More jumping

[Cassie]

Ok so on the weekend me and Cassia wen't and rode our horses. Cassia is going to be riding Shadow so I showed her how she needs to be ridden. We went out in the feild on of the days and jumped a bunch. Heres the pics. I have videos as well but I haven't loaded them yet. I'd really like a critique on my riding. You'll get a better idea of it from the videos than you will from the photos so I'll try to get them loaded soon. What do you think, do I have the potential to be a good jumper if I took lessons?

[Cassie]

Heres the videos.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocYowz1ppe0
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBK6ILc_XLA
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiLpUTAGuqc

[EquitationRocker♥]

I think if you had the right saddle it would be easier for you, not easy, but easier. Try not to give THAT big of a release, you are deffinately lighter in your saddle than before though. Try to stay up a little while longer too. It would help if you shortened your stirrups a little bit, it will feel like your a jockey for a while and hurt but you'll eventually get used to it. Much better than before though! ;D

[[J u m p r g r l ♥]]

Like Beth said, definatly better than before! If you had the right saddle it would be a whole lot easier, and you don't have to do that big of a release. Shortening your stirrups would definatly help a lot.

[Cassie]

Thanks guys. When you say release are you meaning my actual rein length or how high up on er neck my hands are? I just let her have a lose rein because shes not use to being ridden with contact to the mouth unless somethigns being corrected and I'm also in a western bit.

Theres a lady comming down on Nov. 17th who use to be a stable hand at the barn. Shes coming because the barn owners are leaving for a week and shes going to watch the barn and take care of the horses while they're gone. I talked to her and she said we can make a small jumping coarse in the arena! I'm stoaked. Do you think I should do that in the western saddle or go bareback? The saddle isn't that great for her back but I dont really have a good jumping foundation so bareback would probably be hard for me.

Right now my plan is to ride english when I move to at the end of January. I'm planning on going to Lynn Boulter to start with. She was highly recomended and coaches to international levels. She teaches most disciplines but even coaching a jumper she focuses mostly on dressage. She said they hardly do any over fence work. I want to jump so I was thinking of finding another barn that will alow for more jumping time in lessons but I'd go to Lynn first to get a good foundation. Get the basics down, learn 2-point, jump a bit. Its my goal to go to compete in those show jumping shows that run at spruce (sp) meadows. They're on tv a lot. I'm hoping to get there in the next 20 years. I think I could do it. Which leads me to my next question. Do you think I'll pick it up quickly? Be honest, you can say no if you dont, I wont be offended. Also, for you jumpers, do you spend most time working flat rather than over the fence like Lynn does or do you do a lot of jumping?If thats normal than I'll probably just stick with her the whole time.

[EquitationRocker♥]

I think you can pick up fairly quickly. And you don't want to jump your horse more than 2 times a week, unless it's a horse show. Flat work flat work flat work. You can never do too much flat work, well unless your horse is old and well yeah lol you get the point. If you do alot of jumping and stuff putting linament on your horse's legs and other joints (and their butt muscle,the part that the tail lines) will help the horse stay sound and supple. Dressage is a very nice thing to have, after all jumping is like dressage with speed bumps in the way. ;D Deffinately invest in a saddle. HDR's are nice and cheap (Henry De Revels). For now I wouldnt go bare back becuase you havent been jumping for too long so you don't know the feeling of it too well yet, so you slamming down on her back with noooo padding what so ever would be worse. For right now, try to make it a very short time, you can use your western saddle, but shorten the stirrups up about 3 holes. (the bottom of the stirrup should touch your ankle bone). Good Luck, you'll do great I promise.

[Cassie]

Good point, I would probably be slamming on her back most of the time. With a saddle it is.

When you saw twice a week do you mean going over a jump twice or working on it 2 days a week?

[EquitationRocker♥]

working on it 2times a week :-)

[[J u m p r g r l ♥]]

Flat work is so so so so so important in jumping! If you don't have a good dressage foundation, you won't make it to the big stuff. Like Beth said, jumping is dressage with speed bumps! Most people think that you hop on the horse, canter towards the jump and then jump it, but it's not that easy!!! There's a lot of stuff that you have to be thinking of along the way. If you practice, practice, practice, i'm sure you'll do great! But you really should invest in an english saddle.

[FreeStyle08]

from what I can tell in the videos and you being in a western saddle with work on you and the horses part you can make it to spruce meadows. but as the others have said you can never do enough flat work

the more you practice and work on flat the better and easer jumping will be. (once you get the right saddle)

but I have had a few people come up to me at the last show and ask me how long I had been jumping.

and i was perfectly honest with them i told them that I hadnt jumped for 1 year the hole time I was doing dressage and they couldnt belive it they said that I looked like I had been jumping ever since i was little.

and I had only taken maby 1 month of jumping lessons 2 years ago.

[Cassie]

Arg, I hate flat work. I'm not going to get a saddle for a while because I'm selling Shadow so I dont need one. I can't really aford a horse until after I get a house and a car since I'm graduating this year. I need to take lessons first because I dont want to buy a horse that can only jump small things. I want to buy a horse that I can compete at a decent sized height so I've gotta learn to do that myself first.

I can't see you're jumping form being all that important really either. I was watching a spruce meadows show and this one guy (I want to say Richard Sthingyer but thats probably not right) was jumping way different than the convential jumping style and he does really well.

[~♥*Ren*♥~]

Everyone pretty much covered it, before you get too much into jumping though, teach your horse a little dressage, I don't mean Grand Prix level, but the basic things, like leg yeilds and stuff. It'll help you in the long run. You are way over releasing and you are overjumping, but I think if you got an english saddle, the problem would be fixed a little bit.
and.. LOOK UP LOOK UP LOOK UP!!! I'm not trying to be mean, but if you are looking down while you are jumping, you are gonna end up on the ground! But I think with some lessons, you'll be an awesome jumper!