Getting left behind

[Lucie]

Can anyone suggest some exercises for helping a student who gets left behind when jumping please?

The horse she rides is perfect for this, being sensible and knowing his job inside out.

At the minute I’ve been setting up trotting poles and putting a small x-pole at the end. Then removing the poles 1-by-1.
We’ve also been doing the same in canter.
She does these exercises brilliantly UNTIL we’re down to just the jump .

The same happens when I set up some tiny gridwork. Any jumping, she's behind.

She’s an excellent judge of striding from the ground AND in the saddle surprisingly.
I’ve had her estimating strides to-and-from certain points (eg, down 1 long side), then riding it. Then riding between the same points for a fewer amount of strides, then riding for a longer amount etc.
All this she’s good at.

Adding onto the above exercise, I asked her to estimate between 1-point-and-a-pole-on-the-ground. She gets the distance right, but STILL gets left behind if he hops the pole (and it is a gentle hop, not a jump).

Her jumping and flatwork position is good at halt and held in all paces. And she is confident as they come (it doesn’t worry her, it’s just not ideal).

Any exercises?

 

[casey]

Personally, I would get her to get into the 2 point position early, and learn to absorb the movement.

 

[coss]

maybe make her jump with eyes closed if the horse is reliable so she has to feel the horse gathering to jump?
anyway she can try jumping without reins? if the horse is reliable get her starting to fold before the jump so she doesn't have as far to go to be in full jumping position
ETA: eyes closed would be advisable for a neck strap to be added so no pulling on the reins for balance and less chance of falling.

 

[Iron Maiden]

I'm often behind the movement when I jump, have been for years! My RI's been making me jump grids without stirrups & it's really helping, it makes you use your legs properly. You can get left behind for different reasons though - I brace against my stirrup & shove my lower leg forward in old hunting stylee, so taking away the stirrup stops me doing this. As Casey says, getting her to take up jump position sooner & maybe getting her to hold the mane or a neckstrap might worth a go.

 

[Kathryn128]

It's like your student is me!!!!

All of the above work really well, as does jumping without reins, this works a charm as they cannot get left behind or will be unceremoniously dumped!

My personal favourite is simply being told to wait. You could tell her to not change a thing about her position until it feels like it's almost too late (for her), and not to anticipate the jump at all, just waaaaaaiiiit for it to come to her (this is where the jumping with your eyes shut comes in useful too)

 

[carrimclaren]

Change the horse maybe and see how she fares? See whether it's just a case of rider doesn't click with horse (can happen) or whether it is down to another reason. Also agree with the telling to sit and wait sit and wait thing. Find with riding if someone is saying something to you it tends to go in easier than if you're trying to chant it yourself.

 

[Lucie]

Thanks everyone!

You all seem to be favouring the early positioning technique, which I haven't yet tried so that's 1st on my list!

I have had her fingers hooked round a neckstrap to avoid any yanking and as far as her hands/the horse's mouth go this works a treat. It just doesn't stop her being left behind .

Regarding some points made. . . .

My personal favourite is simply being told to wait

She doesn't seem able to understand the concept. We have done jumping with eyes closed (in an attempt on my part to demonstrate the 'waiting'), but it didn't help at all and we've revisited it afew times since then with no more luck.

Change the horse maybe and see how she fares?

She's tried several horses and been the same with all of them. To be honest Danny (the horse) is a goldmine neddy ! Never hits a bad stride, is rhythmic and always sensible to a fence. He's also the rider's favourite and the one her problem is least exaggerated on.

 

[fishiz3434]

she might be trying too hard resulting in her going thiough the motions of jumping to fast....i dont know wat n e of that means but i was told thats wat i did when i was first learning to jump lol...i think they ment i was trying to move myself over the jump and not move with the horse...n e way my coach got me to canter in 2 point for about 5 mins and then i jumped a heap of jumps perfect cos i wasn't allowed to do anything other than stay in two point and move with the canter which then made me stay with the horse the whole time...she had me put my hands all the way up him neck too so i wasn't jabbing his mouth when he jumped...hope this helps

 

[*Lizzie*]

Personally, I would get her to get into the 2 point position early, and learn to absorb the movement.

this is what I would have suggested. The more she does it the better she will get at judging and it also strengthens leg muscles doing it for long periods in a lesson (although tiring!!)
Gridworks also fairly good.

 

[Elvengirl]

Do you get her to hold her two-point during flatwork? Have her ride in a half-seat for extended periods of time during flat-work in trot and canter with transitions and circles, always in half seat. Do this also without stirrups once she is doing 15-20min work in half-seat with stirrups well. I find what worked best for students was walk-canter-walk transitions in half-seat as it seems to replicate the forward push of going over a jump well. Also posting in the canter is great (half-seat one stride, full-seat one stride) as it teaches the student how to use the thrust of the movement to push her out of the saddle and then use her core muscles and her inner thigh to stay up in half-seat.

Have you tried lunging her on a circle with a small verticle added without stirrups or reins? this will also do wonders. Ask her to look at you on the center of the circle while lunging over the jumps and you will probably notice a pronounced difference fairly quickly. Lunging her will allow her to learn the "feel" without having to be concerned with getting there.

edited to add: I don't like the idea of teaching the student to go into two-point early before a jump because I think it seriously hinders any natural ability they have for seeing a distance. It ends up giving them trouble later in training because they anticipate a fence and jump ahead, which is a WAY harder habit to break than getting left behind!!!

Hope this helps