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Jumping... By Myself?

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jumping
2K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  RunJumpRide 
#1 ·
Hey all!
I think jumping is really fun, and I was just pondering whether I should try it for real... Well, here's a little about my situation:

I'm typically a Western rider (but I can and have ridden English) and I don't really see a huge difference between the two and neither does my 12 year old POA/QH, Specs. I jump bareback 95% of the time, and I'm pretty comfortable with it. The only time I jump with a saddle is when my friend and I jump (she rides English). Specs and I jump low stuff like crossrails, smallish logs, and 1-2 footers. I highly doubt I look good jumping, (hey, I'm doing it bareback, in my defense) but I can jump without bouncing around! ;) Specs isn't the bestest jumper out there, but he's never had proper training, I just ran him towards a jump and he jumped it. What I want for Christmas is a jumping saddle, but before I ask for it, I'd like to hear what you think about me jumping by myself... Is it a good idea or not worth it?
 
#3 ·
You should definley give it a go, jumpings great craic. I ride english style, iv a light square back saddle, prefect for jumping, but get a gp if you want one for abit of everything. If you want to do it properly you should maybe get a few lessons or maybe get a friend that has experience jumping to get you started on getting your position right and getting your stride right going into the jump..Not a great idea to just let the horse race at the jump because ull end up taking of either to late or to soon.. never works.. so when it comes to getting your stride going into a jump the easiest way to pratice is just to lay a pole on the ground and try to "feel" for the 3strides coming toward the pole, might seem like something a beginner would have to do but its a good we excerise and it does help... Theres no rush to be trying big jumps but with these type of simple excerises b4 you know it ull be confidantly jumping a course of fences at whatever height your happy with
 
#4 ·
Since you are jumping bareback you probably have a pretty secure seat, so if your horse refuses you would have a good chance of sticking in the saddle rather than falling in to the jump (the biggest risk, IMO). The other thing is making sure that you are in the correct position to avoid catching your horse in it's mouth.

I think there is a risk even with low jumps. I'm a strong advocate of taking lessons and if you are willing to do so, why not ask a coach to come out and give you a lesson or two, just to make sure that you are doing everything correctly and *safely*.

Enjoy and be safe!
 
#5 ·
No, I do not think you should jump by yourself.

Why? Jumping with horses is much more dangerous than not jumping. The risk of serious head injury goes up enormously - like 50X more likely. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Please see my posts on this thread:

http://www.horseforum.com/rider-wellness/helmet-importance-why-104353/

and here:

Helmets and injuries - some studies (LONG!)

to show the data on how much riskier jumping is.

Given the huge increase in risk of death or serious injury, I do not think a child should make the decision without their parents, and no one should take up jumping without qualified instruction.
 
#6 ·
Thanks guys! My parents are pretty horsey people and they didn't really have a problem with me jumping, and I'm always 'supervised' (well, someone's in my vicinity that would notice if something bad happened), I usually wear a helmet, and I don't really fall off often and when I do I know the technique XD (TUCK N' ROLL! :-p)... Specs is a pretty willing, all-arounder pony who will pretty much try anything I ask him to, but I'd still really like to learn more about jumping and stuff so I can get better. I'm asking for a jumping saddle and some lessons for Xmas, but IDK how the lessons are gonna fly with my parents :P... Mostly I get "but you can ride perfectly well already!"... they don't get the point, but I sure do! I'm workin' on it! :-p
 
#7 ·
Lessons can never hurt, but honestly I don't push them much... I learned how to ride (and jump) when I was 5, so obviously I needed lessons... But as I've gotten older I find that for the most part I can figure things out for myself. I only take lessons once or twice a month because of the cost, but I feel like even without them I would be okay.

I'd say take a few lessons or get a friend who knows how to jump to help you out at first but if you're already comfortable jumping bareback and have a secure seat, I think you're pretty much okay. It doesn't have to look pretty as long as you're safe :)
 
#8 ·
I jumped bareback along with riding western before I switched to English. :) now I ride by myself a lot, though in a fenced in property. I jump a lot, and always wear my helmet. I've never taken lessons but have gotten pointers every now and then from friends or the trainer at the barn. I always carry my phone and let someone know where I am just in case. I don't think it's TOO bad of an idea as long as you're not too careless about it.
 
#9 ·
Ok thanks guys! Another question... If I did end up taking a few lessons and learned to jump properly and stuff, could I jump at home by myself? We have a big flat grass pasture that I set up a barrel pattern in usually that i could use for jumping a little... Would that be safe?
 
#10 ·
Here's a vid of the first time I ever jumped Specs... This was a while ago... And the jumps made of 2 barrels and the poles we use for pole bending! lol! I've gotten a little more comfortable with it now and I don't have to KICK KICK KICK to get him to go over it anymore (haha notice it in the vid I had to really really encourage him! :/)
 
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