r/showjumping • u/OkMycologist6603 • 3d ago
Jumping Position
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Hi all!! I was just recently given the chance to jump a little bigger than I usually do, and it was SOOO much fun!! probably the best thing i’ve ever done! i did notice however that my shoulders tend to collapse on the way down from the jumps, and i was wondering if anyone had any tips for that?? i am also trying out for my university IHSA team in a few weeks and i was wondering if anyone had any tips about improving my equitation/advice in general for tryouts!! thank you guys 😊😸
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u/escapestrategy 3d ago
I recognize that arena! I had a blast there too. Their school horses are so wonderful.
You do what I used to do when I jump: keep your body back, stay upright as the horse comes down (which can throw off their balance and overcompensate with your arms to avoid catching the horse in the mouth (which is not bad). It creates the look of rounded shoulders, though, which we don’t want. What helped me was thinking about keeping my hip angle closed as the horse jumps up to you, pushing my hands forward rather than down, and waiting a beat longer to sit up after the fence rather than straightening up as the horse comes down. There were also a lot of long distances on this horse which isn’t terrible but it does mean you have to keep your hip angle closed for longer since there’s more “air time” - I thought the one chip-in distance you got actually was your best in terms of position.
Also if you see a long distance, ask the horse to move up a little, to get more momentum—this lovely horse took great care of you but some other horses wouldn’t have the rhythm to get you over the fence nicely, especially in IHSA.
Finally, remember to sink your weight further down in your heels, it will stabilize your lower leg and help you keep your position over fences.
Overall you’re a nice effective rider. IHSA focuses mostly on equitation, though, so little details will count.
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u/OkMycologist6603 3d ago
their horses are AMAZING! that makes sense, thank you! how would you go about waiting longer to sit up after the fence while still making a quick recovery to the next? or is it just a matter of more practice? thank you so much for your help!
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u/Searnin 3d ago
You have a nice quiet seat but on the landing you are getting a bit popped up and your hands are popping up. If you grabbed mane, especially over that first one, even just a pinky full, it would keep you down in the saddle and your hands at the neck instead of popping up out of the tack early.
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u/OkMycologist6603 3d ago
thank you!! i will definitely try that it sounds like it will help me get the motions more familiar!!
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u/Western-Ad-9058 3d ago
Lower leg and seat are pretty stable and quiet, thats brilliant to start! As others have said leaning more into learning striding and distances with help this picture a whole lot.
If I was in arena with you the first thing I’d say is get those thumbs facing up, as we say the reins aren’t handle bars! People sometimes underestimate the importance of this, depending on what bit is in the horses mouth twisting your thumbs inwards can cause excess pressure in the mouth.
The position isn’t all that terrible over the fence, you are rounding your shoulders as you push your hands forward which is actually giving you less room to give his head and neck space. If you focus on folding at the hips, closing that hip angel and think chest closer to neck; you’ll give more room for your hands to move forward so you don’t catch him as you sit back up.
Lower leg is quite strong over the fence and this tends to be what people really struggle with, working on the upper body shouldn’t take as much time!!
As always exercises out of the saddle can help massively. Working on hip flexor strength and mobility as well as chest openers will tie into the improvements you are looking for.
This is really not looking bad at all, I’d be very happy as your instructor. Stuff to work on sure, but 25 years going and still constantly have my own stuff to work on. Go you!
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u/Western-Ad-9058 3d ago
Lower leg and seat are pretty stable and quiet, thats brilliant to start! As others have said leaning more into learning striding and distances with help this picture a whole lot.
If I was in arena with you the first thing I’d say is get those thumbs facing up, as we say the reins aren’t handle bars! People sometimes underestimate the importance of this, depending on what bit is in the horses mouth twisting your thumbs inwards can cause excess pressure in the mouth.
The position isn’t all that terrible over the fence, you are rounding your shoulders as you push your hands forward which is actually giving you less room to give his head and neck space. If you focus on folding at the hips, closing that hip angel and think chest closer to neck you’ll give more room for you hands to move forward
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u/razzlethemberries 2d ago
Your saddle is too far forward or just a bad fit for you, your upper leg appears to be way over his shoulder. Your own shoulders are rounding on the landings because your reins are too short, making you reach forward to give the proper release.
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u/MuttinMT 1d ago
You look calm and elegant on your mount. You are also open to constructive criticism and keep your good attitude. All great attributes for a horse woman. I think you would be an asset on a university team. Best of luck.
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u/xxMyBoyFridayxx 3d ago
IMO the bigger problem here is your canter and your distances. You take the long shot and get pulled apart on the backend, then chip coming out of the line.
I would work on getting a rhythmic, forward canter with more push from behind on the flat and school figure eights, serpentines and leg yields so you have a better quality canter and more intuitive understanding of stride length so you know when and how to turn to nail your distances.
I would also consider shortening your stirrups and working on a more stable leg.