hows my riding?

Question

how is my riding this is from the summer so i have gotten better and i ride English is western is a little different to me and we only got to ride for 1 week so is not great on him his name is cookie and a quarter horse/ Arabian cross(?) what do you think of my riding and he is sturbon and a domonet male. how am i?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUeb9mNxvdk

i am used to englis and he knows NO lag ades and the frist day i was their he bucked a gril off of him. when thay wear on a trail ride. he also only gets rode in the sumer so he need s some working. done i wish he know lag aids becuse i usaly use them and would not canter at all. what do you think

Answer 1

There was several problems.
1. Tugging
Your always in his mouth, its annoying him so he won't preform good for you. Before you turn the horse, "choke up" on the reins. Do you play softball/baseball? If not, just put your hands closer to the bit and then pull. Once you do this, you won't pull to your chest. When you want the horse change direction or stop, its more effictive if you pull towards your hips.
2. Posture
Sit up, remember if you dropped a string from your head to your heels it should be straight from your shoulders to your hips to your heels.
With your arms your were kinda riding like a chicken. I do this sometimes, keep the elbows in and it'll make it look like your not flapping.
Keep your heels down. Also when you kick the horse you don't really don't need to raise your heels that high to kick the horse. If the horse won't go from a simple squeeze, tap nice. If that doesn't work then kick hard. You can kick behind a bit, it'll make him go.
4. Trotting
I know you said that you ride english, but when you post there were several things wrong. When you post you still need to sit up. Your leaning forward a little bit too much. Also when you post your legs are coming out too much. Think of it like this every time you go up, your legs go out, when you sit your legs come in. Its a natural thing to do it. Keep your hands still when you post.
5. Horse
That horse does look stubbern but are many tricks to make a stubbern horse to preform. Riding with a crop would help. Also if he won't turn kinda jerk on the rein a bit to get his attention.

Overall good job, I bet you've improved. Western is a little bit different. I compete in both events, so I'm used to the change. To me you look more of a western rider to me. If you have a chance either this summer or at lessons have someone record your riding. Watch your youtube video and then watch yours. You'll see your improvement. Evaluating yourself will also help, you'll see your mistakes. My old instructor would try to explain something and if i didn't get it, he made me get off and he'd get on and ride the exact way I was riding. Haha I remember when my old mare bucked when he did the mistake that I'd been doing.

Answer 2

Not bad if that is your first time riding...here's what I saw though:

DON'T tug at the reins. The bit is metal, and hitting the horse in the mouth hurts and may have been the reason the first girl was bucked off.

Don't slouch in the saddle. Pull those shoulders back and sit tall.

Eyes up. Look where you're going. Your head alone weighs like 10 pounds, so the looking anywhere but where you want to go shifts your body, and confuses the horse.

Bring your leg more beneath you. It has a tendency to swing out in front which, once again, messes with balance.

Bring your elbows in and closer to your body.

SQUEEZE before you kick. Turn those toes out and squeeze the heels against the horse's sides...if the horse does not respond to this, THEN kick.

When asking the horse to turn, look where you want to go, GENTLY use the rein, and give a squeeze with the leg opposite of the direction you're turning (ex: turning left, squeeze with the right leg) This is called leg yielding.

Lastly, I'd like to say that I like the horse. He definitely isn't stubborn. Most of the horses and ponies we use in our summer camps will either refuse to go forward, or take a TON of coaxing...and I know lots of horses that would probably get upset if they were hit in the mouth, particularly over fences.

Oh, and you said he wouldn't canter, but this is mostly due to the fact that you yourself are not ready and are not asking him to canter. Horses tend to avoid the canter if the rider doesn't feel steady in the saddle. Kicking does not mean canter...in order to canter (keep in mind that this is after the trot has been completely mastered), you must sit the trot, lift the inside hand slightly, add just a tiny bit of inside leg and more outside leg, and use that outside leg to communicate that you'd like to canter.

All in all, needs some work, but I've seen worse...

Answer 3

I think with some riding lessons you could be an awesome rider. What I liked best about your riding is, you have great posture! You sit up in the saddle like your confident. I think the horse your riding in the video's biggest problem was that there was no chin strap/ curb strap on the bit. If that horse wanted to buck or run off with you, there wouldn't have been a whole lot you could have done about it without that piece of the bridle missing. The chin strap or curb strap is about 60% of your breaks to stop a horse. You can learn a lot of stuff from a 4-H club that mainly does horse activitys.

Answer 4

Well your a beginner, right? We all have to start somewhere.
But i have found some things that annoy me. You say you don't do so great on him- They say a good rider can ride any horse.
And i disagree with you when you say he is stubborn, he just isnt tolerant. If a good rider was put on him alot of potential would be shown.
Ok, pause..at :49 you are severly pulling on his mouth, and he wears a curb bit. I know you probably didn't know that, but they arent like a normal one..they feel you pulling on them more.
To stop, you need to get things sorted..Elbows in, hands even, relax the shoulders and seat and GENTLY bring your hands back. You shouldnt have to bring them further than your waist..if you are, pick up some contact (shorten the reins),
at 1:07 your elbows are again far too much back and out to the side..Think that your elbows need to be cuddling you ;)
At 1:21 you are going to ask your horse to trot..To do this you must Half halt (gently squeeze the reins) to let your horse know you want his attention and you want him to do something, then instead of leaning right back and doing windmills with your legs, keep them at his side, and squeeze, also using your seat to encourage him. If he does not respond to a squeeze try it firmer, but do not swing your legs about, just apply more pressure.
Ok thats about it for one session of criticism. at 2:03, your shoulders are relaxed, Cookie is moving forward freely, with a nice, relaxed step, your elbows are at your side, and your hands are in riding position! Good job! But watch your toes..they are sticking out a bit.
Camps are fun, but you dont really learn that much. If you want to be serious about riding, you should take some lessons. I take group lessons and in a year im better than ever, jumping jumps over 1m and quite confident in dressage and that i can controll the horse.
Good luck in future, and may your riding go well.
Bye!

Answer 5

you tug on his mouth. and shorten your reins a LITTLE bit to get more contact. you need to align your body. (heels and hips and shoulders a little over hips) you need to bring your hands in more (towards the withers) and straighten out your elbows some. you have NO seat whatsoever, the whole time you are leaning on the back of the saddle. you tend to slam on the horses back when you go down from the post and sometimes you just completely bounce anywhere. some of the time you are looking down or somewhere else..LOOK DIRECTLY INFRONT OF YOU.

I HIGHLY... HIGHYLY recommend you get some lessons. Camps USUALLY dont do anything for your ability to ride. they're just there to hack and ride around.

hope i helped!

Answer 6

my first question is where is the riding instructor at the camp?you parents probly paid good money for you to go to that camp, and for you to learn to ride , but their is no instructor there to teach properly?I would skip that camp next year, and take some lessons at your local riding barn!Not to be harsh.
Make sure you sit up straight(no slouching) heels down,eyes forward,elbows in.hands nice and relaxed,not pulling and tugging on his mouth. Try the riding lessons at a local barn,I think you will notice a big diffrence. Best of luck and keep your chin up:)

Answer 7

you terribly need to sit up straight and keep your shoulders back and chest out.

also keep your legs BACK underneath you and heels down.
you want to maintain the vertical line down your body between ear shoulder hip and heel. you also want there to be a straight line from your elbow to the bit. your reins should be an extension of your arm.

heels down down down down L O W

and seriously for your poor horses sake you desperately need to shorten up your reins and knock off all the jerking you do on his face when going all around the cornes. im sure he doesnt appreciate it but he's putting up with you so well if you were riding any other horse you'd be off in an instant.

also try to relaxxxxx when you post and not bounce so much when you return to the saddle to sit the beat. this will also help you keep your hands STILL dont move them when you posttttt keep em quiet.

Answer 8

Get out of his mouth
Heels down
Head up, look ahead
Ride on your rear not your girl thing
How could he know leg aids? Yours were flopping all over as were your arms and hands, and I didn't see you use leg for anything but kicking.

Nice little fellow. He did collect for you at one point, util you bumped his mouth.

Try bareback, get centered, become one with the horse. That's the difference between a horseman and a rider.

You looked like you enjoyed yourself. Ride on girl.

Answer 9

just some things i see:

-stop pulling at your horses mouth, your getting left behind and that is causing you to do that

-shoulder, hip, heal. they should be lined up.

-bring your elbows in a lot closer to your side.

-heels down, it will help you become more secure in the saddle.

-not really sure why your posting when your riding western?

-try to bring your lower leg back a tiny bit. if you do that then maybe you wont get left behind.

-lower your hands down to your horses withers

-shoulders back

-don't slam onto your horses back, it must hurt!

Answer 10

Heels down, elbows tucked, and loosen up a bit on his mouth.