Jumping before the horse

[SharonA]

Could anyone share some tips to help me _not_ jump one stride before my horse does? I'm getting back into jumping as an adult re-rider, and really want to overcome this terrible habit.

I'm in a light seat (not quite two-point) coming up to the fence, they're baby fences so I don't really have to do a release..... all I have to do is sit there and not move, and I can't do it! I get ahead of my poor horse, and now she's becoming less steady at the fence because she's having to deal with me. I have a wonderful trainer, but I'm getting sick of not being able to nip this in the bud. I loved to jump 30 years ago, but I remember that I had the same bad habit then.

Haven't had a bad fall over a fence, so I'm not afraid -- I'm just rushing things.

My trainer recommends cantering over ground poles, which we'll do, but are there any additional suggestions?

[hellerkm]

Look UP!!! if you are looking UP and NOT "looking" for a spot you will not jump ahead, your horse will just slightly close your hip angle. Treat the fence as if you were just cantering along ( or trotting along) keep your eyes up and looking in the direction you are going. Small fences are simply another stride in your flat work. Good Luck , its good that you realize your problem and are trying to fix it NOW instead of when the fences are bigger and your more likely to cause your horse to refuse!

[Cita]

Find a steady-eddy type horse and do some jumps with no reins. Best exercise I've found to help with jumping ahead.

Knot the reins (so they won't droop and get tangled), drop them a couple of strides before the jump, stick your arms out like wings, and leg on! Then hope your horse has a good "whoa" ;) It's a good exercise for steering with your seat/legs instead of your hands, too.

If that's not feasible, some small gymnastics might help.

[LShipley]

I am working on this same problem while going over smaller fences. What is helping me is going up to each fence, I try try to sink into the saddle and press my heels down. Since I normally go around in two-point, sinking into saddle right before a fence makes it easier to let her push me out of the saddle and not get ahead of the jump. It does take a really conscious effort going up to each fence for me though.

[Tex Mex]

"Haven't had a bad fall over a fence, so I'm not afraid -- I'm just rushing things."

If you do have a bad fall, you probably won't jump ahead anymore!

[HJPony]

Patience!

Another poster mentions looking up. You need this, pick a spot and stay there till your next fence. Chances are you are looking down at your horse's neck and see them preparing for the fence thus you do the same.

You mentioned these are baby fences. No need to go into a full jumping position. Plant your hands in front of yourself and square your shoulders. When jumping your shoulders should always follow your hands, never the other way around. the other way around inhibits your horse from using his back and neck, not good. Make sure your lower leg is steady and useful. With both your upper and lower body in the correct position your animal can now jump UP and INTO you forcing you to stay square and centered over the saddle. Lastly and most importantly, for right now approach the jump sitting deeper than you normally would.

If you have a trainer, ask him or her to set a low one stride line. In between the first and second fence you will have little time to overthink your position and staying centered will come naturally, at least to the second fence.
Jumping without reins would also help. Never ever do this without the correct mount, a person on the ground, and a controlled riding area. Have fun!:)

[fourmares]

Instead of jumping with no reins jump with your reins in one hand and your other hand on your inside hip (inside for the direction you will go when you land) fingers facing forward.

If your horse is good you can close your eyes. This is good to do in trot in gymnastics, but you can do it to anything if your horse is good.

[Monarch]

I have this same problem. Try jumping small jumps without stirrups - makes it harder to jump a head and not wait for the horse. One other thing that has helped me is to think about the horses hind legs when approaching a jump.
M

[pday09]

If you have a nice horse, jump with no reins. Focus on keeping your eyes up and your weight in your heels. You could even practice tilting your chin up so you don't see the fence as you come towards it. Since you're jumping small fences, just let the horse's movement move your body, instead of trying to stay stiff and still or anticipating the horse's movement by throwing yourself forward. Good luck!

[katie16]

A favorite excercise of mine is to put the rider on a steady-eddy horse and do small single* jumps with your eyes closed.

*I find that doing single jumps is important for this particular habit, rather than a gymnastic. If you were to do a gymnastic, typically you'll only jump ahead on the first jump of the gymnastic because you are anticipating/guessing when your horse will leave the ground. You're not likely to do it all the way through the gymnastic because that question is then removed. Doing singles instead of a gymnastic saves your horse the additional efforts as well as gives you more practice on the "problem" jumps.

From your post, it sounds like you havea PATIENCE issue. However, if you really have a BALANCE issue doing the grid work would be helpful to you (with your eyes open).

For a strong and secure rider, I also like jumping without stirrups. However, you sound like that might possibly be a bit beyond your ability/comfort level? In that case, I would stick to jumping with the eyes closed.

[RugBug]

Find a steady-eddy type horse and do some jumps with no reins. Best exercise I've found to help with jumping ahead.


This is my suggestion as well. You will not jump ahead when you've got no reins. :D

Or jumping down hill. That works as well, but can be harder to practice unless you have a hill you can put jumps on. :winkgrin:

[Dixon]

Don't practice on a steady-eddy horse that forgives you when you jump ahead. Practice on a stopper that will toss you over his head if you don't wait until he jumps. Self-preservation is the best remedy for jumping ahead.

[RugBug]

Don't practice on a steady-eddy horse that forgives you when you jump ahead. Practice on a stopper that will toss you over his head if you don't wait until he jumps. Self-preservation is the best remedy for jumping ahead.

:eek: And also a very quick way to become even more fearful and very defensive. Take it from someone who spent two years on a stopper and still can't get rid of the defensiveness 6 years later: NEVER ride a stopper* if you don't have to.




(Stopper* defined as a horse that will stop, often with little provocation and does so often. The horse that occasionally stops out of self-preservation is not a stopper...but rather a very smart horse. :))

[2 tbs]

This is one of my biggest issues too :no: However, I agree with RugBug on the stopper ride :dead: My now retired horse was one of those smart ones - he was arthritic behind and I would jump ahead so he'd leave the scene of the crime...too hard to lift his neck with me laying on it and I don't blame him!

However, even though I *know* that's part of why he was a stopper - I couldn't give it up. Even to this day, with my other horse, I jump ahead no matter how big the fence. Then, because I jump ahead, when my horse gives me one of his ejector seat style fences I sometimes sit back too soon. Thankfully he has no idea he's allowed to stop and he has no idea I'm not supposed to sit down that early...man do I love this horse :D

I find the stopper can sometimes put you in the fetal position which is defensive but not the the smartest place. Sure, curling up to protect yourself seems like the right thing but sitting tall and waiting keeps you in the tack! I learned to jump ahead and curl up so when my horse stopped I was already leaning on his neck and had nowhere to fall unless he spun left or right which might be enough to slip me off the side :cool:

Gridwork is my friend. I get in 2 pt at the front rail (9ft ground rail when trotting in) and stay there. I get used to the feel then I take the rail away and concentrate on that same rolling feeling. I do have to count 1, 2, 1, 2 to the base of the jump and think "leg on/step down" as my horse takes off so my calf stays on the horse and my knee doesn't rotate in to grip which is part of how I jump ahead. It's very hard and if I get nervous about a jump I can't concentrate enough to stop the jumping ahead thing. It's definitely a constant thought process. Don't think about it one time and it I go right back to it-no matter how many I jumped correctly before then. I'm hoping some day not jumping ahead will become second nature but I'm not hopeful since it's been, oh, 18 or so years of this habit :uhoh::dead:

[kateh]

I've done a lot of these suggestions. The stopper I rode for awhile did help, but only because he was a pony and wouldn't catapult me out of the saddle-he just needed extra encouragement or he wouldn't jump. I'm pretty sure it'd be a whole different story if I was eating dirt off of a 17hh horse every time.

What I do now to "remind" myself is jumping without reins or my eyes closed. I also like to kind of talk to myself-I just keep saying "wait" with every stride so it keeps my mind focused on it. It also helps keep me still since I'm focusing on that and not my distance ;)

[dab]

As you finish rounding the corner on an approach, lock the elbow of your inside arm and bury that fist in your horse's mane about halfway up the neck -- It looks strange and feels awkward, but it will make you wait with your upper body --

[avec_love]

I usually just lurk on this board but had a similar problem recently so I thought I would share.

When I came back to riding after about a two year break, I had basically the same exact problem. I was on a nice, honest schoolie, doing very small, simple courses, but I KEPT jumping ahead. Trainer had me doing all sorts of things (many of which were suggested here) but then finally realized that a stride or two out I was dropping my eye and looking at the fence. When she had told me to "pick a spot and look at it" the visualization hadn't sunk in, so I was picking a spot, dropping my eye, then looking back up to the spot. Realizing that I was dropping my eye JUST before the fence helped me be more proactive about keeping it up. It literally fixed all of my jumping ahead problems... as if my trainer waved a magic wand or something :yes:

Anyway sorry for the novel. That's just another thing for you to think about. Good luck!