Do you jump differently in Stadium v. XC?

[Foxglove6]

Hunter transplant learning Eventing and wanting to try some small mini events this fall. We had our first XC schooling last weekend and my horse did wonderfully. I however can’t seem to stop being a hunter princess :no: My roots definitely show. My trainer was very good about talking me through doing a smaller release, not folding at the hip, keeping my balance back.

But this made me wonder, do you eventers jump stadium the same way as XC or do you jump stadium more like Hunter/Jumpers with a full two point? How do you work to perfect two different jumping styles without getting them confused or messing up both?

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Yes…very differently. They are not the same skill although aspects cross over.

You perfect the two different jumping styles with practice and experience. Pretty easy not to get confused…one I’m on level manicured footing, and the other we are out of the ring

You will get it.

[beowulf]

The two are very different phases, so yes, they are ridden differently - same way as you would not ride “dressage-like” in an XC field. That being said, there is also factoring in optimum time for both phases.

I don’t usually ride stadium in 2-point. Since a stadium round is all about being clear and correct and in the time, I ride the canter to get the jump/distance I want. The canter I want for my horse is very different than the canter I want XC. I want a “Showjump Canter” - I want a bit more ‘collection’ (I use that word loosely), a more compact stride and lots of amounts of adjustability. A crappy canter will lead to a crappy takeoff and crappy jump and crappy landing, so there is much more monitoring of the canter going on for me in SJ. I am not sitting as deep in the saddle during SJ as I would be in DR, but I am not getting off the horse’s back the way I would in XC. Since the efforts are usually fewer and the time shorter in SJ I work for a powerful, showjumpy canter - which for most of my TBs, requires more effort than XC-type canter. In stadium rounds the jumps come up quick so it is very important to establish the right rhythm right off the bat. In SJ my speed is very consistent - there isn’t any going from 250 to 375. Depending on the level, I’ll pick the rhythm I need and maintain it. Since most stadium rounds are on footing or reasonably flat surfaces, my position is mostly upright without two-point or leaning too far back.

XC is a completely different animal where I tend to let the horse canter the way they would naturally since there as much, much more time to set up in between fences. So the mpm changes - some spots we might be going 275, and others we might need to really step on the gas. I am all about conserving the energy, especially on XC course, so I don’t like to do a lot of picking at their strides unless we are about to get buried deep in front of a fence. I want a fluid, efficient canter + gallop. I want to keep them off of their forehand, but I am not trying to get them to have that super uphill, super collected show-jump canter out on terrain. Speaking of terrain, since the terrain is changing my position is changing with it - the entire XC run I am focused on keeping myself up off their back - right before fences I will start to sit deep in the saddle and that is a cue in itself for my horses to slow down and prepare for the fence.

There are also different types of jumps that require different types of positions over them; IE you ride a bank down differently than you’d ride, say a table. For most XC fences you really want to be in a driving type of seat - you don’t want to be ahead of the motion, which for a HP can be a hard thing to adjust to. Think about keeping your shoulders and pelvis level, and rather than fold over the horse’s neck over the fence, think about having his withers brought to your chest.

You’ll get it! I am also an ex-HP transplant, though I made the discipline switch nearly two decades ago. Part of it is muscle memory, part of it is like anything else: practice makes perfect and exposure begets experience

[Highflyer]

I definitely sit more in stadium (or a jumper class) than I would in a hunter round. This is partly because I typically jump with more pace and lines and turns are more complicated so I need to use my seat as an aid and partly because I find it is better to sit more when jumping more vertical fences-- verticals/ square oxers as opposed to hunter fences which are mostly ascending oxers.

On xc I am in two point between fences but even then I will sit the last stride or two to most fences-- particularly tables/ verticals/ anything involving downhill or a drop. On an experienced, bold horse there are certain types of fences that I will jump out of a gallop stride and I might not really sit up at all to them (like a steeplechase brush on mostly flat ground).

It’s like anything else, you have to do it a lot and it becomes a habit. And I do ride a bit differently on different horses, and on a horse at different stages of its career.

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=Highflyer;8845634]

It’s like anything else, you have to do it a lot and it becomes a habit. And I do ride a bit differently on different horses, and on a horse at different stages of its career.[/QUOTE]
This is worth repeating as well. I tend to spend less time on their backs during SJ if they are younger or greener/weaker in the canter. It’s all about developing the rhythm and if it helps them for me to be up off their back while they learn, that’s what we do

[mg]

I also came from hunter/jumper land and while I successfully show jumped my way around several local events, my mind was blown at everything I was missing once I started riding with an actual eventing instructor!

While XC and stadium are jumped differently from each other, they both require you to keep the horse balanced on its hind end, stepping under and creating the power to create a good quality jump, and keeping your own balance over the horse’s center so you do not negatively impact the horse’s balance. I don’t really find myself consciously changing how I ride because it’s XC vs stadium, I just change how I ride depending on the jump in front of me and the terrain I’m on. In Area 1 there are several events that show jump on grass, so there are terrain considerations in stadium too, just to a lesser degree.

I rarely really sit in my saddle unless I’m jumping down a bank, over a ditch, or through a coffin. In stadium I’m in half seat, but it’s more of a squatting above my saddle type of half seat. I find it more difficult to keep the horse round in its back and properly stepping under when I fully sit in the saddle in stadium. I also find that it tends to make me snap forward and backwards more violently if I’m in full seat before the jump. Over XC, I vary my position based on terrain, where I am in relation to my next jump, and what that next jump is. If I’m galloping across fairly flat land, I’ll be in galloping position. Once I’m approaching my next jump, I get taller in my body and push my hips more towards the front of the saddle. This helps to rebalance my horse AND to let him know that we are preparing to jump. This is a decent article on different xc positions: http://www.equisearch.com/article/cross_country_positions_052708

As stated above, the type of jump and the terrain surrounding it also dictates your canter and position. I won’t try to go into finer detail here because that’s what you have a coach for!

I wouldn’t worry about having to dramatically shift your mindset all that much. I think if you really focus on BALANCE and the changes needed to obtain that balance in the varying scenarios, you’ll be just fine

[bornfreenowexpensive]

I should add that when I said very differently…I meant between how I showed hunters as well as between SJ and xc. Even for stadium in eventing, I ride it more like I rode jumpers which is NOT how I had my position to show off a hunter. I found those with more jumper experience made the shift xc more easily. You don’t give away your contact in a big release xc as given the difference in terrain, the horse needs more support in balance and you need to give more direction as you know there is a big drop following that log and they don’t. You don’t want them to crack their back over the xc fence the way you do for a good hunter or even in SJ.

As for being in 2 point…that depends on the horse. My TB does prefer that sort of ride although I will sit depending on the fence…other times, my galloping position (which is two point) will not change.

What does translate from the hunters is trying to keep a steady rhythm before and after the fence…and a smoothness to the course both xc and stadium.

But you do need to stay back with your shoulders more, make less of move with your body and a shorter release. But I would suspect that is true for both stadium and xc as our stadium courses are meant to be ridden more like an equitation or first round jumper course.

Otherwise, I also tend to adjust my ride depending on the horse, the jump and the terrain. But rarely do I ride SJ like I ride xc…but I might ride a certain xc jump more from a SJ canter depending on the question.

[yellowbritches]

Yep. The two phases should be ridden differently, although the difference is smaller at the lower levels. While I DID ride the phases differently, the biggest help to my show jumping came when I spent a winter being treated like a kid in a Big Eq program. I found the equitation rounds I watched looked far more like what needed to be happening in my show jumping rounds at events than the pure show jumping I watched.

On top of that, your position needs to be different, as others have mentioned. What is customary in the manicured rings of the hunter world could be a huge safety issue out on xc. You’ll find event riders are far more comfortable getting led behind over fences, particularly on xc, than hunters ever are. It’s a skill you develop, and one that can keep you safe.

[Lusoluv]

As a dressage rider-to-eventer, I’m a little too comfortable sitting my horse’s canter. After attending a Peter Gray clinic this spring, my summer goal was to become more comfortable in a light 2-point and more forward seat. Probably the opposite problem the hunter-to-event rider has!

I have to let my horse be a little more open in her head/neck position in XC and maybe slightly less open (but not in full dressage frame) in stadium. I’m definitely most comfortable in the dressage phase. But I’m enjoying the challenge of becoming more versatile in my positions for each phase! Sometimes stadium will be held on grass with slight hills/dips and the best skill is to have a versatile seat - always maintaining perpendicular balance to the ground beneath you!