


Thanks for sharing, Luvs!


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## Luvs2jump (Oct 11, 2010)

Luvs2jump said:


> Kat, I've got to agree with the flaps, I've got an Wintec A/P that's got more of a dressage length flap on it without them being forward either. I've jumped in that saddle before but my BO suggested I try her cc and love it for jumping so when I can, I'll be using the A/P for trail the the cc for jumping.
> As for stirrup length for jumping, I've been taught that there should be a 90-110 degree bend of the knee and said knee should brake over the knee roll if.


Sorry, I went back and read that and it should say that the knee shouldn't break over the knee roll.


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## LoveStory10 (Oct 31, 2009)

I have a GP saddle, when I jump, my stirrups are two holes shorter than my dresage length, and when I trail ride they are one hole longer than my dressage length.


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