Hi! I am new to this website so I have no clue what I am doing, but I just needed some advice as to how I should fix my jump position! My trainer has told me a few things, but none of them have really gotten to me or helped me improve. I can slightly fold my hips, but my body still stays upright, and my backend is not out of the saddle at all. With the few pictures I have of myself jumping, I look like I am just sitting there, and leaning forward a bit. She tells me to lift my bum up, and stand more in jump position, but I have no clue how to do that, which is slightly problematic ahah! I think that maybe I should push my hands up the neck to āfoldā more, but besides that, I am not sure how else to get my bum out of the saddle. If anyone has had this problem or knows what I am talking about, I would really appreciate some advice!
Thank You 
Stand in your stirrups, letting weight drop down thru ankles. Then bend at waist, thrusting your butt out, while keeping it off saddle, letting your knees bend, so you are squatting.
or when just standing on the ground with legs slightly spread as if on a horse, just slightly squat, bending knees and pushing hips back. You should still feel balanced.
It sounds like you arent standing up in your stirrups slightly.
Okay, thank you! I will have to try that. Could it have to do with stirrup length as well?
That is very disappointing. Your trainer seems perhaps to be lacking in tools and teaching skills? She sees you ride regularly and she should be the one to be helping you since you are paying her to do so: it is hard to learn riding by correspondence.
However, that aside, jumping requires balance, core strength and confidence. Circuits around the arena in jumping position can really help as a starting point. There is time to work out your balance, to play around with stirrup length and discover how it affects balance, and it helps build your muscles. You will feel the burn. When you feel secure in your position, you will have more confidence to go over poles. Start small, have confidence to send the horse forward and build gradually.
Its hard to comment without photos, but first thing I would do is check stirrup length. Make sure your leg is bent enough that if you stand straight up in your stirrups, you have a good bit of clearance above the saddle.
Second, this sounds like a balance issue to me. Someone else mentioned practicing keeping a two point. If you find you canāt hold a two point for a substancial period of time (not holding mane), then you need to work on balance for sure. Work with your trainer to find why, are you pinching with your knees? Heels not down? Figure out the root cause and work on it.
My absolute favorite exercise I call 1-through-5. Position 1 is standing straight up in your stirrups, Position 5 is your back is fully horizontal and your hands are almost at the horseās ears, Position 3 is a regular two-point, and 2 and 4 are in between. (Sorry if Iām not explaining this well) At walk, trot, and eventually canter, you should be able to switch between the positions. When I teach little kids, I let them hold mane at first to gain confidence, but then make them learn how to balance independently.
Another thing I donāt think has been mentioned is are you sure you want to stick with this trainer? Even if they are a good teacher, if you donāt click with them and you arenāt learning, then you might be better off somewhere else. Just a thought.
Good luck with your riding journey! I hope you find something that works for you!
Thank you so much both: Willesdon & Kal__! I will definitely take these to mind. I have a great relationship with my trainer, and I really donāt want to leave the barn, but I feel like I could think about it for a bit, and consider my options. I can hold my two point in all three gaits in a balanced manner, without holding onto mane, so I donāt think that balance is the central issue. However, I havenāt tried the 1-5 method, but it sounds really beneficial! I will have to check my stirrups tomorrow when I ride as well, because if I stand up all the way on my legs, I have only a few-ish inches above me, which I thought was probably a problem. I really hope I can figure this out and I appreciate everyoneās help! I will have to try these methods out when I ride tomorrow, fingers crossed
āāāI can try to get some pictures tomorrow as well!
If your current length works for flatwork, keep it for that, but try shorting them for jumping. Play around with length and see if it makes a difference.
Letās remove all the ambiguity from this, ok?
Your stirrups need to rest at your ankles when your feet dangle completely relaxed as you sit in the saddle. They can his just below the ankle bone if thatās more comfortable for you, but as a beginner you need them this length whether flat or jumping, in order to get your body used to it. Changing flat vs. jumping length is too complicated for your level of riding at this point in time.
Your legs will feel tight. Go home, stand on the bottoms step of a stair well on just your toes, hanging your heels off the edge and just stretch out the back of your calves. Donāt bounce. Just stand there for 3 minutes and stretch, 2 or 3x a day. Switch to one leg at a time after a week or so. A single leg supporting all your weight will give a deeper stretch.
Iām not sure what you mean by āonly have a few-ish inches above meā. Do you mean youāll hit your head on the ceiling of the arena if you stand all the way up in the tack? Or are you unaware on how to roll the leathers around the stirrup? Is a hole punch that hard to come by in your barn?
Insofar as developing 2 point, despite what everyone will harp on for ages to come, you need to turn your toes slightly OUT at this stage of learning. The back 1/3 of your calf (not your knees) needs to be against horseās sides in order to start your base of support. You should always grab mane as your travel around in half seat, preferably on a lunge line for now so you can just relax into half seat With every bound of hossā stride, feel your heels sinking and your back swaying. Imagine pointing your butt up to the sky, and your shoulders & chin are back. Your spine becomes the top portion of the number 7.
Trotting in half seat over ground poles & cavaletting after coming off the rail in posting trot will help as well. Youāll need at least 4 ground poles about 4ā apart in order for this to work. Have your instructor roll them in or out depending upon horseās stride length.
You SHOULD NOT be jumping AT ALL if you cannot half seat or 2 point. Period. Itās unkind to the horse, teaches you bad manners, and frankly is dangerous. Because you need to be able to get out of your horseās way and well off his back in order to jump safely. Thereās no way someone can sit to a back cracking jumper or someone who crow-hops over the jumps without either slamming hoss in the back on landing or being lawn darted halfway through hossā efforts.
I think perhaps itās time to get instruction elsewhere despite your good relationship with this instructor. Sheās not helping you.
Okay, thank you. I can two-point, I am just looking at ways to improve and do it better. I am aware that I would hurt the horseās back if I couldnāt jump, which is why I am A. asking for help, and B. I make sure that I will jump when I am ready. I havenāt jumped much yet, because I want to at least get the base of my jump position. I am in a situation where the next barn near me is quite expensive and 45 more minutes away. While I would love to find another barn and improve at a higher rate, I do not think that is currently an option for me. I appreciate you taking your time to answer me, however I feel like I should end the discussion here.
