At 13:49:40 on 16.01.10, Flicka wrote:
An answer in another thread in this group made me think about the different jumping styles there are. Some top riders really sit back on their seatbones in between jumps and others take a lighter more forward seat. I wonder which methods people prefer and why?

At 00:55:09 on 19.01.10, emm0r wrote:
I think it depends on what your jumping to be honest and if its a speed class or the horse itself !!! I tend to use both when necessary

At 02:51:51 on 19.01.10, kibby wrote:
for me it depends on the horse, my good mare is sensitive through the back and i mostly use two point, and am balancing on my stirrups, but on my younger horse i sit back on him, i feel i get more response then..

At 21:31:24 on 31.01.10, Kiera wrote:
It is safer to adopt a "hunting seat", where you remain in the saddle, but this is much less cofortable for the horse and the rider! If you do stay in the saddle, remember to slip your reins as the horse goes over the jump as they need to stretch their neck down to keep their balance on landing and will soon learn not to jump if you hold the rein tight and jab the horse in the mouth. The forward seat gives the horse more freedom but you are vulnerable if the horse hits the fence (particularly cross country jumps that don't fall) or stops. Most experienced riders use a forward seat because they can balance well and have a good partnership with their horse. Hope this helps. This picture shows how to hold onto your horses mouth if you want to put him off jumping whilst adopting an "in the saddle" position!

At 14:45:34 on 01.02.10, emm0r wrote:
I agree with Kiera, however you should NEVER EVER let your reins slip unless you are cross country and desperately need to! However when showjumping if you slip your reins you have no control and if your horse trips you will be straight over its head. You can stay sat deep in the saddle and not pull on the horses mouth if you are in the correct position!! I use a lot of 2point canter work at home however tend to use a more deepened seat when jumping to give the horse security .

At 20:29:03 on 01.02.10, kibby wrote:
i dont think she meant slip through your hands, more follow the horses mouth and give them release over the jumps, if you don't do this there is no way your horse can stretch through the air and round over his jumps..

At 11:03:34 on 02.02.10, Skirt13596 wrote:
I think everyone has a good point. I am lucky enough to have a horse that can jump up to 6ft with no rider, although I currently jump less than 60cm. I adopt a hunter seat all the time, because my horse almost never refuses and I always give her a little release over the jump, and then gather her up in the stride after she lands.

At 18:34:34 on 06.02.10, ShadowLonging wrote:
I tend to just slide my hands right up the neck. This is because the horse stretches his neck right out and then tends to spring off very quickly after the jump. That way, I never release any of the contact, but I don't pull the horse in the mouth either.

At 17:32:35 on 22.04.10, lozzyhorselover wrote:
i used to just remain in the saddle and lean forward, again, it depends what height you are jumping, if you are doing fairly small ones, i would just stay in the saddle and move your hands and seat with the horse, if you are doing a higher one, i would lean out of the saddle, at the minute i prefer to lean out of the saddle whatever the height, even though it has been ages since i jumped the second pole, lol.

At 17:10:05 on 03.05.10, sophieandcallum wrote:
Was lucky enough to have a lesson from a top eventer (competed for uk in his hay day in a few european countries aswel as qualifying 10 horses for badminton) he wouldn't let me sit on the horses back throughout jumping while in canter I had to "keep your a*se out of the saddle!!" was his words...think it's safe to say while show jumping keeping a forward balanced seat with your weight well and truely in your healsis the best way to get round, he said it allows the horse to travel through for you.