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Please critique me (IMAGE HEAVY)

2K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  Cheval 
#1 ·
Here's some pictures of Sunny. I'll ad a video, too.
Anyway, today I had a lot of fun with him. He was awesome, even though my riding was bad. But still, please critique it!
(Also, I added just some cute pictures of him).
Sorry if the pictures streches.








What a horrible landing on my part.

Here's a picture or two of me riding Dukat. He's an older Hanoverian gelding that is off, but if he's not ridden he will not get better (since he needs to get stronger) and didn't push jumping at all. He has a huge jump but was enjoying it. He's a cutie!

(That was in the middle of a W-C transition, and I realise that I'm very far forward!)

No release, eh? Poor guy.


After Dukat I rode Matt. He was awesome. He's (again) an older Hanoverian gelding that acts really young. He was having a lot of fun jumping, too. I don't know when the last time was that he saw the jumps. But he handled it well! Also, I know I'm really small on him and Dukat.






Things I know I need to work on.
- My leg position
- I need to straighten my back (we're really work HARD on that in my lessons)
- Release!
- Chicken wings
- I can get ahead of the horse, too, but I'm working and trying as hard as I can. My trainer, too, is nailing that into my brain.
- WORK ON MY LANDING. God I hate it.
(By the way, that was only at looking at one picture)
Critique away. Be really hard.
Sorry about so many pictures!

Also (sorry about such a long post) I do not own any of these horses, but I get to ride them as much as I like. The only horse I'm planning to show is Sunny in hunters, and all hunter/jumper people - tell me what you think of him as a hunter.
 
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#2 ·
Sunny is SO cute over the jumps! hehe! You have to enter him in a few shows this summer!!! he would be Awesome!!!

Awww... I <3 Matt (he is so big-boned! lol! cute) and Dukat is cute over the jumps (makes him feel young again! hehe)

GREAT position though! I know, I have to work on the same things w/ my position, lol, at least your position is better than my Embarassinnnggg position over that 3ft jump!!! LOL! that suckkkedd! ur position is GREAT though in these pics, especially over the 2"3 on Sunny! :)
 
#3 ·
It sounds like you already know some of the key issues you need to work on like leg position and not jumping ahead. Locking down your leg and waiting for the jump are the biggest things you need to work on. As you're coming into a jump, think about sitting tall and keeping your shoulders back until your horse pulls you over the jump.

Your stirrups look a little long on Sunny and a little short on the two bigger horses.

To help lock your leg, you need to put more of your foot in the stirrup. the bar should be across the ball of your foot. Also, you need to flex down through your heel instead of standing in the stirrups. It looks like you are pushing on the stirrups with your toes in many of the pictures. Concentrate on relaxing through your ankles and sinking into your heels. This will really help you lock in your leg position too!

Keep your wrists straight when you're on Sunny. They're great on the horses, but his short neck is interfering with your release.

And last but not least. keep your eyes up when you're in the air over a fence.

Your position is solid, which is obvious from your ability to ride different horses and stay with them even when their jump isn't pretty. Just keep fine-tuning, and really work on waiting for your horse to jump and locking your leg.
 
#4 ·
On Sunny:

-stirrups look long
-leg back (possibly from stirrup length)
-back somewhat hunched
-chicken arms

**On sunny you need to shorten your stirrups so you have a nice bend in your knee around 110 degrees. This should help keep your leg under you. You should be able to draw a line from your hip to your heel so that they line up. Also to help strenghten your legs you can ride without stirrups on flat and jumping. Try to let your back sink down when your jumping and relax so it doesn't hunch as much. Also, in the video you had chicken wings (thats what my trainer calls them) where your elbows are out. Try to get your elbows in more (As someone else on the forum said, "Your horse is flying not you" i thought that was a perfect saying :D )



Riding Dukat:

-stirrup looks a bit to short
-leaning foward
-you already said you were to high up
-long reins(result of no release

**When you ride Dukat I would lengthen your stirrups a hole or two depending on how spread out they are. Once you lower your stirrup it will be easier to keep your leg under you. Try sitting back about 10-15 degrees more so that you aren't so far foward. You can still have a foward motion but just becareful you don't bend to far. You already mentioned that you are to high up out of the saddle. In the last pic (one of you jumping) it looks as if your non-release was a result of too long of reins. Shorten your reins a bit more and that should fix it.


Riding Matt:

-ahead of motion
-short stirrups
-okay releases

**In the first pic of you jumping you are over the pommel(front) of the saddle. Remember the horse is jumping not you. Wait for the horses motion to fold you. Try riding without stirrups and also riding without hands or riding with your eyes closed. It will help you to learn every movement of the horse and let the horse do the jumping. Its hard at first but it works wonders! Trust me ha ha ha. Also your stirrups look short again. Lower them about a hole or so depending on the whole lenght as I said above. Your releases are okay. You should release a bit more so that you give the horse more freedom. Riding without hands and practicing a release(without holding reins) works alot. Just tie your reins in a knot and then a stride away or right before take off let go of the reins and release as if you were holding them. Its confusing to explain but I just did that yesterday in my lesson all the way up to 3'6" and it is amazing how different it feels.


Overall you know what you are doing wrong. Good job and keep up the good work. And your horses are A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!!!!! :D
 
#5 ·
Thank's everyone so much!
I think I will shorten my stirrups on my saddle (when I was riding Sunny). I didn't realise it until the pictures. Hopefully, that will help with my leg (?).
I know I'm really small on Matt and Dukat (they're 16.3ish), and on Sunny (13hh) I'm huge. Luckily he doesn't mind. I'm 5'4" (give or take).
 
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