Riding position *pic*

toohorsemad

toohorsemad

Victor's Mummy
Oct 1, 2004
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Ireland
Ok I had a thread about this but I am not really getting the response that I need! Here is three pics of me on Vic! I need help! Ok my legs are really bad! Can you tell me what is wrong with my position and how I can improve it! Ok first and secound one ar of me troting I think!

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And here is a bad pic of me cantering:

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This is really improtant that I sort out my position (well it is to me) as I am entering competitons with my friends soon and I really want to be the best I can in the competition as they will the first time I have done one's with Vic and the first time they will see Vic! Please be as honest as possible!
 
your position doesn't look that bad. You have a straight line running through your body suggesting you are sitting in the right position.The only thing I did notice was that your toes turn out which would mean maybe you are using the back of your calf rather than the inside of your calf when applying your aids.
 
Thanks! My toes do stick out and I do actually use the back of my calf for aids! Its stopping me doing BHS stage 1 as the instuctor who is teaching us says I can't do it with my leg position! :mad: So I was really upset and annoyed! I really need to work on it but its very hard to when your in a bad habit!
 
Not sure if this will work with your legs...but it worked for me.
try & lower your little toes.....you need to "roll2 your ankles to do this & you can't do it easily if your feet are pointing out.
Also imagine...pointing with your toes towards your horses nose....sounds like madness I know, but it worked on me honest.
Upper body looks nice....so it 'aint all bad ;)

F
~F xxx

Horses are Us©​
 
I'm very keen to improve my position...and have posted as such here too!! However you're streets ahead of me!! :eek: I'm still struggling to keep my heels down. I've found that turning my toes out lets me do this. I know I'm learning another bad habit...but it's the lesser of the two.. :(
Oh by the way...was your instructor serious about not being up to scratch for BHS stage 1...because your toes stick out!!! Devastating news for me...I'd sort of just started to think about working towards that. Surely they're not so strict?? :(
 
Well she said that "my lower leg just wasn't string enough!" like ok I know a girl who is doing it and she doesn't even have a jumping position!!! This was before I found out I wasn't able to do it anyway cause I was too young! But anyway, I am still annoyed! I liked her teaching me because she was tough but that was too harsh! Or am I wrong?
 
toohorsemad said:
Thanks! My toes do stick out and I do actually use the back of my calf for aids!
Click to expand...

I have exactly the same problem with my legs!! A friend has given me a good tip for sorting it out - stand in the stirrups, adjust your legs so that your feet are facing forwards, then when you sit down they should be in the right place. My problem with this is that it doesn't last long!!
 
Its so hard to do with Vic as you can't control him and work at your position at the same time! :mad: He is inexperienced and I need to concentrate on him 100% of the time! His walk is so slow any ideas? The whip doesn't make nearly any difference! :rolleyes:
 
How about some lunge lessons? Then you don't have to worry about control as much.

The only thing I can suggest to improve his impulsion (and make his paces more active) is to really get at him with your legs. You also look to have your reins a tad long from what I was taught on Sunday. If you can push him into the bridle with your legs and give and take with alternate hands he ought to come into the beginnings of an outline, (took me a while to grasp the concept) and then he should work more effectively. Do a lot of transitions, and if he doesn't do what you ask straight away give him a smack behind your leg with the whip. Ride him forward into both down and upwards transitions, and dont take your leg off him in halt, then he should be ready to move on.

At the moment I'm having to work on strengthening my lower leg and using it properly. That requires me to have an independant seat and so I have to do a lot of stirrupless work. If you practise that then it ought to impact on your toes as well. In all honesty, I have reason to believe that stirrupless work (however painful) is the best thing a rider can do to improve.
 
Yes I am doing quite a bit of stirrupless work but I can't use my aid and keep my legs long! :rolleyes: Vic sersously doen't listen to my legs and its hard to make contract with his body with my legs! Its very weird!
 
You'll be glad to hear that I had a lesson this week on a pony called mouse (14hh) and he was brillient for me as he doesn't really care about legs but is very goes mad if you lean forward or pull his mouth out so we worked well together! Very cool transition! And I really worked on my toes and my RI was giving me complainments the whole lesson! Very unlike her! But it helped as Vic was brill for me today well good anywayz! We did grids and he jumpeed them nearly perfect and he canter after every jump! And even started to rush a little (VERY VERY unlike him!) Buti held him together and this girl in my lesson said that she wished she had a horse like Vic! I was soooo chuffed but I was like there is NO WAY she is getting my horse! Not for a million dollars! He was without a doubt the best horse or pony in the class but that wouldn't be hard as most of them are wild or young!
 
Do you have any pics that show you from the side? It's better to critique if you can see you sideways on as you can see if everything is in line better.

Just a point about the corners! You need to use them better, ie go into them more deeply (I know that it's wet which doesn't help). What struck me most, though, especially in the first pic was that your horse is bent to the outside and you seem to have a lot of pressure in the outside rein which is probably causing this. Although you need to have a secure outside rein you still need the horse to bend throughout his body and around your inside leg :)

You also seem to be moving your head to look around the corner/circle but not so much your shoulders. I know that different instructors teach it differently but I've had a lot more success in turning my shoulders (with head following) and upper body through the waist but only so that I'm 'straight' with the horse's shoulders. You'd be AMAZED at how your body position can improve your circles!
 
Thanks for the advice Bay Mare! My mum is taking the pics and she doesn't really know how to use it! :rolleyes: My circles are terrible and I know he isn't going into the corners enough! He can be quite stubborn to ride! But quiet at the same time if you get me! A novice and a not novice ride! You can ride him no prob but riding him perfectly is very very hard! :rolleyes: Well my toes are improving and I'll try and use my shoulders more! I got though both ways where you have to look at where you are going and use your shoulders in circles! My turning is terrible plus people toke pics of my lesson in school last week for the year book!!! Very worried but I didn't fall off or get refused a jump so it wont be that bad! Still worrying though plus my mate had her horse there (I didn't have Vic there! :( ) and she was totally trying to show off! Everyone who was riding was sooo annoyed at her because she kept passing out everyone and bragged loads about good her horse was since she got her dressage whip! I said that it shouldn't be the whip that improves her horse but the riders position, shut her straight up! Anywayz everyone taking the pics toke pics of her ass going over the jump and is going to do a contest whos ass is this? LOL very funny! Anywayz getting off subject! Anyone know exercises that would improve my position??
 
Ok I had my lesson today and it was terrible! I need to sort this out asap! I am going to ask for a lunge lesson! Aswell my other intructor, Mags said that I would never ride 'real' horses only nice friendly honest well schooled horses unless I get my legs sorted out! I though that was a bit harsh! Maybe it wasn't but I am trying! :mad: Like Vic isn't tha easy to ride! He can be a pain! Today just didn't go very well as this girl when up to me saying how good Vic was for her and that he was soooo sweet! She didn't realise I was his owner! Then just was telling him to not eat the hay! And asked me did I need help tacking up? Like I know I am over reacting but she couldn't even put on a bridle then Vic did his thing and bit her on the ass! LOL then my mum slipped in oh Vic is soo good for me and that we have had him for only 3 months and we already understand each other and have started to bond! You never saw someones face to drop so much!
 
Yes, lungeing can do miracles to one´s seat! (know from experience... I used to have a horrible seat...) I know one good exercise for the rider, though it sounds rather strange. Take empty tights and fill them with cotton wool, for example, so that they are like two stiff "legs". Put these "legs" in front of you while mounted, like there were someone "sitting" on the pommel. Then push these "legs" under your thighs (you can leave the stirrups away) and start riding. This is a great exercise also while being lunged. It sounds strange and makes you feel that you turn your toes even further out, but when you start to ride normally after this exercise, you can feel the difference! There was one trainer in Finland who used this method. (Though it looks so strange that you might not want to try it in public! :D )
 
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