# Critique my short riding video!



## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Lovely to see you riding  And clear film too!

At the 1.10 minute I can see your riding clearer, I would say more bend in your elbows, and less polishing of your seat.. keep that butt stiller ;D

You have lovely quiet hands in a sitting trot too, just try and roll those shoulders and loosen up a bit.. also try and sit a bit more 'under' yourself.. I like to think that my bum is tucked under me, so I don't bounce.

Also, for him, a bit more engagement from the hind, and a bit more activity in his front, neck and shoulders so he doesn't look like he's on your hands- lots of school figures will help with this.

At times, your outside rein is a bit 'loose' and if you want a contact, especially to get him more active behind and eventually bring him rounder and softer, it needs to be more consistent.

However, its now frozen on my laptop at 2.49 xD

All in all, you're a very neat, tidy rider! I would let anyone with your hands on my horse! Love how his tail goes swish swish swish!!!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

yeah as you can see my attempt at 2-point is ghastly  Eventually I'll get it! The other day I was doing so good, but today felt like a take it easy day.



DuffyDuck said:


> Lovely to see you riding  And clear film too!
> 
> At the 1.10 minute I can see your riding clearer, I would say more bend in your elbows, and less polishing of your seat.. keep that butt stiller ;D
> 
> ...


Thank you Duffy!!  

Yeah I'm still trying to figure contact out.. but thank you! That was so helpful! 

I have a huge problem with being stiff at he sitting trot.. and not controlling my horse at the posting trot xD but it's getting better. I will definitely try and roll my shoulders and engage him more in the hind. And I will try to tuck my bum a little more. Sometimes I feel my seatbones popping off but not slamming.. though it's happening less frequent now!


I'm so happy he isn't hollow though. I love his happy tail swishing  He always holds it up when he's happy, like he's waving a flag haha.



Hopefully it unfreezes! It took a whole lot of time for it to upload.. silly youtube. If not I can always re-upload it. I might do that anyway and see if it makes a difference.

Thank you!


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Skyseternalangel said:


> yeah as you can see my attempt at 2-point is ghastly  Eventually I'll get it! The other day I was doing so good, but today felt like a take it easy day.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It'll come with time, and practise.. like I said you have lovely hands, really steady, so when you do get the contact, at least you won't be rough with your hands.

Its not your video lol its my awful laptop.. it needs to go to the docs, after Duffy's vet bill though rofl

All in all, you look like you're enjoying yourself, and thats what riding is about- you know what you have to work on, so practise practise practise  x


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

DuffyDuck said:


> It'll come with time, and practise.. like I said you have lovely hands, really steady, so when you do get the contact, at least you won't be rough with your hands.
> 
> Its not your video lol its my awful laptop.. it needs to go to the docs, after Duffy's vet bill though rofl
> 
> All in all, you look like you're enjoying yourself, and thats what riding is about- you know what you have to work on, so practise practise practise  x


Well thank you  Means a lot from you, Duffy.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Skyseternalangel said:


> Well thank you  Means a lot from you, Duffy.


It shouldn't hun, I have SO much to learn myself, and hope to turn my giraffe in to a dressage horse over a few months.. but the past two days, she took the micky- BIG time. I couldn't make her trot. At all. As in, spur, no spur, kicking the bejeebus out of her.. so today I held a small crop and tapped her shoulder.. the sense of failure on my part was devestating. Much better today though.. everyone has bad days, but you look so happy on Sky!

BUT- they're horses, and you have a lot, and I mean a lot going for you.. just keep on working on it!!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

DuffyDuck said:


> It shouldn't hun, I have SO much to learn myself, and hope to turn my giraffe in to a dressage horse over a few months.. but the past two days, she took the micky- BIG time. I couldn't make her trot. At all. As in, spur, no spur, kicking the bejeebus out of her.. so today I held a small crop and tapped her shoulder.. the sense of failure on my part was devestating. Much better today though.. everyone has bad days, but you look so happy on Sky!
> 
> BUT- they're horses, and you have a lot, and I mean a lot going for you.. just keep on working on it!!


Oh but it does!!! Take the compliment or I may have to rugby tackle you, my good friend!

Haha lately everyone keeps telling me that, which makes me feel very strange since I can't see anything special going on.. other than Sky and my bond. I'm ever so happy on my horse and I like to think he's happy with me. 

You are definitely NOT a failure.. I'm no stranger to the "let's just walk for life" kind of horse. You'll get there with Duffy!! You've been there with her, I mean your still shots are amazing. Especially that canter ! You both have had a looot going on lately.. I'm just glad she's alright again and you can stop worrying so much!

I'll have to record my attempts to canter, teehee it's quite fun. I'm quite addicted to being recorded while riding now.. I understand now why people have so many videos of them riding or working with their horse or even OF their horse.

I'm an addict now.. beware... :twisted: :lol:


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Skyseternalangel said:


> Oh but it does!!! Take the compliment or I may have to rugby tackle you, my good friend!
> 
> Haha lately everyone keeps telling me that, which makes me feel very strange since I can't see anything special going on.. other than Sky and my bond. I'm ever so happy on my horse and I like to think he's happy with me.
> 
> ...



Okay, okay ;D I'm about to PM you anyway!!

Duffy and I are still working on bond, she's a hard minded mare! And to be honest, we will get there.. it was another one of her tests, she had a sick chit and wanted a holiday lol.. need to update those photos I think!

I LOVE CANTER. You;ll have to do it.. again, just practise. Some days, what people say, and you practise just slots in to place one day and then you go AHHH that is what they meant ;D


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Anyone else wish to critique myself and possibly Sky?


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## kcscott85 (Jul 28, 2010)

I just have to say I LOVE Sky! I do love a round paint...you both look great together. 

You have wonderful hands, but like Duffy said: a bit more bend in the elbows will help you maintain contact better with his mouth. I know this because this is one of my biggest flaws, hard to do! You do a great job of keeping your hands still (even at the sitting trot, I know some trainers that have trouble with that!), but a few times it seemed you were fighting the piano hand syndrome. My dressage trainer had me do lunge lessons at the sitting/posting trot where I had to hold two cups of water in my hands and not spill a drop. Oh, with no stirrups sometimes, too. Why do we pay so much for pain?

At the sitting trot you can visibily see your body stiffen. Totally a normal reflex to the bouncing motion- we so badly don't want to fall off that we tend to pinch with our knees and stiffen up. Really the opposite is true-pinching and stiffening will "aid" you in falling off, while relaxing and absorbing the motion will keep you steady and balanced. It just takes so much practice and again, no stirrup work will totally help with this. 

Are you working with a trainer or taking lessons? Another thing I noticed was when you went to go pick up the posting trot, you started on the wrong diagonal, looked down at his shoulder, and then corrected it. I'm asking about the trainer because many instructors teach their students to post by looking at the shoulder instead of feeling the diagonal. If you don't already know how to feel for the diagonal, just when you're sitting the trot, pay attention to which hip is swinging backwards and forwards. When your outside hip swings forward, that's when you should rise. Easier said than done, and it takes lots of practice. You may already know all that already, so if you do, ignore me!

The last thing is something else I struggle with- roll your shoulders back and you have a slight chair seat! Your posture in the saddle really has a major effect on the way our horses respond to us, so we want to make sure it is as perfect as possible. Many times I've looked at pictures & videos of me riding and shudder- I look like a freakin' hunchback! 

Awesome job though, you guys really do look like you have a great bond. He looks so happy and carefree. What do you eventually want to do with him?


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

kcscott85 said:


> I just have to say I LOVE Sky! I do love a round paint...you both look great together.
> 
> You have wonderful hands, but like Duffy said: a bit more bend in the elbows will help you maintain contact better with his mouth. I know this because this is one of my biggest flaws, hard to do! You do a great job of keeping your hands still (even at the sitting trot, I know some trainers that have trouble with that!), but a few times it seemed you were fighting the piano hand syndrome. My dressage trainer had me do lunge lessons at the sitting/posting trot where I had to hold two cups of water in my hands and not spill a drop. Oh, with no stirrups sometimes, too. Why do we pay so much for pain?
> 
> ...


Thanks for your critique 

Yeah I get very nervous at the sitting trot because he used to bolt really bad with me and I never want to slam down on him so I'll work on that. I'm afraid to do no stirrup work.. maybe I'll ask my trainer to have me on a lungeline.

I wasn't formally trained to post or to sit.. I just kind of developed a way and no one said for me to change a thing. I do still need to check diagonals but I will feel for my outside hip going forward. I'm surprised I didn't look down as much in the video.. I'm notorious for checking to see if Sky is round or not.. I can feel when he becomes supple in his back and lifts.. but he likes to be silly on the front end. Green horse 

And yes I do have a trainer! I've been taking lessons from her for about... a month now? Before then on and off with riding lesson horses while I was practicing what I learned from the school masters.. on my greenie. 

I'm so aware of the chair seat..  my instructor wants me to work more on 2 point to stretch my legs down and learn to use my legs instead of my heels. Another bad habit. And my toes point out like I'm trying to click my heels together :lol: It'll come! But yeah all that to say she shortened my stirrups 2 holes so I'm still getting used to the feel of it. 

What do I plan to do with him... hmm, I want to show him just so he can get used to all the hustle and bustle and I can experience it with him. I want to learn English and then start western with him.. so he'll be an all around-er. But I love Dressage and I'm really keen on Hunters so that's probably where we'll be for now. 

I have a huge problem with hiding my chest and sinking my shoulders.. I'll work hard on rolling them back and sitting up (I am so lazy hehe.)

I have a question about bending the elbows.. I know the contact from the bit to your hands should be in one straight line.. so how would I do that with more bend in my elbows.. can I get like a visual or something?

Thanks again! I'll let Sky know that he has a new fan


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I started to read the other critiques but don't want to be influenced by what others say, so here goes:

I see a very happy , relaxed horse with a wonderful swing to his back and a relaxed swing to his tail. His gait is very rythmic and you ride in a way that maintains that rythm and does not impede him. That is why I think he appears "happy" because he is not being unbalanced or yanked on.
YOur leg moves nicely with the swing of his barrel, which I think is a bit more than some horses. 
I would have liked to see your transition from walk to trot better, but it was too far away. IN fact, only a small portion of the video is near enough to actually critique from. It looked like you leaned forward a bit, but the horse moved into the trot nicely enough. In time you will be better able to gather him a little more and have him spring into the trot more energetically.

When you were sitting the trot, you arm was a bit locked. So, while your body absorbed the motion rather well, your arm was locked with and moving with your body. It must be independent from your body.

So, you have "hinge" points at your knee, hip and elbow. At these points you can serperate out the movement so that lowever body belongs to horse's body, upper body belongs to you, and hands belong to the horse's mouth. So, if you can allow more movement in the elbow, this will allow your hand to stay WITH the horse's mouth, even while your upper body moves rythmically.

As you start to develop more contact with Sky, it will be more critical, but also maybe easier becaseu you will have more to follow.

Anyway, please don't be shy aobut granting yourself the right to pride in your progress. I see the foundation of a good and sympathetic rider.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Thanks tinyliny! And yeah first video so now I know that I need to be closer to the camera or encourage my mom to use the zoom feature.

I feel really proud of him and myself. We've come so far and it's exciting to see me ride and see first hand what I need to work on.

I do need to learn to separate my body into sections that work independently. The sitting trot is where I see the biggest problem. I kind of just taught my horse a makeshift way of trotting.. should there be a distinct cue?

Thanks again everyone, I ride again tomorrow so I can really focus on each of these things and work on them more so.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Distinct cue? I use a squeeze of both legs to cue for trot, but it's not that. It's more that you may get a more energetic departure if before you apply the cue, you do the half halt. YOu slow your seat a second, kind of firm your leg contact ever so little, hold the outside rein just a bit firmer and think of "gathering him", so that you compress his energy , in a way, like a spring, then you press the "go" button with your cue, and he should jump into the trot.

If he's really sensitive to the half halt and the leg on before you actually ask for trot forward, he may get keyed up. I dont know him so dont' know if he'll do this. But it's something you can try.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> Distinct cue? I use a squeeze of both legs to cue for trot, but it's not that. It's more that you may get a more energetic departure if before you apply the cue, you do the half halt. YOu slow your seat a second, kind of firm your leg contact ever so little, hold the outside rein just a bit firmer and think of "gathering him", so that you compress his energy , in a way, like a spring, then you press the "go" button with your cue, and he should jump into the trot.
> 
> If he's really sensitive to the half halt and the leg on before you actually ask for trot forward, he may get keyed up. I dont know him so dont' know if he'll do this. But it's something you can try.


Alright.. I've been trying to figure out the "diagonal connection" where your inside leg is connected to the outside rein and how half halts work into that. I think I'm confusing myself and thus confusing my horse.

I use the same cue, I'll definitely try gathering him up like a spring with that half halt.

Keyed up?


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

You ride quite well! I like how you keep your arms & elbows in. I would like to see more seat & calf engagement, but with some exercises & practice, you are well on your way. Thank you for posting, I enjoyed your vid.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

waresbear said:


> You ride quite well! I like how you keep your arms & elbows in. I would like to see more seat & calf engagement, but with some exercises & practice, you are well on your way. Thank you for posting, I enjoyed your vid.


Thank you!

Oh yes riding with seat and leg is a new concept for me. I was all heels.. I don't know why it took so many years for someone to point that out to me but I'm working on strengthening my legs and working the right sides of my calf.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Skyseternalangel said:


> Keyed up?


 
yeah, I mean worried. Like , "she's putting more leg on me, kind of , but holding that rein a bit more, what does she want?" 
NOt understand that you are asking him to get ready for the next cue and get all over reactive. tHat's what I meant by "keyed up". Just depends on his history and how used to having leg on that he is.

(that is really bad English! I normally have better grammar and better typing than tonight)


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

tinyliny said:


> yeah, I mean worried. Like , "she's putting more leg on me, kind of , but holding that rein a bit more, what does she want?"
> NOt understand that you are asking him to get ready for the next cue and get all over reactive. tHat's what I meant by "keyed up". Just depends on his history and how used to having leg on that he is.
> 
> (that is really bad English! I normally have better grammar and better typing than tonight)


Hahaha oh it's all good tinyliny! I talk and type such nonsense at night.. your post seems very put together! 

He used to key up.. but I've kind of taught him that if he stays the same speed, then my leg will follow instead of tap. If I tap, and half halt.. at first he'll kind of hop and go a little faster, but then he'll take bigger more determined steps, then I give the cue and it takes him 2 strides to get put together. So I suppose he keys up a little.

It is long and drawn out.. it used to be longer and even more drawn out so he gets wound up less. But he's still trying to figure it out, as am I.

He's so patient with me lol


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## Tnavas (Nov 29, 2011)

My computer took forever to download th evideo.

Will agree with the others on all points. Your horse definately needs to go forward more, there is no over tracking in the walk. You have lovely hands and will get the contact in time - you'll know when you do as your horse will drop into an outline. In your rising trot try to keep your feet back a little more and to rise from your knees, try not to push off your feet, any weight needs to be down the back of your leg.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

I noticed something, but might be my eyes. It looks like you are collapsing through the left hand side of your body. At least, your shoulder looks lower a lot of the time to me.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Tnavas said:


> My computer took forever to download th evideo.
> 
> Will agree with the others on all points. Your horse definately needs to go forward more, there is no over tracking in the walk. You have lovely hands and will get the contact in time - you'll know when you do as your horse will drop into an outline. In your rising trot try to keep your feet back a little more and to rise from your knees, try not to push off your feet, any weight needs to be down the back of your leg.


Thank you so much Tnavas!  I will definitely work on it. It's hard to get him any higher than a 'grandpa walk' which is strange because you'd think with how he was on the ground I'd be having to slow him down the entire time. It'd help to ride with a whip, but I am ever so clumsy with one.. whack myself in the face, or whatnot. For now I'll just work with what I've got and in time, he'll become more forward as we take more lessons and I get more comfortable!

Again, thanks for looking it over!




Chiilaa said:


> I noticed something, but might be my eyes. It looks like you are collapsing through the left hand side of your body. At least, your shoulder looks lower a lot of the time to me.


The entire time?


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