Help my equitation

[Rae89]

So got some pictures back from a recent horse show, and YIKES. Let me start by saying I am a fairly competent rider but ride by myself a lot. Have a fantastic coach, and they are trying to fix these issues for me. I think I understand what is happening and what I should be doing, but I can’t seem to make it happen over the fence.

Over some fences I am giving a very short release, but throwing my body way forward and onto his neck. My chin is almost touching his mane. My leg has swung back, and my elbows are pointed out. My groin is almost passed the pommel in some pictures. YUCK.

I am being told I need close my thigh, keep my shoulders away and step down into my heel more. We have been working on pushing my hand into the mane, and pushing my upper body away. I need to wait for him to jump up to me. I don’t need to pitch onto his neck. All sounds fairly simply but I am still struggling.

I’ve been riding without stirrups in hopes to strengthen up my lower leg. Also the current mount, is big and strong and really powers of the ground.

I don’t really want to post pictures, but could DM if anyone thinks they could be helpful.

Any advice is greatly appreciated, things I can work on at home, how to fix the problem.

[melula]

Gymnastics forever! No stirrups and either hands out to the side or one hand straight out in front. It is simple, just not easy.

[Scribbler]

Two point and core strength. Can you ride two point effortlessly for extended periods of time without grabbing mane?

[Rae89]

@Scribbler

Two point and core strength. Can you ride two point effortlessly for extended periods of time without grabbing mane?

Two point with stirrups yes, without its tough. Certainly can continue to work on that. I am pretty good physical shape… will keep working on core.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

Over compensating for a large horses’ push off the ground at a fence is a fairly common reaction, so you don’t get “left behind”. But, it can become habit if you aren’t careful. And then it becomes more difficult to un-train yourself.

Leg and core strength are essential, as is balance. No stirrup work that is meaningful - walk, trot and canter, posting (not just sitting) and two point too. And yes, no rein work too. If you’ve never done work with no reins, a friend and a lungeline will help. Walk, trot, canter with arms above head, airplane style, in front of you and on thighs. The ultimate is putting the two together in a gymnastics line - no stirrups, no reins (we aren’t talking large heights here, crisscross and 1’ poles to start).

You can practice releases over ground poles and cavaletti as well. And getting to a gym and take some yoga or strength training or pilates can also help with strength and balance.

The last piece, confidence, is a little trickier. You have to be able to trust yourself and the horse, and for that - practice, practice, practice!

[snaffle635]

Not a trainer, so take this FWIW.

Sounds like you are jumping ahead, as evidenced by your comment about your groin near the pommel. I’ve had this same issue and addressed it a number of ways throughout the years…

Thinking HEELS at the bottom of each jump, then pushing my heels forward. (they don’t really go forward, but thinking forward keeps them from going back).

Thinking WAIT at the base of the jump. Wait for the horse to jump. One of our trainers asks the kids ‘Who jumps first, you or the horse?’ Correct answer, the horse.

Tie your stirrups to your girth with a thin piece of baling twine to keep your leg from slipping back. I rode like this for an entire summer.

Thinking BUTT BACK at the jump.

And, yes, gymnastics are a great help. Tensing my abdominal muscles helped me maintain a proper position.

[libotome]

@snaffle635

Not a trainer, so take this FWIW.

Sounds like you are jumping ahead, as evidenced by your comment about your groin near the pommel. I’ve had this same issue and addressed it a number of ways throughout the years…

Thinking HEELS at the bottom of each jump, then pushing my heels forward. (they don’t really go forward, but thinking forward keeps them from going back).

Thinking WAIT at the base of the jump. Wait for the horse to jump. One of our trainers asks the kids ‘Who jumps first, you or the horse?’ Correct answer, the horse.

Tie your stirrups to your girth with a thin piece of baling twine to keep your leg from slipping back. I rode like this for an entire summer.

Thinking BUTT BACK at the jump.

And, yes, gymnastics are a great help. Tensing my abdominal muscles helped me maintain a proper position.

This!! ^^^ I had struggled with bad form for… ten years and finally I worked with this fabulous event trainer that was able to actually make me feel what I was supposed to feel going over fences by using vocabulary similar to this.

Now whenever I see someone who is jumping ahead/pinching at the knee/swinging lower leg/struggling to maintain their center of gravity over the horses I tell them BUTT BACK. It is amazing to me how those two words were almost all it took to salvage my horrendous form over fences.

Landing in your heels is another phrase that really helps me get to where I need to be over fences.

And, in case this can help at all, instead of thinking “wait” try and think about the quality of the canter and creating the energy for an engaged canter, I find when I focus on creating a quality stride it helps me see the distance/wait for the right moment.

But mostly butt back. Seriously.