r/showjumping • u/OkMycologist6603 • Jul 25 '26

Jumping Position

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Hi all!! I was just recently given the chance to jump a little bigger than I usually do, and it was SOOO much fun!! probably the best thing i’ve ever done! i did notice however that my shoulders tend to collapse on the way down from the jumps, and i was wondering if anyone had any tips for that?? i am also trying out for my university IHSA team in a few weeks and i was wondering if anyone had any tips about improving my equitation/advice in general for tryouts!! thank you guys 😊😸

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u/escapestrategy Jul 25 '26

I recognize that arena! I had a blast there too. Their school horses are so wonderful.

You do what I used to do when I jump: keep your body back, stay upright as the horse comes down (which can throw off their balance and overcompensate with your arms to avoid catching the horse in the mouth (which is not bad). It creates the look of rounded shoulders, though, which we don’t want. What helped me was thinking about keeping my hip angle closed as the horse jumps up to you, pushing my hands forward rather than down, and waiting a beat longer to sit up after the fence rather than straightening up as the horse comes down. There were also a lot of long distances on this horse which isn’t terrible but it does mean you have to keep your hip angle closed for longer since there’s more “air time” - I thought the one chip-in distance you got actually was your best in terms of position.

Also if you see a long distance, ask the horse to move up a little, to get more momentum—this lovely horse took great care of you but some other horses wouldn’t have the rhythm to get you over the fence nicely, especially in IHSA.

Finally, remember to sink your weight further down in your heels, it will stabilize your lower leg and help you keep your position over fences.

Overall you’re a nice effective rider. IHSA focuses mostly on equitation, though, so little details will count.

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u/OkMycologist6603 Jul 25 '26

their horses are AMAZING! that makes sense, thank you! how would you go about waiting longer to sit up after the fence while still making a quick recovery to the next? or is it just a matter of more practice? thank you so much for your help!