[wanderlust]

Lillie Keenan is not just one of the best junior riders, but one of the best hunter riders (and up-and-coming jumper riders) out there, period. If you watch a video of her, she is a lovely, soft, effective rider with hands that any of us would kill for.

Tori is a great rider as well, but has a fairly different style, where she stays very still with her upper body and arms. Personally I prefer Lillie's riding, but they both get the job done very well.

[doublesstable]

I don't know about the current ride but here she is in the 2010 Maclay and gawd I would love to have such a "light" seat and amazing leg as she does.... Great rider!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI02t-qJWBc

[BAC]

Take a look at almost any video of William Fox-Pitt riding anything. They are all over the internet. This was the Rolex Show Jumping this spring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WpDj...eature=related
. . .And William Fox-Pitt certainly has a unusual body to control.

So glad to find another admirer of WFP here on the H/J forum, he is an amazing rider, especially when you consider how tall he is through the upper body, yet his balance is almost always perfect.

I haven't read this entire thread, but I believe Lillie was called back in second and moved up to first based on her test? She is one of my favorite juniors.

[BAC]

I don't know about the current ride but here she is in the 2010 Maclay and gawd I would love to have such a "light" seat and amazing leg as she does.... Great rider!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI02t-qJWBc

Wow, and that was two years ago, she's only 15 now, imagine being able to ride like that at age 13.

[PaintedHunter]

Wow, and that was two years ago, she's only 15 now, imagine being able to ride like that at age 13.

I'd love to be able to ride like that now at age 33!

[vxf111]

and just a reminder, this is the same lillie that everyone was bashing as an 8 year old on the cover of the dover catalogue for her equitation! I do agree about the releases though. Not lillie but others with no release and the elbows sticking out. hate it!

My memory might be wrong, but I thought the whole hullabaloo was over her wearing spurs (ZOMG why is a short stirrup kid wearing spurs?!) and spurring the pony in the air (wasn't even that clear from the photo she was?), not so much her position.

She is a beautiful rider

[laughATTACK]

I haven't read this entire thread, but I believe Lillie was called back in second and moved up to first based on her test? She is one of my favorite juniors.

Lillie was 2nd after the 1st round, moved up to first after the 2nd round (leader had an unfortunate 2nd round) and then retained the lead after the test.

[vxf111]

Lillie Keenan is not just one of the best junior riders, but one of the best hunter riders (and up-and-coming jumper riders) out there, period. If you watch a video of her, she is a lovely, soft, effective rider with hands that any of us would kill for.

Tori is a great rider as well, but has a fairly different style, where she stays very still with her upper body and arms. Personally I prefer Lillie's riding, but they both get the job done very well.

I happen to have seen Tori ride more in personal than Lillie.

I'll also add that Tori has a crazy good eye for distances (which is maybe why she can sit stiller and change less-- she hits the spot every time). Does that kid EVER MISS? And not just a good eye but a strategic good eye, it's like she knows exactly what each horse needs to jump its best.

To have a pinky's worth of that talent!!!

[Tha Ridge]

I haven't read this entire thread, but I believe Lillie was called back in second and moved up to first based on her test? She is one of my favorite juniors.

No, she was in first and stayed in first.

[Tha Ridge]

I happen to have seen Tori ride more in personal than Lillie.

I'll also add that Tori has a crazy good eye for distances (which is maybe why she can sit stiller and change less-- she hits the spot every time). Does that kid EVER MISS? And not just a good eye but a strategic good eye, it's like she knows exactly what each horse needs to jump its best.

To have a pinky's worth of that talent!!!

Same.

Tori suits my personal tastes a little better—she is brilliantly soft and the only misses I've ever seen from her come when the horse doesn't sweep up to that beautiful, gappy distance as expected. Lillie is a bit more polished, in a way, but Tori is more of a showman to me.

[MHM]

My memory might be wrong, but I thought the whole hullabaloo was over her wearing spurs (ZOMG why is a short stirrup kid wearing spurs?!) and spurring the pony in the air (wasn't even that clear from the photo she was?), not so much her position.

She is a beautiful rider

I vaguely remember that thread. It was funny in a bad way at the time, and absolutely hilarious in hindsight.

Trying to debate which of these two girls rides better is splitting some pretty darn fine hairs. They both ride tremendously well, and far better than most of us ever will. And they're both so young! It's amazing. Kudos to both girls and all the people around them.

[vxf111]

I vaguely remember that thread. It was funny in a bad way at the time, and absolutely hilarious in hindsight.

Trying to debate which of these two girls rides better is splitting some pretty darn fine hairs. They both ride tremendously well, and far better than most of us ever will. And they're both so young! It's amazing. Kudos to both girls and all the people around them.

And dover put a damn sticker on the cover and on mine it covered the offending leg and spur-- so I couldn't even weigh in on the whole drama llamaing!

[MHM]

And dover put a damn sticker on the cover and on mine it covered the offending leg and spur-- so I couldn't even weigh in on the whole drama llamaing!

Did you see the thread within the last year or so when somebody tried to do the exact same thing over another Dover cover? Maybe you could have gotten in on that one if you had better luck with the sticker the next time around.

[BigBayHanoMare]

I don't know about the current ride but here she is in the 2010 Maclay and gawd I would love to have such a "light" seat and amazing leg as she does.... Great rider!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI02t-qJWBc

How the h-e-double hockey sticks do you remember courses like that?!

*dressage rider brain explosion*

[Darkwave]

How the h-e-double hockey sticks do you remember courses like that?!

*dressage rider brain explosion*

As a hunter/jumper rider, I never could figure out how you guys memorized your tests - those last a lot longer. And all the different letters.

[BAC]

No, she was in first and stayed in first.

Not according to laughATTACK's post, she was in second after her first round, then moved up and stayed there during testing. No big deal either way, both girls are terrific.

[vxf111]

Did you see the thread within the last year or so when somebody tried to do the exact same thing over another Dover cover? Maybe you could have gotten in on that one if you had better luck with the sticker the next time around.

I missed this whole shmageggy TWICE??

[MHM]

I missed this whole shmageggy TWICE??

Sent you a PM.

[hunterrider23]

Sent you a PM.

wait wait. I want to see these threads lol.

[lrp1106]

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/sh...er+cover+spurs


ETA: Lillie is an amazing rider, and she really respects the horses she rides, which I think is one of the most admirable qualities. She has lovely equitation, as does Tori. I will agree that some of the releases in that slideshow were not as generous as I would have expected*** them to be.

*** By this I mean what I always thought were some of the key points of equitation and what I have seen in other pictures from other finals. HOWEVER, I think all of the riders in that are fantastic riders and I would kill for their legs!