Help help! I only have this problem with the 18 h horse I’m leasing - she has locking stifles and often has a big hind end on her jumps. No matter what I do, when the jumps get .90s and up, I sit up way too early on the backside and catch her in the mouth. My position on takeoff is great as is my release but on the back end, something about her motion and her long neck/ my short arms seem to push me back up behind the vertical, raise my hands and sit back too soon on landing. I tried grabbing mane and that just threw me off balance. I’ve tried gymnastics, thinking soft on landing and shortening my stirrups. Some days are better but still I get jumped loose over oxers. Advice and help appreciated!
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Have you tried a neck strap? How is your overall fitness?
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I used to have this issue (but I am lucky to be 5’9 with super long arms so I never caught the horse in the mouth, but would not stay UP long enough creating some really interesting - aka either bucks or galloping off at Mach 20 - backsides to fences)
Rider fitness & technique - I changed barns, new trainer and totally reworked my jump position. I was a former dressage rider who never jumped more than 2’6 as a kid and didn’t get properly taught how to jump over .85-ish until sadly recently.
Standing STRAIGHT UP - like ballerina releve - heels PARALLEL to the ground not shoved down think like dressage rider heels - flat foot with weight on the balls - no closed hip angle and an oddly “straight” knee (very very slightly bent) at W-T-C - small jumps.
I’ve watched some very fit riders be unable to hold this on the flat at all.
This completely changed my life - no joke I lost 15 lbs and am back to nearly my pre covid, pre turning 30 weight - and I find that I am far more stable over fences, especially those oxers - I am on a Hunter for the first time and those Hunter gaps to oxers were really a mess before this.
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I sometimes have this issue as well. Keep grabbing mane. It threw you off balance because you’re not using to being where it put you - but that is the whole point! Grabbing mane should just keep you following the horse until landing with your hands on the horses crest. If that is throwing you off balance, that means you need to keep doing it until it feels natural. Good luck!
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I workout 4 times a week (peloton and weights) so feel fairly fit but I have noticed recently my hip flexors are tight so perhaps some mobility exercises are needed?
Okay! This is helpful - thank you!!
Thanks for sharing! yes I’m 5’5" with short legs and short arms (seriously I feel like one big torso) so I know that I’m starting at a disadvantage.
Be aware that a lot of people try to counteract this by getting too far forward on the takeoff, which will cause you to fall back in the air sooner.
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Oh interesting! Perhaps I’m doing that - I’ll watch some video/ talk with my trainer. Definitely didn’t think of that.
Ehhh I ran ultra marathons (my weight gain was from a 0/2 to a 4/6) and was CrossFit and yoga psycho… so running 50+ miles per week, CrossFit 4x a week and hot yoga nearly daily… I did nothing but work, workout and ride.
and I just didn’t have the right conditioning to stay up out of the tack. Riding fitness is SUPER different than other types of fitness.
peleton - focus is on quads and results in super weak hamstrings … I do not cycle or do spin for exactly this reason. really bad for riding in my experience.
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Neck strap all day! I had this problem until I used the neck strap and really got a “feel” for what I was supposed to be doing (allowing the horse to finish its jump).
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I have heard from instructors that they can tell when someone gets a peloton because their riding takes a nosedive 
biking really doesn’t do you any favors as a rider besides basic cardio and generalized movement.
Fitness out of the saddle is important, but I’ve had SUPER fit, athletic friends find themselves wheezing and sore for a week after starting lessons! There are a few equestrian fitness influencers on Instagram that post some good content tailored to riders - the muscles we need to train are different from most other sports. Maybe some cross over with jiu-jitsu?
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'tis true! I’ve been witness to the same commentary by my most respected trainers
the TYPE of cross training you do really matters and many work against you for riding.
martial arts (great recco @fivestrideline), pilates (i prefer classical reformer, not Lagree or SolidCore), swimming, and elevation /terrain variable hiking (ESPECIALLY RUCKING) are the best symbiotic cross-training for equestrians.
Generalized fitness is great and if you have some limitations due to joints etc, walking with a weighted vest (I use one that is 30lbs) or swimming is a far better choice than biking of any sort.
I also highly recommend the Correct Connect neck strap - even comes in a version that is a classic breastplate option.
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Could it be you’re just sitting back and pulling too
soon? Get in your lovely position. Float over the fence release and do NOTHING FOR 2 strides after you land. Sometimes if you’re thinking about the next fence you get tense amd shorten the end of the previous. Ride in the moment. One stride at a time. Complete each motion then move on
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Being someone who took up bike racing when I was on a break from horses, there is a lot about riding a bike that can help you with horses (maybe not as much on a stationary bike than one that challenges your balance more), but it for sure doesn’t do the hip flexors any favors.
That said, this can be hard to diagnose without videos. I know some petite riders who actually need to fold over more and reach farther with their release, because the nicer let the horse jump up to you initial position winds up where the horse pops them back too early. That doesn’t mean jump up the neck in anticipation; rather being more secure in a hips back and more closed angle with arms reaching out to grab mane in what may feel like a long release to you. It’s hard to have the elbows and more upright posture of a Big Eq star with a short release and also stay with the horse when you have proportions that aren’t the same as most of those riders.
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Unbuckle the reins and wrap around the neck so you have almost a neck strap and reins. Then ride in both like double reins.
It’s impossible to pull back and incredibly scary as you can’t lean forward or back and have to stay upright.
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A lot of the Big Eq horses are also not going to have a massive hind end on the jump! So it’s less difficult to keep your position on one
Ha very true!
Sounds challenging but I’m willing to try anything so will add this to the list. Thank you!
Thank you! I’ll try! I’ve been trying to do this and feel like I’m being soft and staying up but on the landing side I can still see in videos I’m sitting back
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