# Critique me riding my horse



## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

My equitation has been pretty sucky lately so any tips would be helpful. You can critique Herbi as well, but he was pretty distracted today with the stuff going on around the ring so he wasn't great. Sorry about the picture aren't great my mom doesn't know how to use the camera... Don't be too harsh.


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## mlkarel2010 (Jan 27, 2008)

I'm not an english person, but i think you might be leaning too far forward.... some one correct me if i'm wrong


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## RememberTheName (Jul 6, 2008)

You guys look pretty good, actually. Then again, I don't know what level of riding you guys do, and I work with horses in need of sometimes rather drastic training lately. So I'm not the best judge. But I'll go ahead and point out the things I see.

I do believe, as the poster above said, that you are leaning too far forward. Not much, but a little bit. Lengthen your reins and bend your elbows a bit more. Your arms are almost straight. Your elbows should be bent, and your arms relaxed and moving with your horse. In some of the pictures (I can't tell in the ones that are darker, and a few of them it's fine) you have piano hands. THUMBS TO THE SKY!!! =P

In both cantering pics your heels are coming up, and I think you may be pinching with your knee. Stretch your leg, sink your weight into your heel, and use your calves as shock absorbers.

One last thing that I noticed off the top of my head (I'm a little busy to be in a peering, find everything mood =P) is that you are consistantly leaning to the inside. Straighten up. The more you lean in, the more your horse will fall in with you.


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## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

I actually don't see the piano hands except for the hand I'm holding the crop in... Which pictures are you talking about specifically?
I already know about the leaning, my trainer yells at me all the time for it. And I have fairly short arms so when I post my arms go almost straight, is there anyway of fixing that? As for lengthening the reins, I can't on this horse, he becomes very heavy on the forehand. Unless I'm not understanding what you mean... which is entirely possible.

I'm also trying a new bit for the first time, which I think I'm going to keep him in.


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## RememberTheName (Jul 6, 2008)

Second picture is the one I really noticed the piano hands in.

As for getting heavy on the forehand, this might or might not work. But if he gets heavy on the forehand when you lengthen the reins, that means you're holding him up. Which is a big no-no from what I've learned. What I would suggest is what my trainer taught me when I rode an OTTB in lessons with her. He used to lean on his forehand really badly. You might already know this kind of thing, but what my trainer had me do with him was really ask for impulsion and forward with my legs and drive him into the contact with the reins. It took a long time and a lot of consistancy, but after a while he stopped leaning so badly. I didn't get to work with him long enough to see him stop all together, but he was well on his way. Maybe it would work for your horse?


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## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

We are actually doing that with my horse now, but he only ever gets heavy now when his head drops down too low. He does however immediately take up any slack on the reins so if my reins are loose he'll drop down to reestablish contact with the bit, occasionally too low. With the rein length I'm riding in he is actually extremely soft, especially with this new bit, a sweet iron snaffle with copper inlays.


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## Hrt4Dressage (May 24, 2008)

He is really cute! 

And although you got the comment that you are leaning too far forward, I only really see that in the one canter pic... otherwise I think you have a typical "hunter" seat. As someone said (and you pointed out too) you're leaning inside in some of the pics. 

As far as having short arms....  I have the opposit problem, my arms are 8 ft long. Luckily so is my horse's neck.....
But if he leans on you with a longer rein, he may not be ready for the longer rein yet, which is ok. You said you are working on driving from behind to lighten him, and he eventually will figure it out. You would try keeping your reins *slightly* longer and lifting your hands instead, which will bring more bend to your elbow and allow you more range with your arm and a straighter line to the bit.
Even if he won't allow for the longer rein, you can lift your hands more with a short rein and still achieve the bend in the elbow.

He appears to be leaning in the canter, possibly because you are leaning as well. Try putting weight in both stirrups, not one or the other (you dont want to lean outside, either) and stretching your inside thigh and knee downward. It will put your inside thigh against him and ask for a better bend through the ribcage, and lift him off that inside shoulder. Hug more with your calf to open your knee a bit, it is pinching a little in the canter. Rotate your hips outward a bit, that should help with that. 
Good exercises to do to loosen your hips and teach you to stop pinching with your knees... start each ride in the walk with out stirrups. One leg at a time do these things: 

Knee up, open outwards (keeping calf along horse's side) and slide back down.
Hip Circles - Keep leg straight, bring leg forward slightly, out, and make a circle with your hip, bring leg back, and then slide back into position.
Grab your ankle and stretch your knee down.
Scissor legs - swing one leg forward, the other back. vice versa. 
Knee up, kick your foot straight back to his tail and slide leg back into position.
Wishbone - heels down, pull both heels away from horse at the same time.

Personally, I dont beleive in posting without stirrups, as it promotes pinching with the knee/thigh. 

Overall though, nothing major that you don't see everyday... we all have our habits...


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## amightytarzan5 (Mar 20, 2008)

Y'all look pretty good! Herbi is a cutie! One thing I noticed is something that I notice in a lot of English riders. It's not something people normally critque on b/c it's not really that big of a deal and the whole English world does it! I think your post is a little too exaggerated. I know people will disagree with me, and if your trainer taught you like this and if this is how you do best, keep doing it! I was just taught to post softly and not raise too far out of the saddle.


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## Mandyy (Jul 13, 2008)

very nice equitation. Only problem i see is that your hands are too close together, try keeping them like there is a dinner size plate between them. Maybe they are more apart its just hard to tell by the picture


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

for equitation, i believe i would bring your shoulders back/sit back a bit. 

other than that, it is a really attractive overall picture. keep up your good work!


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## ally_loves_her_horses (Jul 5, 2008)

i like your horse you just need to sit back, lift your hands up, sit straight (dont lean in), and thumbs on top of your reins, relax your hands and bend your elbows


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## jeddah31 (Jun 11, 2008)

RememberTheName said:


> You guys look pretty good, actually. Then again, I don't know what level of riding you guys do, and I work with horses in need of sometimes rather drastic training lately. So I'm not the best judge. But I'll go ahead and point out the things I see.
> 
> I do believe, as the poster above said, that you are leaning too far forward. Not much, but a little bit. *Lengthen your reins *and bend your elbows a bit more. Your arms are almost straight. Your elbows should be bent, and your arms relaxed and moving with your horse. In some of the pictures (I can't tell in the ones that are darker, and a few of them it's fine) you have piano hands. THUMBS TO THE SKY!!! =P
> 
> ...


your reins don't really need to be any longer, if anything they're too long


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

You guys look great. I love your horse. What a gorgeous looking horse The main thing I have noticed is your upper body looks quite stiff. You also need to relax your elbows and bend them.

I hate giving critiques like this one because they are so unfair. It is so hard to give a fair evaluation by just looking at you and your horse. You obviously have put so much work into your riding and your gorgeous horse.

Both of you guys look good  Just try to relax your upper body a bit more


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## Harlee rides horses (Jan 13, 2008)

Last picture you look like your on the wrong diagonal.


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## Supermane (Sep 23, 2007)

Thanks for the critiques everyone. I'll try to work more and hopefully improve.


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## Naguru (Jun 29, 2008)

Hi and Hello! First let me commend your bravery! Second let me say: be careful of opening too many doors, you have a GREAT DEAL OF CORRECTNESS GOING ON! Your horse looks responsive and happy to work...and so do you! 
I have taught hundreds of students and can make a guess at how many hours you ride, and, I believe, enjoy your time at it. 
I LIKE: the space between your upper arms and your body; it closes only when you are seeking straightness; your arms are relaxed and you are working from your elbows. Your weight is equal, your irons are quite level. You have a closed hand, soft around the reins and working when needed (I think your thumbs ARE up and relaxed; IF you turn them a bit more upward, your rein will roll off the horse's neck and he will stop dropping in at his shoulder, try that. Seek to have a straight rein from your elbow to the mouth; later, this will make the substaining rein effective .
Next play with the idea that your chin placed on the spine-line of the horse's neck (chin pointed at horse's poll) will turn the whole horse, not just the shoulders. You do not need to look for the next jump while doing flat work!
Drop your irons one hole to stretch your knee and allow your calf to sink lower around the horse's barrel; he will come up even more. Do this only in your flatwork, it will affect your seat for awhile. 
Last: move your saddle back one inch, this will also open the shoulder of the horse and he will rise up through his curves yet again. 
Doesn't this sound like 'fine tuning'? Well, it is...and I think you may be ready to try it! 
Do each one of these tips one at a time and repeat them a few works and see what happens.
You have  *excellent* beginning form and you match this horse very well...happy trails today, if you want more ideas to try out, write me...Naguru


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