Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week, we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect, and also probably much more similarity.
This week’s question posed is: How would you help a rider who tends to sit back too quickly over the jump?
Here are their answers:
“When a rider snaps back too quickly, it is usually a reaction to try to catch up with the motion from closing the hip angle too much and throwing the body over the fence. Since riding is all about the balance of physics, of equal and opposite reactions, I’d make sure this isn’t the primary trigger of wanting to unfold too quickly. If it is, one of the best exercises I have done for myself and others is to go through an easy gymnastic on a reliable mount, and place one hand behind your back. Feel that as you go through, your one arm follows the mouth and your other arm follows back towards your hip. It helps the rider be more aware of keeping a more open hip angle, thus not having the body so close to the neck to snap back from. By using gymnastics, the rider learns through repetition without having to worry about distances, track, etc., while also helping tune the horse. I always encourage everyone to wear an air vest, especially when jumping.” -Jennifer Cassidy
“I would practice landing and holding the release for one stride on landing, staying in balance with the horse and light in the seat. Then, as you land and go away from the jump, recover your body. Ideally, there shouldn’t be too much movement over the jump because the horse should jump to you. So in theory, you want to stay with the motion until the horse comes back to you. The landing phase is technically still part of the jump.
I like to have my riders watch a video of themselves and slow-motion the whole jump, including “finishing the jump.” I find video incredibly effective, and we have a TV in our indoor to hook our phones up to to watch the videos together on a bigger screen. I also encourage building core strength so they don’t collapse, and also keeping the lower leg stable.
I also use a phrase (if not on a super green or hot young horse), say “land, allow, sit”. I like to keep things VERY simple and straightforward. Too much explanation or technicalities can sometimes make it hard for the rider to apply a thought, and ESPECIALLY at the ingate. I feel strongly that homework is done at home.” -Julie Chang
“There are many techniques you can use to help riders not sit back too quickly over fences. I would start with cantering cavaletti’s and have the riders just stay in 2-point longer before and after the obstacle. I would then slowly increase the fence height and still have them ride in a 2-point for an elongated period of time after the jump. This will help train the riders not to want to sit too soon. I would also incorporate a ground rail on the landing side and have the riders stay in 2-point until they get over that pole. I would also have them take a deep breath upon landing to help slow down their thinking and have them sink into their heels on landing. Eventually, I would take away the ground pole and have the riders visually still ride as if it were there.” -Amanda Enwright
“First things first, you need to make sure you have the correct stirrup length for the right combination of balance and leg stability. Try to practice two-point position over small fences so you can develop a better feeling and timing before, during, and after the jump. You can also set poles before and after the jump to have a reference point.”-Diego Farje
“Sitting back too early is a defense mechanism to recover from the jump when a rider is weak. When I have a rider with this flaw, I usually set a very wide oxer, which makes it so they have to stay over the jump longer. If it doesn’t, they can jump it without stirrups. It’s also helpful to practice position over a grid/gymnastics, without stirrups and grabbing mane, if it is an established habit, that exercise will help your body feel the mechanics of staying over and with the horse, and how sitting back too early can harm your recovery time for the following jump. Trot jumps and staying in your two-point during some flatwork can help build the strength for your core to sustain staying over. It is a weakness that can be helped with proper direction. Think about how most trainers taught us when we started, hold your two-point over the x-rail until you’re done with the jump, and that’s the same thing we must try in this question, just more advanced.” -Angela Gais
“Snapping back – happens when your body is trying to rebalance itself after the takeoff to a fence. Your first focus should be on building a strong core and having an independent seat, hand, and leg. One of my favorite exercises to help with core strength and balance is to place 4 poles in a 20-meter circle and practice keeping the same rhythm and track both directions in a 2-point and then a 3-point position. First practice it at the walk, trot, and then canter. You can then move to practicing on a shorter and longer stride, taking the inside and outside tracks. If you find yourself struggling to maintain your position over the poles, adding a neck strap to hold can be helpful and keeps you from using your reins to balance.” -Michelle Hawley
“One of the most common issues I see is riders sitting back too quickly over the jump. Most of the time, they’re not doing anything “wrong” on purpose—they’re trying to stay balanced or get ahead of the motion, and it ends up putting them behind it instead.
The root of it usually comes down to anticipation and balance. If a rider doesn’t fully trust the horse’s motion (or their own position), they try to create it themselves. That’s where things get out of sync.
I always start by going back to basics on the flat. A secure lower leg, a following hip, and the ability to stay balanced without gripping or bracing are non-negotiables. If that’s not solid on the flat, it’s going to show up over fences.
When we start jumping, I like to strip it way down—trot poles, small crossrails, simple exercises. The goal is to let the horse’s motion lift the rider out of the saddle, not have the rider throw themselves into position. I’ll often cue riders with something like “wait…wait…now follow” to help them stop anticipating the jump.
One of my favorite tools for this is a neck strap. I’ll have riders hold the neck strap all the way to and over the fence. It gives them stability without relying on the reins, and it prevents that instinct to throw their shoulders back or use their hands for balance. It also encourages a soft, following release and builds confidence quickly.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about forcing a position—it’s about timing and trust. When riders learn to stay soft, stay with the horse, and let the jump come to them, that early sit-back tends to fix itself naturally.” -Laura Humphrey
“First, I would work on the leg position. Make sure your leg is evenly distributed around the horse, with the toes turned and heels down. The rider should do a lot of no stirrup work, including two-point at all gates. I would have them alternate between the two-point and galloping position at all gates, also with stirrups. Then work into jumping gymnastics, having them keep their hands down, grab the mane or a strap, staying in that position for a couple of strides. As they get stronger, they can take their hands off the neck and hold that position. It is very important to have eyes and chin up. Keep the back flat, and the position secure on the landing. Do not look down! Working on core strength and fitness will help, too.” -Laurie Jakubauskas
“Particularly with beginner riders who sit back too quickly after the jump, I start small with poles and flat work to build strength and balance so it is easier for them to stay with the motion of a horse’s jump. Grabbing the mane is also a good tool to help riders figure out what staying with the motion feels like through the entirety of the jump.” -Paige Matthies
“For a rider who loses balance backward over the jump, good exercises are two-point and holding the mane and closing your hip angle. Stirrups being short enough are critical.” -Sara Davern Ring
“The overall answer is the power/fitness of the rider. First, I would try to make the rider stronger through gymnastics! The type of gymnastics depends on the level of the rider and the suitability of their mount.” -Penny Silcox
