I am starting to jump and ride English.. Any tips??

Question

I am going to jump soon. I have taken English lessons a long time ago. I got bored with English and started to do barrel racing. I know how to ride and stuff. I just need jumping tips. I ride a quarter horse mare. She has jumped before. (i used to jump her. only little jumps.)

I really need tips. I do NOT neck rein. I know how to do a posting trot but my canter looks really sloppy. Any tips for that??

~Thanks!

Answer 1

You aren't ready to jump u need to master the canter! seriously believe me don't jump yet

Answer 2

Barrel Racing is the best stick to that =]

Answer 3

when you canter, just hold tight with your upper thigh, it'll give you a better seat. sit tall, and keep the horse at a controled speed.

i kow what your going through, ive been riding western all my life and now i switched to english

Answer 4

Remember to shorten your stirrups one or two holes before jumping as jumping requires a shorter leg that normal or dressage riding and this will also enable you to come up off the horses back to allow him greater freedom of movement. make sure your knee rolls are in the correct position ( if you have adjustable ones)  sit up straight and make sure that your shoulders are in line with your heels ( correct riding position) Most important  start slow and low  make sure both you and the horse are warmed up properly and don't be in too much of a hurry to get things right, practice for about an hour everyday so both of you have less chance for injury  don't overdo it   but have fun  as for your canter just relax  maybe you are concentrating too much on it it will come to eventually practise that in your warm up and cool down.    Some horses to can be very uncomfortable to ride in certain paces  maybe this one is one of them.

Cheers and good luck  

Answer 5

If your canter looks sloppy then i would practice on that until you feel confident about it. Make sure you keep your heels down when you practice because the deeper your heel sits, the more balance you will have going over jumps. Also, practice your 2-point position at a walk, trot and eventually canter. This is the position you will be in while going over jumps. good luck!!

Answer 6

Start with only small jumps until you've mastered the canter and know how to get out of your horse's way.  what really worked for me for cantering was this:  I put both my reins in one hand, put my free hand on the cantle and pulled my butt down.  it really taught me what cantering smoothly should feel like and after some practice i don't jerk around in the saddle for rough horses.  if you trust a friend who's good at lunging you can practice the canter on the lungeline either with or without tack.  lunging without a saddle or bridle really helped me focus on my balance at the canter (and you can always always hold the mane, just with your thumb and pincher finger right at the root where it doesn't wiggle too much) but i only trust a few people to lunge me like that (i broke my back with someone lunging me once).   don't do too many jumps in one lesson, for your horse's comfort.  if you're confident you can learn by making a "chute" of jumping poles supported by barrels and the fenceline.  put a small jump or a series of jumps in the chute.  point your horse toward the jumps, get her going, then practice jumping with your hands either out to the side or holding on to the mane so you don't have to worry about the reins.  otherwise just be REALLY generous in giving your horse a lot of rein of the jump, until you learn to not hit her in the mouth even on a less generous rein.  i'd recruit either a trainer or a friend who's good at jumping to help you.

Answer 7

work on your canter first.

Try no hands, maybe no stirrups to get your leg strength up, and if you feel confident, try your hand at bareback.

when you feel totally confident at the canter, then you can start jumping.

sit back to the jump, put your leg on, and release.

start by trotting over groundpoles to perfect your jumping position, then go to small crossrails, then verticals. then try to canter up to a jump and start to learn striding. just remember to keep your leg on, be confident, sit back, and look up.

good luck!

Answer 8

if your canter looks sloppy, you're probably not ready to start jumping. In order to work on that canter I suggest riding with no hands on a lunge line. This will help you learn the horse's movement a bit better.  

Answer 9

Canter - sit up, let the horse do all the work, relax and let your body flow with his as if you are one.  Let your hips go with the motion.

Answer 10

Keeps your heels deep and down . eyes up, strech up tall

Answer 11

When you canter, just sit up tall and don't lean forward too much. Your shoulder's should be in line with the edge of your saddle. Also make sure you're on the right lead. -when the inside front leg is leading- I just started jumping a few weeks ago. It's sooo fun! To avoid having your horse refuse the jump, never look at the jump, keep your head and eyes up, sit up tall, and heres a tip i learned not to long ago: about 5 strides before you jump, squeeze your horse for a bit because in that 5 strides, your horse decides weather to jump or not. Also be sure your back is flat. Hope that helped!