Are you one of those lucky few whose horse is nuts about jumping? You are lucky. There’s a whole population of riders out there who would jump at the opportunity to get their hands on your pony.
Some horses are so enamored of jumping they set at it like they are blasting off on a moon shot. Let me make things clear, I might any day go for a horse that jumps with gay abandon than a pony that appears to believe the air 2 feet above his head is hurtful to health. The major difficulty is , however , that over enthusiastic horses have a tendency to send you flying out of the stirrups and the saddle every time they jump, and it’s badly disorienting to have to thump back into the saddle and grope for your stirrups as you battle to get your wits back about you. It can be particularly disastrous if you are in an event.
2 prominent reasons cause riders to leave their saddles when their horses over jump. The first is the momentum related to a big over jump from your pony or on account of your horse having a big round bascule. At any rate, you do need to learn to stay in balance, whatever the thrust that leads you to leave the saddle. The two things you need to focus on are seat and equilibrium.
Say you are preparing your pony for a small jump over a little stream and he lifts off like he’s Superman in disguise. You are caught completely unprepared, and you react by trying to grab hold of the saddle with your knees. You have just set off a chain reaction leading to catastrophe. The physical consequence of your attempt to use your knees to embrace the saddle is to lift your lower legs and swing them right out of the stirrups.
Try something else next time your pony makes an attempt to clear the moon. Focus on keeping relaxed, and forget grabbing the saddle with your knees. Let your pony hoist you from the saddle. Maintain balance over your lower limbs and let your weight sink down into the heels. When you have your balance right over your legs, with your weight in the heels, your unplanned exit from the saddle will be quick and you won’t lose the stirrups.
That one paragraph may make it sound like a cake walk. I plead guilty. It is not going to be all that easy. You’re going to have to work very hard at gaining the kind of balance and confidence I have talked about. You want to spend a heap of time on a two-point position. The most effective way of strengthening your lower limbs and getting stability into your position is to ride the two-point at all 3 gaits; and to bolster your seat and horse-oneness by riding without stirrups.
You’ll also gain a lot from jumping tiny grids. Erect about six smallish cross rails roughly 10 to 12 feet apart. Get your pony to indulge himself jumping; make sure your head is up, your legs are relaxed, your body is balanced and your weight is in your heels. Concentrate hard on continuing to remain relaxed; don’t attempt to grip with your knees. Keep practicing till you get the hang of it.
When you have perfected your approach to your horse’s jumps, you’ll find life a lot less complicated. Your butt will stay in contact with your saddle irrespective of how much he exerts himself. You may be proud of the proven fact that you have got an athlete with much potential.
Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers click here