# Critique Me PLEASE!(2nd time riding English!)



## RunJumpRide (Sep 29, 2011)

I'd like a crit please! This is the second time I rode English! Last weekend! I tried my best... Do my stirrups look too long/short? I can't really tell. I'm a western rider normally, but I've gone English lately .
My saddle pad started slipping off midway through our ride, so I just took it off because it was causing more harm than good. :/









And... the saddle pad starts to slip off ;P










And now the saddle pad is off...


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

That saddle doesn't fit your horse at all. For the pad to slip that easily, and then slide up so hard on his wither, I wouldn't use it at all. You're right up on his neck in the last picture.

In general, you ride pretty much like every Western rider gone English (myself as well). You're very chair seated with your feet jammed out in front of you and sitting hard back on your seatbones with virtually no contact of the leg. The problem with English saddles is that they don't sit you in an automatically balanced position like a Western saddle does. That's not to say Western is easier, but there's a reason they're the only saddle used for novice trail rides. You CAN sit just as easily like that in an English saddle, just not in any sort of correct position. You need to REALLY engage your thighs and calves, and use your legs to balance your seatbones equally. You need to get your heel underneath your centre of balance and stop depending on your seat. 

I would do lots of no stirrup work and two point!


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Have you used the keepers on the pad?? There's some to slide the girth through and some to put on the billet. I learned that one quickly 

I've only rode English about 7 times myself, so just sharing my mistakes 

Try riding with your toes parallel to your horses sides, another thing I managed to screw up.

Practice riding with more weight on the ball of your foot, rather than pushing down and out with your heel as you do Western, and your leg will improve.

Thumbs up, as they should be when riding both Western and English.


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Oh, and I must add, a video would really help people give a great crit.


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## Northernstar (Jul 23, 2011)

If you feel discouraged and need a laugh, please read one of my recent posts regarding embarrassing situations - I had the girth so loose, that when I mounted, the entire saddle slid upside down, and I tumbled down the mounting block!  You'll get it, though! I just ride for pleasure - both Western and English.....


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## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Ooooor you could just look at my English riding threads. Teehee. You'll most likely have a laugh.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

MacabreM is totally right. That saddle is probably too narrow for your horse and if you ride in it for any length of time,you will make your hrose sore .
If you want a more sure opinion, post a picture of it on your horse's back, no pad, with horse on level ground and squared up. Take a pic from front, front/side off shoulder,, side, and rear.

It'a really hard to give any advice on your riding from those photos. Your horse is cute and it's brave of you to try new things.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I'm not sure if the saddle doesn't fit or if it's too loose and too far forward...?

I can't really critique because your dark pants are too close to the horse and saddle. I think I agree with the chair seat and it looks like you are bracing too much with your feet.

Over all not bad for just a second time in the english saddle. It's a completely different feel to get used to.


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## RunJumpRide (Sep 29, 2011)

Thank you so much everyone! yeah I noticed that I look majorly chair seated :/ ... Maybe the fact that the 'saddle pad' I was using was actually a bareback pad (oh dear me) made the saddle look like cheap crap... My trainer didn't say it fitted poorly! I think it was just operator error -I don't think I was paying enough attention to the placement of the saddle because I was focused on trying to get it tight enough, which I am not at all good at (it was like sliding off when I mounted, but I just figured it'd have to do because I couldn't get it any tighter & Specs might as well be a puffer fish when I'm tightening the girth, that and I'm a weakling. :/...) I just ordered a new girth (the kind that's neoprene, not the rope-type like what I have now) and an actual saddle pad, let's see how this works out ... It's a brand new saddle, too (it's second ride) so it's not broken in yet. My trainer helped me pick it out, so I'm fairly sure it fits OK.
Thank you all so much, though, and I do have a video!! I'll post the link... Next post... Gotta go find it...


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## RunJumpRide (Sep 29, 2011)

Video.
Sorry, I like to go crazy with editing. I'll try to get some raws up for you guys later.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Well a plus is you have a nice seat :thumbsup:


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## TobianoCheckers (Jan 11, 2012)

PRI (Pro Rim International..?) makes really nice english pads!! I found mine on Ebay. It's worth taking a look  The kind I have is 1/2 padded with wool to comfort the horses' back. I think it was around $50ish..


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## RunJumpRide (Sep 29, 2011)

Thank you guys so much! 
I just realized I posted this on the wrong critique me forum. Woops. I'm hoping to start jumping a little... Maybe... I've done it a lot before bareback on Specs but never in a saddle (kinda messed up, but whatever! haha!) so I'm hoping to do that once I get comfortable and much better in an English saddle. Plus I found a trainer who comes out to my house to give lessons to me on my own horse, and she has some experience with English (mainly western pleasure, though) so she's going to give me lessons. 

Maybe the reason his saddle looks so narrow to some on here is because he's so fat right now?? He's never ever this fat, and I'm using a 50 inch girth on him right now... In the summer he uses a 42-46, if that. The hay's getting to him. (no, he doesn't have worms, either . That's what I'd think if I didn't know he's on a regular worming schedule.) haha!


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## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

If you don't have an English saddle pad, you can use your western one. It won't pad the lower parts of the flaps, but it will pad under the saddle pressure points. I used to use a wool navaho pad to school in all the time.

Also, it looks like you have the noseband buckled over the sides (cheek pieces) of the bridle. The noseband goes under the sides of the bridle. It may be that the photo only looks that way in the first photo.

Get a couple of different people to check the saddle fit. Or, put it on your horse's back with no pad and take photos at all angles for us to look at. If it is determined that it is the correct width, the saddle may be slipping forward because your horse does not have a prominent enough wither to keep it back. This is a common problem with many warmbloods I have ridden. There is a thing called a "foregirth" that fits in front of the saddle. It has little wings on it to hold the saddle in place. It could help a LOT!


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