Critique me and my dressage arabian

[downthecenterlinetheycome]

Hey all. At long last I have a few riding pics of me and my 6 year old Arab gelding. It would be great to get some critique - I'm not even going to start critiquing myself, there's too much to pick at! What are the top things we should work on? In what order? And critique him of course as well. What level should we show? Around what kind of scores should we expect to get? And how high do you think he/we could go? I am aware that he is BTV in many pictures - he is usually in front of it, so I was surprised. I think it is my fault though, I was being too rough with my hands. Also keep in mind that this was his second ride at a new barn after a 20 hr+ trailer ride, and my first ride in 2+ months, my 6th ride on HIM in almost 6 months (long story). The one canter pic in there was a spook, so disregard that please.

Enough of me, here are the pictures (the good, the bad, and the ugly.)

http://s290.photobucket.com/albums/ll274/TheHorseOfCourse713/Tango%20Riding/?start=0

[KSA2]

He looks like a nice Arabian Sport Horse Prospect. Is this where you are planning on showing or open Dressage? No one can predict what types of scores you are going to recieve by looking at the pictures. However I would like to see him keep that hind end under himself a little more (it looks like he is quite capable) and carry himself in the bridle. From the pictures he looks like he will be able to engage nicely from back to front. I think with a little work you two will be ready to go in no time.

Congrats with your new horse!

What is his breeding?

[Chrissy]

Not going to give a serious critique, i'll leave that to the experts, but WOW he looks like fun. Such a pleasant look on both of your faces. I love Arabs in dressage. One of my best friends took her Arab/Trak to the Sport Horse Nationals and had a BLAST. What a fun group of people. Your guy is such a cutie too. Looks like he has some serious potential. Good Luck!

[downthecenterlinetheycome]

:) Planning on showing Open, just not sure what level would be appropriate... I'm guessing Training. He's actually not REG., at least not yet - I don't have the spare cash on hand. He's actually not new - I've had him since he was 4, he's my first horse. The long break from riding was due to moving, trips, and other circomestances.

He's by Arabic Comet. Anything you can tell me about his lines would be awesome. ;) His dam is a grade. Was sold as being a REG. Arab, but no papers. Apparently she doesn't look like an Arab and is probably an Anglo? All this is from his old owner.

[slc2]

I had to stop viewing the pictures. When I clicked on one, I got a message that adobe flash player had stopped a potentially dangerous action, and that the website was trying to run something on my computer.

So, I got to see some of them enlarged but looked at all of them.

Hey all. At long last I have a few riding pics of me and my 6 year old Arab gelding. It would be great to get some critique - I'm not even going to start critiquing myself, there's too much to pick at! What are the top things we should work on?

--Just about the same things as everyone else.

--The length of your stirrup leathers. Your thigh is almost parallel to the ground, and your legs and feet are out in front of you so you are sitting in a chair seat. This is one thing where you're very different from most people, the stirrup leather length has got to be fixed right away. You may be very used to riding like this but for dressage it's not possible to school your horse or use your leg or balance yourself with stirrups this length and a position like this.

In what order?

--You need to work on your position. Your stirrups are too short to ride dressage, and your thigh being almost horizontal will not allow you to ride your horse with your legs or sit down in the saddle like dressage.

--The next thing you need to work on is getting straight in the saddle. When you ride, your legs don't 'match' - one leg is further back, your left leg, and held completely differently from the right leg. Your shoulders and waist are twisted and one shoulder is higher than the other.

And critique him of course as well. What level should we show?

--Intro or training, after getting your stirrup leathers about six holes or more longer, and getting your leg down around your horse, with your feet under you, instead of out in front of you.

--You have very long legs, and they need to be 'let down', so they drape on the horse, with the sides, not the backs of the thigh and calf, against the horse. In dressage, the riders legs are 'slapped on the horse's side like a raw slab of meat', which is to say, the leg is soft, long and supple, laying on the horse's sides, not braced or pinching, with the toes nearly straight ahead, without the ankle cocked or the heel pushed down and locked in place. The foot is directly underneath the hip, and the shoulder is directly over the hips, so that shoulder, hip and heel are all in a straight, upright line.

Around what kind of scores should we expect to get?

--I can't tell from the pictures much as there are none of circles, corners and I don't think of any cantering (you said to not look at the one cantering picture, LOL). I can't tell how energetic the gaits are or how rhythmic from photos, and since that's alot of your score, it's hard to say how you'd score. Since judges at schooling shows tend to score alot higher, it also depends on what type of show (schooling or recognized by the USEF). The best thing is to not get too fixed on getting a certain score right now.

And how high do you think he/we could go?

--Impossible to say from pictures. Best to see you and the horse in person and see how he really would do.

--He looks as if he's been taught to keep his head down and in, but in a 'frame' or 'headset', not really to be 'on the bit', where the neck muscles are loose and supple and the horse is pushing forward to the bit rather than being taken back away from the bit, and he doesn't step forward with his hind legs - they actually tend to get sort of out behind him and reaching back more than reaching forward. A dressage instructor can show you how to really get your horse on the bit and reaching forward properly with his hind legs. That counts for a lot at the lower levels and is really the first thing one has to master really well before going onto anything else.

I am aware that he is BTV in many pictures - he is usually in front of it, so I was surprised. I think it is my fault though, I was being too rough with my hands.

--Horses can get behind the vertical due to the reins being too constraining, or because the rider is not using enough leg to push the horse's neck forward to the bit, so the horse isn't really rounding his back and reaching his hind legs forward.

Also keep in mind that this was his second ride at a new barn after a 20 hr+ trailer ride, and my first ride in 2+ months, my 6th ride on HIM in almost 6 months (long story). The one canter pic in there was a spook, so disregard that please.

--Sure are a lot of excuses there! That might be a record!

--It is an absolutely gorgeous horse and it could do anything that you make the effort to do. Get instruction. There's no telling how far a horse can go. It looks like a happy willing healthy horse...that's all anyone really needs to do dressage - a horse that is willing and is trainable.

--The best picture of the whole lot is where the horse is spooking at the canter, and that's the one picture you told us to ignore, LOL.

--What's the best thing in that picture?

--You have a big smile on your face. You don't look like you have a nervous bone in your body, and like you think the whole thing is fun and who cares if the horse spooks.

--And that is why, if you get some instruction and do the work required, you are going to be an absolutely great dressage rider. The sky is the limit when you have the right attitude (and are willing to get instruction).

[downthecenterlinetheycome]

I had to stop viewing the pictures. When I clicked on one, I got a message that adobe flash player had stopped a potentially dangerous action, and that the website was trying to run something on my computer.

So, I got to see some of them enlarged but looked at all of them.

Hey all. At long last I have a few riding pics of me and my 6 year old Arab gelding. It would be great to get some critique - I'm not even going to start critiquing myself, there's too much to pick at! What are the top things we should work on?

--The length of your stirrup leathers. Your thigh is almost parallel to the ground, and your legs and feet are out in front of you so you are sitting in a chair seat.

In what order?

--You need to work on your position. Your stirrups are too short to ride dressage, and your thigh being almost horizontal will not allow you to ride your horse with your legs or sit down in the saddle like dressage.

And critique him of course as well. What level should we show?

--Intro or training, after getting your stirrup leathers about six holes or more longer, and getting your leg down around your horse, with your feet under you, instead of out in front of you.

--You have very long legs, and they need to be 'let down', so they drape on the horse, with the sides, not the backs of the thigh and calf, against the horse. In dressage, the riders legs are 'slapped on the horse's side like a raw slab of meat', which is to say, the leg is soft, long and supple, laying on the horse's sides, not braced or pinching, with the toes nearly straight ahead, without the ankle cocked or the heel pushed down and locked in place. The foot is directly underneath the hip, and the shoulder is directly over the hips, so that shoulder, hip and heel are all in a straight, upright line.

Around what kind of scores should we expect to get?

--I can't tell from the pictures much as there are none of circles, corners and I don't think of any cantering (you said to not look at the one cantering picture, LOL). I can't tell how energetic the gaits are or how rhythmic from photos, and since that's alot of your score, it's hard to say how you'd score. Since judges at schooling shows tend to score alot higher, it also depends on what type of show (schooling or recognized by the USEF). The best thing is to not get too fixed on getting a certain score right now.

And how high do you think he/we could go?

--Impossible to say from pictures. Best to see you and the horse in person and see how he really would do.

--He looks as if he's been taught to keep his head down and in, but in a 'frame' or 'headset', not really to be 'on the bit', where the neck muscles are loose and supple and the horse is pushing forward to the bit rather than being taken back away from the bit, and he doesn't step forward with his hind legs - they actually tend to get sort of out behind him and reaching back more than reaching forward. A dressage instructor can show you how to really get your horse on the bit and reaching forward properly with his hind legs. That counts for a lot at the lower levels and is really the first thing one has to master really well before going onto anything else.

I am aware that he is BTV in many pictures - he is usually in front of it, so I was surprised. I think it is my fault though, I was being too rough with my hands.

--Horses can get behind the vertical due to the reins being too constraining, or because the rider is not using enough leg to push the horse's neck forward to the bit, so the horse isn't really rounding his back and reaching his hind legs forward.

Also keep in mind that this was his second ride at a new barn after a 20 hr+ trailer ride, and my first ride in 2+ months, my 6th ride on HIM in almost 6 months (long story). The one canter pic in there was a spook, so disregard that please.

--Sure are a lot of excuses there! That might be a record!

Thanks for the long, detailed post slc2. I'll start from the bottom...

Yep, I have a reputation of "excuses", just ask my trainer! (Why are you late for your lesson? "Wellllll...") ;)

I will try to get a video. I try to push him toward my hands with my legs and let him kind of fill out the rein in front of me, if that makes any sense. If it helps at all, he certainly chases the bit - he LIVES for stretchy/chewy circles and free walk, no joke. With his head level with the ground, his knees, or his withers, contact or no, he is happy as a clam. At least he has a good free walk, haha. I also noticed that his head seems a little tilted in many pictures; I was surprised at how uneven my hands were/are. I will work on that alot.

I know that my stirrups need to go DOWN. (I just didn't add that to my excuse list... :lol:) The ride after this, I did let them down, and I think it improved my ability to ride him correctly. I just assumed my stirrups were the right length, but apparently I've grown since I've last used this saddle (but they WERE dressage length! ;)). 6 holes though? That sounds crazy. I only let it down 2 holes, and then I literally couldn't post, so I had to put it back up 1. Then again, my leathers are kind of weird (a LOT of space in between holes.)

Thanks for the feedback and the compliments - I'm trying to work out some work-for-lessons stuff, but we're in a really bad financial spot right now, so I can't do much on that front, since I can't drive myself and time is money for my parents. Any excersizes or anything I should work on with him/me? I'll try to get a video update soon.

[slc2]

People get used to riding the wrong way. It feels comfortable. It feels familiar. You have to be willing to make changes and try new things. You should be riding alot without stirrups - but NOT with that thigh drawn up nearly horizontal.

In some of the later pictures, it actually looks as if your stirrup leather might be longer. But in the first few pictures, look at your thigh. It is almost level with the fence boards.

Yes, your stirrups need to be alot longer. I say six holes, because the rider will say hell no, that doesn't feel right, i MIGHT let them down three holes.

LOL.

You may drive your instructor insane, but if you get your head on straight, you just might be great.

[downthecenterlinetheycome]

OK, I'll try some without stirrups work and try to stretch my legs down more. I actually love no stirrup work, unlike a lot of other riders I know. It makes sitting the trot SO much easier (maybe because my stirrups were so short?). Right now I'm riding in a small oval pen (hence no pictures of corners, cantering, etc), but soon I'll have access to a big dressage arena with mirrors.

The leathers aren't longer in the later pics - maybe I just thought, hey, I have a leg... Maybe I should put it to use? Or maybe they're uneven. They're on the same hole, but? On the straight from the front picture, they look uneven, but I can't see much because my eyes were burned by my own crookedness. ;)

It's sure a wake up when you notice that you look better in terms of heel/hip/shoulder alignment WHILE you're posting!

One more thing - how do you deal with a horse that leans on the bit? He mostly does this when he's nervous, not otherwise. I tried using leg, but that kind of just spurts him more onto the forehand. Outside rein half halts seemed to work a little, but I felt like he ended up stiffening and "setting" his neck. I'm guessing I'm doing the half halts wrong (a little leg, then a light squeeze on the rein. It's harder for me to incorporate seat while I'm posting, but I do try.)

Thanks again! I love having a new pair of eyes every once and a while, and I'll definitely try to follow your suggestions!

[kdow]

OK, I'll try some without stirrups work and try to stretch my legs down more. I actually love no stirrup work, unlike a lot of other riders I know. It makes sitting the trot SO much easier (maybe because my stirrups were so short?).

Admittedly, I doubt I'd be thrilled with lots of posting without stirrups (that sounds like awfully hard work to keep up ) but I always really enjoyed the other no-stirrup work also, when I was taking lessons.

I found it really helped me to remember to relax my hips and let my legs hang more. (I actually would do it quite a lot when I wasn't actually trying to get the horse to do much of anything- like during warming up/cooling down walks. So I didn't have to be trying to coordinate much of anything, and could really pay attention to the feel of my leg and which muscles were working and which were stretching and so on.)

[angel]

I am going to agree with slc in part, especially the part about your legs needing to be longer. However, I am going to tell you something else. If you drop the stirrups, this is going to destabilize your upper body and put your horse on the forehand because you will be riding the stirrups on your toes. What this means is that this saddle does not fit this horse, and in addition, the stirrup bars are not correct for you either. I cannot tell if you just have too much padding under the saddle, or if the tree is too narrow for this guy's shoulders. I strongly suspect it is the tree. Arabians are sometimes difficult to fit when they have good chest depth such as he has. It creates a wider shoulder blade area than most people suspect. I do not call how you are sitting a "chair seat," because your heels allign correctly with your torso. The benefit of the greater knee angle with which you are riding is that it actually prevents a chair seat, which is a seat where the rider is sitting on the pockets with legs stretched out in front (reaching for the stirrups). You could possibly get by with showing this horse in Training Level in this saddle. However, if you want to go higher than that, you will have to find a saddle that fits better, or you will not be able to get the impulsion you need to develop correct thrust that should begin in First Level.

[Kathy Johnson]

If you can canter at all, start at training level, at a schooling show. Getting the dressage show ring mileage is a whole different learning curve than taking lessons.

The horse is adorable, a round mound of correctly developed muscling, a shiny pelt, and a lovely, athletic trot. He has moments in the photos when he looks like an upper level horse. That shows potential.

Your position is nice. I wouldn't drop the stirrups 6 holes; your leg isn't that short. I would work without stirrups at sitting trot until I could drop them two holes, and that should do it. Like most others coming from a h/j background, your heel is a bit jammed down, your pelvis tips backward, and you tip forward. It takes awhile to relax the hip and drop the leg, but working without stirrups in sitting trot with a looser leg will help.

Nice work with your horse; he looks ready to go!

[rabicon]

agree with slc2 but need to add that a free walk is not just reach for the bit, they should be overstepping and stretching over the top line down to the bit. Just because he drops his head when you let the reins out does not mean its a correct freewalk ;) Just something I had to learn :lol:

[LisaW-B]

I just wanted to say that he looks like an adorable chunk o' Arabian! Have fun with him.

[grayarabpony]

You guys look great together. How is his canter?

[downthecenterlinetheycome]

Thanks everyone!

agree with slc2 but need to add that a free walk is not just reach for the bit, they should be overstepping and stretching over the top line down to the bit. Just because he drops his head when you let the reins out does not mean its a correct freewalk ;) Just something I had to learn :lol:

Oh yes, I know. He oversteps... ALOT. Like, you give him some rein and I feel this huge rush from behind and his back just rises like a mountain under me. Wish I could get that forewardness otherwise! But he overtracks for sure at the free walk at least. He has a good walk.

Angel - I have suspected this as well. However, every trainer (high level people) I have asked have said the fit is fine. It seems to slide forward on him a bit. When I have the money, I will pay for an evaluation by a professional, and refitting if need be, but until then, he will have to work with it. :( (Like I said, I'm in a really bad place financially.) At least I'm light, so it's not someone verging on too heavy for him, but I will try to fix the saddle.

Grayarabpony - Ahhh, the canter. :no: It's BAD. Always has been, though he's improved a lot. He has a clubby RF, and is back at the knee on that leg, and steps down on it toe first, popping the pastern. His left lead is OK - not round, but workeable. His right is just "weird" "scary" and "unsettling", as people who have ridden him say. It's improving, but... Basically, our canter scores are gonna be 4s, at least to the right. He wants to dive on the forehand and plunge his head down, with a long flat stride, so I've been trying to push him under himself and keep his head up - not worrying about round right now. He can't sustain the canter in a balanced manner for long, so basically I use short bursts of canter, like 20m circles, with me just slightly off his back.

Here are some conformation pics (more like conformation silhouettes!) if anyone cares to critique.
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll274/TheHorseOfCourse713/IMG_0240.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll274/TheHorseOfCourse713/IMG_0241.jpg

[rabicon]

My boy and I have been struggling with the canter also. He is perfectly fine and scores 67-71 on his intro B test but at training 1 we usually are a 58-64 area. Our canter is 5 and 6's and have got a 7 here and there on it. He does the same thing and just falls and runs on his forehand. This has been alot of work for about 5 months now and we are still working on it, my trainer can do it very nicely on him, but me not so much :lol: She says that I have to get stronger in my leg to hold him every stride and that it will come. If you are wanting to show then I would stay at intro and work on that canter then go to training. If you get 4's in all your canter work you'll come out with less than a 55 and thats if you get really nice trot and walk scores. We worked on our canter for about 3 months and then when I got a 71 on intro B my trainer said I couldn't ride it anymore and its time to move up and deal with the canter :lol: good luck and you'd get better ideas and critiques if you could put up a video with bending and circles.;)

[downthecenterlinetheycome]

My boy and I have been struggling with the canter also. He is perfectly fine and scores 67-71 on his intro B test but at training 1 we usually are a 58-64 area. Our canter is 5 and 6's and have got a 7 here and there on it. He does the same thing and just falls and runs on his forehand. This has been alot of work for about 5 months now and we are still working on it, my trainer can do it very nicely on him, but me not so much :lol: She says that I have to get stronger in my leg to hold him every stride and that it will come. If you are wanting to show then I would stay at intro and work on that canter then go to training. If you get 4's in all your canter work you'll come out with less than a 55 and thats if you get really nice trot and walk scores. We worked on our canter for about 3 months and then when I got a 71 on intro B my trainer said I couldn't ride it anymore and its time to move up and deal with the canter :lol: good luck and you'd get better ideas and critiques if you could put up a video with bending and circles.;)

Ok. :) Thanks. Actually, I have the opposite problem - horse is much better with me than with my trainer! She rides him better, but I'm thinking he has trouble the heavier/taller the person (she's THIN THIN, but tallish. He takes up her leg OK though.)

Sorry if I was misleading in earlier posts, I HAVE shown, just small schooling shows on the property. I showed Intro then, but that was a long time ago. I have scored from 64-67.5% usually, under several different recognized judges. Once I scored 59.5% on a really bad day. Usually some 6s, mostly 7s, the occasional 5 on w/t work, and usually 7 on rider, always 7 or 8 on free walk. On our first test, first show (and we were the first rider/horse of the day!) we were DQed - he ran from the arena right as I was about to make my final turn to X. (Damn motorcyclists right by the arena! :mad:) We had a 7 crossed out and CONFIDENCE and SUBMISSION underlined in the coefficients. ;)

Is there every Intro in recognized shows, or is it only in Schooling Shows? :) I don't mind just doing schooling, I just don't have a budget for anything really right now, so... :no: But I want to improve my riding and my horse.

[mbm]

i LOVE this horse! he really looks like he is going to do great @ dressage. and you look like you are going to be a fab rider too :)

one thing i want to mention: training a horse takes time. they cant be perfect from the get go. it is a slow progression of little changes and adding thing upon thing until one day you are doing half passes etc. a lot of what you are talking about is just normal young/untrained horse stuff and will improve greatly with time and correct training.

you mentioned that he can bear down on the reins at times. you might try just giving on the rein he is leaning on - you want the contact to be alive and a nice place for him to go.... and at this point in time i would really try riding with even contact on both reins - always giving on the heavier rein askign him to take more contact on the light or hollow side.

since you are riding in a small area i would spend a lot of time suppling him. do a lots of curved lines and leg yields to help him get to the outside rein and bend.

your seat is fine. we all need work and i do agree that letting the stirrups down one hole is a great idea. once you are working well wiht them at that length you can reevaluate. i always try to ride with my stirrups at teh length where i drop them the bottom o the stirrup bangs agsint my ankle bone. that works well for me.

i think you are going to be an awesome pair. i would start at schooling shows at either training or intro depending on your canter. oh and re: the canter. many young horses have awkward canters. with time and correct training it will improve.

good luck and have fun!

[downthecenterlinetheycome]

i LOVE this horse! he really looks like he is going to do great @ dressage. and you look like you are going to be a fab rider too :)

one thing i want to mention: training a horse takes time. they cant be perfect from the get go. it is a slow progression of little changes and adding thing upon thing until one day you are doing half passes etc. a lot of what you are talking about is just normal young/untrained horse stuff and will improve greatly with time and correct training.

you mentioned that he can bear down on the reins at times. you might try just giving on the rein he is leaning on - you want the contact to be alive and a nice place for him to go.... and at this point in time i would really try riding with even contact on both reins - always giving on the heavier rein askign him to take more contact on the light or hollow side.

since you are riding in a small area i would spend a lot of time suppling him. do a lots of curved lines and leg yields to help him get to the outside rein and bend.

your seat is fine. we all need work and i do agree that letting the stirrups down one hole is a great idea. once you are working well wiht them at that length you can reevaluate. i always try to ride with my stirrups at teh length where i drop them the bottom o the stirrup bangs agsint my ankle bone. that works well for me.

i think you are going to be an awesome pair. i would start at schooling shows at either training or intro depending on your canter. oh and re: the canter. many young horses have awkward canters. with time and correct training it will improve.

good luck and have fun!

Thanks. :) Yeah, I totally don't want to rush him in any way, I think it would be really detrimental to his developement. I was actually quite surprised to see him in such a "high" frame (I apologize for the term!) in these pictures, he has a tendency to go very long and low. I wasn't trying to achieve that or anything... I have tried totally giving the rein he's leaning on, and what he does is lug right back into it and follow the contact almost without interruption. He doesn't care where the rein is, he just wants to be "on" it. Again, this is sometimes, mostly when he's stressed (spooked, cantering, or at a show).

Also, I noticed something during this ride that he doesn't usually do. He started breathing very rhythmically, almost blowing? Not snorty or anything, it kind of sounded relaxed? :confused: (He DOES get snorty when nervous. I call it 'the roller nostrils'. About this soft blowing thing, I've seen/heard other horses do it, more at the canter than the trot, and never heard of it as a bad thing? He never did it before. Also, something I'm wondering about... Many horses accepting of the contact have a foamy mouth, or at least lipstick, but he has nothing. Nothing. Occasionally the tiniest bit of foam, but you REALLY have to look. Is this just him, or is it suggesting a lack of acceptance of the contact? Thanks. :)

[slc2]

Snorting in rhythm is a good thing.

[goeslikestink]

If you can canter at all, start at training level, at a schooling show. Getting the dressage show ring mileage is a whole different learning curve than taking lessons.

The horse is adorable, a round mound of correctly developed muscling, a shiny pelt, and a lovely, athletic trot. He has moments in the photos when he looks like an upper level horse. That shows potential.

Your position is nice. I wouldn't drop the stirrups 6 holes; your leg isn't that short. I would work without stirrups at sitting trot until I could drop them two holes, and that should do it. Like most others coming from a h/j background, your heel is a bit jammed down, your pelvis tips backward, and you tip forward. It takes awhile to relax the hip and drop the leg, but working without stirrups in sitting trot with a looser leg will help.

Nice work with your horse; he looks ready to go!

agree matey look here this is all relevent you and start of by altering your stirrups to the correct lenght guessing 6 holes is absurd actually making them the right size for your legs isnt its a done 1st basic thing of riding a horse as in normal proceedure
look here http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=168593&highlight=leaning+in+the+saddle find the post by me then alter your stirrups accordingly stirrups can effect your position if odd or uneven and this is the correct way of altering them
you know kid your not bad just need a tad tiding up thats all, hes a nice polite little horse you hae there your worse fault apart from the sitrrups being the wrong lenght is you look down or away from him thus that takes the connection away from you as in contact think hand and eye co ordination


once you have that bit sussed you will be a great team and a fair bit of competition think this
where you look your hands will follow thus the horse will follow thorough -- got that xx good luck and nice little neddie you just keep up the good work on him and enjoy him hes nice hoenst little neddy

[pines4equines]

I don't know anything at all but I agree with slc regarding stirrup length. Your legs need to drape around the barrel. Your legs appear tight sort of like a hunter seat rather than dressage. With this tightness, there is no draping.

I'd also add a grab strap when you loosen the stirrups. As you rebuild muscles, hang on that thing rather than the horse's mouth. But ask your dressage trainer first before do anything I mention.

[goeslikestink]

I don't know anything at all but I agree with slc regarding stirrup length. Your legs need to drape around the barrel. Your legs appear tight sort of like a hunter seat rather than dressage. With this tightness, there is no draping.

I'd also add a grab strap when you loosen the stirrups. As you rebuild muscles, hang on that thing rather than the horse's mouth. But ask your dressage trainer first before do anything I mention.

she means use an old stirrup leather and put it around the horses neck and use it with your reins so you hold both

[BoyleHeightsKid]

Oh yes, I know. He oversteps... ALOT. Like, you give him some rein and I feel this huge rush from behind and his back just rises like a mountain under me. Wish I could get that forewardness otherwise! But he overtracks for sure at the free walk at least. He has a good walk.



So what does this tell you? This says that you have a very restricting hand and are most likely using the reins for balance. Make sure that you are elastic in your shoulders and elbows and not keeping a death drip on the reins. Once you get your legs around him you will be more able to ride from your seat and not your hands. I also agree that the saddle does not seem to fit you or the horse.

I think with some lessons, and a better fitting saddle, you and your horse are going to come a long way. He seems like a great guy and you look very capable!

[rabicon]

Yes, there is intro a recoginzed shows. ;)

[downthecenterlinetheycome]

Rabicon - Ok, cool. :) I didn't see it at any of the shows around here, so I was wondering.

BoyleHeightsKid - Very interesting. That's funny because I'm usually told I'M too light in the contact, but I will work more on loosening the shoulders and elbows. He does this stretching when he free lunges, runs by himself, lunges, or anything, so I don't know if it's ALL me.


Goeslikestink - "hes a nice polite little horse." No he's not haha. :D:lol: He's a very spooky, hot little horse. But I love him.

"you look down or away from him thus that takes the connection away"
Yeah, I don't know WHAT was up that day, I usually tend to look toward the inside, but I'm looking outside in many of the pics? He was a little spooked by something up there, but I don't know. Maybe it's the insanely cute 10h grand prix pony in that paddock. :lol:

Thanks again everyone! Will try to get a short video clip uploaded from the other day, and take longer video tomorrow. (With shorter stirrups and a grab strap if I can find one! :))

[see u at x]

Since I'm no expert, I'll refrain from saying too much, other than agreeing with what everyone else is saying about lengthening your stirrups and watch your upper body position in tipping too far forward. He's an ADORABLE horse and looks like he has a lot of potential. It was fun for me to see this thread tonight, because a friend of mine asked me to hop on her Arabian today, and I was very pleasantly surprised at what a nice ride she is. :) I hope you and your boy have a great time together and I wish you the best of luck with your journey!

[pines4equines]

goeslikestin said: "she means use an old stirrup leather and put it around the horses neck and use it with your reins so you hold both"

Yes, actually I mean a grab strap. The kind you attach to the D ring of your saddle. I think a stirrup leather around the neck pulls you too far forward when you reach for it or use it. A grab strap on the D rings of the saddle will keep you sitting straight and in your seat rather than leaning forward.

[slc2]

giving on the rein the horse bears down on will cause him to bear down more.

[mbm]

giving on the rein the horse bears down on will cause him to bear down more.

i dont find the above to be true.

the instruction is always to give on the heavier rein which tends to get the horse taking more contact on the rein they are avoiding.
i have always found this a very effective way of getting the horse more accepting of the contact on the hollow/light side.

and if you need ODG backup - check your suenig, klimke et al. :)

[goeslikestink]

Rabicon - Ok, cool. :) I didn't see it at any of the shows around here, so I was wondering.

BoyleHeightsKid - Very interesting. That's funny because I'm usually told I'M too light in the contact, but I will work more on loosening the shoulders and elbows. He does this stretching when he free lunges, runs by himself, lunges, or anything, so I don't know if it's ALL me.


Goeslikestink - "hes a nice polite little horse." No he's not haha. :D:lol: He's a very spooky, hot little horse. But I love him.

"you look down or away from him thus that takes the connection away"
Yeah, I don't know WHAT was up that day, I usually tend to look toward the inside, but I'm looking outside in many of the pics? He was a little spooked by something up there, but I don't know. Maybe it's the insanely cute 10h grand prix pony in that paddock. :lol:

Thanks again everyone! Will try to get a short video clip uploaded from the other day, and take longer video tomorrow. (With shorter stirrups and a grab strap if I can find one! :))

sweetie you missed my point, look ahead not down nor to the side otherwisse the floor says hello to you real quick

if you look away then your hands wll follow your look, and you lose contact of the horse
and he will spook as you lost the connection