# Jumping Critique



## EventingIsLovee (Sep 18, 2009)

*Links to Videos*

Here are a few videos of me riding Rocky:

















-In the first video, I know i have MAJOR cat paw with my left wrist, but that's something I'm working on right now.

-In the last video, Rocky was really tired from a cross country course earlier in the day. So he was tired, a little flat, and kinda just poking along, but we were just schooling this jump course after the xc derby that I got first place in!


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I think you look great.

Your legs are solid at the girth which is where they should be *especially for CC* and your heels are deep. Your irons are placed where they should be on your foot and your toe is at a great angle *you are riding on the correct place of your calf*

You are down and low into your tack, your seat appears to be over the center of your saddle, I can see the Pommel infront of you and you are over your horses center of gravity.

You are looking up and you have a decent release. Could be a bit more lax and I'd prefer to see an automatic but meh, your form over all is where it should be - solid, secure and out of your horses way.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

I agree...you two look great together...your horse likes to kinda bunny hop over some of those jumps though...Lol!


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## EventingIsLovee (Sep 18, 2009)

yeah this is rocky's first year jumping and doing shows but he's coming along quite nicely. thanks guys!


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## EventingIsLovee (Sep 18, 2009)

EventingIsLovee said:


> your horse likes to kinda bunny hop over some of those jumps though


 Yeah I know he does! He looks at the brightly colored ones and isn't sure about jumping them or not. But he does every time, its just a weird jump. This is also Rocky's first year jumping (coming from being a former western pleasure horse) and doing shows but he's coming along quite nicely. Thanks guys!


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

MIEventer said:


> I think you look great.
> 
> Your legs are solid at the girth which is where they should be *especially for CC* and your heels are deep. Your irons are placed where they should be on your foot and your toe is at a great angle *you are riding on the correct place of your calf*
> 
> ...


a agrree! (and thanks for saying it for me MIEventer  )


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

Cj8!!!! Oh my god!! Where have you been!?!?!?!?!??!?!


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

MIEventer said:


> Cj8!!!! Oh my god!! Where have you been!?!?!?!?!??!?!


just posted in Horse Health re: the rescue filly that's been keeping me busy! get on im and i can update you


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Great job in the stadium phase. He wasn't really sure about those first few fences. You stayed with him and got him focused on the job at hand.

What level was this? BN? Also the cross country seemed like a really long course to me. Is that typical?


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## EventingIsLovee (Sep 18, 2009)

Thanks! Yeah the xc was really long only because it was a cross country derby. It wasn't a full event, but we got 1st place in that!


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## NittanyEquestrian (Mar 3, 2009)

Your riding is excellent but there are things you can do to help your horse, now that you said he's a former WP mount I can understand about his movement. He jumps with all 4 feet, but he's athletic enough to get away with it. You need to do TRANSITIONS, TRANSITIONS, TRANSITIONS and get him off his forehand. You also need to learn to rock him back over the fence so he bascules instead of "bunny hopping" as I think the jump was coined earlier. Gymnastics, lots of dressage flat work with half halts every few strides to really make him work uphill and collected will make the world of difference and he will go from being nice to being amazing. Also, to help him learn to bascule you can half halt him coming into the fences while driving him with your legs. You basically want him lifting his front end higher each stride starting at least 3 strides away from the fence. So when you finally hit the distance he is so far on his haunches that his front end naturally raises and he uses those powerful hindquarters to power you over the fences. You can also use bounce poles and actual bounces like cross rail to vertical or something like that to get him to sit back on his haunches to jump. All in all though you are doing really well and keep up the good work. You can ride very well, now you're entering the uncharted waters of having to train and ride at the same time!


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## EventingIsLovee (Sep 18, 2009)

NittanyEquestrian said:


> He jumps with all 4 feet, but he's athletic enough to get away with it. You need to do TRANSITIONS, TRANSITIONS, TRANSITIONS and get him off his forehand.


 This is basically what we have been working on last winter and over the summer, we'll be working on it even more this winter too. I know this is one of his main jumping flaws, and we have been working on getting him down to the base of the jump to get him jumping rounder, too. Thank you for your advice, I'll be sure to mention it to my trainer!


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## AussieDaisyGirl (May 21, 2009)

I can't say anything that hasn't already been pointed out. I just have to say your boy is super cute and you two work great together!!!


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## EventingIsLovee (Sep 18, 2009)

Thankyou so much! I get a lot of comments on dressage tests and stuff about how we're a good team haha


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## EventingIsLovee (Sep 18, 2009)

*New Pics*

I have some more pictures from my previous show, my first sanctioned event! The footing was terrible because the farm had just recently got it redone but they put too much of whatever is on the top layer. It was about 4 inches deep, (the weather was terrible and it was pouring all day) technically adding that much height to the jump. We ended up in 6th place out of 15 people. Tell me what you think everyone!


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