Cons. Criticism please :) *vid*

midnightmare

midnightmare

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Oct 21, 2007
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okay, may regret this but after my drama today I am suddenly obssed with constructive criticism :p anyway here is a vid last sunday:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xMSPQvMo6m0

I know at one point I was on the wrong leg, obviously as I muted the vids you can't here my RI telling me to stop and me failing to stop him sooner :eek:

oh and don't comment on his ears, i know he looks un happy or angry but it isn't JUST me he does it with and don't ask me if there is anything wrong, personally I think he would rather be doing something like jumping lol he likes working, he is eager to please etc.
 
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I don't know any of your history, so I'll just comment on the video.

The first thing I did was mute the music as its distracting = though I do like the song.

To start you look to to have a nice upright position, but I can't really see your legs. But the way he is cutting the corners, its obvious you are not using your inside your inside leg or your outside rien.

If you watch your hands/rien contact you will see that your hands move up and down as the horse moves. This is very uncomfortable for the horse, and probably the reason why he has set his jaw and hollowed.

You need to relax your arms, let your arm fall relaxed from your shoulder, have a relaxed (not fixed) bend in your arm, have your thumbs on top and wrists facing each other.

Our rien contact is from the bit through the rien to our hands/ wrist and elbow, that line remains straight, we absorb the horses movement through our arms because we the elbow, which is hinge joint, meaning it can open and close.

Place your fists on your computer desk with your thumbs up and keeping them there, rock your body back and forwards, your hands don't need to move - but the rest of your body can.

Swap places with the horse and imagine (or better still, get a blunt knife and attach a string to either end pop it in your mouth and get friend to 'ride' you in walk and trot, moving their hands up, down and to the sides) I think then you will acknowledge why the horse your riding looks so unhappy and grumpy.

Don't for one moment think I'm critising - we've all been there, its a natural reaction to movement that we aren't used to. For us to ride horses successfully we need to be balanced and relaxed to absorb thier movement so that they are relaxed and can distinguish our aids.

When a horse is telling you its not comfortable, listen to it, its either rider error, ill fitting tack or its injured. They are incredibly generous creatures, they do thier best to please, don't ignore thier response and think for them - they can't speak, they can only react, a tolerant horse doing something that's uncomfortable puts his ears back, an intolerant horse becomes a problem horse.

Your instructor should have told you what I've posted, start asking questions, that's what you pay her for. Ask her about your arms absorbing the movement, legs to hold the track and balance.
 
right well im no RI and id love a lesson off Dizzy with that much help!!
but looks to me you are over horsed, too big, too farward going. you shouldnt be cantering it if you cant steer it in trot. you lean to the inside, are going against the movement, and as above not absorbing the movement through your arms, you have to aim to be at one with the horse whilst riding without "over riding" and it looks like this is what you have to do to continue to get anything out of this horse. lol im just constructive critasizing not being mean:) try to use your leg and body to steer and not rely so much on your reins, if in doubt slow down and try again, you were flying round in canter and he was basically doing what he wanted to, half halt, relax and go with him and you'll be ok. get your mum to go and critisize you again it did wonders for you last time! :D :p good luck! !
you're over due a puzzle ride deary :p
that rs doin u no good, move to brum and start riding for me.
 
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I agree that I don't really like the RS too much, but if your happy there then that's what matters.
Right, firstly, you are actually on the wrong diagonal when trotting the first time.
I also agree about steering him, atm he is kind of going where he wants. push him out with our inside leg and use that outside rein to keep him on the track. Alot of RS ponies will take the easy option of just breaking out of canter and skipping off half the school. If you feel he's taking the p*ss then make him canter a 20m circle to get him listening to you. One of the things my old RI would always make me do is to keep them on th track, and i agree with her. As soon as you start to take sharge they listen to you 100% more.
If he's not listening to you and maintaining the canter then give him a smack on the bum.
Also, ask your RI if you can do some no reins work, it makes you realise how important your legs are in riding, and also it will give you more stability in your hands
 
From what I have seen over the past few months I have to agree about the RS change. :eek: You really need guidance and confidence at this point. One on one attention would be brilliant for you. :) Is there any other RS around?

Good luck! :)
 
Jenny2502 said:
right well im no RI and id love a lesson off Dizzy with that much help!!
but looks to me you are over horsed, too big, too farward going. you shouldnt be cantering it if you cant steer it in trot. you lean to the inside, are going against the movement, and as above not absorbing the movement through your arms, you have to aim to be at one with the horse whilst riding without "over riding" and it looks like this is what you have to do to continue to get anything out of this horse. lol im just constructive critasizing not being mean:) try to use your leg and body to steer and not rely so much on your reins, if in doubt slow down and try again, you were flying round in canter and he was basically doing what he wanted to, half halt, relax and go with him and you'll be ok. get your mum to go and critisize you again it did wonders for you last time! :D :p good luck! !
you're over due a puzzle ride deary :p
that rs doin u no good, move to brum and start riding for me.
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too big, really? I wouldn't of thought that, I feel like weird on anything smaller. he's only 15 something and I'm 5ft7 :confused:
I thought I could steer him in trot, when can't I? :confused:
hmm, when my mum criticised me I felt like a useless piece of crap and did stuff that I don't want to go through again.

thanks for the critique :)
 
Thanks everyone :)

I'm not switching my RS. Everywhere else here is expensive and there is only another one or two in the area and I am happy with my RI it's my fault, i'm not confident enough or something
 
I'm sorry hun but you look like you're all over the place & that's a very generous (or resigned) horse to be putting up with it. In fairness to you I don't think it's all your fault because watching the other rider I can see similar problems & that makes me think the teaching is at least part of the issue. I also think you're being incredibly brave posting video on here - the most I've ever dared is photos!!!

I agree with a lot of what Dizzy has said so I won't repeat it all.

From what I can see of your leg position I'd like to alter it to make it more effective & allow it to support you so you can sit stiller. I think you need to open your hips more so your legs drape round the horse more. Bring your hips & bottom forward & your knee back so that your leg is straighter, longer & more underneath you. This should put your thigh in a position to support you, make your seat lighter & put you in a more upright, stiller position throughout your body.

I don't think he looks too big for you, or too forward. If anything it may be easier if he were a little more forward as then you could try to go with the flow a bit rather than having to keep him moving. I do think he looks horribly unbalanced & as such isn't the right horse to learn to canter on - you need something that can keep a steady, balanced canter in a more rounded outline so you can concentrate on what you're doing. I don't think I'd want to be cantering him much until I'd improved his way of going!

I don't think it's your fault & you shouldn't think it either :mad:. Confidence comes with knowledge & experience & that's what you have lessons for. Your RI should help you build confidence & self-confidence in your riding, she should find suitable horses for you to learn on & work on getting the basics right - you can't do this without her because you don't know what's right & wrong. You come across as someone who badly wants to learn, is very enthusiastic & has a real love of horses so please don't get disheartened or put yourself down. I'm another one who'd love you to get some lessons elsewhere but that's entirely up to you.
 
But your RI should be making you confident. She should also, as Dizzy said, be telling you these things in the lesson.

If you don't get the right leg in canter, get him back to trot immediatly, prepare the trot (don't just try in the next corner) and ask for lots of inside flex - Likewise, if you don't get canter immediatly and all you get is a fast trot, slow the trot down, take rising again and try again when you've got space/the trot is going nicely again.

Really push him into the corners - I was told a few years ago that 'the track is there for people starting out' - i.e try and use all of your corner.
 
you are far from being over horsed. i personlay think you just need a bit more convidence hun.do you have lseeon in an out door school? i feel you would prob do better in an out side school, not so enclosed in.
 
hello
i think you done well, just try to quieten your seat a little so your not moving around so much. Also like people have also said, work on getting the correct diagonals, i must admit it took me ages to work out diagonals haha, im sure you will get there soon :)
keep it up, after all your having lessons so you can only get better :):)
by the way i added you as a friend on youtube =] xx
 
montys helper said:
you are far from being over horsed. i personlay think you just need a bit more convidence hun.do you have lseeon in an out door school? i feel you would prob do better in an out side school, not so enclosed in.
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we have an outdoor school at our RS (I love it lol) it's alot bigger than the indoor but recently it has been frozen alot at the time I go :( I rode in it the other day but that was with Misty which meant it was totally different lol :p
 
Agree with the others.

I think you need to spend time having lessons improving your position and not having to worry about steering, then steering will become a lot easier. Either of a schoolmaster who won't race round cutting corners, or lunge lessons.

Aside from lessons to soley focus on YOU and your position:

Have a quick think; what did you learn in that lesson? What was the aim? What did you gain? It looks like you need more direction in the lesson. There was only two of you, so theres no excuse for your instructor not to give you lots of valuable, personal attention. To me it looks like the lesson was not very productive. It looks manic and not structured.

I think Tom(?) looks unhappy/ears flat because you are bouncing on his back when you're asking him to canter/doing sitting trot. It looks like he's speeding up to get away from it because it's not comfortable for him.

I'd say you should try and slow him down in the trot, half-halt with the outside rein. don't bother asking for canter when he's rushing, he's running into the canter and neither of you look happy (regardless of what you say about him enjoying working - a horse with his ears flat back that much isn't happy :)) you don't need speed to canter, just impulsion (most of the time i ask my horse to go stand still - canter, which prooves theres no need for speed!

None of this post is a dig at you, so don't feel that it is. I wasn't even cantering when I'd been riding as long as you which in a way is not a good thing but in another way is a good thing I think.

Good luck whatever you do. You aren't bad for the amount of time you've been learning, but maybe you aren't learning in the best way. Not your fault but something I'd change if I were you.
 
midnightmare said:
thanks for the critique :)
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It just looked a little out of control, how big was misty? what kind of horse is he? small arena too, i hated when i moved yards from having an olympic sized indoor to a lil barn!!!
and hun i didnt mean about your mum being mean , i meant about you being determined to prove her wrong chick :p :D
 
Method_Acting said:
I think Tom(?) looks unhappy/ears flat because you are bouncing on his back when you're asking him to canter/doing sitting trot. It looks like he's speeding up to get away from it because it's not comfortable for him.
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but it isn't just me, it's with everybody that rides him, grooms him, tacks him up
 
~*sugarlump*~ said:
I'm guessing he's sore somewhere then, and the RS shouldnt be using him if hes in that much discomfort that he has to put his ears back all the time
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I agree :)

I don't know why you've only acknowledged the comment in my reply that probably offended you, but like I said my post was not a dig.

Moving on... this isn't about Tom, but I couldn't not comment on it from the video, sorry.
 
Do you practise steering in walk? Unless you do that LOTS you'll never learn to do it in trot or canter. And do you make circles, serpentines etc? While he is just belting round the track, there is no steering involved at all, he's just following the wall. Maybe some time spent in walk, using your legs and seat to steer him in lots of different shapes and curves in both directions would help you to work together more.
 
Nothing is your fault, watching the video, I don't see anything wrong with your confidence. Anyone who rides has all been at your stage of learning, but because you have posted this video, the comments/advise you have recieved, gives you an avantage.

We've told you what was going wrong, and why. This has fed you the questions to direct at your RI.

You are not a bad rider, but to get better you need to learn how to use your aids correctly - and that's where your RI comes in.

The other girl in your lesson is far more novice than you, for you to get the best out of your lessons you must have goals to achieve so you must ask questions.

When the horse you are riding cuts corners - ask her what you should be doing to make him go round the corners.

You are paying your RI to teach you to ride - personally I would never move anyone up into canter, when they hadn't established the relationship of inside hand to outside leg or vice versa, not because I didn't think they could sit it - but because its the equivalent of letting someone drive a car with no steering or brakes - but just expect them to cruise it.

You are a confident rider, with quite good balance, you have an RI you're happy with - give yoursef goals and question her - you're paying her to teach you, not watch you career around.

You are not a bad rider - it can only get better:D
 
The faults shown are those of a rider who is grasping the ropes.

Good critique from the first poster - although very in-depth for what I would consider your level; always nice to hear though.

What is being said about the RI is true, but finding another cost-effective one is sometimes difficult; and I'm sure you would rather ride with a 'not too hot to trot' instructor than not at all. (Excuse the pun!)

I noticed that no one particularly commented on your aid technique, so I thought I would give it a quick mention. The horse is very low on the bit; almost dragging his chin on the floor at the beginning; then poking his nose right out half was through or when you ask for canter. As mentioned before, not your fault (unless you have been taught about speeds, collection etc.) I personally do not allow my students to move onto canter until they are capable of working with soft and supple hands in order to encourage the horse to energise the current pace (through sponging and impulsion as oppose to slack hands and flapping legs) to prepare for the next.

I might be wrong as I can't tell too much from the video as you are at a distance; but it appears that you give him a good few taps of the heel before he goes anywhere. (Even then he strides off then drops out.) I'm not suggesting you bring the crop into it at all; as he moves off quite nicely considering the clarity of your aids; just maybe approach your RI and ask to maybe cover collection, sponging and half halts one week.

You may have already covered these topics, but not understood their importance, especially in schooling.

Do you ride the same horse every week?

Others that have said that you are 'all over the place' I would say are being a little harsh. You are relatively well-balanced; although the sitting trot appears a little too much at the beginning of the clip; this could easily be made more comfortable with the use of collection to shorten the stride and slow things down slightly. This in turn would also ease your transitions (particularly to canter or if you move to direct transitional work) no end.

I would definatly agree with the 'hand bobbing' that you are doing sporadically; but this is an easily corrected fault (considering the lack of continuity of it!). You are also riding with slightly longer reins so there is little affect on the horses mouth it would appear. Your transitions are sloppy; but as I mentioned before; a little hand and leg co-ordination can go a long way. :)

I hope this isn't taken with offence and I wish you good luck with your riding.
 
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