Crack Back?

[Bumpkin]

“Most of the top medal horses are a little higher in the front end which sets your hands and upper body up really nice but makes them just a bit high in the knee. They jump a little flat which makes them easy to sit on as opposed to a “crack back” round jumper scoring a 90 in the hunters but throwing you out of the saddle over every jump. The Eq. horse’s job is to make the rider look good and that is the bottom line.”…

I copied the above from another thread, thank you to Find Eight.

My question is what exactly is a “Crack Back”?
I have heard it referred to my horse Elliot, and I assume it is a compliment, but I obviously don’t have a real grasp on it’s meaning to Hunters.

I know, , that it throws one out of the saddle, but why is that desirable?

Doesn’t jumping really round and “cracking the back” make it harder to have a smoother, hunter type of ride?

[This message was edited by Bumpkin on Jun. 23, 2001 at 01:24 AM.]

[Janet]

look at a pictur of a horse over the top of a femce. Mentally “draw” a straight line from the poll to the base of the tail.

If the line is way above the withers, the horse is jumping “inverted”. (This is always considered bad.)

If the line passes through or near the withers, the horse is jumping “flat”. This is easy to “stay with”, and thus desirable for equitation, and for less skilled riders.

If the line passes well below the withers, the horse is jumping “round” or “cracking his back”. This is what the hunter judges are looking for these days, especially in the 3’6" classes.

History question.

It may be my imagination, but it seems to me that 30 or more years ago, you saw lots of “flat jumping” horses in the hunters, and lots of “round jumping” horses in the jumpers. This seems to have been reversed today. Is this true, or just my imagination???

[findeight]

More horses did used to jump flat years ago, remember we did not used to ride as forward as we do now (meaning ahead of the motion not fast). Watch a steeplechase today to see an example. As far as it getting easier for you Bumpkin depends on what you mean by easy. It’s smoother when you can eat up those long forward lines but a mistake at 3’6" isn’t like at 2’6" or even 3". For a strong kid riding 4 or 5 horses a day plus soccer or whatever it’s one thing. For a middle aged adult hampered by career/family obligations and not in rock solid shape a bad distance to a big fence is a disaster on any horse. By the way my trainer would die if we tried SaddleTite or whatever you call it We ride without stirrups to solve that problem. Keep practicing and hang in there.

[Kellybird]

7’ and clears it like it’s 2’! Awesome pic

KBird…who takes her meet-and-greet duties way too seriously

[ponyjocke]

Instead of, ok as soon as your hourse jumps throw your hands up his neck (for a crest release),how did your teacher explain to you how to do the automatic release? I would really like to use that instead of the crest release. what tips do you have?(besides hours of no stirrups and gymnastics already working on that:)

[Bumpkin]

I definately think the roundness/crack back looks beautiful, but I am finding it difficult to ride, after not riding for over 20 years.

Interesting enough, I looked at some old photos of my old show horse, “Bumpkin”, and she was also a very round tuck the legs up type of hunter, and I do not recall any difficulty in jumping her.
Must be olde age

So are you saying that as we get higher, 3’6", it will be easier than the lower fences?

I love my horse so much. I am determined to learn to ride his jump. He has a nice big stride, is calm, (still doing some grumpy baby kick outs at lead changes), and keeps the same pace between fences, and never ever stops or runs out on a fence. So I have nothing to complain about. Except for the round jump, and he lugs down on the bit without getting faster. He is low in front and is like riding a teetertotter, haha
But alas, since I have not ridden anything else in so long… I don’t even notice that part!!

[This message was edited by Bumpkin on Jun. 23, 2001 at 01:22 PM.]

[Bumpkin]

I have never used “saddle tite” or ridden in chaps. haha
Thats how old I am.
I do have a pair of chaps hanging in the tack room a friend gave me a few months ago, and I still haven’t put them on.
I know I am going to have to go L/S or A/A forever, before Elliot and I get to go A/O like I use to do with Bumpkin.
She was the coolest little OTTB mare,she was only 15.1

[Bumpkin]

So do the judges prefer the Crack Back jumping over something flatter or not?

[Janet]

I hate the term “automatic relaease”. It ins’t automatic, and it isn’t a release.

Basically, you learn it by NOT thowing your hands up the neck.

First you learn to balance over the fence with no hands (on your hips, out to the side, in front of you but not touching the neck, etc.)Set up a “Chute” if necessary.

Another exercise I find helpful is to go up and down short steep hills in 2 point with no hands.

Then you just work on amintaining steady contact over smaller fences.

[Luv2ride]

Thats how I got my new horse. We saw him and I instantly fell in love with him. He was being sold for the reason that he cracked his back and the girl couldn’t ride him.

I got on him and rode him really well. It took me a while to really stay with him over the big jumps. But overall, it’s a good thing.

I love him to death. The judges seem to really like him : )

[GirlNextDoor]

wow bumpkin…beautimous horse!!! looks like it was fun to ride!!

[Nickelodian]

My definition of a cracked back…

Rox Dene

[just_me]

Janet’s exercises are about right. You have to work on getting your balance so that you’re not having to lean on the horses neck over a fence.

I’ll have to check my Bill Steinkraus book from the 70s. I’m sure he’ll give some tips. BTW, he had such great form over fences.

[Kellybird]

Bumpkin—that depends on your definition of ‘easier’ I would think that it would become harder [really more of a challenge] at larger fences, but you may find it easier. It’s all personal preference and ability and form.

For most people, as they progress to higher jumps, it means more Sadl-Tite and a nicely-padded saddle for landings

KBird…who takes her meet-and-greet duties way too seriously

[findeight]

The fences in the Amateur Owner aren’t as big as they used to be. They’re on the shy side of 3’6" by about 3" at most of the AA shows back here(Oh.Mich.Ky). I heard there were quite a few riders in shock down at Palm Beach over the honest fence ht. My region is 2’9"-3’3" for the Adult Amateur and I don’t think they were that big at my last show. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I rode western in Cal. growing up, never jumped until I was 45. Adults is good enough.

[ponyjocke]

if that were my i woulda been helicoptered off. To all u riders " back in the day" how do you ride like that w/ tihgt lower legs and georgeous automatic releases?seriously like what did u do to develop that what exercises or anything or was it just hours in the saddle w/ no stirrups? please tell you all look so lovely.

[dublin]

and I sure remember lots of lessons involving jumping chutes with 3 or 4 fences in a row, where you had to jump with your hands and arms out to the side.

A solid base and tight legs over a fence will help you develop the upper body control necessary to be able to learn a following hand/automatic release.

In lots of the photos I see today, the upper body draped on the horse’s neck would physically make it pretty difficult to do anything BUT a crest release, IMHO. And many of the trainers today weren’t taught an automatic release themselves, and so would have a difficult time teaching it to their students…

“Of course, that’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.” - Dennis Miller

[JumperEq]

While my horse isn’t the roundest of all horses, she’s not an easy eq horse either. Personally, I love her jump to death. It’s that happy medium between throwing me outta the saddle and jumping straight across the fence. I rode my friend’s horse, who was extremely easy to stay with over the fence because she jumped so flat (a.k.a. eq horse) but I hated jumping her. I felt like there was nothing to the jump. Kinda hard to explain, but I’m weird like that.

~~Erin B~~
“Go big or go home.”

[Kellybird]

Bumpkin–yes, a cracked back is preferable to a flat jumper, as long as it is a stylish cracked-back…nice tight knees, forelegs lifted equal to or above the horizontal, a nice expression. That picture of Rox Dene pretty much says it all.

KBird…who takes her meet-and-greet duties way too seriously

[Cactuskate]

Bumpkin, go back to that second Bumpkin picture and look at the lovely angle of your hip and your flat but forward back. Forward, as in following the line of the mare’s neck. Yet your leg is in a great, supportive postion. George might say it is a bit back , but hey you are a kid.

I think the “school” today is to be a bit more upright on approach and flat/hollow in the back. Not that you would necessarily ride that way, but may be what your “eye” sees around you on a daily basis.

I think that with that perchy sort of look, it would make it very hard to “follow” one that really uses themselves. And as one who knows about the affects of age and absence of butt in saddle for too many years, I do believe the secret will be getting that base of support back in your lower leg. Grids, lunge line. Yuk.

As much as without irons, I like starting out my ride by “standing” in the irons (not really standing, stretching), grab a little mane, and let your leg totally relax on his side. Let the weight fall down the back of your leg and stretch into your heel. When stretched, then take more of a true 2 point. At walk, at trot and doing transitions from this position. I guarantee, at least 15 minutes of this daily and it will come back.

Hang in there girl, it will come back. I am just jealous that you have a real H/J program to work in. You guys are going to be stellar…I feel it coming.

“The older I get, the better I used to be.”