- Jumping: Exercises and Training Articles -

Horse jumping is a difficult feat to accomplish, unless you really know what you're doing. It takes a lot of skill to handle the horse. From going over poles on the ground to jumping six foot fences, the rider must always be aware of what they are doing and where they are going. The poles are called cavaletti. There are many different kinds of jumps. An oxer is a double jump. An in and out is where the horse jumps over one, lands, and jumps over the other one without taking a stride in-between. There is a special position that the rider must be in for jumping the horse. It is called the two-point position. In this position the rider leans forward over the horse's neck and lifts their seat out of the saddle. The purpose of two-point position is to follow the horse's center of gravity as it goes over the jump, so that your weight is not dead weight on the horse's back. Even if you're a good rider, it may very well be several years before you are ready to begin jumping. In fox hunting, the rider must have the ability to handle the horse over fences and brush in the field.

• Before Jumping Your Horse

• Practice Your Long Crest Release - Improving your form over fences

• Hunter Training Do's and Don'ts - Tried and true training tips on improving movement

• Cavaletti Exercises - How-to's on riding through cavaletti poles

• Intro to Hunter Seat Riding - What is it?

• Jumping The Timid Horse - How to build their trust and get them over fences

• The Bold Jumper - Jumping a bold horse

• Releasing Over A Fence - Keep from hanging on your horse's mouth

• Finding the Right Spot To The Fence - Overcoming apprehension over the first fence

• Correcting A Refusal or a Runout - From a jump

• Ground Pole Exercise to Develop A Better Eye

• Correcting A "Bad Spot" On the First Fence Of The Course

• Warming Up For A Jumping Class

• Making Your Jumper "Pole-Literate"

• Stride Control - Keep your distance correct when jumping

• The Wall: The Fine Art of the Jumper

• The "Eye" for Distances

• The Contact

• Training Structure 1

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