What is the two-point position and when do you use it?

The two-point position is the forward jumping position in which the rider's weight is distributed through two points of contact with the horse — the two legs — rather than the three points of the full seat, with the seat lifted out of the saddle and the upper body folded forward at the hip to follow the horse's motion. This position is used primarily over fences, where the horse's back lifts and rounds through the jumping arc and the rider must follow this motion without the seat blocking the horse's back movement — a horse whose rider stays in the full three-point seat over a fence will have its back movement restricted, limiting its ability to round and use itself correctly over the jump. The two-point is also used during extended cantering and galloping work on the flat, particularly in hunter and jumper schooling where riders work to develop the position's security and following quality without the fence to navigate. The two-point develops the rider's ability to balance through the hip, knee, and ankle — the three joints that must be soft and absorbing in the jumping position — without depending on the reins or the seat for security. A correctly executed two-point shows a balanced rider whose weight has dropped into a stable heel, whose hip angle has closed appropriately to allow the upper body to follow the horse's neck and shoulder forward and upward, and whose hands remain in a soft, following position that allows the horse to use its neck through the jumping arc. The two-point position is practiced extensively in training — including two-point work without stirrups, posting in two-point, and cantering in two-point for extended periods — because the security and balance of the jumping position is the foundation from which all quality jumping develops.