# flatwork critique anyone?



## mell (Sep 5, 2007)

ok so its not the best video for this but its all i have for now.



thanks


----------



## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

first of all, goooooorgeous horse  

im not going to critique much. i couldnt really see your feet or legs so im not going to comment on those. the only thing i could see (and the monitor i am using is dark so it makes it harder to see detail sometimes). the only thing i could pick up on was you looking down. keep your head up and look straight ahead. 

as for the horse he has lovely movement. nice transitions up and down which is good. he managed to keep a reasonably nice frame throughout transitions which is great.

not perfect but pretty good to me


----------



## ohmyitschelle (Aug 23, 2008)

Nice horses and riding... no real critique from me, but it looks like you could make your circles bigger than what they were, unless that was the trick of the angle of the film or because you purposely made them that small. 

x


----------



## I Do DeClaire (Jul 25, 2008)

I think you guys look great. I'm no critique expert but I'll give it a try. Your horse bends very nicely and I think he/she has a good amount of rear propulsion at the trot. He/she seems to be pretty heavy on the forehand at the canter.


----------



## jeddah31 (Jun 11, 2008)

Push pony forwards a tad in canters, pony is not really going anywhere and getting a bit fidgety with her head because of that. 

Great position, fantastic hands. Just look up and ahead and engage your abs a little more to stop your shoulders from drifting back.

Don't do too many circles and too much of the same stuff. Vary it all up and do some serpentines so pony doesn't get bored and stiff on the same circle 

lovely riding and gorgeous pony!


----------



## mell (Sep 5, 2007)

lol he's 16hh so bit bigger then a pony lol, thanks for the reply though, will try that, same goes for everyone elses replys 

Yeh, the area i was riding in is kinda limited. only a small amount i am allowed to ride on, the rest is the neighbours and they are picky about these things lol. 

Thanks again for the replys everyone


----------



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

I first watched the video right when you first posted it and was too lazy to type the novel that I'm going to write now then. So just prepare yourself haha.

First, I'm just going to point out some of my observations and then suggest how I personally would fix them. If you're in a "read-y mood" I would suggest ::: Sustainable Dressage - - Welcome to my Site about Sustainable Dressage! :::. Just read it with a grain of salt, the lady is a little bit bitter and traditionalist, and pay attention to the pictures of "classical" versus "contemporary" dressage.
The first thing that I see when I glance at your riding is a quiet picture of a lower level horse and rider. But then upon actually watching your seat and riding and how your horse responds to it, I see a stiff and forced rider on a willing horse. Every single step you are driving that horse with your seat, which is why he is so far out behind your leg. You get very "fanatic" as my coach would say in your core and then stiffen your limbs to reduce movement when in reality we want things the other way, and much looser and harmonious. Your horse is swishing his tail and nodding his head in protest, but your cocked wrists and locked backwards elbows keep his head and neck pulled in.
The biggest thing that you need to fix, and it is a gradual process, is trust of your horse. Once you trust your horse enough to do his job freely, then he will be happy and perform his best, same with any horse. Trust him to know how to walk, trot and canter. He knows how to do those gaits a whole lot better than you do.
I would like to see your lower leg come back far enough that when you stretch your knees down towards the ground, your heels become weighted underneath your seat and your calves slightly close enough to keep your knees from gripping and your legs from swinging. Then you need to focus on keeping your seat at the very front of the saddle, and allow the horse to move under you in his own way. Try to keep your seat falling in the exact same place on the center of the horse, every time. Now look up and balance your head on your shoulders, it should require no muscle tone, only balance to keep your head on your shoulders. Now relax your elbows and bring your hands up and together. It is useful to bridge your reins or ride with a crop under both thumbs to keep your wrists from cocking and your elbows from pulling.
Now as you are riding in this position, every step think about keeping you and him balanced. First focus on keeping all four feet exactly under him, and you landing perfectly in the center of him every stride. Once you have this balance then try to make his neck and spine longer, not through stretching forward and downward, but by letting him stretch straight into your contact and his spine longer and longer straight (like the horse on the front page of sustainable dressage). Don't worry about keeping his head down, only about getting his neck as long as possible.
Good luck in your dressage journey and hopefully your lovely horse takes you far


----------



## mell (Sep 5, 2007)

WOW! what a great reply, thanks!

yes i am low level, very lol. 
I have come across that site before, but i will give it another look.
Yeh i do stiffen alot, especially in sit trot. I have done a bit of no stirrup work, but i just can relax completly, i always grip with my knees lol. 
What exactly do you mean by 'behind my leg' i have a bit of an idea, but am not sure.
anyways thanks for the advice, will definatly be using it!


----------



## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

mell said:


> WOW! what a great reply, thanks!
> 
> yes i am low level, very lol.
> I have come across that site before, but i will give it another look.
> ...


When a horse is behind your leg, it doesn't feel like they are just flowing forward by themselves steadily in a rhythm. You are always having to push them forward. When they are infront of your leg, you really don't have to worry about keeping them forward, they just kind of tick along by themselves and you just have to worry about balance and managing things.
You're welcome if you have any questions my PM box is always open


----------



## mell (Sep 5, 2007)

~*~anebel~*~ said:


> When a horse is behind your leg, it doesn't feel like they are just flowing forward by themselves steadily in a rhythm. You are always having to push them forward. When they are infront of your leg, you really don't have to worry about keeping them forward, they just kind of tick along by themselves and you just have to worry about balance and managing things.
> You're welcome if you have any questions my PM box is always open


oh i see, thanks


----------



## RoostersMom (Nov 19, 2008)

I think you're a nice rider with a nice horse! The horse looked relaxed, steady and fairly supple. Your position was very nice and your hands were quiet. (Do keep your head up though!). The horse seemed a bit heavy on the forehand at the canter and lacked a bit of hind end engagement and impulsion at the canter (looked like he was dragging his hind end a bit and I almost detected a bit of stiffness in his hind right...can you feel anything there?). Try some half-halts at the canter to see if you can get him a bit more collected and engaged at the canter. 
I'd like to see how he goes in the opposite direction and on a straight line (down a long side or across a diagonal).
But nice job overall! Have fun!


----------



## mell (Sep 5, 2007)

hey, 
sorry for the late reply.
Yeh, he does have a stiff off side right leg, from an injury he had.
We had a massage therapist out about 2 weeks ago, and i have specific excersises & massage stuff to do to get it to loosen up a bit more, its been getting better.
Thanks for the reply.


----------

