# Jumping Crit. Please



## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

Ok, not the best photos, since I can rarely get anyone out to photograph me. Sorry I only have 2, I got some videos, but they are way to grainy to be usefull. 

Please just critique what you can in a constructive way. I do realize I am jumping ahead, so any advice for that would be greatly appreciated. 












Please, dont laugh at my ghetto jumps. lol. I gotta make do with what I have right now.


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## redape49 (Jul 29, 2011)

Keep your toes forward and let some more slack on the reins


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## Amy Wathke (Jul 31, 2011)

I realize this is none of my buisness, but if you are going to continue jumping it might be a good idea to wear a helmet. Even if you don't usually wear one on the flat. Jumping is a very dangerous sport. My helmet has saved me from quite a few concussions in the jumper ring and i was very greatful. 
So on to the critique! 
While going toward the jump think about bringing your body in to a more forward position (half seat) you can work on your half seat at the trot or canter to strengthen your seat and legs. Use ground poles before your jump if possible, I notice in the photo your horse seems un sure on the distance point and where to take off. these ground poles will help you guys a lot. While gaining your confidence in jumping it is also to look at your position. 
I notice you are grabbing with your heel and this is going to make jumping uncomftorable. while in that half seat think about your heels. keep lots of weight in them and when about to take off slide the leg forward. Make sure when going forward not to throw your hands and body. I like you release and so far you guys are looking really good! Sorry if i blabbed on for a bit, just thought i could give you some tips or ideas!


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

Thank you for the crit. 

I cant exactly do ground poles at the moment because the ground is so danged dry that is cracked. Like big cracks. Horse swallowing cracks. I actually only ride about once a week now and not in my pasture i have to go down the road to my uncles hay feild where there is no cattle so the ground is in better shape. 

But I WILL be doing ground poles once I can actually ride on my property again. 

I can do lots of half-seat work though. My legs could use the work out. lol. 

And deffinately work on my heels.


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## Thyme (Sep 4, 2010)

I think you look great! I am also getting into jumping again and have the "jumping ahead" of my horse issue -_-'
I also just wanted to say I love how you are with your appys! I might be getting one this week, I have heard they can kind of have an additude and strong willed, I hope I can get the kind of bond you have with your appys with this Appy mare
Good Luck!


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

Lol. Yeah appies can have an attitude, but they're great versitale horses. I love my girls to death! They also have personality galore. My girl, Daisy, is the best horse I've ever owned. She just takes everything in stride and is amazing.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Lonestar,

I am not a jumper, so can only make very general observations, but I can see in both pictures that your leg is too straight. If you could put some bend in your knee and bend in your ankle, this might help you rotate the knee around to be more on the saddle. You would kind of "accordian" up more and it might help keep you from jumping ahead. 
Ghetto jumping! Indeed!


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## tbstorm (Dec 16, 2010)

beautiful horse by the way, loovvee the color! i agree with tiny, bend your knees and ankles, get your toes up and maybe let some slack into the reins, other then that your looking good!


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

your horse is lazy lazy lazy with the jumping effort... and his ears are very telling of how unsure your seat/legs are.


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## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

As important as the half seat is I think what you really need to remember to get over jumping ahead is holding your shoulder back. It'll discourage you from getting too far forward too soon, and allow you to keep out of the way of your horse and let her do the work. That way it will be easier for you to let her come up to you and _then_ get up off her back. 
It's difficult to tell in the second picture (it looks like the bridle has completely camouflaged itself XD) but I do like that release, it's nice- up the neck, you're not completely throwing the contact away over a small jump and I think if you had just TINY bit more slack- not very much, but enough to keep form popping her in the mouth it'd be perfect!

Also, maybe try putting your stirrups up a hole? Not much, just enough to create a better angle for your leg.


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

Oxer - You told me what you think, but no suggestions on how to help this. I'm not sure what you mean by "unsure". Could you elaborate?

We do need to do some trot poles to tighten up her legs, I can't do much in the way of riding right now from the drought (cracks in the ground) but maybe I could set some up in the round pen, it's decently sized. 

Alex- I'll have to punch some holes in the leathers, but I was thinking that they needed to go up a notch or 2. Thank you for your critique.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

i think you both just need grid work. your horse needs to learn to pick up those front feet and to push off evenly from behind. i am lucky enough now to ride at a place that has amazing footing and jump courses... however, i didn't start that way. cheap jumps are a lot easier to come by than you would think. go to the home depot and hand make some fences. bounces, ground lines, things of that nature will teach your pony to pat the ground at the base of the fence properly.


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## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

Hm... and another thing to think about. This goes against what somebody else was saying in this thread, but once you get more comfortable with your leg position with your stirrups up a bit forget about half seat completely. Sit back a little more in the saddle on the approach (will also help you stop jumping ahead) and it will encourage your horse to actually _jump_ it with more power from behind rather than just hopping over. 
And if you can (the round pen would work!) work on lengthening and shortening your horses stride, it'll help you in the long run with being able to spot distances and have more control of your horse.


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

Are you saying to stay in the saddle over the jump?

What I try to do is sit deep in the saddle on the approach, and when she lifts her front to jump is when I move into 2-point. 

I'm getting a little jump happy though, causing me to get ahead. Man, I need to get back into lessons! lol.


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## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

Oh no! I mean pretty much exactly what you're doing, but wait that extra half a second! It makes the whole difference. I didn't notice I was jumping ahead until I started jumping oxers, it's scary and you _want_ to lean forward to 'help' but that does nothing for your horse. It sounds like you've pretty much got it down except you just need to stay deep for a tiny bit longer and _really_ let her come to you so that your body follows naturally when she comes up to jump.


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

So I did some trot poles and a couple of jumps today. Nothing big as the round pen isn't really bog enough to jump in. But I did notice when she started to get lazy with her legs and I sat deeper into the jump and just barely got int 2point she did much better.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Lone, 

I want to clear up a possible misconception. 

There is a *big* difference between ground lines, trot poles, and cavaletti. 

A previous poster mentioned ground lines or ground poles, and I think you understood that as trot poles or cavaletti, which is not what the post intended. 

A *ground line* is a single rail on the ground in front of the fence, rolled out from the base of the fence the same distance the fence is high. It helps the horse *see* the bottom of the fence and judge its take off spot; as horses lose depth perception when looking at something straight in front of them. 

Jumping a single rail, with no ground line on no filler, is very, very, difficult for the horse because they can't judge either the height of the jump or their distance from it. 

Jumping fences without ground lines or false ground lines used to be a standard question in eventing, in caused so many problems at the lower levels that you now don't see it until Training Level and above. 

So please give your horse a break and drag some more dead limbs out of the woods or buy some landscaping timbers at Home Depot and add ground lines to your homemade fences. If you're going to jump them in both directions, put a ground line on *both* sides of the fence. 

Your horse will jump better and you'll be safer. 

Trot poles are also a good idea, but you do need good ground and some knowledge of striding to set those up.


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## Bluemoonlvr (Feb 20, 2010)

In the first picture it looks like you are leaning to the side which is making your horse go to the side to. Try to stay still when jumping and not to interfere with him and stay inline with his spine. To help with the jumping try putting more weight in your heels and not stand on your toes and also don't lean forward so much. But I love your horse!


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

Thank you very much for clearing that up Maura. 

I knew that the ground lines (didnt know they were called that though!) were to help the horse judge where to take off, but I didn't know how far from the jump they were supossed to be. 


How far apart should trot poles be set up? I read somewhere that they should be about 2 human strides from each other, but whose strides?

And what about raised trot poles? How raised are they supossed to be?


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

i attached a pic. this was his first time jumping and i wanted to make sure that he was able to find a good "take off" spot, as well as picking up those front feet!
The ground line is usually about half the distance as the jump is high. So if you're jumping a 3' vertical, the ground line would be about a foot and a half away If you're trying to get your horse's front end even, you can roll the ground line out equal distance as the jump is high. At least, this is how i usually jump when using ground lines.


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