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Originally Posted by Horseychick94 Yeah I am going to take some time to improve my jumping but im not looking to be "the best" out there. A lot of enjoyment is taken out of riding when people try to be perfect. Now I highly doubt that popping a horse over a low jump once in a blue moon is going to be detrimental. BUT I will start investing my time into getting better just so I don't suck completely. Maybe I might even do a few shows but there are a lot of snobs out there that I don't want anything to do with. I am jumping bales of shavings in the video. |
Which is, I'm sure why you came here to have people point out things for you to work on to improve your jumping :)
So here's what I think we've all come up with
-Develop a solid, balanced half seat - first at the walk, trot, then canter, then eventually jumping
-learn to relax your upper body, and reach a bit more forward with your hands
-build better balance, working more with your legs than your hands
Those things all together are great things to work on. It's not about being 'show' quality or about looking correct, it's about riding in a way that's safer and more comfortable for you AND your horse :)
I'm not a competitive rider, I've never shown once in my life to be honest (barring a few kids school shows :P). And even though I'm a riding instructor myself I still take riding lessons when I can afford them. I often find I get lazy riding on my own without an instructor barking at me ;) And often my 'lazy' bad habits can be detrimental to my horses or my own safety. I typically ride bareback, so I get pretty lazy when it comes to keeping my heels down - but truly heels aren't about keeping your feet in your stirrups, it's all about keeping your body weight balanced correctly on a horse.
If you can't afford a trainer just keep taking videos and asking for critiques - or even self critique! I tape most of my rides and training sessions with my horses to see what I could do better next time.
You're doing great by looking for help - and sometimes it's hard to hear critique, especially over the internet when something said as friendly advice can be translated as rude or mean. I try to read everything someone writes like as if they're smiling or laughing while saying it - it lightens the feels and often they mean it nicer than it comes off without the smile behind it :) Which is why, professional or not, I use smilies ALL the time!
Just wanted to add, you and your horse look like a great pair - he really wants to please you.
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