# Ride today-lots o' pics



## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

one more for good measure  as you can tell i was totally not paying attention to the camera lol and be the tongue sticking out i think she was done .. haha


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

She looks like a nice mover, but those draw reins are way too tight. She needs to be able to get her head slightly in front of the vertical so she can be encouraged to reach into the contact from behind. 

For rider critique, open your shoulders and look up. You're encouraging her to fall on her forehand. 

Sorry if the above sounded harsh.


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## XxXequinegrlXxX (May 24, 2008)

aww you guys are looking great! i think you need to move your leg back a bit so your heel, butt, and shoulder make a straight line. you also seem to be sticking your toes out too far and gripping from the back of your calf , lengthening your stirrup a hole may help. and dont forget put your shoulders back!! i know im not the best critiquer but i hope i helped some ! keep up the great work !


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## White Foot (Jun 4, 2009)

I agree, the DR are too tight. What is she like when she's not using them?


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## equineeventer3390 (Mar 27, 2009)

She is very cute and looks pretty good but I agree either loosen or lose the draw reins. If you want to put something on her I suggest very loose side reins. When I first started training my young horse dressage I put him in side reins for the first 5 mins of the ride, just walk trot, for 5 days then stopped using them all together.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

I agree with the others on the draw reins; I'm not a fan of any kind of tie down, except for ground work (syrcingle work), and even then, I tend to use them lightly.


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

sorry i forgot to say this above... i only use the draw reins once a month or so and of course the day that i had pictures taken was my day that i decided to use them ... i will loosen them ... she also likes to hang on my hands (being off the track that is what they teach them) so I am having to brake her of that. 

I know that I need to pull my shoulders back- like the piano hands I get focused on what i am doing with her and get lazy haha ... my toes were out b/c it was like 97 degrees and she DID NOT want to work so I was using my spur like a mad woman ... they are little tinny tom thumb spurs- yes basically useless i know...

thanks everyone for the input- i know what i need to work on but it's still interesting to hear from others too


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

sheesh i do look down a lot ... i will take some pics next week and ill try and "ride" and not just train the horse


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## Chuckface (Apr 25, 2009)

shes cute, and very pretty. good luck with her training!


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

yeah- i need to take some pics of my riding on a normal day... i am sorry for the draw reins... i am not representing myself very well  oops


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## IrishRider (Aug 7, 2008)

You need to sit up and back a little more, you are leaning too far forward. She's very cute! I don't know much about draw reins since I have never used them so I can't speak to those.


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## morganshow11 (Dec 19, 2008)

The only thing i see is you are leaning forward and you should be strait.


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## darkrapidash (Jun 27, 2009)

Obviously, like everyone else said, you're leaning forward a little too much. I think it would help if you not only tried to keep your shoulders back, but think of sitting on the back of your butt by pushing your hips forward. I used to lean too and this is how my instructor got me to stop.

Otherwise, absolutely beautiful =)


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## roz (Jun 28, 2009)

i agree your leaning forlward to much and i dont agree with dr


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## Sunny06 (Jun 22, 2009)

What on earth are you doing using draw reins anyway? If your horse is not acting stupid, then you shouldn't be using them. I understand that this was a once-in-a-while thing, but if you are going to "train" then you need to either keep it up or drop it altogether. 

Your feet tend to point out a lot, and of course, the leaning forward business, which I'm sure you are already working on. The leaning forward is probably from looking down. You seemed to be a little hunched-back in a few of them also..I like that your arms aren't all pulled in and tight (even though you were in her mouth quite a bit with your fingers) and that they were realtively relaxed..Good job on that  But like I said--Get RID of the draw reins! Use loose reins if she"hangs"..You don't always have to be all collected like a dressage horse..A LOT of people get caught up in this, but there really is just no need to always be in the horse's mouth. It's ok to have contact and such, but there is no need to "pull in" and "tie up".


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## barefoot (Jun 11, 2009)

Even though I'm sure this has been said in this thread somewhere.. the draw reins are super tight is messing with your posture as well - You're leaning a bit too far forward past the vertical. I don't think riding with draw reins is a good idea - It's actually quite dangerous, especially when that tight.


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

I do train with them and that is why I use them once in a while- I just don't rely on them.

But thank you everyone for the input- Ill take it all into consideration when working with her (ill def. loosen the draw reigns when I use them- I think that she was pulling me off a lot in the pics and what is why I was leaning forward and looking down- and that was all stemmed from my dr being too short) ... obviously you all have great advice but when riding her, I have to do what is best for the situation 

Thanks!


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## Sunny06 (Jun 22, 2009)

kchfuller said:


> I do train with them and that is why I use them once in a while- I just don't rely on them.
> 
> But thank you everyone for the input- Ill take it all into consideration when working with her (ill def. loosen the draw reigns when I use them- I think that she was pulling me off a lot in the pics and what is why I was leaning forward and looking down- and that was all stemmed from my dr being too short) ... obviously you all have great advice but when riding her, I have to do what is best for the situation
> 
> Thanks!


^^ Why do you even use them at all? Contraptions like draw reins are just another torture device used to avoid real training and to quickly cover up any flaws and holes in the horse's training. The answer is to work WITH the horse rather than against it, and to not immediately turn to all the little contraptions and tortue devices when the horse shows any little sign of resistance. Drop the draw reins and continue to use the bit the way it was supposed to be used..


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## barefoot (Jun 11, 2009)

I think you'd have better luck lunging the mare with side reins rather than draw reins. Side reins have a little more give and have equal pressure towards the side which just feels "nice" compared to something pulling you downwards.


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## Misfit (Jun 29, 2009)

Okay, first 'real' post on the boards (did an intro post, but I'm not counting that). Go me! Anywho, first I would like to preface this by saying that I am very blunt. Please take all comments in the spirit in which they were intended, to help both you and your horse.

Now, on to the critique:

Aie karumba, get your horse moving. In all of the pictures, your horse is trailing her haunches, not stepping through, and generally moving like an 80 year old grandmother with arthritis. I feel part of the reason she's leaning on your hands so much is because she's not going anywhere. It's easy for her to take a nap on your hands when her butt isn't in gear. You don't want her moving faster, you want her moving more freely, really stepping through with her haunches and swinging through her back. Right now she's stiff and the draw reins DEFINITELY aren't helping any. 

If she's regularly moving like this, you're going to have to reprogram her. Try some lunging in (properly adjusted) sidereins to get her moving out and seeking contact. Additionally, when you're riding, get a baby spur and a dressage whip (spur provided your leg is steady enough, whip provided she doesn't have a meltdown about whips). If she starts leaning on your hands, swish her with the dressage whip and get her to start moving forward to carry herself. 

Now, your mission is to get her pushing through her haunches, swinging through her back and reaching down to seek contact. She goes to the bridle, the bridle doesn't go to her. Your hands are just along for the ride. You need to establish a REALLY forward swinging walk. Not a rushy walk (you do NOT want to kill your walk rhythm, have a fun time fixing it), but a forward walk with her over tracking, swinging through the back. You should feel your hips roll dramatically with every step, and her head should bob in time with her stride (not an "I'm ouchy" head bob, an "my back is swinging, and my neck is relaxed and attached to my back so it swings too" head bob). You want little to no rein contact at first, then gradually work in increasing contact while maintaing the rhythm and flow. Now do the same at the trot and canter. School figures are your friends. Serpentines, figure-8s, circles etc... anything to make her bend and relax through her back. But remember, FORWARD FIRST. Above all. If you don't have forward, you have nothing. 

Now, once you have gotten your horse moving forward through their haunches, back and neck, you can work on comparmentalizing that energy. The biggest thing to remember is that you need to ride up to the bridle, you don't bring the bridle back to the horse (which is what you're doing in these pictures). Your horse should NEVER be behind the vertical. 

If you want to get your horse on the bit, you are going to have to be in an effective position, in order to communicate with your horse. Unfortunately, in a lot of these pictures, you aren't in that position. Your lower leg is braced in front of your hips, instead of being allowed to hang down relaxed. As your lower leg is so far forward, it's not in an effective position to give aids to your horse. You can't use your leg to ride your horse up into the bridle becasue you can't get your legs on your horse. So your lower leg definitely needs to go back under your hip. In conjunction with that, your pelvis is rotated a tich too far forward. In hunter/jumper land, the posting trot is supposed to be a few degrees in front of the vertical. However, I feel you're one or two degrees too far forward, especially with a green horse who needs to learn forward. 

Additionally, you need to bring your sternum forward. Okay, physical experiment time. Either sitting or standing (doesn't matter which), please place one hand on your sternum, right between your collar bones. Now place your other hand at the base of the sternum, at the bottom of the rib cage. Now, please try and stretch your sternum as long as possible (creating maximum distance between your hands). Additionally, think about your sternum getting very light, and floating away with you (i.e. lift your sternum). Now, drop your hands so your arms are hanging relaxed from your shoulders. 

The position you are in should have your chest open, your shoulders back and down, your spine in alignment and your arms hanging relaxed from your sides in the proper position. In short, everything should feel 'right'. Now, I like doing 'stretch your sternum' vs 'shoulders back' because forcing the shoulder blades back usually leads to stiffness, and doesn't correct everything. This way, it's a bit like a physical 'reset' for your entire upper body, and creates relaxation, not stiffness. When you are riding your mare (who is super cute, btw), I want you to remember that, and when you feel your chest caving in, channel your inner dolly parton and think about stretching your sternum forward and up. Don't overdo it to the point of pain and stiffness, it should feel RIGHT. 

Those are the major things I saw, and if you fix the forward, your leg, and you strech your sternum, you should have a great time! 

As for the draw reins, I'd give them a break for a little while. I'm not anti-draw reins, I just find that they are VERY unforgiving. There is no margin for error with those suckers. Instead, once you have fixed your forward problem, may I suggest using a neck stretcher/bungee/drop reins/whatever you want to call it? They help your horse not lean on you because they end up fighting themselves. Plus, they have immediate give, so you don't have to worry about not releasing on the draw reins quick enough.


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

thanks misfit..

a few comment- like i said before i think the dr were pulling me all off... i will have to take a few pics on a normal day b/c normally Equ is my thing haha... i do do lots of circles, figure 8's and serpentines ... i will work on the things that you mentioned tho ... oh yeah and lastly i think that the styles of riding are different in the different areas so i will try what you say but i have to keep in mind what wins me classes around here -but thanks!


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## Misfit (Jun 29, 2009)

No problem! I totally know how you feel about having off days. I have so many horrible pictures, you woudn't believe it. I'm looking forward to seeing new pics!


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