Jumping Clinic with Hillbilly Farms

The angle of this photograph makes it difficult to critique, but somehow I think I can find at least a few faults. It is difficult to discern the rider's leg position, but it appears as though her heel has come up a bit and she is gripping with her calf. This probably is a result of her attempt to catch up with her horse after getting left behind. Shortening her stirrups a hole or two will help her get out of the saddle a bit more.

Her position over fences needs some work. I can not see any daylight between her seat and the saddle. She needs to find a jumping instructor that can teach her the "two-point" position that is commonly used over fences. This position will allow her to get off the horse's back over the fence. I cannot really comment on her release, as there is none, but her long reins have ensured that she did not commit the cardinal sin of catching her horse in the mouth. Her back is flat and her eyes are closed. The look of euphoria on her face indicates that she is blissfully ignorant of the danger of jumping in this style.

This enthusiastic horse is trying his hardest to jump this fence clean from an extremely long distance. It looks as though he cleared the fence, but he sacrificed good style to do so. His left knee is up nice and tight, but he has hung his right knee just a bit. This horse appears to be an athletic and willing horse, but he is a bit too eager. Rather than jumping from two strides out, he needs to learn to wait until he is a little closer to the jump before taking off.

This pair's turnout also needs work. The horse's mane and tail should be braided and his hooves should be polished. I do not like dark saddle pads. A clean, white, fitted saddle pad would give this pair a more professional turnout. This rider needs a hunt coat that fits properly. This coat is too baggy and the sleeves are too short, showing too much shirt cuff below her jacket sleeve. Her boots need to be taller and gloves should always be worn. She needs to invest a few cents in a hair net and she needs to cut that ridiculous bow off of the front of her helmet cover.

This rider's leg position appears okay over this fence, but she obviously does not know how to get her horse to a fence properly. Her leg is under her in a secure position. This is the only thing saving her horse from justifiably sending her over the fence by herself. This rider needs to do a lot of work on the flat and learn basic theoretical concepts of jumping before she even considers attempting to jump this poor horse over even tiny fences.

While she is trying to be generous with her release, she is attempting to execute an automatic release, which is much too advanced for her level of riding. An automatic release, when executed properly, results in a straight line from the rider's elbow to the bit. This straight line should not extend to the rider's shoulder, as it does in this photo. This rider's gaze is straight at the ground, where she and her horse are about to end up. Despite all of this, she is smiling and appears to be enjoying herself.

Her horse has the look of a willing horse that is used to bailing his rider out of bad situations. He appears to be a good-natured horse, but he lacks style. His back end has slipped out from under him and his legs are loose below the knee. This lack of style will keep him from ever being successful in the hunter ring, even if his rider learns to ride him properly.

This pair's deplorable turnout is a good match for their abilities, or lack thereof. This scantily clad rider's clothing is not appropriate to wear in public, much less for schooling a horse. Chaps are unacceptable and I don't care for square saddle pads, especially brightly colored ones. To add to the sloppy appearance of this photo, there is tack and other miscellaneous equipment hanging on the fence in the background. Tack should always be hung neatly in an appropriate place while not in use, not throw haphazardly on a nearby fence.

This first rider has really won her battle against perfection. Her stirrup is on the arch of her foot, rather than the ball. This does not allow her to sink her weight into her heels. As a result she is pinching with her knees and this has caused her leg to slip back a bit. A rider with a solid leg position will have a stirrup leather that is perpendicular to the ground, not parallel like it is with this rider.

This rider has somehow managed not to jump ahead of her horse. Although her hands are not visible in her horse's free flowing mane, it looks as though she is executing an acceptable crest release that helps support her upper body, which is especially important given her uneducated leg. Her back is slightly rounded, but her eyes are up looking for her next fence.

This pony's sleepy expression says he would rather be taking a nap. This lack of attention shows in his style or lack thereof, although he has not been helped out by his rider, who obviously buried him at this fence. He has lofted himself high in the air with his front legs loose and his knees pointing down. In addition to lacking ability, this horse is also not the bay color that is favored in the hunter ring.

The turnout of this pair is unacceptable, even for a schooling show. They have loose hair flying everywhere. This pony's wild mane needs to be braided or at minimum pulled. His long feathers need to be trimmed, as do his whiskers. The rider's long braid needs to be contained in a hair net and her shirt needs to be tucked in. This rider's excess stirrup leather is almost as long as her leg is on this pony. It may be time to grow up and move to a more acceptable size horse. While this casual turnout is common with hillbillies, it is too sloppy for my taste.

This rider is perched precariously on her trustworthy pony. The only thing keeping her on top of the pony is her gripping knee. Her lower leg has slipped so far back that it is parallel to the ground and she has come so far out of the saddle that her thigh is perpendicular to her pony's back.

Her insecure leg position has caused her to throw her upper body up on to the poor pony's neck. The weight of her whole body is supported in her hands, which she has planted on the neck. Her decision to execute a crest release is a good one given her lack of riding ability, however I would like to see her using a longer release. This will allow her tolerant pony to have more rein over the fence and prevent the rider from hitting her in the mouth when her position is inevitably jostled on landing. This rider's unstable position is made even worse by her looking at the ground instead of up and at her next fence. This rider needs to do lot of work on her basics. She needs to work on developing a secure position at all three gates before she even thinks about jumping. After her position becomes secure on the flat I would allow her to begin jumping cavalettis and maybe small crossrails.

The effort this wonderful pony is putting forth is more than this rider is worthy of. The pony is making a tremendous attempt to heave her front end, and her rider on her neck, over this fence without hitting it by bringing her forelegs up as tight as she can get them. She appears to be rubbing it lightly with her front right, but given the circumstances it is an amazing effort. This patient pony does all of this with an alert and willing expression that makes me think she has never known any other style of riding. She is a great jumper and will improve tremendously once her rider learns to stay out of her way. Also, she deserves a rider whose size is more appropriate to her small stature.

This pairs turnout is as indicative of their lack of preparation as the rider's poor position is. The rider is not wearing an appropriate collar on her shirt and she did not even bother to button the top button. In the show ring gloves should always be worn and rider's hair should always be contained. I don't care for the colorful helmet covers worn by eventers as they ruin what could be a nice turnout, but in this case it does not matter. The pony's mane needs to be braided, or at least pulled short, and her hooves need to be polished.