# Critique My Jumping Position (again :P this time w/ video)



## Equuestriaan (Nov 5, 2008)

I can't see anything at all you could improve. You look great! *jealous*


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## ridingismylife2 (Nov 4, 2008)

wow ur really good!
Just keep ur stirrup closer to ur toes...at the ball of ur foot


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I cannot see the video at all?


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## rider4life422 (Apr 11, 2009)

For alot of the jumps it doesn't look like you have much lower leg contact. Your leg swings from behind the girth to way infront of it and back again.


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## upsidedown (Jul 10, 2008)

MIEventer are you clicking the link and nothing is showing up or ??? I really like your critiques so I really want to fix it!



> For alot of the jumps it doesn't look like you have much lower leg contact. Your leg swings from behind the girth to way infront of it and back again.


Which jumps? Because I am seeing the swinging but to me it looks more like I'm moving my leg behind the girth over the jumps and then back forward afterward. Could you be more specific?


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## rider4life422 (Apr 11, 2009)

Which jumps? Because I am seeing the swinging but to me it looks more like I'm moving my leg behind the girth over the jumps and then back forward afterward. Could you be more specific?[/quote]

Alot of them, it is most obvious in the second time through the cross-rails, the jump that is an x with a vertical, the jump that is infront of someone on a chestnut with a white face (this one you foot is still infront of the girth a few strides after) and the barrels. You leg ends up almost straight with little to no bend in the knee. Its the "skiing" position. Yes you do move you leg behind the girth at the peak of the jump, but that is where is should be throughout. It looks like you dont have a really solid connection with your lower leg. I believe pinching with the knees is one of the causes of the leg swing.

P.S I love the heart clipped in  It is very cute.


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

I agree with rider4life, your leg is very swingy and not on the horse.

For my critique, I'm just going to go over what I see and then how I would go about correcting it.
The first thing that really stands out to me is how stiff you are in the saddle. You are helping your horse no more than a 2x4 up there, but the good thing is that you aren't hindering much more than a 2x4 would be either. First of all, your base of support, your leg and seat, is braced (skiing position) and you pivot around your knee without really hinging in the hips over the fence while keeping your legs on at the girth. Your upper body is also very braced with an obvious arch in your back and a stiff look about it through the entire ride(s).
The first thing I would really suggest is losing the stirrups and the reins and getting your coach to lunge you to work on redistributing your base of support from the knees and stirrups into the calves, thighs and seat. Yes, we need to have our heels "feathered" down while we ride, but that does not mean we stand in our stirrups until our ankles give, it means we have a leg that naturally relaxes and stretches down while our weight is distributed in the seat, thighs and calves. You are also really going to have to work on softening your back and allowing the horse's movement to go through it. You need to have a supple back that stays flat and not arched or hunched.
Once you correct your base through flat-work without stirrups and with your calf actually on the horse at the girth, then retake your stirrups and start working on your two point. In the two point, the only thing that happens is the horse's movment over the fence naturally closes your hip angle and pushes the rider very slightly out of the tack. To practice this on the flat, start in a rising trot, and on a "rise" hold yourself that far out of the tack and close your hip angle. You should be able to do this without balancing on the horse. If this is not possible, then you are gripping with your knees and need to close the calf on the horse. Then I would start practicing this over canter poles, crosspoles and finally fences.
You also need to start riding this horse more effectively. In the whole video he just cruises around with no input from you. It is very nice that he is such a point and go guy, but you need to learn to really ride his paces and the fences and the distances.

Good luck!


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## upsidedown (Jul 10, 2008)

Thanks everyone! I was thinking about taking my stirrups off my saddle for a good while anyway, so I guess I'll just follow through with that plan. 

I think also I was a bit afraid to put my leg on her, as she used to be extremely sensitive to leg and would explode forward at the lightest touch. I've been riding her a couple months now and have been using more leg and she's getting used to it and doesn't think that she needs to explode every time you touch her now, although she is still pretty sensitive.


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## lovemyponies (Jul 26, 2008)

I would suggest your stirrups shorter for jumping as well.


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

upsidedown- with horses who are oversensitive to the leg, usually the best policy is to put it on because then when you go to aid her, she is not suprised by the sudden leg pressure coming from nowhere. If your leg is on and steady, a small increase in pressure to aid for something is going to be a lot more predictable for her, and so her response will not be from suprise.


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

You need to work on your long release. Over the big jumps, you brought your hands up his (or her?) neck but when you guys landed, you seemed to pull back and catch your horse in their mouth. Not only is this a bad habit, but you are unintentionally punishing your horse for jumping well. You have really good position and a really flat back! I am jealous of you .


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## upsidedown (Jul 10, 2008)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> upsidedown- with horses who are oversensitive to the leg, usually the best policy is to put it on because then when you go to aid her, she is not suprised by the sudden leg pressure coming from nowhere. If your leg is on and steady, a small increase in pressure to aid for something is going to be a lot more predictable for her, and so her response will not be from suprise.


That makes sense, when I first started riding her and I first put my leg on her and she did her explosion thing I just took it off for the most part because it intimidated me. I've been riding her a lot and she's less explodey and knows now that leg doesn't always mean "gogogo!" (when I first started riding her she would try to canter whenever you tried to bend her in a circle at the trot) so I've been using more and more leg. Plus now I'm used to her sensitiveness so she doesn't intimidate me. 

We've both improved a lot with each other. Thanks for your help, I aim to improve some more!


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## upsidedown (Jul 10, 2008)

Okay so I rode in my sister's saddle the other day because I accidentally left mine at the house and my leg felt much more secure, a lot less "skiing" I think. Is this all in my head or can a saddle that's too small for me (not a ton, which is why I don't have a new one yet...) cause my leg to be less secure? It wasn't just my leg too, my seat was felt much better also...

Also had a lesson with no reins and no stirrups, given to me by my sister on her horse. Helped a lot, and I'm hoping she'll give me some more... 

Also she did this weird hip opening thing (I've been calling it a "hip abduction") and it was amazing, my hips were so much more open, and we went on a little trail ride to get out of the arena and we came to a little stream and I had to get off and lead my horse over it (she crosses standing water, just not running unless someone in front of her goes or you walk her over it first) and then remount and it was probably the easiest mounting from the ground I've ever done. I normally had a lot of trouble with it, even on a 13.2 pony, and this was so easy. I just thought it was because I have a very long torso and short legs (I'm 5'1" and when I'm sitting I'm as tall as my friend who's 5'9") that gave me difficulties but apparently my hips are very closed. So I've been doing a lot more of the "hip abduction"s (like every ride) and its helped a lot with everything.


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