# Critique Riding (Only took 4 lessons)



## Rainbows (Mar 31, 2014)

Thought it was time to see what needs to be fixed and let people critique my riding. I've only taken 4 lessons in my life and apparently am a natural. 

In the photo of the arabian and me my stirrup leathers are to short but one hole down they were to long since they were stretched out a lot.


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## DressageHorse (Mar 23, 2013)

Rainbows said:


> I've only taken 4 lessons in my life and apparently am a natural.



Nice.....


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Okay most of these photos are quite frankly useless to critique from so I'm only going to use one.

For starters, you've only had four lessons, and you LOOK like you've only had four lessons. Whoever keeps telling you you're a natural doesn't know what they're talking about. You are a beginner rider. You have faults. Lots of them. Your position is not balanced and is not healthy for you OR the horses you ride.

You need a LOT more lessons.

I'm not saying this to be mean. I was told I was a natural too. It made me complacent and lazy for YEARS before I opened my eyes and actually looked at myself for what I really am. You remind me of myself, right about four years ago, except I'd had a heck of a lot more than four lessons. I simply HAD NOT IMPROVED because my instructors kept telling me I was a natural and I was complacent. I didn't think I needed to improve.

I didn't think I needed to improve at all for YEARS. Not until I got my eventer. The number of times he ran off with me, bucked, bolted... he really opened my eyes.

Don't become me.

Now onto the real critique. Your heels are down, but you're forcing them down, resulting in your entire leg shooting forward. I do this too. It's a hard habit to break. Just let your leg hug your horse. It should be relaxed. Strong, yes, but relaxed. Tension is bad. Your butt is way back at the very back of the saddle, which puts an incredible amount of pressure in a very small area that isn't really designed for weight carrying [no part of the horse truly is so one must ALWAYS be aware of where one's weight is]. You are, as a result, leaning forward to keep your balance.

I think the only thing I can really comment on being GOOD here is the line from your elbow to the bit. Perfectly straight, which is absolutely fantastic. You don't have my worst habit. I carry my hands very low and stiff and I'm STILL working on breaking that habit nearly three years after realizing I have it.

I've drawn lines on your photo demonstrating what I see. And I've drawn lines on a photo of a dressage rider that I found with a quick google search. Her lower leg is a little farther back than is classically ideal but that's because she's giving an aid to her horse in that specific spot. They put the aid for piaffe back there so that it's basically impossible to accidentally give it.

Since you are riding on the flat, not over fences, you should be aspiring to a perfect ear-shoulder-elbow-hip-heel line. When you're jumping your position on the flat is a little different but we're not addressing that now.


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

The gray horse is way too thin for anyone to be riding it. Seriously underweight.

And agree with blue as to "natural" being wrong. And her critique too.

4 lessons are nothing. 

Like anything, it takes time and training to be "natural" at anything.


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

Blue gave you some REALLY great critique and insight, and I hope you appreciate the time and care she took in putting it together. She is not being mean. She is being very observant and honest. Study what she wrote. When you understand it, it will help you progress immensely. Your chair-seat (legs out in front of you) is the first and biggest thing I noticed. You can never be balanced and effective until your heel comes under your body.

You've had 4 lessons. You're not a superstar. Can you be one day if you keep taking lessons, working, and striving for improvement? I think if someone really wants something, there's no stopping them. At 4 lessons, I see a rider who is just starting to feel comfortable with being on a horse and starting to enjoy the journey.

FYI, I've been riding for 40 years. I've had some very demanding and tough trainers, and some hard miles on my butt. I recently started taking some lessons from an awesome awesome lady. She asked me what my goals are. I told her that I want her to find any and every hole she can in my training and plug the hole. That one thing she finds could be the one thing that saves my butt on the trail one day. So she is proceeding to find at least 4 gaping holes in my training every single lesson. It's a blast! Never stop learning. Never think you're done. Enjoy!


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## MaximasMommy (Sep 21, 2013)

I think my favorite quote ever is something like "most people need a thousand dollar horse and thirty thousand dollars worth of lessons" 

Keep on taking lessons! Maybe from a different person, though, since your current teacher seems to be just patting you on the head.


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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

I know people who have a good "natural" seat, but not very natural in how they ride. 

You look really hunched forward in your photos. Roll those shoulders back, and tuck that pelvis under you. You don't want to be so deep on your pockets that you sit like you're in a western saddle, but you don't want to be on your pubic bones either. Sitting right between them in the sweet spot. (I used to have this habit of being on my pubic bones, and it made me look "perched" on the horse.)

I would concur with lowering your stirrups just a tad, and bring that leg back a bit more. You might feel a bit of a stretch when you do it, which is natural. 

I can't really tell, but does that saddle fit you properly? A lot of horses I ride have saddles that fit them, but not me quite right, so I often find myself chair seating a lot. And because of that, I have to compensate MORE because I don't have the stability of a proper human fitting saddle to help keep me in position. 

If you can get some videos, we would have more to go off of.


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## Gossalyn (Sep 12, 2013)

wouldn't it be funny if the op was being sarcastic when she said "Apparently, I'm a natural." 

Someone else who was new to riding was talking about how fast they were progressing after 2 months and I had to remind myself.. the better you get at horseback riding.. the less you brag about how awesome you are, because you realize how complicated it really is and all the intricacies involved.

The truth is too, aside from the solid feedback blue eyed pony gave, there's other stuff it'll take you a while to get to where you'll go "oh... ****, i didn't even know I needed to work on that!" piano hands, knee pitching, keeping leg on the horse, soft hands... it's really enough to drive you mad (and make you obsessed!  

BUT.. despite the reality check everyone tried to administer, you do look absolutely fine for 4 lessons ...! Just know as others have pointed out: your battle has only just begun!


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## QuarterHorseGirl12 (Apr 30, 2014)

All of the other posters are correct. The things they pointed out were spot-on. But, for only four lessons, you're not doing half bad!


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

The pictures are really small, but after really looking at the grey horse when Palomine pointed it, yes, that horse is too thin to be working. Keep taking the lessons, it is the best thing to do.


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## horselessmom (Apr 20, 2012)

You are doing really well for 4 lessons. We can't know what your instructor means when she says you are a "natural"--it is a nice encouragement, and she's probably picking up on things that are not easily seen in still photos, like your attitude and work ethics, for example. However (and it is a big "however") being a natural doesn't mean being perfect, or that one doesn't have anything to learn. Saying you are a natural probably means that with many more lessons and hard work and dedication your love for horses and riding will likely result in you becoming a really good rider / horsewoman. Hang in there! You are doing great for only 4 lessons. 

I think many here are unnecessary harsh to the OP. She came here asking for feedback so that she could improve, she didn't say she thought she had achieved perfection in 4 lessons.


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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

I don't believe my post was very harsh at all. 
Personally, I think it worse if someone potentially goads and ego, or fluffs one, unnecessarily. That can cause a dangerous rider. 

I gave an alternate perspective of what I have heard in regards to "natural" being that some folk have a natural seat, or body movement. Doesn't mean it's perfect, but with some more instruction, it will improve and help the learning process incredibly.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Same as Desch. I call it how I see it and having BEEN that beginner rider being called a "natural" I do NOT want to see the OP become me. I was "that rider" - the one who is crap but thinks she knows everything anyway - and it was absolutely terrible for my poor horses.


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## Rainbows (Mar 31, 2014)

Those photos are sort of old. On the grey horse is a 20 year old Arabian that I own now. He hardly has any muscle but he is not underweight. My stirrups were to short which made me look awkward and hunched. The saddle also was to small for me, it was a child's saddle. I've taken a couple lessons recently and will post better photos tonight since those photos are horrible. I'll link you guys to some videos. My instructor is a softie and tells everyone they are a natural to keep us going and working hard to keep going in the riding career. Thank you all for the advice! I'm not full of myself and thinking I'm all goodie goodie because I've only taken 4 lessons nor do I think I'm near to profection. I work with a natural horsemanship lady privately also. Thank you guys!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bkylem (Sep 21, 2013)

Rainbows said:


> Those photos are sort of old. On the grey horse is a 20 year old Arabian that I own now. He hardly has any muscle but he is not underweight. My stirrups were to short which made me look awkward and hunched. The saddle also was to small for me, it was a child's saddle. I've taken a couple lessons recently and will post better photos tonight since those photos are horrible. I'll link you guys to some videos. My instructor is a softie and tells everyone they are a natural to keep us going and working hard to keep going in the riding career. Thank you all for the advice! I'm not full of myself and thinking I'm all goodie goodie because I've only taken 4 lessons nor do I think I'm near to profection. I work with a natural horsemanship lady privately also. Thank you guys!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Well, I like your note and your attitude because your tone was correct. I think in the original post saying that you were "a natural" was pretty hard to get past and to take you seriously. I was one. Don't set unrealistic standards for yourself or deadlines for achieving. Just relax and enjoy riding and pay little to what others think.

Just ride.

I wish you the best.


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## Rainbows (Mar 31, 2014)

blue eyed pony said:


> Same as Desch. I call it how I see it and having BEEN that beginner rider being called a "natural" I do NOT want to see the OP become me. I was "that rider" - the one who is crap but thinks she knows everything anyway - and it was absolutely terrible for my poor horses.


No one can become another person. I do not nor will I ever think I know crap and think I know everything. No one in the whole horse world will ever know everything. Everyone has their own flaws and goals in the horse world and I think people should accept that in everyone. Thank you for the advice though, I think I'm going to stick with my plans and be myself and not become someone else.


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## Rainbows (Mar 31, 2014)

Deschutes said:


> I don't believe my post was very harsh at all.
> Personally, I think it worse if someone potentially goads and ego, or fluffs one, unnecessarily. That can cause a dangerous rider.
> 
> I gave an alternate perspective of what I have heard in regards to "natural" being that some folk have a natural seat, or body movement. Doesn't mean it's perfect, but with some more instruction, it will improve and help the learning process incredibly.


Thank you for the advice but I do not fluff a ego nor am I a dangerous rider. I care for the horses I ride and really do not go around raging and thinking I'm the big good rider out of everyone. Everyone has their flaws and I'm still learning. I'm just a teenager learning and having a good time with horses. I have been around them since I was 4 and have 3 horses on my property that I care for in the summer since I do not own them. I'd like it if you could keep things more positive since there is a possibility I'm much younger than you.

Thank you.


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## ligoleth (Sep 9, 2011)

Op, I wasn't saying that you did have an ego, or that you were goaded. It was a general statement in defense of what I said in regards to a natural seat, and supposedly being "too harsh".


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

not to hijack but ... @blue eyed pony -- that was awesome with lines and the explanations :clap:

i got a lot out of it

@Rainbows
you are very good at taking constrctive criticism and you have a great attitude
very good traits in excelling at the things you want to do


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Thanks jmike  I found it helped me a lot to be shown what I was doing wrong and what I should be aiming for. I take what helps me and use it to help people I'm teaching. Not that there are many of those, I'm not experienced enough to teach beyond beginner level.

I'm not nearly as blunt in real life when I'm teaching. I'm not great at getting the message across and being nice at the same time when I'm typing what I'm trying to say. I find that tone of voice and general overall demeanour is what helps show that I'm not just being a cow, more than my choice of words.


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