Pony club teaches a 2-point balanced position as the foundation for riding over fences. Sometimes this is called half-seat.
A 2-point position is one where from the the basic balanced position, the rider folds at the hips and leans forward to so that the shoulder is directly over the knees and the hips and heel is still in alignment. As the hips fold, so do the knees and ankles so that the riders seat just hovers out of the saddle, and all their weight is in their heels.
Similar to the basic balanced position, the legs are draped around the horses barrel with the heels and toes pointed forward (not out to the side). Heels remain below the ball the foot.
The core is engaged and the back is straight (not arched or hunched over). Shoulders are in a relaxed neutral position and the seat is slightly lifted out of the saddle.
The head is up, alert, and looking ahead. Looking down at the jump as the horse goes over it is a common mistake. If you look down, you twist slightly in the saddle. This causes the horse to be off balance. Instead pick a spot in the distance and focus on that spot while your horse goes over the jump.
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The elbows remain relaxed and move forward with the body. The hands remain soft and supple moving slightly up the neck to allow a release as the horse jumps. It is very important that the rider not use the reins to balance while in this position. If you find this difficult, use a neck strap to help balance so that you are not hurting your horse by pulling or jerking on the reins.
When jumping, it is critical that the horse and rider stay balanced together. The rider must follow the horse's movement over each fence. The larger the jump, the more the rider must fold their hips and knees to stay with the horse. For bigger jumps, riders will often shorten their stirrups before riding the course.
If the rider does not fold at the hips, he/she will be left behind when the horse jumps. This makes it impossible for the two of them to remain balanced and often the rider will hang on the reins which can quickly sour a horse to jumping.
If the rider leans too far forward, he/she will be ahead of the horses movement. This often causes a horse to refuse the jump, because there is too much weight on it's forehand. In this position riders are very unbalanced because their weight is no longer in their heels. This will also cause the riders legs to slip back and no longer stay underneath them preventing the legs from absorbing the impact when the horse lands.
A 2-point position is one where from the the basic balanced position, the rider folds at the hips and leans forward to so that the shoulder is directly over the knees and the hips and heel is still in alignment. As the hips fold, so do the knees and ankles so that the riders seat just hovers out of the saddle, and all their weight is in their heels.
Similar to the basic balanced position, the legs are draped around the horses barrel with the heels and toes pointed forward (not out to the side). Heels remain below the ball the foot.
The core is engaged and the back is straight (not arched or hunched over). Shoulders are in a relaxed neutral position and the seat is slightly lifted out of the saddle.
The head is up, alert, and looking ahead. Looking down at the jump as the horse goes over it is a common mistake. If you look down, you twist slightly in the saddle. This causes the horse to be off balance. Instead pick a spot in the distance and focus on that spot while your horse goes over the jump.
.
The elbows remain relaxed and move forward with the body. The hands remain soft and supple moving slightly up the neck to allow a release as the horse jumps. It is very important that the rider not use the reins to balance while in this position. If you find this difficult, use a neck strap to help balance so that you are not hurting your horse by pulling or jerking on the reins.
When jumping, it is critical that the horse and rider stay balanced together. The rider must follow the horse's movement over each fence. The larger the jump, the more the rider must fold their hips and knees to stay with the horse. For bigger jumps, riders will often shorten their stirrups before riding the course.
If the rider does not fold at the hips, he/she will be left behind when the horse jumps. This makes it impossible for the two of them to remain balanced and often the rider will hang on the reins which can quickly sour a horse to jumping.
If the rider leans too far forward, he/she will be ahead of the horses movement. This often causes a horse to refuse the jump, because there is too much weight on it's forehand. In this position riders are very unbalanced because their weight is no longer in their heels. This will also cause the riders legs to slip back and no longer stay underneath them preventing the legs from absorbing the impact when the horse lands.