Position advice needed badly!

[julia.eq.h]

Hi! I am trying to get a better position overall jumping. My leg position always is a little weird so I would like some advice with that and anything else that doesn’t look great position wise.

I feel like my position changes so much based on the horse I ride. Right now, my lower leg slips back sometimes over the jumps and I lean too far forward on the horse I ride. Then, maybe a day later, I’ll ride a different horse and my leg won’t move and I’ll have a great position. I don’t get it!

This picture is from at least a year ago but I still ride like that. I jump higher now, around 2’9, but my parents don’t come to lessons and I don’t get videos of my rides anymore unless they have a day off of work (which is rare). On this horse, my leg is pretty stable, and I think my position is ok.

I’ve always been a little insecure about my leg. I feel like it looks short despite me having long legs and being taller!

Tell me what you think and what I should improve!

[julia.eq.h]

[blue_heron]

I’m guessing the biggest contributing factor here is your saddle. Where the stirrup bar is and the balance on each horse individually.

[Belmont]

Seconding your saddle.

The fit and balance on horse #1 might not be good, causing you to struggle in your position. While the balance and fit on horse #2 might be great, therefore you don’t find yourself struggling in your position.

[CBoylen]

You’ve gotten good advice here, but I’m gonna tell you to get the regional riding style arch out of your back. An arched back makes you stiff everywhere else. your back should be able to be soft and flat not roached obviously but not stiff and posed like it is in the pictures. Some people are conformationally more prone to this, but they are usually the ones that have to struggle not to grip with their knee.

[Valerosa]

Also- start jumping without reins going dow a chute so you do NOT DEVELOP balance based on the reins/bit

When you do this- your legs will move naturally and will always move to that position for balance bc as long as you keep your reins off as a balance tool .

Then start going down the chute with no reins and no stirrups-

Most important aspect of form is a smooth back that conforms over the shoulders of the horse in the jump— and your bit-hand-elbow is one continuous line way down in the neck- allowing horse full freedom over the jump Called an automatic release. Perfect it and the legs will go with it

[greysfordays]

I’m also very tall (6’) with a very long upper body. The thing that has the most impact on my lower leg is my upper body in the air. If I can keep my hip closed softly but my shoulder from dipping too low, my lower leg sorts itself.

I agree your back looks a bit stiff. That pose is rewarded in the equitation ring, so it depends what your goals are. This position in the air would be judged favorably if judges just looked at stills. But they don’t. If this stiff back is carrying into the rest of your riding, it could hinder you as you move up the levels.

I agree on jumping with no reins, even just jumping with one hand is great. We’ve been doing three cavaletti set on a curve one stride apart with one hand. It’s a really good diagnostic tool that doesn’t put a lot of wear and tear on your horse.

I’ve also been getting a lot of benefits riding bareback once a week. I say this as a 44 year old lady, it’s very humbling! But it will tell you what parts of your leg actually are on the horse and it will help you work on having fluid hips that move with the horse. If you’re bracing, it’s really apparent when you take the saddle away. It’s also just a nice way to change things up for your horse and you.

[Foitin]

Honestly I don’t think your position looks bad. The more important question is if you are effective and if the horses you ride go nicely for you. Is your release correct for the particular horse and type of course you’re riding. It is hard to get a feel for someone’s riding based on still pictures, like you say. Sometimes my position looks good on my horse, in other pictures, it doesn’t look great. It depends on the distance, how well my horse is jumping, where the next jump is, and how tired I am. I don’t worry about it. But I’m 50 and don’t ride in the equitation. Even still, I would focus the most on being effective in your riding and responding to the needs of each horse rather than trying to perch up there in a particular pose.

[Bella]

Study McLain Ward, his position and how he rides. You can’t find a better role model than he:

McLain Ward’s tips for achieving a still and effective lower leg

[julia.eq.h]

Thank you for the advice! I really struggle with keeping my back relaxed but I worked in it yesterday in a lesson! I did bare back today which was really useful, especially in the sitting trot. I was able to feel more how my back and body moves at the trot and letting myself relax.

[Jackie_Cochran]

There is one book that might help you.

“Form Over Fences” by Jane Marshall Dillon. This book is about the rider’s position OVER the jump.

It is full of pictures, she critiques each picture, saying what the rider is doing wrong as well as what the rider is doing correctly.

The author had a very highly rated riding school in Northern Virginia. She taught many beginners, two of which ended up winning Olympic medals in stadium jumping for the USA (Kathy Kusner and Joe Fargis).

After studying this book you will have a much better idea of what to do as you go over the jump, especially since your basic position is rather good except for your stiff, caved in back. In fact you look like you might have the security in the saddle needed for the automatic release, keeping contact over the jump itself. Working on the automatic release might really help you solve your problems in the saddle as long as your contact is nice, light, and able to follow the horse’s mouth.

[Alterrain]

Am I the only one who thinks her position looks perfect? Girl, I would kill to have the equ you do.

[findeight]

Perfect, no but much better than expected, could be quite good with a little tweaking and maybe a different saddle.

Echo the JMD book. Could be helpful guiding OP to do more homework getting stronger.

[Rumorhasit93]

I have a silly bit of advice I got from my old boss (represented the US on multiple occasions, sent kids to eq finals every year, etc): while you’re just walking on your horse, tuck your tailbone and clench your butt cheeks. That is a flat back, core engaged so your seat is light on their back. You almost feel like you’re rounding your back (because I think many of us develop the arch in our younger years).

[julia.eq.h]

I love reading books about equitation and hunters/jumpers! Thank you for the recommendation, I am always trying to read to get better!

[julia.eq.h]

Haha thank you! Definitely got to work on my back though because it’s so stiff in the sitting trot and over fences, I can definitely feel it now as I’ve become more aware of it!

[Jackie_Cochran]

The nice thing about this book is if you can get pictures of you riding over fences then you can go to “Form Over Fences” and compare your picture to the pictures in the book. Then you can get an idea of your specific faults in the saddle and get some information on how to correct your position.

I have MS. I cannot jump any more. Back when I still had some hopes of getting back into jumping I got my riding teacher a copy of this book and told her that THIS is how I wanted to jump.

I used to jump 3’6" several times a week.

About the sitting trot, I finally got so I could “glue” my seat to the saddle when I learned how to move my hips in relation to the horse’s back. It goes one seat bone up going and to the front a little bit while the other seat bone goes back a little bit and sinks down a little bit, switching to the other diagonal when the other seat bone goes forward and up. If your back is stiff and you cannot move your seat bones separately you WILL bounce in the saddle.

Many decades ago I played a bit with belly dancing. THAT is what taught me how to move my hips so I could “glue” my seat to the saddle.

[fivestrideline]

The stiffness is SUCH a common issue for jump riders! That and the arch.

I found that dressage lessons (especially from eventers) really help unlock the lower back. That, and riding bareback - as you’ve seen! Bareback CAN mess up other parts of your position though so use sparingly.

[alicen]

@fivestrideline

The stiffness is SUCH a common issue for jump riders! That and the arch.

Especially with women and girls, who are told to freeze and look “pretty” over the jump. Blech!