The move up to training has made me realize I am not sitting up fast enough after fences - especially on xc. This has always been an issue for me but now I’m not laying on my horse’s neck for 10 strides any more. So, progress has been made. :lol:
But if I don’t want to fall off or have run outs at the combinations, I need to get my eyes and shoulders up faster. Any exercises to help this?
Your eyes and shoulders shouldn’t be down. Horse jumps to you; horse jumps away, you should be in the same spot. I’d guess your issue starts in the take-off portion. To answer your question, there are many exercises to fix this.
- Grid work - no stirrups, no hands is always a go-to
- lifting one hand straight out, shoulder height in front and over a fence
- roll backs with a goal of reducing strides between the fences will help you think a little quicker
- have your instructor stand to the side and slightly behind the fence you’re jumping. About three strides out, turn to look at your instructor until you’ve jumped the fence.
Many folks jump up the neck on takeoff and then open in the air to compensate on the down side. This jacks up the horse’s balance on take-off then again in the middle of the jump. I bet if you correct the take-off and also quicken your eye, the rest will work itself out.
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Wheel of death?
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You are probably waaay overdoing your release, standing in the irons and throwing your shoulder instead of using your hip angle to make more subtle changes that allow you to a) keep control b) stay on if it stumbles.
Nothing like the above suggestions, especially the wheel of death. None of these exercises need to be big either, you just need to learn to let the horse fold the hip angle and not to jump for the horse. Borrow or pay for a schoolie if you don’t trust your horse.
It is no longer PC to put you on a stinkin stopper that thrives on riders who overdo their position . But that is quite effective, usually only takes once,
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:lol: Yup. I remember that lesson well. My trainer put me on a horse who did.not.tolerate a rider who got even the tiniest bit ahead. Learned that lesson real fast.
Jump grids with no reins, arms cross BEHIND your back, grasping your opposite wrist. Even gallop like this. Really teaches you to keep shoulders back.
What is your own balance like? How are you riding over uneven ground? Can you keep your balance when going down hill? Around corners? The jumping might be symptomatic of a more fundamental problem. I have been watching a lot of competitors recently collapsing after a fence and they seem to be individuals who are less secure even as they approach the obstacles. Some basic work without stirrups might also be helpful, as well as the good suggestions above.
I so need this. These horses should be priceless:lol:.
It sounds like you are not thinking about the next fence soon enough. I like the wheel of death, but I like this other exercise more. I saw it at a Daniel Stewart (I think) clinic about pressure proofing jumping, but it works well for thinking ahead too. Set 4 jumps up in a clock pattern, but closer together so they look more like a pin wheel than a circle. You exercise is to jump all four of them without repeating any fences, use the shortest routes possible to the fences and count the strides out loud to each fence. What it does is really keep you on your toes. You cannot do it successfully without being a step or two ahead. If you’re still thinking about the fence you’re jumping, you’ll be too late for the next one.
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Ever since I got my horse which is a stopper I no longer have the full hunter princess release. Keep your shoulders back and eyes up, they should never be down but instead think butt back not back down will help you stay I balance a lot.
Isn’t this the answer to pretty much everything? 
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Ah, the wheel of death. Just so happens this is what I did in my lesson last week - which is so much harder on when your circle is outside on a slope (it’s so wrong to miss the nice flat indoor right now!). I also think @tbchick84 nailed it - I don’t think about my next fence soon enough. I’m still so relieved to have gotten over one fence I forget about the 2nd fence until I’ve landed the first. Is there a diagram or video of the exercise you mentioned? I can’t quite picture it in my head.
I think it’s time to drop my stirrups and put some poles down so I can work on this more.
Thanks for the ideas!
"Originally posted by findeight View Post
It is no longer PC to put you on a stinkin stopper that thrives on riders who overdo their position . But that is quite effective, usually only takes once"
Wheel of death + stinkin stopper = why I fell off this week. 
The intention was to knock the rust off as horse and I took an early summer break . . . sure did work. I deserved it very much.
You have to get over the " OMG a FENCE" mentality. Just ride the canter and avoid big position changes. You can get away with it in smaller, groomed rings. Outside courses? Unrelated distances? Terrain? Not so much, you can’t be basically out of control for several strides after landing jumping into a bounce or a 3 element obstacle either. Need to work on that.
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You set up 4 fences like the wheel of death, 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock, but you put them closer together. You can even but them up against each other if you want. Instead of jump them on a continuous circle, you clover leaf around to get to each fence. It demands tighter turns which makes you have to plan where you’re going almost before you jump the fence you’re on. While it does not address the related distance problem you’re having on XC, it gets your mind working more quickly.
There’s another exercise that might more directly help your problem. Setup a grid, whatever you like. At the end of the grid, put two fences 2 or 3 strides beyond the last fence at a 45 degree angle from the last fence, so you are forced to go either left or right after the last straight line grid fence. Once you jump the offset fence, circle back around to the grid again and this time go the other way. Never repeat the direction. If you think of a capital letter Y, the grid the the straight part and the tips of the Y is where you put the offset fences.
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I love both of these, tbchick! The 2nd one, I like to include a 3rd fence in line with the grid, then have someone call “left,” “right” or “straight” while I’m in the grid.
You can also build a box, 1 stride one direction & 2 strides the other direction, with additional jumps at 45 degree angles off each corner. Make up patterns all through the thing. It’s in d’Endrody’s book, Give Your Horse a Chance, & is one of my alltime faves.
Another simple one. Two simple fences set at an easy 4 strides (58-60 or whatever rides easiest) in the center of the ring. #1 is the in, #2 the out. And you need a ground person. I liked them at least 2’6", high enough not to be a lope over but low enough to jump a bunch of them.
Get your canter going and have your ground person call “In” or “Out” when you are about 5 strides out. For example, “In- Out”, jump as a line. “In” jump the In and circle. "“Out” skip the In and jump Out only, creating your own track.
A typical sequence would be "In…In…In-Out…Out…Out…Out… In-Out (circle all the way around). Reverse and work it the other direction.
I hope that makes sense, it’s a nifty little exercise that keeps you more worried about track then the jumps. You do 10-12 jumps minimum in a set with one set each way and you’ll get too focused on track, and worn out, to worry about the jump. Funny, when that happens, the distance is right there every time with no input from the rider.
Its easier then the various incarnations of the wheel of death too…fewer rails to keep resetting.
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If you don’t have control over your upper body you have a lower leg problem. Fix your leg.
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Thanks for all of the exercises! So much to work on! I think this week I’m going to start small and basic - pop 4 poles on the ground in our uneven jump field (probably more on the small slope) in a circle of death, drop my stirrups and canter over them. I get the feeling this will provide me with a great deal to work on.
