# critique my horse and I jumping 3'6 (video and picture)



## zjcgw (Jun 11, 2010)

megangavin | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

you guys make it look so easy! 

No critique. Just sayin' you guys are awesome!


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## blush (Feb 10, 2007)

I really like your riding overall! Your horse is wonderful and very willing and you ride very effectively setting your horse up the best you can. Your round looks wonderful, I like the consistant pace...you do make it look easy!

However, I'm not quite sure why you are throwing your body SO much over the fences. You have a lovely upright posture approaching and leaving the fence, but you jerk foward and onto your horse's neck so drastically while jumping. It really looks awkward in the video as you don't flow over the jump but rather the "jumping" happens in 3 seperate steps: upright, jerking onto the neck, sitting up too quickly to recover from the over-exaggeration of the upper body. 
By making such an over-exaggeration with yuor upper body, your horse becomes so heavy on the forehand and therefor becomes unbalanced. Once the jumps get higher, your horse may start knocking rails because he is so off-balanced.
Just try to "sit up" over the jump, you don't need nearly the amount of jumping position for the height of the jumps. Maybe once they get up to 1.30 or 1.40 but not for 3'6. Keep your hip angle more open and think of letting your horse close the angle for you instead of throwing yourself to him. There needs to be light and space between your body and his neck, you need to let him have the freedom to jump up. Let your horse jump up to you! Don't do the jumping for him, you'll get way too tired haha. 

Also, it seems that you are pinching and pivoting with your knee - hence why your lower leg has slipped back in your picture and maybe why your upper body has transformed into your horse's neck haha. I do love your heel and how solid your lower leg is, it just needs to be solid on his side without the gripping of your knee.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

you two look like a nice pair !! the big thing i see is that you are jumping ahead, which causes your leg to slip back.


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## ponygirl813 (Dec 8, 2011)

Nice job. Try to not throw your body forward, yes lean forward into a nice jumping position but there is not need to lurch onto your horses neck. Even tho you don't go as far, make sure you continue giving a good release. Also, try to work on getting to the base od the jumps. On MANY jumps, you hahve quite a long distance. it is not crazy long but it will help your horse jump in better form, making it harder to knock a rail. if you can, count your 1,2,3s


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## MudPaint (Aug 14, 2010)

I am Echoing the sentiments of your upper body movement. You're really throwing yourself at fences. This kind of extravagant movement can actually cause a horse to rush off the fences. Kinda like saying.... go go go as you take off. Let your horse's thrust do the work for you. 

Your pic is a classic jumping ahead, letting your hands do the work for you picture. As the fences go up, this jumping ahead can cause rails down and refusals. 

Other than the distracting upper body movement, you have very nice rounds.


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## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

Agree with the previous posters about the upper body movement.

However, your horse has a serious, serious training problem that can only be fixed by you sending him to me, right away. For an indefinite period of time. I'll let you know when I've fixed him. It just may take a while. Okay, so I'm gonna go get a stall ready for him now. 

Seriously, you are a talented and effective rider with a mannerism (overjumping with the upper body) that detracts from your otherwise workmanlike riding. 

And I really, really like your horse. 

And I can fix his training problem. Just send him to me. Couple of year end championships on my local circuit, I'll have him all straightened out.


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## caseymyhorserocks (Apr 5, 2010)

Agreed with above, you are doing something I call ducking under the jump. You duck your body low when you go over the jump. I would lean a bit more forward when approaching the jumps, and not duck down onto your horses neck when you are jumping.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

_Besides the upper body thing, which everyone else has addressed..._

_I see a lot of long spots. Nothing scary long, but getting long enough that it could be possible to get caught up on the back rail of an oxer._


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## MadOnNags (Dec 16, 2011)

Apart from over riding like everybody has said, you look great! Excellent secure lower leg, just rember to let the jumps come to you, and let the horses jump push you into your position  I have an excellent instructor who explains jumping position over a fence very well. 

You know in 2-point position that there is 2 points of contact (your legs which provide the 2 points of contact, and you seat being out of the saddle), and usually you use this poisiton between jumps in XC, and some people use it jumping.
You also know that in 3-point position there is 3 points of contact (leg and seat, usually used between jumps in SJ, and when you need more control), well imagine a mix of the two, we will call this 2 1/2 point position.
So this means over the jump you should quietly fold into 2 1/2 point position, where your seat isnt out of the saddle by miles but enough to allow the horse to move his back 
Hope this makes sense, and goodluck!!


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