Horse Riding: Improving Your Balance and Jumping Position

A jump has 5 phases: approach, take-off, flight, landing and the get-away. The actual jump is not finished until the horse is in the get-away phase. It is therefore important to stay in balance with the horse throughout all phases at every jump you tackle.

Landing Heavily After A Jump

Landing heavily in the saddle can occur because the rider is so relieved to have got over the jump that he or she gets back into the upright position too soon, or the rider may be anxious to prepare for the next fence and is unconsciously rushing the process.

This fault can be a cause of horses dropping their hind legs over a fence in anticipation of a bang on the back on landing, and also of the horse bucking and charging off on landing for the same reason. Anything uncomfortable to the horse while jumping, such as a bang on the back or a jab in the mouth can also cause run outs and refusals.

Steadily canter your horse on a fairly long rein, so you've no chance of using it to balance yourself but feel that you have some control, over undulating (not rough) ground, such as a ridge and furrow field, or any reliable ground with gentle dips and rises. Stand slightly in your jumping position with your seat almost brushing the saddle, be in good balance with your lower leg vertical and feel that your horse is pivoting around your knee joint. Keep the knee soft and imagine a rod running through the horse from knee to knee around which the horse may pivot but you may not.

Once you can stay balanced, progress to riding in the same way over raised poles or tiny fences, then slightly higher ones. As the fences increase in height, think of keeping your seat up out of the saddle (legs down) on landing and think ahead until the horse is completely on the flat and trotting or cantering in the get-away phase and beyond.

Improving Your Jumping Position

As a horse takes off over a jump the rider should fold the upper body down from the hip joints. Folding down over the horse like this is an effective, balanced and economical movement for the rider and minimizes disruption to the horse's balance.

Failure To Fold Down When Jumping

The old saying �â'¬Ëœthrow your heart over the fence and your horse will follow' is true to a large extent. Unfortunately, it can be easily misinterpreted as a potentially dangerous physical action that of throwing the upper body to far forward at take-off.

A few years ago the British eventing world did a survey and analysis into falls and accidents in competition and it was found that most falls occur because riders get in front of the movement and so are more easily unseated, usually forwards, if problems ensue. As a result, riders are now taught not to lean too far forward and to keep their weight over the horse's centre of gravity.

When approaching your fence, be in a jumping seat with your stirrups at a comfortable jumping length. Lean forward from the hip joints, not the waist, keeping your back flat and your shoulders pushed gently back and down. If they drop forward it will affect your balance and self-control.

At take-off, lower your breastbone to your horse's crest by folding down and closing the hip joints, and push your seat back a little. Keep your lower legs vertical and down throughout the whole jump letting your weight drop through your loose ankles. As the horse descends and lands, your upper body should automatically return to position.

As your horse stretches his head and neck over the jump let your hands go diagonally down your horse's shoulders and forward towards his mouth, keeping the elbow-hand-horse's mouth straight line. Taking the hands up the crest towards the ears, as so often seen, doesn't �â'¬Ëœlift' the horse but can raise the rider's upper body and shorten the rein at the very time when the horse needs complete freedom of his head and neck.