Rider 1

Overall: This rider has a lovely leg position and a good upper-body position with a flat back. My main criticism is the release. While it is a respectable automatic release, I would like to see more freedom for the horse to use his head and neck. But all in all, it’s a very pleasing picture.

Leg: This rider’s leg position is beautiful. The stirrup is in the correct position right on the ball of his foot, and the outside bar is slightly ahead of the inside bar. His heel is down. His heel, knee and hip angles are all excellent. I also like that he has contact in his leg distributed across his calf, knee and thigh as well as nice, even contact in the saddle.

Release: The only thing I’m going to criticize is the release. I like the automatic release, but I’d like to see the horse have a little more freedom to use his head and neck. The rider has a nice straight line from the horse’s mouth to his elbow, but the horse would be able to stretch his neck more in the air if the rider moved his hands a few inches more toward the horse’s mouth.

Upper body: His hip angle is closed nicely for the size of the fence, though his hips should be a touch farther back rather than over the pommel of the saddle. He’s looking up and ahead to the next fence, and his back is flat. He appears to be nicely in balance with the horse. Not only is his body in balance, but he’s with the motion of the horse.

Horse: The horse has a great expression. He looks like a young horse, who is jumping quite generously over this low fence. His bascule is nice with his withers up high in the air. His knees and forearm are not classic hunter style, but they’re very good for a jumper. The horse’s shoulders are also up, and his ears are pricked forward.

Turnout: The pair’s turnout is great. The tack is clean, appears to fit well and is adjusted properly. The rider’s clothes look good, and his boots are polished beautifully. His hair could be a little neater under the helmet, but otherwise his turnout looks quite good.

What you’ll see in the video: In the video, you can see that the rider has nice contact with the horse’s mouth but could give more freedom in the air with his automatic release. The rider has a good two-point position during most of the round, but he gets slightly deep and heavy in the saddle at times, especially around the ends of the ring. The horse appears to be green but is a good, honest jumper. Overall, it is quite a nice round that could use some minor adjustments to make it even better.

Rider 2

Overall: This rider has good basics, but some small corrections to her upper-body position would further improve her effectiveness in the saddle.

Leg: This rider has a good leg position, but it’s slightly forward in the air because her seat is back in the saddle. However, it’s well within the range of very good basics. Her foot is positioned well in the stirrup, and she has weight in her heel. She also has a nice distribution of leg contact in the air.

Release: She has a nice, short crest release. It looks like the horse has enough freedom in the air to use his head and neck because he’s quite round. My only criticism of the release is that the rider’s elbows are slightly out.

Upper body: Her seat is slightly too far back in the saddle. I think that’s caused her back to roach a little in the air compared to the first rider whose seat is farther forward and whose back is flatter in the air. Being farther back in the saddle causes a bit of a duck. Again, this is a small correction. I wouldn’t call her a ducker, but she’s closer to the horse’s neck than the first rider.

Horse: The horse looks like quite a good jumper. He has an excellent bascule in the air with his withers up high. His forearms are very nice. It looks like he jumps high enough so he doesn’t have to be tight with his front legs, but it’s still quite a good jumping style.

Turnout: The rider’s clothes, boots and gloves are excellent. Her hair is up nice and neat under the helmet. The horse’s coat is obviously freshly clipped, but it’s still quite shiny. The tack looks beautifully clean and shiny.

Rider 3

Overall: This is an interesting series of photos to compare, because this rider has a slightly farther forward leg and her seat is farther back in the saddle. That being said, this is capable rider confidently jumping a solid fence out in the field.

Leg: The stirrup is positioned nicely right on the ball of her foot. I like that there’s a little angle with her toe turned out slightly. It’s hard to see her leg contact in the air, but I think because her leg is farther forward, her lower leg is off the horse in the air. I prefer to see more contact with the calf in the air like the riders in the first two photos.

Release: She has a combination somewhere between a short crest release and an automatic release but seems to have nice contact with the horse in the air. He has plenty of freedom to use his head and neck.

Upper body: Her seat is a little too far back in the saddle. I’d like to see it more toward the pommel in the air to allow her upper body to become more independent. When a rider’s seat goes back, the hip angle automatically closes more, which you can see in this photo. Even though her seat is back, she’s looking up and ahead to the next fence. I also like that her back is nicely flat and she’s not roaching it.

Horse: The horse paints a pleasant picture. His ears are pricked, and he’s making a nice effort over the fence but appears relaxed as well. To me, this indicates that he’s confident in his rider and his job. Also, he’s a beautifully turned-out dapple gray.

Turnout: The tack fits well and is in great condition. It’s nice to see a mild snaffle bit for jumping. The rider’s clothes also fit very nicely.

For More:

• For more of Beezie Madden’s Jumping Clinics, click here.
• Check out Madden’s article on correct rider position and why it matters for all disciplines here.

About Beezie Madden

Beezie Madden captured Olympic show-jumping team gold medals in 2004 as well as 2008, where she also earned the individual bronze medal, all riding Authentic. She won the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in 2013 with Simon and in 2018 with Breitling LS. Other accolades include an Olympic team silver medal in 2016 riding Cortes ‘C’, with whom she also took 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games team and individual bronze medals. She won the prestigious 2019 CP ‘International’ at CSIO Spruce Meadows and was voted the 2019 USEF International Equestrian of the Year. She and her husband, John, are based out of John Madden Sales in Cazenovia, New York.

Casting Call for Jumping Clinic With Beezie Madden

Want an Olympian to assess your jumping position? Don’t miss out on the chance to have Olympic show jumper Beezie Madden evaluate your jumping position—including your leg, seat, release and upper body—and provide her impression of your horse’s overall presentation, as well as your turnout. This is absolutely a positive space and is all about educating riders on how to improve their skills in the saddle and their communication and partnerships with their horses.

Submit your photo and/or video to be critiqued in Jumping Clinic With Beezie Madden.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Practical Horseman.

Thanks to Kent Nutrition Group and Blue Seal for our coverage of the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. It includes lead-up events, rider interviews, competition reports, horse spotlights, photos, videos and more!