A horse that flies with grace and purpose elevates the heart of a rider. In order to accomplish this, the horse must be obedient and have the ability to jump over all obstacles, whether physical or mental. Additionally, a horse in this sport must control its speed, direction, and balance as it approaches a jump. This causes many riders to struggle with understanding the correct body placement and timing of the horse.
A horse that flies with grace and purpose elevates the heart of a rider. In order to accomplish this, the horse must be obedient and have the ability to jump over all obstacles, whether physical or mental. Additionally, a horse in this sport must control its speed, direction, and balance as it approaches a jump. This causes many riders to struggle with understanding the correct body placement and timing of the horse.
If you’re one of those struggling riders, don’t worry! These are common hiccups when learning how to jump a horse. The following three simple steps will help you improve your jumping results:
- Know what you want
- Be clear with your communication
- Ride with rhythm
Horses jumping correctly must raise their front legs high enough over the fence so that the steering foreleg will land on the other side of the obstacle first. To get a feel for what this feels like, stand on an elevated surface such as a step ladder or low table so that your feet are off the ground. Then extend your leg forward until you sense that you are about to fall off the surface. It is important not to force your leg forward because this will cause you to lose your balance. Rather, you want only enough movement that your body senses that it is going off balance. This is how much upward lift you want from your horse’s front legs over a jump.
- Jump with a feeling of going off balance.
Horses jumping correctly must raise their front legs high enough over the fence so that the steering foreleg will land on the other side of the obstacle first. To get a feel for what this feels like, stand on an elevated surface such as a step ladder or low table so that your feet are off the ground. Then extend your leg forward until you sense that you are about to fall off the surface. It is important not to force your leg forward because this will cause you to lose your balance. Rather, you want only enough movement that your body senses that it is going off balance. This is how much upward lift you want from your horse’s front legs over a jump.
- Keep their balance by trying to fall backward instead of leaning forward
If you try and jump higher and lean forward at the same time, then one of two things will happen: You’ll either hit the fence (if you don’t jump high enough), or if you do manage to clear it without knocking any rails down, then there’s a good chance your horse will land flat on its back with its head almost touching its tail!
Anns is a contributor at EFA National. We are committed to providing well-researched, accurate, and valuable content to our readers.
