Critique my riding (jumping)...?

Question

Please give me some suggestions about what I can improve and how I can improve it. I know that my release is too short in the first picture and that the horse's knees aren't even. Sorry the pictures are so blurry! Also, PLEASE be nice in your answers! I will not give Best Answer to someone who was rude and not at all complementary.

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t316/yellowjacket988/horse017.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t316/yellowjacket988/horse005.jpg

Answer 1

you look great but you are over jumping...dont feel as if you have to continue to rise out of the saddle as the horse reached the apex of the jump...simply get up in ur two point posistion and thats all yo have to do and you shouldnt jump ahead ne more lol =]]...also on landing put the weight in your heels instead of roaching ur back...other than that i love your release it looks correct =]]

Answer 2

Your release definitely but you already knew that which is good : ) I would try to center yourself over the saddle, don't get out of the saddle quite so much, you should stay behind the pommel.  Also try to keep your heels down more, which might also help with the out of the saddle thing. Otherwise, great position! Keep up the good work!

Answer 3

I think your starting position is really good, and your seat is good in the landing too!  but maybe you should straighten your back a bit faster when landing:) But otherwise I think your jumping position is really good! And you look really nice on your horse.

That's really good for someone who taught themselves for the first half year and only had lessons for another half! Congrats! =)

Answer 4

It looks pretty good, but maybe shorten your stirrups a hole or two so that you can get up and out of the saddle. Also, when you are landing, it looks as though you kind of pull back on the reins, or give them away completely.

You are also leaping up in front of the saddle which is causing your leg to swing back behind of you. Stick your butt back behind you and don't jump ahead of him, jump with him, and don't fall back into the saddle until his back feet are off the ground. So try staying in 2-pt for a few strides afterwards. :] But for not have ridden that long, its quite nicely put together! And such a pretty horsey! :D

Answer 5

The whole way through you have your hands on the horses neck. This might help your balance but if your horse throws its head down, your going down with it. You position in the first pic is very nice, I can't believe you've only been riding a year! The only thing is your horse's jump looks a bit flat. Try to get him moving but hold the energy in your reins. Set him up for a stride slightly closer to the jump, to make him jump up rather than out.

The landing is always harder than the take off and I do exactly the same as you have in the second picture - put my heels up. Its easy to do because the horses movement pulls you forward with it. You need to keep your heels wedged down and it will help you keep your back straight too. You need to shorten your reins a bit too, because a horse can often take off after a jump and with reins this long you would not have control.

I know it seems a lot but I was picky, its not really. Keep your hand off his neck, that makes your reins shorter, which keeps his head up, which keeps you up, which keeps your heels down! And that's it lol.

Answer 6

you need to release a little bit more, sit further back in the saddle and stop pinching with your knee. your elbows need to come into your sides and you need to get your heels down and your toes in. On the landing you need to stay in two point a little longer and stay off your horses back more.

overall pretty good, most of your issues can be fixed with either practice or no sturrip work.  

Answer 7

for riding only a year, you seem to be doing good, but a video would prove to help more than pictures.. try staying in the middle of your saddle rather than sitting too far forward.. and keep your back straight. in the second you are slouching over.. uncomfortable riding and looking at...

also, you should not say be nice if youre asking for criticism. youre asking people to judge you, and some of the best judgements you can get sound really mean but if you take them to heart, you will learn more from them than from someone being too nice.

Answer 8

You have a good posture but on the second picture try and keep you back straight when landing- apart from that you're excellent!

How high do you jump??

Answer 9

I think it looks really good! One thing you might want to work on is not leaning forward so much (first and second picture) the second picture looked good to tho! Just don't lean as far forward as you were.

Answer 10

Alright. Let's start from the bottom up:

Picture One: The first thing I noticed is that your lower leg has slipped back and your toe is pointing out a little too far. Because of this, you've compensated by throwing your upper body forward in the classic fault of jumping ahead. If you were my student, I'd have you practice 2-point on the flat with and without stirrups. You need to strengthen your base of support to provide security, especially as the fences get higher. Now, your buttocks are too high out of the saddle and you're pinching with your knees, all signs of jumping ahead. This will naturally correct itself when you learn to keep your leg still and heel flexed down. I do like that your back is flat in this shot and your eyes are up, looking for your next fence. Your upper body is actually quite nice, and the whole picture will be better once you fix that lower leg. For your level, though, I would like to see you using a long crest release. Your hands should rest on either side of your horse's crest, halfway up the length of his neck. You should also practice pressing your knuckles into his crest, as you've rotated your hands just slightly. Your horse is pinning his ears in this photo, telling me he's probably not happy about that lower leg. His knees aren't even, but I suspect this may because of the tight hold you have on his mouth. He needs the freedom to stretch up and over the fence.

Picture 2: Landing shots are hard to evaluate, but here we go. Again, your base of support is not as strong as it should be. Your heel should be flexed down, but it seems rather flat in this shot. You're still pinching too much with that knee. Time to drop the irons and do a lot of no stirrups! Your posture and the way you're back in the saddle too early tells me your horse popped you up and you were left behind. I'd have you jumping smaller crossrails and gymnastics to help you learn distances and timing. I do like that you're giving with the reins more, but your horse still has a sour expression. I wonder if he enjoys jumping or maybe needs some time being flatted or hacked through trails. Horses can get ring sour at times, after all.

I do hope you're working with a trainer whenever you jump, as it's absolutely critical to have a professional overseeing you at this stage. A good trainer will have mentioned all these faults to you, and started giving you tools to correct them.  

Answer 11

Well you already mentioned your release is too short. Your heels are a bit flat, and your not staying out of the saddle long enough. Try holding your butt out of the saddle for just a few more seconds. I am working with the same thing. Your horse is so pretty.

Good luck, have fun riding.  

Answer 12

You are doing a lot of things right.  For instance, I love that your black is flat in the first picture, and that you are looking ahead.  I'm impressed that you have been only riding for a year.  

However, there are a couple things you really need to fix.  First, and most importantly is you lower leg.  If you were my student, I wouldn't have you jump higher than 2' because your leg doesn't keep you in a safe place.  When you ride, all your balance and support comes from your leg.  Also, once you correct your leg position, many of your other bad habits will fix themselves because they are all related to your leg.

Take a look at your knee, especially in the first picture.  Can you see how it is pinching the saddle and your whole lower leg has slipped back?  This has caused you to jump ahead of your horse which throws the horse off balance.  Also, when your lower leg slips back, you can kick the horse by accident, which makes some horses very angry.  I learned both of these things the hard way.  If you get ahead of the horse many will say "no way" and stop in front--you might get a mouth full of dirt.  Or if you get a funny distance, the horse literally can't jump, and both of you will land up on the ground.  If you kick them in the air, some will dump you on the landing side.  So it's important to fix this now, before you ride harder horses and try more challenging things.

Start by fixing your stirrups.  I'd shorten them a bit (you may have to punch holes in the leather if you can't get them right).  Then angle the iron across your foot, with the outside at your toe and the inside just behind the ball of your foot.  This way, the stirrup iron is at a 90 degree angle to the horse's side.  Work on loosening your knee and stretching way down into your heel.  I'd do a lot of flatwork in the half seat.

Next, work on closing your hip over the jump.  In the first picture you are ahead, and in the second, I suspect you have fallen behind.  (Look at your horse's expression.  The ears back tell me that your horse wasn't happy with your position over the jump.)  Technically it is safer to fall back, rather than get ahead, but try to stay in the middle.  I like cantering over ground poles to fix this.  It allows you to really focus on your position rather than the jump itself.  Also, are you able to ride a horse with a flatter jump sometimes?  This horse looks fairly scoopey.  You may have an eaiser time practicing on a horse that doesn't throw you around.  I remember when I was first starting that I had a lot of trouble on horses that had a big jump.  I would anticipate and get ahead, or lose my balance and fall behind.  So maybe that has something to do with it.

But again, I love your flat back in the first picture, and that your eyes are up.  Looking ahead is a really important skill.  I would say it is the one thing every rider can use to make their riding better.  Continue working with an instructor.  But I think you're off to a great start.

Answer 13

for the first picture ( take off ) Make sure your hands are out of the withers. To help with that Shorten your reins and pick your hands up while riding. Your legs are very nice. I would like to see you a little farther back and not so over the pommel of the saddle. But with the Crest release that will also help your body. ask your instructor to teach you a long crest release. in your first photo you are doing what is called an automatic release. Over 2"9 and 2 feet that release is not nessasary. The long crest release will help you follow your horse over the jump with your hands / arms.  

Answer 14

You are doing pretty well with not having an instructor.

Okay. Put your leg at the girth when you jump. Make sure it is at your girth and stays there unless you move a bit! You have the bend down, you just need to place your leg at the girth and that will shift you backwards a bit. You are getting a little too close to the pommel of the saddle. Also you may want to inch your hands a bit forward. I suggest tying a hairband about in the middle of your horse's neck and remember to reach for it with your hands, but not change your body. It takes practice, but you'll get there.  

Answer 15

well you need a bigger saddle and you need to shorten your sturrups so the bottoms are just above your ankle bone. try collecting your horse before and after the jump so he/she dosent try to run out or trip. good luck