Rider 1

Overall:  This is a very pleasing picture. The rider has good basics, and the horse is a beautiful jumper. Some minor adjustments to the rider’s leg will improve her position.

Leg: The rider’s foot position looks good with the stirrup correctly on the ball of her foot. However, I’d like to see more weight in her heels in the air. Also, she’s pinching slightly with her knee, which has caused her lower leg to slide back. Rather than gripping with her knee, she should distribute her weight along her calf, knee and thigh. Overall, her angles are quite good, except for her heels.

Release: I like her nice crest release along the horse’s neck. While there’s not a loop in the reins, it looks like she’s giving the horse plenty of freedom to use his head and neck.

Upper body: I like that her seat is nicely out of the saddle—just a little in front of the pommel. Her back is flat, and her eyes are up looking at the next fence. She’s rather close to the neck, but her horse is making quite a big jump over a small fence so she may have needed to close her hip angle that much to stay with the motion.

Horse: The horse looks like a beautiful jumper with a lovely expression. He’s very tidy in front with his knees tucked up. He’s using his head and neck very well. It looks like his back is up, showing a good bascule. When I refer to a horse jumping with his withers up in the air, this horse is a great example because his withers are up high and he’s quite generous with his jump over this fence.

Turnout: The turnout is excellent. The horse’s coat looks beautiful. The tack is fitted very well. I like how the noseband is up high under the cheekbones, especially when using a flash noseband, rather hanging down too low. The saddle pad and ear bonnet look nice and clean. The rider’s clothes look very good with her boots polished and her hair neatly tucked under her helmet.

What you’ll see in the video: The rider’s rein length is excellent throughout her round and jump-off. Her leg slides back slightly in the air, which causes her to drive the horse with her leg through the air and on landing. I’d like to see her work on weighting her heels and not letting her legs slide back. That way, the horse might not feel like she’s driving him in the air. Also, the horse builds and picks up the pace down almost every line. The rider does a decent job reorganizing him around the ends of the ring, but she needs to bring the horse back more so that he isn’t dragging her through the turns and down the lines.

Rider 2

Overall: This rider’s leg position is similar to the first rider’s leg, though it has slipped farther back. The rider and horse seem to have a solid partnership, though their turnout could be more polished.

Leg: The rider is pinching with her knee, and her heel is up a little. Her whole leg slid back, which you can tell by how the saddle flap has come away from the saddle. Ideally, her knee should be resting against the saddle flap with her whole leg farther forward. The stirrup should be more on the ball of her foot rather than farther back toward the middle of her foot. Also, her toes should be turned in more so that I’m not seeing the face of the stirrup from this angle. That being said, the angle in her knee is very good.

Release: I’d like to see her elbows in more and her wrists straighter to improve her release. Otherwise, she’s giving a nice crest release so her horse has enough freedom to use his head and neck, but there’s not a big loop in the reins.

Upper body: I like where her seat is in the saddle, hovering right in front of the pommel. The angle in her hips is very good, and her back is flat. Her eyes are looking up ahead to the next fence in a positive way.

Horse: The horse looks like a rangy, Thoroughbred type. He’s a bit unorthodox with his front legs, but since he’s plenty high up over the fence it didn’t really matter. He has a beautiful expression, an intelligent look on his face and a healthy coat.

Turnout: The turnout is where I’m going to be the most critical. While the photo appears to be from a schooling show, I’d prefer to see polished riding boots and a buttoned collar for a competition. Also, the number on the saddle pad should be turned the other way so the judge can easily read it. The rider has a neck strap on her horse, but she looks experienced enough that she might not need it anymore, as long as she feels comfortable going without it.

Rider 3

Overall: This is the most novice rider of the three examples, but she is demonstrating good riding skills for her level and her turnout is fairly good.

Leg: The rider is pinching with her knee, and her leg slid back more than the other two riders. Her heels are down, but I’d like to see her put more weight in her stirrups so that her leg stays closer to the girth when she’s in the air over the fence and not gripping quite so much with her knee.

Release: I think she’s using the proper crest release for her level. I don’t mind that there’s a loop in the reins because she’s giving her horse the freedom to jump and making sure she doesn’t catch him in the mouth, which is very important at her level.

Upper body: She’s slightly jumping ahead of the motion. Her seat is quite far in front of the pommel; it should be closer to the saddle. I think that’s a result of her legs sliding back in the air. Although she’s ahead of the motion, she’s not ducking on the horse’s neck. I like the angle in her hip and her straight back. Her eyes are up and looking ahead to the next fence.

Horse: This is another horse with a cute, intelligent expression. His coat is very shiny. His style is also a little unorthodox and uneven in front, but it could be because he’s starting the landing phase of his jump in this photo. Also, for a novice rider, you want a horse who steps over the fences with his back a little flat rather than a horse with a big, round bascule. This horse looks sweet and ideal for this job.

Turnout: The turnout is mostly very good. The bit looks low in the horse’s mouth. I’d like to see the cheekpieces shortened so that there’s a couple wrinkles in the horse’s mouth. You want the bit up in the corners of the horse’s mouth for comfort’s sake rather than bouncing against the bottom bars of the mouth. Also, I’d like to see the rider demonstrate more neatness by buttoning her collar. Otherwise, the tack looks really clean and nice. The rider’s clothes look nice, and her boots are shiny.

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 a positive space for educating riders on how to improve their skills in the saddle and their 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 Fall 2025 issue of Practical Horseman.