I want to make a final point about jumping drops; I have heard riders say they have been told when jumping drops, "hold your shoulders back," "get your head back" or "lean back." I do not use those descriptions, because they focus on the rider's upper body. When you focus on your upper body, it makes you tense, with unsatisfactory results when you land. (In addition, focusing on your upper body will usually make your hands tight, and you will have trouble slipping your reins.) Your security is in your lower-leg position, so the emphasis should be there as well.
I tell riders to move their feet back a few inches when jumping up, which allows their lower legs to move behind the girth. The reverse is true when jumping drops: Don't think about moving your shoulders back, think about placing your lower leg in front of you.
If you watch videos and look at photos, you will see that the riders who are negotiating jumps in balance have their lower legs in this relationship. If you look even more closely, you will see a vertical stirrup leather. People make jumping on horseback seem more complicated than it really is. When you land over a jump, land with your feet on the "ground." Remember, for the rider, her stirrups are the ground. Happy landings.
In need of examples for why vertical is absolute? Check out these links to video and photos of world-record-breaking horses and riders accomplishing tremendous feats. Note their lower-leg positions!
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- Alberto Larraguibel and Hueso breaking the world high-jump record in 1949.
The high-jump world record is held by Chilean Captain Alberto Larraguibel and Hueso, a 16.1-hand Thoroughbred stallion. It was set on February 5, 1949, when Hueso was 16 years old. The jump stood at 2.47 meters (8-foot, 1.5 inches).
Watch a video of Alberto Larraguibel breaking the world high-jump record.
Col. Lopez del Hierro of Spain long-jumped 8.3 meters (over 27 feet, 2 inches!) riding Amado Mio at CSIO Barcelona on July 1, 1951. See a photo of del Hierro and Amado Mio. They held the long-jump record until André Ferreira riding Something broke it on April 26, 1975, in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a jump of 8.4 meters.
This article first appeared in the May 2009 issue of Practical Horseman magazine.
