# I feel humiliated...



## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

I'd consider myself a pretty good rider..I've been riding for nearly 15 years, I'm highly competitive in foundation shows, reining, speed events, etc. and am on my college equestrian team.

I cannot lope my horse Dusty without feeling like something is horribly wrong. I'm off centered, awkward and floppy when we are loping circles...I try so hard to fix my position and have nearly fallen off...Am I broken? Lope any of my other horses? Sure! Fine! Do a barrel pattern backwards and blindfolded handcuffed to a monkey let's do it. Riding Dusty, it's like my whole body shifts on my outer hip, throwing all my weight to the outside of the circle, my inside foot throws forward and my outside stuffs deep into the stirrup then putting me farther outside the circle. Dusty is a small framed horse, and has often made his disapproval of such horrid riding prevelant..and it's my fault. I tried riding stirrupless and it was still horribly awkward..

I feel so bad because I'm trying to teach him to collect properly at the lope, and I can't even sit it right....and I've had this problem since I first started riding him at 2.5, and he is 5 now. I just never really thought about it other than "he's green and unbalanced and throwing me around", and now I know it's more than that..a few times I have found myself feeling the same way on the school horses but only in the right lead.

My confidence is shaken..help?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

is he using the same saddle you use on other horses? have you looked at his spine/hips to see if he is lined up pretty well? does it seem like he "throws" you onto one diagonal over the other (he wants you on one verses the other)?

is he super round barrelled? think aobut the physical differences between this horse/tack and the others.


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

Can you post a video? If it's just with this one horse I'd be inclined to think that something is off with the horse and not with you? Does he move kinda off, is he swamping leads constantly?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I'd lay odds that it's something with how he moves that is causing it. On the few times I've ridden and loped our old horse Nester, I had the same problem, my inside foot ended up by his shoulder and my butt just kept trying to slide out of the saddle. He's the only horse I've ever ridden that was like that so I am pretty certain it's just him and it's not anything with me.

I'm not sure if it's something that can be fixed or not. I'd have a chiro check him out first thing.

Does it happen the same way when loping a straight line?


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## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

It's only on circles, and he really doesn't feel or look off...it's really only in circles, he doesn't have the usual feel of a lope compared to my others(no rocking horse sort of motion) it's a lot more flat... I'll try to video it tomorrow..


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

My mare went from a smooth even paced lope to a hard to sit, choppy very unbalanced lope. She badly needed a chiropractic adjustment...and I didn't even know it. She had just been looked at a few months earlier...It didn't matter, her hips were off.

I'd certainly have him looked at. It might surprise you what they may find.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

I ride his saddle on all the other horse and don't have much issues. He isn't round barreled at all, he is actually rather smaller framed.

His gait feels the exact same straigh/circle..and he never swaps leads unless you ask.


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I wonder if he's going into a four beat on the circles?


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

If you're fine on every other horse but this one, that means it's something about the horse that is the issue. It might be *just* the horse, or the combo of the horse plus something about how you ride, but don't let yourself feel too badly. What happens when other (good) riders try to ride his lope in a circle? Do they have anything to say, good or bad, about how he moves or feels? If they note an issue too, you know it's him (may be training, may be medical, I'd second the chiro checkup). If they don't notice anything amiss, and assuming they're decent enough riders to do so, then you know it's just something about the combination of him+you that makes it a mess, and some good eyes on the ground (IRL or video here) might be able to help figure out exactly what it is and offer up some suggestions on how to work on it.


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## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

I had him at a show in th fall for a collegiate IHSA show, each person that rode him had only good things to say, and a girl who rode him multiple times in the week just loved him!


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## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

@farmpony84 I got a video yesterday, just need to upload it. I want to say yes, he did a four beat, but I only found evidence of it in one or two freeze frames and that was it, so I think the deep ground make it look awkward. 

When I rode yesterday I barely had the problem, which is great. I tried to focus on pulling my inside hip up, keeping my feet out of the stirrups. I realized when I ride him, there is so much upper body movement, like I am sitting up-leaning forward-sitting up-leaning forward-and so on so forth with the motion of his lope. I tried keeping a sitting up straight upper body and I just couldn't get it to work properly without bouncing back and forth in the saddle on my seat.

I'll post the video in a minute.


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## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

(sorry for the multiple posts) Here is the video:
Riding Dusty - YouTube


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Hmmm...to me. His back end looks stiff and he is not extending out underneath him. And he is swishing his tail far too often. Quite frankly, he doesn't look comfortable to sit as a rider at all. Nor does he look really comfortable under saddle.

His back end looks "behind" the rest of his motions almost...

I stand by my original thinking...Chiropractor.

and nice stop at the end...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

especially going right.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

MangoRoX87 said:


> I had him at a show in th fall for a collegiate IHSA show, each person that rode him had only good things to say, and a girl who rode him multiple times in the week just loved him!


Just remember that each horse can be different in their movement. I say Cloney, my Arab, is like driving a Maserati and Skippy, my QH, is like driving a Yugo with no steering and busted springs. Skippy is built very different to Cloney and it shows up in his canter/lope especially. Nothing wrong with Skippy, it's just how he's built. If those other girls are used to compensating for the Yugo, then they wouldn't notice the gait problems you're noticing. 

I'm gonna throw in a vote for a chiro too, frequently stiffness in the hind end or back legs short striding instead of tracking up, is the cause of rough gaits.

I just watched your vid, and he looks stiff/sore in his hind end. He's also carrying his tail wry to the left, so I'd look first for a problem on the right.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

He is totally bracing through his neck and back. I would ride spirals with him to see if that will soften him up.

Nancy


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I agree, chiro would be my first stop as well. He's really reluctant to use his hind end at all and it appears that he doesn't want to bend his body either. There are several spots where his body is straight/counterbent when it should be bent around the circle. That might be part of why you notice it in a circle and not on a straightaway.


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## MangoRoX87 (Oct 19, 2009)

Thanks guys!! I'll have a chiro out in a few weeks to work on him. My work doesn't start back up until mid march, so when I have the vet out for yearly teeth floatings and sheath cleaning, I'll have her adjust him. I need her to work on my other gelding and younger mare as well. Naturally, the horse I just retired from competition is perfect XD


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## braygirl23 (Mar 22, 2014)

He does look stiff but it maybe that's he's just not confident yet lots of wet blankets makes a huge difference I had one horse that after I worked him he loves going on a relaxing ride around the pasture and it made him work better to know he was going to enjoy his self and not dread being rode so much! Then I have one that's all work and doesn't like to pleasure ride unless its a new place so she can explore! I would just spend a lot of time getting him to gain confidence on ground 1st then in the saddle good luck!! He's a beautiful horse BTW!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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