# Critique of horse and my riding



## ilovemyPhillip (Apr 4, 2009)

Your heels is what I noticed first.
And your leg isn't very still, unless your constantly bumping the horse to keep it going. 

The horse is shaking his head a lot. That can either mean attitude or discomfort.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks, He doesn't do that often, he was being particularly bratty that day too (I usually don't even carry a crop, but of course, when you want to tape it x[ it was for a college application) so I did have to keep bumping him to keep him going. Not sure about how consistently, I will watch again. Thanks though! I will keep an eye on my heel and leg next time i get to ride.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

I agree I need to keep my lower leg more still, and doesn't do that often I was refering to the head tossing. He typically never does it but I get a day here and there he doys *even bareback so a saddle fit isn't the issue. It is rare though.


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## Bakkir (Mar 3, 2010)

From what I see you are lacking strength in your legs. You are falling hard on your horses back and bouncing out of the saddle instead of using your legs to post. This is causing your hands to fly around and jerk your horses head. The head shaking is not attitude or lack of training - he is trying to get away from your hands.

IMO you need to go back to basics and build up your leg. I like lunge lessons without stirrups or reins.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

goodbye,

Your lower leg is not really an issue. In fact , the lower leg should move a little as the horse breathes and if you really look at it, the leg only moves a little as you put weight into it then sit down (no weight), weight in (stand) then sit. It didnt move forward/backward. THAT is a problem, but flexing out and back a little is not a problem , especaially since I did not see you actually putting your heel on rythmically. Over all your leg is good. 

In fact, let me tell the good first:

You ride very lightly and sympathetically. YOu are not bumping around and you allowed the horse to move both forward/backward and side to side in his barrel as he moved laterally. YOur leg stayed on him like a "wet towel" and your vertical position of upper body was good and moved very littel (have more to say about that , tho). YOur hands were pretty steady and you had a feeling of calmness in the way you rode. The horse seems pretty relaxed except for his barging the reins and head tossing, but that seems like ingrained school horse behaviour. Your transition to trot and canter was pretty good.
Now , the bad;

Your seat , while not noisy, is not strong either. YOu do not have your horse "connected" to your hands and your core. The horse is not really on the aides. He is kind of drifting along and just seems to happen to be going the way you want him to, and even then when he turns he is totally drifting either out or in throught the shoulder and has very poor balance. He is really draggging his front feet (evidenced by the amount of dust he kickes up, especially his right front). He is not connected at any time to his outside rein. I think he transitioned up to the canter in part because you were facing the gate, and he WANTS to go there because that's the way out to rest. If you asked for canter going the other way, would it come so easily? When he dropped out of the canter, was that your's or his idea? You didn't have a strong enough core to keep yourself from falling forward, and that was partly due to a weak seat and partly due to HIM making the decision to stop there. If you were more actively RIDING him rather than passively going along with him, you could have felt he was about to break and you could have put a leg on and picked him up and moved him on.

IN general , you need to work on more contact, having an inside and an outside rein and putting your horse between your legs/seat and those reins. Get some energy out of him, so he'll start to pick kup his feet and this will help with his balance. I can see that he is stiff, but it doesn't seem to be a real physical issue, but rather a habit of putting out as little as he can get by with.

I look forward to seeing a newer video.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Thank you! I have had a very difficult time with canter (he stops as he pleases regardless of my attempt to keep him going) He used to do this at a trot but we have come to understand he isn't allowed to be so lazy....He does try to get away with things as he pleases. He isn't a lesson horse and typically goes western with his owner so getting used to the contact also caused his head tossing at the beginning. He doesn't do it anymore as he is more used to my keeping contact. He does put out quite a bit more energy and will power with his owner, i will say that much.
I hope to get the other video up in a few minutes. As long as it does not take as long as this one. It isn't as long and there isn't as much to critique I don't think.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I can tell that that horse has a lot more umph to him than he's giving you. He is actually a really nice looking horse and once you become more able to connect him to your seat and rein, you will be able to kind of "string" his power, like stinging a bow, and have a lot more horse under you. Him stopping the canter where he wants to is definitely a time for you to get after him pronto. A couple of times of you getting him a quick smack for that and he will take you much more seriously.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Will do  thanks! Unfortunately I haven't been to the barn in a while and don't have a current lease on him. And the video I will work on tomorrow, the works are clogged up here and the pages are taking forever long to open, I can't watch any videos, and the upload page won't connect.


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## Hidalgo13 (Dec 24, 2010)

Hmmm, I for some reason noticed your hands. They were pretty steady though can be steadier. My old trainer was big on keeping ones hands absolutely quiet and perfectly still... gave me the habit of obsessing on them as well! lol  Overall I find you did rather well. Keep practicing.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Thank you : ) I do think I have improved quite a bit since this video, but have no really decent ones to show. As soon as I get the chance though one will be posted.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

We just got our internet speed updated here at m;y house. It used to take ice ages to view videos and now it is reasonable. We are still way behind most peoples' tech capabilities, and I am married to a computer nerd. Go figure.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Haha yes, slow internet is frustrating! Mine appears to have gotten over it's case of the slowness....... for the time being.
ehhh until i try to upload the video again..figures.


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## offinthedistance (Feb 28, 2009)

I have nothing negative to say. I only want to say that you look confident, happy and that with practice, you're achieving what you want to. I think it's so hard to get going past a gate or get to the point where the horse is doing exactly what you want it to where you ask for it. Stick at it...
Good work!


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks! It was for a college application so I tried to make even the things that went wrong look like I ment them haha xD it took about 6 tries for the video.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

It's really not a very good video, but I can't expect much when I ride alone in the rather poorly lit indoor xD

I will also attach some photos to have a crack at. I notice a case of puppy paws in one shot...These are from the same day as the initial video. The last one on a different shot is from during a lesson.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

the third shot is the best, and the one of you at your lesson, which is very good.
You have a very good way of connecting your upper body to the saddle and your seat bones. I can see that you are right on them, and when you sit up, I see the potential for a very good rider.
Yes, you need to roll your forearm over to get those thumbs on top (and by the way the reason for thumbs on top is exactly that; to cause the forearm to roll over, whcih brings your elbow into correct alignment and close to your body where it belongs) And that was my next thing. You need to bring your elbow in and closer to the body. You will need to take enough contact that the horse gives a little bit in the jaw and poll and then ask him to step up and under with his hind end. This might sound vague. It's hard to find concrete , specific ways of putting something that is a matter of feel into words.

On the black your horse leg is draping down much better and not so turned. On your horse, it looks like you might be gripping with the back of your calf. Maybe that's a hunter thing, but not in dressage. You will want to work on keeping your legs open and letting them fall down ward all the way to the ankle
Try riding without stirrups for a bit, then just lifting your toe and popping your forefoot into the stirrup.
You're posting higher than necesary but it's not the end of the world.

Look at those pictures; the third one at the canter, and you on the black. Can you feel now how it felt then to be in that position? Those are the best of the ones you offer. seek toward them and beyond.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

I never used to have puppy paws it must be a recent habit...*cringes at thought of what instructor would say...*
I have been riding him bareback for the last couple months. I have been practicing half seat and posting...which took a while to convince me was actually possible...I suppose that should help quit a bit? I have a few more pictures of bareback but they might not be of much help. Not sure, you people do surprise me though. These are more recent/ october-ish. Sorry for the overload of pictures!


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## MudPaint (Aug 14, 2010)

Hat's off to Tinyliny... very well explained. 

I'll just add one more thing. Close your fingers. As you start to ask for more contact, you want those fingers closed, otherwise your horse can't get a true feel for your hand and usually won't soften into the bridle. I have this problem all the time. My brain says open hands mean soft hands, wrong. Soft hands come from an elastic elbow, which you will really start developing as you bring it closer to your body and rotate your thumbs up. If you were a hunter, the leg movement would bother me, as a dressage rider, you want a little more movement to go with the horse, and be loose so you can use the aids fully.


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## MudPaint (Aug 14, 2010)

riding bareback and without stirrups almost always helps, you certainly look relaxed


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks, yes i do have a problem with keeping my fingers closed. I don't really jump. The video had to be the 5th time i jumped and have never been taught. My lessons gear towards dressage


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## kassyrose (Oct 3, 2010)

I think you need a bit more of a connection, it looks a bit like your horse is just doing it without much aid. Try doing some different things to keep you both engaged


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## macktheknife (Jul 11, 2010)

Two things stuck out to me: 1) fingers. Your arms seem to want to do the right thing, and generally you seem to provide a soft ride, but you tend to fiddle with your fingers. Every adjustment is a nip, and thats what I saw causing your horse to toss his head. (I chalked it up to that or bugs that I couldn't see.) Also as previously stated you are turning your thumbs in, "puppy pawing" or "piano playing." Even if your arms are soft, this is still a bracing feel. Thumbs should be up, pretend that your wrists and fingers don't exist. 2) I notice particularly in the video during the canter that while your seat is good, you are lacking a connection with your stirrup, and hence way too much foot is slipping through--the heel comes up, you end up sitting on your butt, literally without a leg to stand on. I understand that you are working with a dressage trainer who most likely adheres to the longer-leg style of riding, but at least until you master the canter it might be worth asking to put them up a hole. 

I also notice that a lot of reviewers are commenting on how you seemingly "lack a connection" to your horse. This may come across as a rant, but I think that sometimes on this board people feel the need to express their highest level of understanding, or the most sophisticated change that could be made for whatever reason--probably on the assumption that it would help the most. However, I think that you shouldn't concentrate on trying to find this connection. For someone at this level, I think you are doing a bang-up job, and while grasping the key ideas, you're stuck in that position of waiting for your body to catch up; to find the muscle memory, strength, reaction time, etc. That is to say, you won't find this connection until your position is solid. Keep working on your basics, and it will come. And keep riding bareback!! THAT, more than anything, will teach you to sit the trot! )

As for the horse, flipping adorable. Seems like a super solid citizen, willing to push you just far enough that you have to work for it, but not so hard that you would give up on him. I like him. Seems like a comfy ride too.


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## horseloverd2 (Jan 23, 2009)

Something I notice, it may just be me though, you're stirrups seems a little long. Maybe try shortening them a hole or two? In some of the photos, it looks like your reaching for them.

I also agree that you may want to strengthening your calves as well. You should be using your calf muscles to post, not the stirrups.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks everyone! He is way cute and exactly what you described, Macktheknife. I do understand the connection thing as i have been working with my instructor quite a while on it. Severl years. The main issue was my lssons were too far between to make it a habit and since I am not riding with her here (except with the dark bay/ black) I forget to focus on keeping the contact. This summer is the most riding I've had ever. I have been riding for about ten years, but extremely infrequently. I do understand the concepts and have worked with them, I need to make them a habit more than anything I think. 
I also have been riding bareback since september and rode through november that way. I still ride bareback all of the time but havent been riding in a while. Planning on starting with the saddle again but stirrupless.


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## equinesalways (Jan 5, 2010)

Quick comments...

Be careful not to grab on with the back of your thigh. You tend to tense in the transitions from canter to trot. Whether it's in attempt to slow down and rebalance or just hang on, you need to prepare for the downward more and then ride the transition rather than do the transition and then try to fix it. Legs are otherwise decent.

You are pushing yourself up in the post. You need to let the horse do it for you and if you only come out of the saddle a tiny bit, that's Ok. Posting shouldn't be work. It's a break for both the rider and the horse.

Hands. You are learning to balance your body with the horse and you are trying to keep your hands still. It take a long time to learn to truly be "with your horse" when you no longer have those tiny wibble-wobbles. While you are perfecting that balance, be mindful to keep your fingers closed and try to feel his mouth with an elastic contact rather than a still, dead-fish contact.


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks Equinesalways =, i will keep working on those things. I can feel my hands getting better when i ride allowing them to move with his head. I'm sure how they look now, but i know they feel better.
From cantor to trot yes i have problems. Those also are getting better. At hte time of the video I had just started cantering with him and the bumby trot after he stopped cantering always got me. Still does but I am getting there.


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## hflmusicislife (Dec 15, 2010)

Everyone pretty much said everyhting I was going to.... I do have one suggestion for your posting. As equinesalways said, posting shouldn't really be work, per say. What I find is an easy way to find the correct "bounce" in your post is to sit the trot (in a saddle with stirrups.) It's much easier on a horse with a bouncy trot, so if you ride a horse with a very smooth trot try picking up the pace a tad. The horse will naturally bounce you out of the saddle (plus, you should end up on the correct diagonal!) Try not to post much higher than the horse naturally sends you out of the saddle. Hopefully that made sense... Great job working on bareback though. Bareback is the best


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks! That did make sense. So say the horse is trotting faster and bouncier the post should be more exaggerated (naturally bounced higher) than a slower smooth trot?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

macktheknife said:


> I also notice that a lot of reviewers are commenting on how you seemingly "lack a connection" to your horse. This may come across as a rant, but I think that sometimes on this board people feel the need to express their highest level of understanding, or the most sophisticated change that could be made for whatever reason--probably on the assumption that it would help the most. However, I think that you shouldn't concentrate on trying to find this connection. For someone at this level, I think you are doing a bang-up job, and while grasping the key ideas, you're stuck in that position of waiting for your body to catch up; to find the muscle memory, strength, reaction time, etc. That is to say, you won't find this connection until your position is solid. Keep working on your basics, and it will come. And keep riding bareback!! THAT, more than anything, will teach you to sit the trot! )
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> ...


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## hflmusicislife (Dec 15, 2010)

Goodbye13lueSky said:


> Thanks! That did make sense. So say the horse is trotting faster and bouncier the post should be more exaggerated (naturally bounced higher) than a slower smooth trot?


Not necessarily. Obviously, you would post differently on a horse with a very big trot, than how you would post on a smoother horse. However for the most part your post should be as minimal as possible. Enough that you can see it, but you also shouldn't be throwing yourself out of the saddle. I just find if you let the horse bounce you up for a few strides it helps keep your posting lower when you post for yourself. You could also try posting either bareback or without stirrups. It's much harder to post high like that 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Goodbye13lueSky (Sep 22, 2009)

Ok thanks. Just out of curiousity, why not post high? Is it incorrect or does it bother the horse?


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## hflmusicislife (Dec 15, 2010)

You know... I'm not entirely sure. I highly doubt it bothers the horse. I think it's more of an appearence thing, because you don't need to post higher and it looks smoother when you post lower. I dunno. Anyone else have an idea??


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