# Critique western rider



## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

One big thing I see is your stirrups are too short. You where a bit too fare back on your turns. Other then that not bad. However if you change your stirrup length it would give you a better look.


----------



## KateS (Jul 3, 2008)

Ya, while I was riding I didn't realize just how short they were but after looking at the video I saw right away they were too short. When you say I was too far back on my turns do you mean in the spins or while I was loping around?


----------



## Sahara (Jul 23, 2010)

I was going to say the same thing. Saddle is too small (I know you were borrowing a friend's) and the stirrups are too short. Fix this, and your posting will improve. You have all of your weight in the stirrups when you post, so you aren't letting her bring you up on the bounce. You should only have to control when you come down in the saddle. Let her lift you up. 

Also, when you were moving her hindquarters over at the corner of your turns, you were turning your upper body to watch her hips come over. That was shifting your whole balance in the saddle. It also seems like your spurs are touching her really high on her barrel. She is responding very well, but at this point I would think your cue should be lower and more subtle. Do you always go straight to the spur for the cue or do you use your heel first and then add spur if she doesn't respond? Do you ever ride without spurs?

Looks like you have alot of fun with her!


----------



## KateS (Jul 3, 2008)

Sahara said:


> Also, when you were moving her hindquarters over at the corner of your turns, you were turning your upper body to watch her hips come over. That was shifting your whole balance in the saddle. *This may seem weird (and it is probably wrong) but it is easier for me to tell if she is crossing over if I look towards her hip.* It also seems like your spurs are touching her really high on her barrel. She is responding very well, but at this point I would think your cue should be lower and more subtle. Do you always go straight to the spur for the cue or do you use your heel first and then add spur if she doesn't respond? *I try to use my leg first then my spur but again it was harder because my stirrups were too short plus because I naturally want to toe out it is really hard for me to use my leg then spur. But I am definately getting better.* Do you ever ride without spurs? *I have tried without spurs but as this is something she is just learning I can't get her to actually give her hip. I would like for her to respond to just leg with spurs for backup but alot of the time I am touching her with my spur first. I am really working on my leg control but it sure takes a while.*
> 
> Looks like you have alot of fun with her!


Most definately. I love her to death and really don't deserve a horse as forgiving as her.


----------



## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

Yes your spins. You are leaning back a bit much. If you move your shoulders a bit forward it will help get a bit better turn and some more speed.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

Ok a couple things that I see that people didn't mention. Your posting, wasn't so good. I think you started off on the wrong diagonal and then it messed you up and you were trying to get back on and then you ended doing a forced kind of thing. I suck at posting too, so don't worry  Its hard. Just practice practice practice. But I thought that western you didn't post you did a sitting post? Sometimes you were a bit left in the dust by her. Like your spinning. You were on one side and she was on the other. As you work with her more, you will probably expect her movements better and be able to stay with her more. This happens in the last bit too, when you are doing your leg yielding stuff. You are on one side while she is on the other and that is probably making her unbalanced. I noticed too that you looked at your feet and the horse a few times, keep your eyes forward. My instructor always said when you look there you are going to end up there. Um, I think that is about it. It is mostly really fixable stuff with practice  Good Luck.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I think you ride very well. One of the better Western riders I have seen post on this forum. Your horse is a very nice mover and has a correct lope and good jog. Don't mess it up by slowing her too much .
She's a doll!

You just need those stirrups down. Your posting was actually not bad. You moved in rythm with the horse, which has a slightly choppy rapid stride at trotting out, and that's what is important. I didn't see you bopping the saddle at all, in fact the horse looked pretty happy and comfortable with you on her. You seem to have a very trusting relationahip.
The ONLY thing you really need to work on, already mentioned, was the overtwisting of the upper body. You ride so quietly overall (a little too noticeaqble spur work , keep it lower and try for ankle movement only) so you need to quiet the upper body in that lateral work.

I could not ride half as nicely as you do, and that's the plain truth.


----------



## justjump (Jan 18, 2011)

If I did western, I would base int horsemanship off of a rider like this:
Vimeo, Video Sharing For You

I think she has great posture, nice solid leg, looks where she's going, and just rides beautifully. Also, look up carry nowacek! She has AMAZING horsemanship with a capital A!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

^^ The link doesnt work, and riding a reiner and riding horsemanship are 2 different styles of riding.


----------



## Mocha26 (Oct 27, 2010)

When you cue her to do something, your cueing her too high up on her stomach. I only saw this a couple of times, but just make sure you keep your heel down when you cue her because it will confuse her otherwise. I have this same problem. Lol also, try to squeeze tighter with your thighs. That saddle is kind of small, I know it's not yours, but in another saddle try sitting further back & deeper in it  & I don't do reining so I'm not sure if this applies but shoulders back  otherwise I thought it was pretty good  
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Ray MacDonald (Dec 27, 2009)

The biggest thing that I noticed was the posting. Your shoulders were to far forward, making the stirrups will help in doing this but not completely fix it.

Good riding tho! And nice horse!


----------



## Zimpatico (Nov 5, 2010)

I can't critique since I know NOTHING about western, but i see a soft, gentle rider with a very sweet, happy horse!


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Amen, Zimpatico.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

Ray MacDonald said:


> The biggest thing that I noticed was the posting. Your shoulders were to far forward, making the stirrups will help in doing this but not completely fix it.
> 
> Good riding tho! And nice horse!


Thanks. I used to ride english and I know you do. So I guess the posting sticks out a bit more to us. I was beginning to think that I was dead wrong and missing something. 
But op, like I said, posting is HARD! I don't care what anyone says it is hard and takes a lot of practice to get it just right. So I hope that is encouraging to you


----------



## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Wow, great horse, and you are a great rider! Other than the stirrups, and the saddle seat, you look great.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

Agreed. I think my comments about the trotting, if the stirrups got lowered, I think it would probably go away.


----------



## justjump (Jan 18, 2011)

.Delete. said:


> ^^ The link doesnt work, and riding a reiner and riding horsemanship are 2 different styles of riding.


OMG sorry!! I thought it was horsemanship! My bad!! But you look great and the horse is cute!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Amlalriiee (Feb 22, 2010)

Hhaahah LOWER YOUR STIRRUPS TEN HOLES! 

I know you're aware of it...but I think that is causing the awkward look to your posting. I'm GUESSING that if you lowered those stirrups so that you could have that nice long, stable leg....you'd be just fine 

You ride very well, I admire your turns on the forehand/haunches...spins, whatever the term is! You and your horse make quite a good team. I don't think anybody is wrong on the posting. It does look funny, but it's not anything off-timed or completely wrong...I honestly think it's the stirrup length that makes it look forced. Post a video without jockey style to be sure that's it, but again...very nice riding otherwise.


----------



## KateS (Jul 3, 2008)

First off, thanks for all the tips.
What I have gotten so far is that I should lengthen my stirrups (which I saw once I watched my video), look where I want to go, work on asking with my leg before using spur (which should be better once I lower the stirrups), when posting I should keep my shoulders back. If I missed anything please post again.

When I ride tomorrow I will work on all those things and try to post another video. As for lowering my stirrups, how much do you think I should lower them? I am used to riding with fairly short stirrups so I don't want to have them too long.

Thanks for the positive comments tinyliny, equiniphile, and Zimpatico, it does great things for my riding when people say I ride good. My goal is to be soft and relaxed. I am a crazy perfectionist to the point of being obsessive so I have to really concentrate on staying relaxed.


----------



## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

I like my stirrups so I can stand in them and just get my fist under my seat and the saddle so about 4 inch. You will find that this will also help your stops, rollbacks and turns too.


----------



## Gizmo (Dec 19, 2010)

Do the ol' stirrup length test. Take the stirrup and measure it about to your armpit. Then I usually go up two holes. I have found it works pretty good if I do that.


----------



## x Branded Heart x (Jun 17, 2010)

tinyliny said:


> I think you ride very well. One of the better Western riders I have seen post on this forum. Your horse is a very nice mover and has a correct lope and good jog. Don't mess it up by slowing her too much .
> She's a doll!
> 
> You just need those stirrups down. Your posting was actually not bad. You moved in rythm with the horse, which has a slightly choppy rapid stride at trotting out, and that's what is important. I didn't see you bopping the saddle at all, in fact the horse looked pretty happy and comfortable with you on her. You seem to have a very trusting relationahip.
> ...


I totally I agree with tinyliny on this one, other than the end part as I obviously haven't seen her ride! 

You do seem like a very quiet rider, and your horse has the word "willing" written all over her. She's responds quietly to your aids and looks to have a lot of 'try'!

Again, as others have said, having your stirrups lower will make it easier for you to make the spur cues subtler, as well as you will be able to easily as with leg before resorting to the spur. I think putting them down will also completely correct your posting, as it seems like you obviously know HOW to post, its just the awkward stirrup length is making it a little wonky. 

Like someone else has already mentioned, when you twist your body to watch her hip, you are shifting your weight. Now, you obviously also know that your seat is an important aid (as I saw you sit deeper for slowing the gaits/stops, etc.) so did you not also realize that you shifting your weight so drastically could also be sending her mixed signals? 

Just something to think about.. 

Great job though, I'm glad to see some of the awesome western riders on this forum!


----------



## KateS (Jul 3, 2008)

x Branded Heart x said:


> I totally I agree with tinyliny on this one, other than the end part as I obviously haven't seen her ride!
> 
> You do seem like a very quiet rider, and your horse has the word "willing" written all over her. She's responds quietly to your aids and looks to have a lot of 'try'!
> 
> ...


I do realize that my weight does alot for cues but I guess I didn't realize that my weight was in a bad position that much. I guess in the back of my mind I realize that looking towards her hip would throw me off balance but as I said before, it seems to make it easier for me to tell if she is crossing over. I guess I should be looking forward and just shifting my weight onto the correct hip to get her to move her hip over. She has already started to associate me sitting deeper on one to giving her hip. As in if I sit on my right hip and put my leg on, she should move her hip to the left. If that makes sense.

Other than when I was asking for her hip do you guys notice that I am often riding with my weight shifted to one side or the other?

This is going to make me sound pretty dumb but I have just noticed that the saddle I have ridden in for over 5 years is sitting crooked on my horse which has in turn made me sit crooked all the time. As in the front of my saddle is more to the left of her withers and the back is more to the right of her backbone. Which makes me sit more on the left side of my saddle which is where my crooked riding comes from. The video was the first time on this horse that I didn't use my crooked saddle. You would think that I would have noticed something like a crooked saddle sooner but I am pretty dumb when it comes to stuff like that. Give a horse to ride and I will ride it but I don't know much about stuff like saddle fitting. Obviously I am looking for a different saddle but as my plan was to buy a barrel saddle next I will have to find one that I like which might take a while where I live.


----------



## Amlalriiee (Feb 22, 2010)

As far as your stirrups go, it very well may be trial and error. The important thing is for you to be comfortable, but if your "comfortable" length is not the "ideal" length, slowly work toward it by lengthening a little at a time. If you're used to a short stirrup, you won't feel comfortable going straight to a real long stirrup, so go a little at a time.  

I was surprised to see you say that you have a hard time relaxing! I saw once or twice that you seemed to stiffen up at the trot...but overall you seemed very relaxed, natural, and soft as a rider....it was nice to watch...can't imagine how nice your ride will be when your legs can stretch! LOVE the horse too, what an angel.


----------



## Sahara (Jul 23, 2010)

I just wanted to add that I agree with everyone who says you are a nice, soft, relaxed rider. I should have said it in my first post, but since you specifically wanted critiques on what you can improve, I failed to mention your strong points. Sorry.


----------



## KateS (Jul 3, 2008)

Well I'm glad I look relaxed to everyone. I actually brought my dad along and he has a way of making me think about what I'm doing before I get tense. Not that he says anything it is just his presence. (now I sound weird haha)

Don't worry about it Sahara, I did ask for critique not for everyone to praise me. Though I'm not complaining


----------

