# Pics from lesson-Dressage and Stadium!Critique!



## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)




----------



## barnprincess (Dec 17, 2009)

i love seeing pix of you two you make such a great team =]. i looove that breastplate haha.


----------



## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

I think you leg is getting far back and you are arching you back to much. Besides that I love these pictures! Looks like you are a great team and having alot of fun! Looks like he is a smooth nice big mover!


----------



## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

Klassic Superstar said:


> I think you leg is getting far back and you are arching you back to much. Besides that I love these pictures! Looks like you are a great team and having alot of fun! Looks like he is a smooth nice big mover!



Thanks! Yeah, I have a problem with gripping with my knee and my leg sliding back. I'm working on it though!


----------



## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

well I havent been able to jump for about a year now cause I baught a very young Green horse so I am sure I will look worse then you and be saying I want to be like her when I start back up at it!


----------



## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

Klassic Superstar said:


> well I havent been able to jump for about a year now cause I baught a very young Green horse so I am sure I will look worse then you and be saying I want to be like her when I start back up at it!


Haha yeah, I haven't jumping anything over 2'6 in... over 3 years. My event horse I was going training on had to be retired from jumping. So i took about a year off, then got Derby, I've had him since he was 3 and he didnt know much.


----------



## ladybugsgirl (Aug 12, 2009)

My instructor would have a fit if I rode with my hangs like that. Does your instructor have you ride with the wide hands. Your horse is very cute. I think you both look pretty good


----------



## Gillian (Aug 2, 2008)

Yeah, the one thing I did see was hands too wide. Also, for flat work you could have dropped your stirrups a hole or two. 
I do think you two make a great team.
:]


----------



## xoSonnyLove1234 (May 31, 2009)

How high are those jumps? The horse looks beautiful. I would only say (on the flat) that your hands are way to far apart. I really thought you were trying to set his head.


----------



## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

xoSonnyLove1234 said:


> How high are those jumps? The horse looks beautiful. I would only say (on the flat) that your hands are way to far apart. I really thought you were trying to set his head.


The jumps are probably between 1ft to 2'3". I'm actually not trying to set his head/force it by having my hands wide. It doesn't take much to get him in a frame. He is very soft. I think the main reason I ride with my hands far apart is I feel like im... being softer and gentler with him and i can be more giving i guess. I know it's not correct, and I will definately work on it. I haven't had an actual dressage lesson in a while, but I think I am going to start back with those soon! I stopped taking lessons with my dressage trainer when he started having a little jumping issue and focused my time and money on my jumping trainer. She is a great dressage trainer too, but I don't take striaght dressage lessons with her, its just a little bit of dressage warm-up before jumping.


----------



## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

> It doesn't take much to get him in a frame.


How do you get him into frame?


----------



## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

Set my outside rein and use my inside leg to push him over and into that outside connection basically. I know how to ride dressage correctly and I understand everything and what i am SUPPOSED to do. But i think we can all agree that things are easier said than done. Since I haven't had dressage lessons in a while, my position has really slipped, but those will start back soon. I really don't know what got me started on riding with my hands so wide. I thought that's just how I always rode and I thought my previous event horse made me ride like that, but I just looked at my pictures from previous event horses and my hands were no where near that bad. Im shocked after looking back at old pictures. I will DEFINATELY focus on that today, and try to get some more pictures with my hands TOGETHER.


----------



## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

For comparison, this is how I used to hold my hands.


----------



## Gillian (Aug 2, 2008)

The bad habit with your hands is definitely understandable. I recently got into the habit of carrying my hands too low, have no idea where that came from, so now I have to remind myself every second to keep my hands up. It's very annoying, ha ha. I'm sure now that you've seen what you're doing it will be easy to correct.


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Sometimes wide hands is necessary with younger horses. They're like training wheels. It gives the horse more clear communication. They are very useful, but as he gets better to responding to your seat aids, start weaning him off them or else he will become dependent on them and only them for direction...hence heavy on forehand, mouthy horse. 

As far as positon, your entire body is pitched forward a bit and it directly plays into how your horse moves. Look at the 6th picture and compare your forward slouched shoulders to his shoulders. You're both heavy on your forehands! You already know about your pinching knees. Get that lower leg forward and perpendicular to the ground and trot around in half seat until your thighs burn off your legs. It works great!

Pretty horse, but then I'm a sucker for TB's.


----------



## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

MyBoyPuck said:


> Sometimes wide hands is necessary with younger horses. They're like training wheels. It gives the horse more clear communication. They are very useful, but as he gets better to responding to your seat aids, start weaning him off them or else he will become dependent on them and only them for direction...hence heavy on forehand, mouthy horse.
> 
> As far as positon, your entire body is pitched forward a bit and it directly plays into how your horse moves. Look at the 6th picture and compare your forward slouched shoulders to his shoulders. You're both heavy on your forehands! You already know about your pinching knees. Get that lower leg forward and perpendicular to the ground and trot around in half seat until your thighs burn off your legs. It works great!
> 
> Pretty horse, but then I'm a sucker for TB's.


Thanks! I'll work on that, and I'll also try to get some pictures of me in my dressage saddle instead of my jump saddle. Trotting in half seat is my worst enemy. haha. It is sooooo painful. But i guess i'll suck it up because I know it'll help me in the long run!


----------



## dantexeventer (Jul 11, 2009)

He's so cute! And either he's REEEAAALLLY big or you're really tiny, haha! But you look like an effective rider.
I disagree with the comment that your leg is too far back - your hip and heel are aligned. Yes, a couple of the pictures look like it's too far back at first glance, but I think that's partly a function of the green horse jump, and your leg is actually quite nice. Good job!  Nothing beats an OTTB!


----------



## HorseOfCourse (Jul 20, 2009)

I'm not really great at critiquing..but I just wanted to say I have that exact shirt and your horse is gorgeous!


----------



## roro (Aug 14, 2009)

On the dressage: Try to hold your hands higher and closer together. When you go over a turn, think of using your outside leg to move him over rather than using your inside to pull. Also make sure on turns that you aren't leaning in, keep your hips, heels, and shoulders aligned and over each other. Think more of turning around a merry go round pole rather than leaning when you turn. Also, your left side is collapsing which probably means you have a stronger right side. Think of inflating your ribcage on the left so your left side does not collapse. Try to straighten your back and shoulders a bit, imagine a hand pressing against your chest and you are pressing back but not leaning forward. You should also relax your elbows and wrists/hands, as they are a bit rigid and holding the reins. Your arms should feel connected to your reins, and the whole line from elbow to the horse's bit should feel like an elastic band rather than a piece of wood.

I won't critique the jumping because I haven't jumped in a year, so I would not trust my own judgment.


----------



## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

equineeventer3390 said:


> Thanks! Yeah, I have a problem with gripping with my knee and my leg sliding back. I'm working on it though!


You obviously know exactly what you're doing. You are so lucky to be able to wear a t-shirt in the middle of january!!!! I hate you! I couldnt dream of wearing even a hoodie here! Your position is really good. I think you guys look lovely and as posted above, I absolutely love your breastplate. Definitely going to go on my must by list.

Great photos! you have a very good photographer!


----------



## EveningShadows (May 18, 2009)

First I'd like to say there's ALOT of good advise on this post! Not just "this is what you should do", but "this is how you do it". Awesome thread. 

Second, I think you pretty much have a good idea of what you were needing to work on - you have a good eye, even in critiquing yourself. I agree with alot of the advise posted, but one thing I'd like to add is that on your release you almost look to be putting a little bit of weight onto his neck instead of holding it all on your legs. I think this might contribute to why your leg slips back? I'm not saying you're full out leaning on his neck, but "propping" in a couple of them. I'm totally guilty of this too, which is why I picked it out! LOL! Guess we can both work on it! For me, I've found if I tell myself to "push my butt out" (I know how dumb that sounds...) then it puts me back over the saddle where I want to be and helps to keep my own leg in place! 

Anyway, you look good overall and I'm confident in the effort you'll put into getting better for yourself and your gorgeous horse! For an OTTB I thought him a little thick though haha I love seeing horses with some meat on them! ALL my mares are chunky!


----------



## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

EveningShadows said:


> First I'd like to say there's ALOT of good advise on this post! Not just "this is what you should do", but "this is how you do it". Awesome thread.
> 
> Second, I think you pretty much have a good idea of what you were needing to work on - you have a good eye, even in critiquing yourself. I agree with alot of the advise posted, but one thing I'd like to add is that on your release you almost look to be putting a little bit of weight onto his neck instead of holding it all on your legs. I think this might contribute to why your leg slips back? I'm not saying you're full out leaning on his neck, but "propping" in a couple of them. I'm totally guilty of this too, which is why I picked it out! LOL! Guess we can both work on it! For me, I've found if I tell myself to "push my butt out" (I know how dumb that sounds...) then it puts me back over the saddle where I want to be and helps to keep my own leg in place!
> 
> Anyway, you look good overall and I'm confident in the effort you'll put into getting better for yourself and your gorgeous horse! For an OTTB I thought him a little thick though haha I love seeing horses with some meat on them! ALL my mares are chunky!



Haha I like them thick! He was really scrawny as a 3 year old when I got him, but he has really filled out nicely. Thanks again everyone, They're all really good critiques!


----------

