Popping up to soon over jumps

[Horsechick200]

I’ve recently started taking lessons again (yay) and on one horse I keep popping up over the jumps to soon. This usually leads to me almost falling off on the landing. The horse is big (17.3) and long. So he takes longer to jump in general. My instructor keeps telling me to keep my hands low and stay in the 2 point for a second longer. I keep trying by grabbing mane, but I just can’t seem to stay down! I also find it hard to grab mane in the location that your release should be before I am actually in the air.

I don’t know why I can’t seem to get this. It only happens on this horse and apparently a lot of riders have trouble on him. Any advice would be appreciated as I really want to stop catching him in the mouth!

[GraceLikeRain]

By popping up too soon do you mean jumping ahead or getting jumped out of the tack at the peak of the fence?

If you are jumping ahead a lot of people like the visual of pushing your hips back at the point of takeoff. You should not dramatically shove your hips back but visualizing pushing them back can help you keep your weight over your heel and allow your hip to naturally close with the horse.

Personally, I found no stirrup grid work to be very helpful during my jumping days. Thinking about landing and immediately having another fence made me sit up and wait because jumping ahead couldn’t be an option.

[Railbird]

I have seen this problem solved two ways successfully:

1. Grab mane, use a neck strap or other visual cue if needed. This will teach you muscle memory and help you hold yourself down.

2. Thumb tacks onto the back of your saddle.

Generally falling back early is an issue with the strength of your base- I would spend a lot of time trotting in two point to build muscle, and work over gymnastics to practice folding your body naturally and maintaining control through your core, stabilized by sinking deep into your heel. If you’re falling back early, it’s usually because you got a little ahead of the motion on the take off and weren’t balanced enough through your base to hold your position when the horse powers off behind. Some horses who jump hard off the ground will really test you with this!

[Wonders12]

Put a pole after your jump and wait to sit up until after/over the pole.

Watch Beezie Madden ride, especially on Cortes C. Watch how she jumps, lands, and then sits up. It’s three very distinct sections. And if she can afford to wait that extra moment in a jump off with fences like that, then you can take the time to wait the extra side and give your horse time to complete his jump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va2u-gj97BI

Finally, make sure when you do grab mane (or use a grab strap which I prefer), make sure that you are actively pulling yourself (engaging your biceps) toward the neck, not just holding on. Practicing over poles or cavalletti is great and low risk if you feel awkward grabbing mane. You’ll be exaggerating to get the feel, but that’s ok for the exercise.

It can be a challenging habit to fix, but I think gymnastics/poles after the fence can really help. Be patient.

[RileysMom]

Good advice thus far, but OP could be describing one of three issues and I’m not sure which one applies:

1. Horse is leaving long and rider isn’t ready/doesn’t see that distance/doesn’t know how to collect and make horse wait
2. Distance is fine but rider gets jumped out of the tack anyway on this particular horse
   Or
3. Distance is fine but rider is sitting up too soon in the air or on landing.

OP, could you clarify which of these is happening?

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

Try putting your stirrups up one hole.

[Horsechick200]

[QUOTE=RileysMom;8968848]
Good advice thus far, but OP could be describing one of three issues and I’m not sure which one applies:

1. Horse is leaving long and rider isn’t ready/doesn’t see that distance/doesn’t know how to collect and make horse wait
2. Distance is fine but rider gets jumped out of the tack anyway on this particular horse
   Or
3. Distance is fine but rider is sitting up too soon in the air or on landing.

OP, could you clarify which of these is happening? :)[/QUOTE]

Sorry should have been more clear! The distance is fine, but I’m sitting up too soon on the landing.

[North_Dakota]

Strength work in the 2 point/light seat at trot and canter. Poles, cavelettis, etc. Also core strengthening out of the saddle helps immensely. When i was opening a little to early in the air, my coach said think more about landing in the stirrups. It was a lightbulb phrase for me. I also use a neck strap on this horse, 99% of the time. He gets mad if the rider is off balance at all (or opens a bit early in the air!).

[findeight]

Have to learn to wait and let the horse close your hip angle while you keep your butt much closer to the saddle and weight in your lower leg and heel. Instead of closing it without the motion of the horse, it other words you are jumping for him since your base is not strong enough to hold your position. This will make you open up to early…and get you bucked off some horses.

And that’s your answer on what to fix. Dropping irons and jumping with no hands and arms out ( helicopter arms) is a classic fix, Have trainer lunge you over some low ones in a circle, borrow a steady horse you trust if yours is to green or you are too timid to do this on him. Teach your body to go with the horse.

[541hunter]

I pop up too soon when I throw my body forward on the front side. A lot of hurkin and jerkin and shuckin and jivin, as a clinician once told me It happens when I’m desperately trying to get out of the way, but I overdo it—throw my body up the neck, hands to ears, and then get flung back when the horse goes up. It was really counterintuitive to me that getting tossed back related to me overreleasing, but when I started concentrating on letting the horse jump up to me it was instantly better. And bonus! I had more control on the landing.

Now I try to think about pushing my hands forward about 2 strides in front of the fence (like pressing down on the crest, maybe 3 inches in front of the wither) and just getting my butt out of the saddle/hips back a bit. If I do that, my body follows the horse in the air much more naturally. I find that when the jumps look big to me or I see a very long one I revert to the old habit of flinging myself up the neck to “get out of his way.” Weird how that never seems to work :winkgrin:

[propspony]

Does anyone have any good off horse exercises for strengthening your base? I’m doing the same thing as the OP (after more than a decade of not jumping) and would love to get stronger!

[rockonxox]

I learned real quick how not to do this when I rode a horse that bucked if I touched them too quick over the fence. Not necessarily the most practical approach, but it worked.

[findeight]

Off the horse, core work, Pilates and Yoga seem to strengthen the core muscles as well as improve the mind over matter functions you must use to stop any bad habit. Stretching too, not just the calf and achilles either, the hamstrings and glutes through which your weight is actually supported if your position is correct. Correct position makes you strong, balanced and abke to stay out if the horse’s way while being in complete control.

Speaking of which…how often do we see Amy athletes in just about any sport, including golf warming up their bodies before they participate? Hiw many riders to we see doing that? Barn chores are not proper warm up and stretching.

[findeight]

Ammy athletes, not just those named Amy. Miss that edit function.

[propspony]

hahahaha! I assumed you’d mean “any” so it worked in my head.

Very cool. Thanks!