Jumping Clinic with Hillbilly Farms

In all my years, I have seen few less appealing jumps. This rider is standing on his toes, rather than sinking his weight into his heels. His knee is almost straight causing his thigh to be perpendicular to the ground and his crotch in front of the pommel. This has put him in a very precarious position should anything happen.

He is attempting to do a long release, which is appropriate for his low level of riding, but he is not executing it correctly. In a long crest release the hands should be half way up the horse's neck. But because he is so far out of his saddle and his horse has a short neck, his hands are up between his horses ears. At his level I would not expect a straight line from his elbow to the bit, but a 90 degree angle is a bit extreme. His back is fairly flat and his eyes are looking where he is going, which is straight to the ground.

This horse appears to be a dangerous jumper with no sign of style. His upper legs are pointing straight to the ground, rather than coming up to make sure they clear the jump. His expression says he doesn't know what he is doing and is concerned because his rider doesn't either.

The rider's turnout is quite good. My only criticism there would be his boots should be a little bit taller to make his uneducated leg look more elegant. The horse's turnout leaves a lot to be desired. I especially don't like the tacky blue leg wraps. This rider has obviously spent a lot more effort on his own turnout rather than focusing his efforts on his riding skills and his horse's turnout.

This pair is trying to jump a fence that is way bigger than they should even think of attempting. The huge effort this rider is making to jump this fence for her horse has caused her leg to slip back so far that it is almost parallel to the ground. Her foot appears to be too far home in her stirrup. This would prevent her stirrup from being a good base of support if her leg were in even close to the correct position.

This rider's butt is way out of saddle, causing her to throw her upper body forward and down. Her upper body is so inverted that the top of her helmet and the number on her back are visible from this front angle. She is ducking to the right and looking down at the ground (which is where she will probably end up soon if she keeps riding like this). She definitely does not have the artificial hollow back that is so common in the hunter ring. In an effort to not catch her horse in the mouth she has thrown her hands forward. They are just floating above his neck, with her left hand all the way on the right side.

Due to his rider's lack of skill, this horse has jerked his knees to his eyeballs in order to clear this fence. This pair shouldn't attempt fences this large until the rider improves her basic position.

The angle of this picture makes it hard to see what I assume is poor turnout. It appears as though there are two saddle pads, white reins, and a white crop; all of which detract from the turnout. This horse and rider also lack elbow grease that would make everything sparkle.

This peculiar pair displays many of the faults common in the hunter show ring today. Although it is hard to tell her leg position due to the fringe chaps, it appears that her knee angle is too straight. This has caused her leg to slip back. Shortening her stirrups a couple holes will give her a more secure base of support.

This rider looks like she wants to jump ahead of her horse, but is prevented from doing so by the saddle horn. Her upper body is arched in an artificial pose that is so prevalent in today's show hunters. She is doing a decent novice crest release, but her hands are resting on top of her horse's mane. Moving her hands down a couple of inches would give this uneducated rider the extra support that she needs. Her head is up but her eyes are looking down.

This horse has a pleasant and willing expression, but the heavy and odd colored horses are not favored in the hunter ring. But, he should be capable of bringing in some ribbons as a cross rail hunter.

Someone needs to explain the importance of proper turnout to this rider. Apparently, western riders favor even more gaudy apparel than the eventers do. The horse looks well cared for and not lacking anything, especially food. But he is very much in need of a haircut, as mohawks are not acceptable. This pair needs to completely rework their turnout before they even think about entering the show ring.

This rider has a fairly good leg. I like her knee and hip angles, but her lower leg has slipped back just a bit. The stirrup leather should be perpendicular to the ground. Her leather is approaching parallel. This minor flaw could be corrected by putting her weight in her heals, rather than pointing her toes, as she is doing here.

Although her leg position is technically correct, this rider is posed above her horse without understanding the function of correct rider position. There is a bit too much daylight between her seat and saddle and her crotch is over the cantle instead of in front of it. Her back is roached and she is looking down. She does have a nice unbroken arc from her shoulder to the bit, but her hands are floating above her horse's crest. She needs to lower her hands to give herself the extra support she desperately needs due to her precarious position.

The timing of this picture and the rider's lack of ability make it difficult to critique the horse's style. He looks like a capable and enthusiastic horse that will improve as his rider improves.

This pair's turnout is too casual, even for schooling at home. Striving for good turnout at home sets up good habits that will be useful when showing. This horse's unusual clip job and the rider's color coordinated outfit are distracting to the eye. I do not favor the colored square saddle pads, even if they match the riders' outfits.