# Canter and Jumping



## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Ok.

Canter video: You need to lengthen your stirrups. Bring your legs underneath you and sink your weight into your heels, you are slipping into a chair seat. You need to shorten your reins, lower your hands and ride with an actual contact or he will just run around on the forehand.

Jumping videos: Are you just lining up straight, and then pushing for the canter? You need to establish a canter on a circle, get him calm and collected, then approach the jump. Again, shorten your reins. I didn't see him leaping at all, it probably feels like it to you as I beleive you have been jumping mainly from a trot? Also sink your heels down and try to prepare for the jump. You are getting thrown forward when he takes off.

Otherwise looking good.


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

Thanks Wild Spot! I'll get some more videos tommorow and see how that goes! He feels like he is leaping, but isn't? Well thats deffently an improvement!


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

One more thing - How are his strides looking? Every time I try to help him with them we end up sorta "killing" the jump.


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## madisonfriday (Apr 3, 2009)

You guys are looking good - the one thing I see is your feet, your stirrup should be closer to your toes  and keep your hands still they bounce around a bit which can tug on his mouth.

I think if you fix your feet it'll help get out of that chair seat look


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Whoa, time out *tweet*

Lets really stop and focus on those legs of yours......

They are very sloppy, very long, not placed correctly under you, nor are being used as they should be.

Your leather are too long right now - you need to shorten them to strengthen them. You are not utalizing their potential right now and due to that, I am scared for you since you are jumping.

For Flat Work:

1) Your leg needs to be under you. Your heels MUST align with your hip bones, and your hip bones must align with your shoulders. If you look down and you can see your toes, they are too far forward. If you look down and can see your heels, they are too far back. 

They must be under you. You must use them to stabalize you in your tack and obtain your balance.

2) Your irons MUST be under the ball of your toes. The outter bar is at your pinky toe and the inner bar at the ball of your big toe.

3) Heels must be permitted to do their job, which is anchor you. Allow your bodies weight to flow naturally from your upper body, thorugh your seat, your legs and deep down into your heels. 

4) Inner calf at horses side. You are around your horse, not just ontop.

I highly, highly, highly suggest you get put on the lunge line. No reins. Really focus on using your seat properly *on all 3 points...two seat bones and crotch* lower back strait, use your core. 

Get your legs under you and strengthen them. Use them correctly, this is of great importance.

I would not get off the lunge line, until you can stabalize your lower leg.

Really work on balancing yourself, stabalizing yourself in your tack and utalizing your body parts correctly.


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## Sunny06 (Jun 22, 2009)

I noticed your hands were a little, bouncy, maybe? Keep 'em down


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

Ditto to what MIE said, I just want to add that you need to concentrate on not leaning back as well...although that 'should' come if you work on what everyone else has mentioned.


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## Whispering Silver (Jul 6, 2009)

canter: Shorten your reins, this will probably make your horse go faster as well, he looks slow and your tugging hands are probably giving him mixed signals. and the legs, but enough has been said about them allready


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## Whispering Silver (Jul 6, 2009)

Big jump round 1 - you need to RELAX! you look really nervous on the way up to the jump and are as stiff as a board - you are also leaning back quite a bit, get those hands DOWN and this wont happen! you seem to relax after the jump which is much better. your seat is fine, its your position that is wrong


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## 1dog3cats17rodents (Dec 7, 2007)

I agree with everything MIEventer said. Honestly, I don't think you should be jumping at all untill youi are m,uch more stable. In the first jumping video, you really slammed chinga's back. It will be very easy to make chinga sour to jumping if you are not able to support him and stay with him over the jumps


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I forgot to add in my last post, that your leathers are much too long for jumping. Much.

You have no base of security in your tack, nor do you have stabillity - I really encourage you to get on the lunge line.


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

Hes the only horse I have problems with, I don't know why. My legs always slip forwards. I can't get put on a lunge line with him as I'm the only one he will lunge for *I haven't had time to work with him and other people on the lunge* I don't feel nervous on my way up to the jump. I'm going to work on our canter alot and possibly do some small jumps if I do well with the canter. I must admit I wasn't real worried about how I looked for that *I wasn't planning on posting it* As we have only just come back into work from about a week off.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

You need to really, really, really stabalize your lower legs, heels, seat and core.


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

Thanks, I've got my weekly lesson this afternoon so I will try and get video of that. I ride heaps better in my lessons.


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## madisonfriday (Apr 3, 2009)

ChingazMyBoy said:


> Hes the only horse I have problems with, I don't know why. My legs always slip forwards. I can't get put on a lunge line with him as I'm the only one he will lunge for *I haven't had time to work with him and other people on the lunge* I don't feel nervous on my way up to the jump. I'm going to work on our canter alot and possibly do some small jumps if I do well with the canter. I must admit I wasn't real worried about how I looked for that *I wasn't planning on posting it* As we have only just come back into work from about a week off.


he'll lunge around a circle if someone is holding him and your riding him - its no different then you riding aorund in a circle its just somone holding onto him for that extra support while your trying to balance


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

A fairly good way to guage proper jumping position, when you don't have anyone around to help you from the ground, is first shorten your stirrups so that your leg is at almost a 90 degree angle when seated. Then at the halt, Stand up in your stirrups, straight up so your aligned top to bottom, head to toe with legs at the girth. Then with the idea of keeping everything from your knee down exactly where it is, shift your upper body back down into half seat position. You'll probably have to play with your position a bit until your shoulders are centered over your legs. You'll most likely find that it takes a ton of thigh and lower back muscles to keep you in position. Once you find the correct spot, practice holding it at W/T/C. Then move onto ground poles, crossrails, etc.


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

On the videos, it looks like you have a really loose seat and you're slipping into the chair position a lot. You need to sink your heels down and keep your weight down in them. That will secure your seat and probably with your position. It also looked like your feet were too far into the irons. It should be just at the balls of your feet. I would hold off on jumping until you strengthen your flat work. 

Chinga looks pretty good cantering and jumping. He could be more balanced, but that will come when _you're_ balanced as well.


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## QHDragon (Mar 6, 2009)

Most everything I was going to say has been said all ready. I agree that your stirrups are too long and that you are in a chair seat. Work on some two point on the flat to really get your leg under you.


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

Thanks guys, I got to work on my two point and my normal posistion with our jumping instructor, who you usually can't get lessons with. But one of my instructors were away (we have two in the arena at one time) and I was keeping my stirrups right and heels down. Hopfully it goes as well as with Chinga when we jump next.


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