# Jumping critique ;))))



## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)




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## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

What I really have to say is that I don't think you should be jumping the height you are, after only riding for a year, you can definitely tell your position isn't stable enough to support yourself over such big fences. Sometimes your legs are hanging down way too low, sometimes they're stretched way back behind you, you're jumping ahead in many of the pictures, but in others you're hardly coming up into two point. If I was you I'd go back to smaller fences and working on your two point.


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## LostDragonflyWings (Feb 1, 2012)

Unfortunately, I have to agree that those fences are too high for your experience and training right now. In a few of the pictures, the horse does not look balanced. In most of the pictures, your leg is not steady and you are over jumping pretty badly. You are also not giving much of a release. I would recommend going back down to smaller fences and working on your flat and two point. Work on staying with your horse over the fence and not trying to jump for him/her. Work on bending at your hips over the fence and not launching forward by standing in your stirrups. You appear to be a good rider, so working on these few things will definately help you progress.


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## LostDragonflyWings (Feb 1, 2012)

Also, in some of the pictures you could have shortened your stirrups to help with your leg. Work on keep the weight in your stirrups and stretching your leg down... both on flat and over fences.


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## TimberRidgeRanch (Mar 6, 2012)

I am shocked you actually stayed on some of those. Your pressing your luck on you getting hurt or your horse. Please be careful and dont rush to jump high. 

Those who test fate dont like the outcome.

JMO


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)

Thank you all )

Anyone else?? Mabye you could show me some photos or videos so that I would know what exactly is all these thing you mentioned?  Because I don't understand some of the concepts you use... :/


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)




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## LoveHipHop (Mar 27, 2012)

That is the tiniest indoor school i've ever seen haha! I thought ours was small! All I can say is that you obviously have confidence to jump bareback, but i'd say on your video maybe you're "motorbiking" around the turns a little? Maybe slow your horse down, collect the canter (impulsion, not speed) and keep your hands down on landing. Try working on your position and your seat to get better balance when you're jumping.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

You need to back off the jumping and work on your flatwork for both you and youhorse. Work without stirrups, teach that horse to be completely reliant on your seat and legs, and transitions, transitions, transitions. Your pony is a cute jumper, but she is not at the level of training she needs to be to be jumping that high, and neither are you. Work on the flat, trot poles, and work on your two-point on the flat. With more work on the ground, you two could be a great team over fences. Good luck!


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## Jumper12 (Feb 2, 2012)

based on the pictures and video i do not feel you should be jumping the height you are! you are ahead of the motion when your horse takes off, your body is too far forward which could make you fall if the horse stopped or got in close and puts your horse off balance. also you are sitting back too soon, before your horse has cleared the fence, and grabbing him in the mouth and banging on to his back. i would work on flat work and trotting poles, work on posting without stirrups and do two point/jumping position A LOT. This will help build up your leg muscles and give you a better base. Once you have worked on that try some small gymnastics/grids to work on your timing and strengthen your base of support.
your horse is very cute and im sure he/she could be quite handy but in the video he was running around the turns and not very balanced. while speed is fun being balanced and having the horse using himself properly is much more safe.
good luck to you and your horse, i think you guys definitely have potential but need more polishing before jumping these fences.


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)

Thanks ;DD
But I have to correct that the pony is not a mare, but a 13-year old stallion D


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Our critiques are the same whether this horse is a mare, gelding, stallion, mule, donkey, hinny, or yak. You would both be so much safer over fences if you focused some more on your flatwork.


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)

I'm just correcting your small mistake, not saying that it would change anything...


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## xxxxxxxxxCarina61 (Mar 27, 2012)

I agree, for having only been in the saddle for a year you should not only not be jumping these heights but also do much more flat work so as to improve and stabilize your position. Also in some of the pictures your horse is too small for you and the one that concerns me the most is the one in which the chestnut is drenched in sweat while you are wearing a coat..you must treat your horse with respect and care..you have choices they do not...


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)




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## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

Those videos aren't clear enough to give a proper critique, though it does seem like you nearly tip over through a couple of your turns (from what I could make out). I suggest sitting up tall with your shoulders, deep into the saddle, and keeping your leg on to help support your horse through the turn and get a straight approach to the jump.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

You're not supporting your horse. He's running around the course strung out and disorganized, which is going to lead to lost time and rails down when the fences get bigger.


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## Jumper12 (Feb 2, 2012)

do you have a trainer or coach that you are riding with, islansadi?


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

For only being in the saddle a year there is NO WAY you have the experience to ride and handle a stallion! Either geld him, or find another horse to ride. A pony, you will find, will handle it better at his age than a big horse... but your inexperience on a stallion is just a recipe for disaster.

Work on your flatwork, A LOT, and go back to the basics with your jumping. I've been riding 10 years and I jump that size, maybe a bit smaller, on A GELDING. I won't go anywhere near stallions, they are dangerous and unpredictable and take skilled and experienced handling. Even the quietest of stallions can snap and you never know exactly what it is that will set them off... I have heard of stallions, totally reliable, always hand-served by a lady handler, that one day just snap and people die or are seriously injured. A gelding or a mare will be far more reliable and much better for you to learn on. Because, regardless of how high you jump, YOU ARE A BEGINNER RIDER by default of time in the saddle. You can't learn the skills and experiences you need to handle a stallion in a year.


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)

I agree about that I should jump smaller fences.
But, I totally disagree about changing a horse! Not all stallions are the same, and I'm not going to get scared if he stars doing something bad... It happened many times and everyone is alive and happy...]

And yes, I have a trainer.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Well at least something I said has sunk in...

I'm not saying all stallions are bad, they're not. BUT, they are not horses that are suitable for beginner riders. They ARE unpredictable, they CAN snap with no warning. One of the stallions I've heard particularly nasty stories about was an absolute gentleman for 24 years, his owner was a small lady and she would handle him on her own, even to cover mares. And then one day a mare said no, and he flipped out and could very easily have killed his handler - just lucky that day it was a man with many years of experience working with stallions, and not his small lady handler whose only experience with a stallion was his usual gentlemanly self. He had never snapped like that before, and he never snapped like that again (he lived another 6 or 7 years, depending on which associate of the lady you believe), but that one instant he could so easily have killed someone.

I don't mean to scare you... just trying to help you understand how concerned I am for your safety if this horse really IS an entire male. I do hope for your sake that you are confused in your new-ness but the majority of people who work with a trainer know whether their horse is entire or not and which is the correct term, so I don't like the chances of that.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Also, just because nothing a horse has done has scared you yet, doesn't mean it's not going to. The reason he hasn't frightened you yet is either you don't understand the danger, or he hasn't been bad. Just hurting, or lazy, or you're asking for something you don't think you are... because when a horse acts up little, it is either because of pain, because he doesn't want to do it and doesn't respect you enough to do it anyway, or because the rider is making a mistake. when a horse acts up BIG (other than studdy flip-outs), it's snowballed from a long time of acting up little and not getting noticed. Horses will get "more naughty" if their rider isn't listening to what they're saying.

Can I just tell you, my confidence is very low at the moment... my bipolar anglo-arab completely destroyed it and I'm still in the process of building it back up. You WILL lose confidence at some stage of your riding life. I hope for your sake and your pony's that it's not due to a stallion flip-out :/

MY bipolar horse was once totally reliable, by the way... he was made bipolar by bad riding and now in certain situations, he'll try so so so hard to be good that he might be perfect one day and then in the same situation the next it might be too much and he'll have a massive over-reaction to something really small. Once my boy flips the switch from calm to explosion, it's really hard to settle him back down. Be careful you don't create a bipolar stallion because that's just ten times worse than a bipolar gelding.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Stallions = hormones. Stallions equal a huge breeding drive when a mare is in season, and very high, racing hormone levels at times. They are not beginner-safe horses. Are there calm stallions? Sure, I've owned one! BUT, they are all still stallions, and it takes someone experienced to deal with them when they have a stallion moment, which inevitably happens.


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## Jumper12 (Feb 2, 2012)

in my mind its not whether or not it scares you when he behaves badly but if can you handle the behavior and correct it.
also, does your trainer let you jump as high as you do? if so i would suggest finding a trainer who cares more about the well being of you and your horse! not to be mean or anything, but it scares me to see someone with out a solid base of support at the height that you do and you seem to recognize that as well.
good luck to you and your horse.


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## justxride97 (Jan 12, 2012)

Woah.
Honestly, I dont think you should be jumping the height you are at. You need to get a good seat and two-point first. Your lucky you didn't fall off or hurt yourself or your horse in some of those pictures. I think you need to slow it down for a bit. Go over what you've learned and fix that jumping position.  Nothing personal at all though.


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## jumanji321 (Dec 1, 2010)

Could you at least ride a better trained horse a couple of times? Believe me, it will help you a lot.


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)




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## Brithorse1996 (May 25, 2010)

Are you wearing spurs??


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)

Yes.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jumanji321 (Dec 1, 2010)

Those pictures look better, but you are spurring the horse over the jump accidentally when your leg goes back.


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)

Oh :/ 
Good thing that now I don't need to use them 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jumanji321 (Dec 1, 2010)

Yeah, until you have a stronger lower leg, I think you should ditch the spurs.


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## MeLikesUke (Apr 9, 2012)

I agree with everything everyone else is saying. Some major things to work on (on smaller jumps!) are leg stability, waiting for your horse to jump up to you, and giving a release. This means that you need to give your hands forward to almost mid-crest of the horse's neck. Give him his head and mouth and he'll be thankful; pull on his mouth and he'll start to pull on your hands and become frightened of jumping - pulling on his mouth while jumping means that you're punishing him for doing the right thing. Also part of giving a release is putting your weight into your heels so that you do not need to balance on the horse's neck. Putting all of your upper-body's weight on a horse's neck impairs his ability to jump properly. Your hands should be low but never quite touching his neck.


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## ElaineLighten (Jan 1, 2012)

Your position is very inconsistent, I'd suggest going back to smaller fences to get that position perfect before jumping higher, bigger is not always better!


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## ridingismylife2 (Nov 4, 2008)

Personally I think you should stop jumping full stop for now and get proper dressage lessons with a different instructor so that you can get a solid seat. Watching those videos (especially the first) was quite unnerving. You could seriously hurt yourself and the horse.
Is the horse your own?


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## Mckellar (Apr 18, 2012)

It kinda looks like they are different people in the pictures? One is a blonde... One is clearly a child and the oldest pictures look like an older person then newest pics are a younger person...... I dunno maybe I'm just seeing things... Position changed a lot too........


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## horselessmom (Apr 20, 2012)

Mckellar said:


> It kinda looks like they are different people in the pictures? One is a blonde... One is clearly a child and the oldest pictures look like an older person then newest pics are a younger person...... I dunno maybe I'm just seeing things... Position changed a lot too........


My hair is like this--changes color a lot depending on the time of the year (From blonde in the summer to quite dark in winter) and turns out differently in photos in different lighting. The face seems to be the same. But I'm notoriously bad when it comes to faces, and even worse when it comes to position. :wink:


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## Mckellar (Apr 18, 2012)

Yea.. hair does change colour.. Hmm ... maybe I'm seeing things.. I've looked at the pics again and again and something is very different about all of them....maybe I'm just going crazy


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## huntrjumprjenn (Jul 26, 2011)

I agree with previous posts that you should stick to lower heights in order to get a more solid foundations. Without having the basics down pat, you'll affect your horse as well as yourself. For example, your lack of release over fences will prevent your horse the from fully jumping the fence appropriately and _safely_. This will become a larger problem as the fences become larger.


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)

It's me in each and every photo  I could even give you my facebook acc adress if needed...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)

What exactly seems different in all of them?


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## PintoTess (Aug 18, 2010)

I agree with the others. Maybe do some really low cavaletti to establish that core balance and strength. Alot of this will help, also cantering around in 2-point may hep as well as ALOT of falt work. Just look at it this way: You walked before you ran. Flat work before you jump


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## DressageDreamer (Feb 29, 2012)

My advice....don't continue to jump bareback. I did for years and then found it impossible to do it correctly in a saddle. I feel I ruined myself by doing that and have been working very hard to correct that through dressage.

I agree with the others....*you really need to stop the higher jumps*. If your riding instructor is allowing you to do this, they should be reprimanded and/or fired. It is very dangerous because you are obviously NOT ready for that level yet. You need to be balanced and so does your horse. You have a lot of work ahead of you and rushing it to do what is "fun" is a recipe for disaster.


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## MudPaint (Aug 14, 2010)

I think your stallion may be a little too small for you. I know European standards are different than here in the US and ponies are ridden by those who have "outgrown" them in height and its accepted, but your leg has nothing to grip on to. It's most obvious on the pony that you grip with your knee and throw yourself forward, but hold with your hands in an effort to balance yourself. 

On the chestnut you have the start of a better leg... but your habits of jumping ahead are following you. You need to bring your stirrup up two holes (maybe more) to give you a base to sink your weight into. This will help you start getting your seat back over the center, rather than in front of the pommel. 

Were you my student, I would bring you back to cavalettis so you can learn to follow the motion of the jump with your hand and not making extravagant movements with your seat. You'd also be studying a bit of dressage to understand bending and balancing a horse. Distances are so much easier to achieve when the horse is up, in front of your leg and upright around turns, looking where he's going. The pony is cute, but he scrambles through the entire high course. You both need some time on in the dressage ring to achieve clean, classy, and fast rounds that truly win. 

I think if you go back and work on making your EQ truly classic and correct, and ride each fence in a balanced manner, you'll find you are ready to advance from where you are. However, sometimes you need to go back, to go forward. Good Luck!


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I also have the problem of jumping ahead, it's really common, and what I found works really well was to concentrate on butt back and up. Went from this (good lower leg, bad upper body etc):









to this (bad lower leg but I'm happy with my upper body):


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## islansadi (Mar 27, 2012)

Right now i'm jumping much smaller fences and gocusing most on flatwork. I akso try trotting abd cantering and not itting in the saddle.(don't really know how to call this thing) I've done this over cavaletti too... Will it help? (i have posted another thread woth flatwork)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Trotting and cantering in two point position (as you have described) and half seat (between two point and sitting in the saddle) are brilliant for creating a more stable lower leg over fences, keep it up and you'll find you progress right back to where you were jumping, and you'll be doing it more correctly and much more safely!

There is only 5cm (2 inches) height difference between the two photos I posted, if that. I haven't actually measured the back pole of the spread, but I know that a pole on top of a pair of those metal drums is 1m (3'4"-ish) and the vertical with the red saddle pad is 95cm (3'2"-ish). The height isn't actually the important thing, your position shouldn't change when you start jumping big and if it does then you weren't doing it right to begin with!


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