# Critique me please!



## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

Here a a few pictures of me competing at a schooling combined training and at a local USEA event on a horse I leased for a year...sorry that the first one is kind of hazy (that's the one at the schooling show). My main question is about my lower leg...I am confused about whether I am balanced or if it is too far back?? :? But ANY and all advise is greatly appreciated!


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

In those pics, if the horse disappeared out from under you, you would not land standing up. You would fall forward. To answer your question, your leg is too far back. It looks like you're pinching with your knee. Other than the first pic where you look like you're not off your horse's back, the rest of your position looks pretty good. Your back is flat, you're not trying to jump for your horse, your head is up and you actually release which a lot of eventers don't do. 

To fix the lower leg, at the halt, stand straight up in the stirrups and find you balance where you aren't tipping forward or back. Then assume the jumping position without changing your lower leg. Once you find that spot, try around in that position until your legs fall off. Really think about wrapping your legs around the horse so you don't pinch with your knee. Hope this helps.


----------



## SeWHC (Jul 1, 2009)

You are an effective rider! 

I'd like to see you close your hip angle a bit. I'd like to see you close that hip angle by bringing your upper body toward the horse. Sometimes I describe it as a swing of your legs forward as the horse comes up to meet you.... this would fix your leg from lagging behind and it would help you move with the horse more. 

Try some no stirrup work to strengthen your leg. Overall beautiful horse, nice rider!


----------



## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

OK thanks very much! I thought my leg was too far back...you always hear that it should be at the girth.  I'm working without stirrups more and more, and I've heard of an exercise where you tie your irons to your girth with baling twine to help your legs get used to being in that position, first just on the flat and later over fences, gradually increasing size...is anyone familiar with that? I've tried to do 2-point with my legs at the girth, but I can't hold it for very long. Maybe this would help?


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Your saddle looks like it fits you, but is there any chance it's throwing you off balance? Can you stand straight up in the stirrups and stay centered without tipping forward or back? I've never tried the twine thing, so I can't really comment on it.


----------



## brighteyes08 (Jan 20, 2010)

ok.. so you look like your hunched forward and as the others have said is that your legs are too far back, it looks as if your applying pressure on the saddle with your thighs try converting that pressure in your feet. As well your overall position isnt the greatest, you need to be down closer to your horses neck, instead of perched and hunched up like your doing, maybe you would like to bring your hands further up its neck as well.


----------



## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

Bright eyes, are you a hunter/jumper by any chance?  Usually we eventers get comments on "hunching" from hunter riders (and a lot of other things about jumping position, which aren't unfounded, I'm afriad... :-(). It is actually a pretty normal position for cross-country, to have your backs slightly rounded, as it is just exhausting to try to ride a 2-mile plus cross country course with a ramrod-straight back. If you think so, though, I will work on that, and the perching too...I can kind of see what you mean on that one. I think it goes back to what My Boy Puck said about pinching with my knee. :?

I'm pretty sure my saddle fits...I think it is just me who is not used to using my legs that way. I'll try the balance thing, though. :-|

So overall, just no-stirrup and balancing work seem to be what I need, right? Any other suggestions?


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

The other nice torture thing you can do to yourself is to trot around in two point or post with just one stirrup and switching off every so often.


----------



## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

I've never heard of that, just using one stirrup...it's always just been a kind of all or nothing. : )

I'll try it too, though.


----------



## dantexeventer (Jul 11, 2009)

I'm not going to reiterate what's already been said about your leg, but the other thing I noticed is that you appear to be falling behind the arc of your horse's jump - ie., getting left behind. I had the same problem, and my trainer would ALWAYS yell at me for having my butt touch the saddle before my horse had finished the jump! I recommend working on lines of four or five jumps, increasing in height, really focusing on where you are in relation to your horse. The line makes it easy, because it essentially "jumps itself," and you can ride in in a solid two-point and focus on maintaining it. That helped me a lot. Incidentally, I also have a problem with my leg slipping back - it could well be that they're correlated, and if you fix one, you'll fix the other! 
You and your horse look really nice otherwise; just make those two adjustments and you'll be kicking some butt!


----------



## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

Thanks so much! I will definetly try that too!

By the way, this horse is for sale...we decided not to buy him, mainly because of budget reasons, but he is an incredible jumper...his dressage is fairly good, too, but the whole year I leased him he never got me one penalty over a jump, time or otherwise, in hunters, equitation, stadium or cross-country! He is 11 years old, sound, and a very experienced show horse. Perfect ground manners, too. Very affectionate, in that stand-off-ish way Thoroughbreds are! If anyone is looking for a horse to take them confidently up the levels in jumping, this is your horse! I jumped him up to 3'7" and he barely blinked.  He is located in Elizabeth, Colorado. See more about him at his owner's website www.takeachancefarms.com


----------



## ThunderJumper (Dec 11, 2009)

It looks like your leg is slipping back and you are kind of pinching with your knee. I agree with everyone else on what to do  pretty horse he looks really athletic


----------



## UnrealJumper (Nov 24, 2009)

on flat you want to have your ear, shoulder, hip and heel all line up.


----------



## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

Yes, but in jumping, you want your leg at the girth, right? Which is pretty much what my problem appears to be...I'm working on it, though!  Thanks everybody.


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

hrsrdr said:


> Yes, but in jumping, you want your leg at the girth, right? Which is pretty much what my problem appears to be...I'm working on it, though!  Thanks everybody.


No, keeping your leg at the girth would pretty much put you on your butt over higher fences. You want your leg to stay perpendicular to the ground regardless of what arc your horse is jumping underneath you. If the horse disappeared from underneath you, you would land on your feet.


----------



## Allison Finch (Oct 21, 2009)

What I see is that you are gripping with your knee. That allows your lower leg to "break away" from the side of the horse and fall back. It will make your seat quite a lot less secure. You should always feel as if you are "landing on your feet" while coming off the jump. You can get away with the lower leg falling back in hunters, but it will eventually eat you on XC. If you come off a big bank that way, you will fall forward onto the horse's neck if your leg comes back that way. 

I have tethered the stirrup to the girth on riders who couldn't get the feel of keeping their leg forward over fences. I would only put them over tiny jumps that way. You need to shake your knee loose and hold the horse with the inside of the lower leg.


----------



## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

MyBoyPuck said:


> No, keeping your leg at the girth would pretty much put you on your butt over higher fences. You want your leg to stay perpendicular to the ground regardless of what arc your horse is jumping underneath you. If the horse disappeared from underneath you, you would land on your feet.


So you _don't_ think I need to work on my leg? :? I think you're right that I would land on my feet if my horse disappeared, but I agree more that my lower leg looks unsteady and my knee looks pinched...my leg would still be perpendicular to the ground if it was at the girth, right?


----------



## flamingauburnmustang (Dec 25, 2008)

I also had a bad problem with my lower legs slipping back over jumps. It was mainly caused by the fact that when I first started riding, I was taught to hold onto the horse with my knees, not my lower legs. I have been working on holding with my lower legs, and also lots of standing in the saddle with and without stirrups as well as jumping position in the trot. It has helped me quite a bit now, but I'm still working on getting it better.

The first picture is when my lower legs were still very insecure, thus slipping back. The second picture is how I'm jumping now. My legs are still not perfect, but getting there. :wink:

Just try working on standing trot and jumping position, etc. Good luck.


----------



## SarahHershey (Dec 17, 2009)

The twine can work, but it can also make your leg position regress, since it allows your leg to be in the correct position without any muscle keeping it there.

What can also help is pushin ALL of your weight into the bottom of your heels because it automaticly engages your calf muscle.

I would also adivse that you go back to basics, just pole work in 2-point, or small cross rails(since it can be harder to control your leg at higher heights) and just work at that level until your leg stays where it should, then raise the height, then repeat so on and so forth.

Your leg should not be "right" at the girth but just a smidgen behind the girth.

Here is where your leg should be on flat and over fences.








It is kind of hard to see because of the standard, but the riders leg is slightly back, not slipping, heels are pushed down. Knees are not braced.









Again here you see the leg is slightly behind the girth, weight is in heels, and the knee is not braced forcing the lower leg back

Good Luck, and we would love to see pictures of progress!


----------



## hrsrdr (Jul 12, 2008)

OK! Thanks! I'm not planning to use the twine for any long period of time; just to get my leg used to being at the girth (or, slightly behind) : )

And I'll do my homework and do lots with no-stirrups!


----------

