[Wallaby]

I finally got another video of me riding Lacey... I'm not sure if anything has changed for the better, really, but I figured I'd post anyway and hopefully get some helpful responses.
I did notice that I seem to have a chair seat in some places but it is an improvement from the summer when I had the worst chair seat imaginable.

Basically, I'm looking for tips for improving my functionality as a rider and Lacey as a comfortable mount. We aren't going to be doing any showing, ever, so being pretty (other than pretty that is functional) doesn't matter in the least.

I do know that Lacey was on the wrong lead for much of the cantering. I was kind of playing around with her because she always takes the wrong lead going to the left (away from the camera) so I was testing something someone had said on a different topic about how a lot of dressage riders (I think) cue for the canter from the inside. And since I have always cued her from the outside...if she was trained with the inside cue, it makes perfect sense why she generally takes the wrong lead. So I was testing that, and lo and behold, she took the correct lead twice when I cued her from the inside going that direction. Going the other way, she evidently kept taking the wrong lead when I cued from the inside (I thought she was on the correct lead but the video says no, haha) so I'm not really sure what that means...

Also, the very last clip is just thrown in cuz it's cute. haha She's trotting along, I say "ho", and she stops herself so fast that she's about to take another step, has her foot in the air to go forward, but puts it down instead. :lol:

Also x2, isn't her tail cute? It's just always way up in the air like that... She doesn't have it nearly that high any other time than when she's being ridden by me. Haha

And she has a VERY ridiculously bouncy trot. She's the bounciest horses I have ever ridden and I've ridden quite a few horses. I'm just saying that so you all know that I'm not bluncing like crazy because I'm lame like that. :lol:
I'm trying to teach her to jog (that's where all the trotting, backing up, then trotting comes in) and she understands what I want, I think, she just needs muscle to be able to really go slow. She's doing better than she was, ie 0:00-0:30. hahahaha

Thanks!
Oh, and don't be afraid to be harsh! =)

 

[jazzyrider]

firstly i just want to say this is a very very hard video to critique from so im taking what i can see and working with that

firstly she seems to be striking off on the wrong leg in the canter all the time. it seems she is also having trouble holding the canter which could be directly in relation to being on the wrong leg. you are at times on the wrong leg in the trot as well. keep an eye on this.

i would suggest working on her flexion and lateral work. do a lots of figures 8's, serpentines, changes in direction etc to help this. work in your transitions too. this could help soften her as well.

when you get the wrong lead in the canter bring her back to a trot and ask again. keep going until she gets the right lead. when she has the right lead keeo your canter going for a few circles otherwise she will learn to pre-empt you and will automatically come back to a trot after a few strides of canter. consistency youre starting her canter at the same spot most times and she is coming back to a trot at the same spot. dont let her get into bad habits like that

thats all i can tell from the vid keep up the good work

 

[Wallaby]

What was wrong with the video? I have longer clips but I didn't want to bore y'all to tears with the full 28 minutes. haha Is it too far away? I wondered of that might be an issue but I don't have anyone who can tape me right now. =(

Thanks for the tips! I'll give them a try.
Was I off at the trot going both ways or just at the trot going to the left? That's something I've been really trying to work on. For the first 5 years that I was riding, the instructor I had never taught me about diagonals so I somehow ended up getting the correct diagonal every time to the right and always being on the right diagonal going left, as funny as that is. So now when I'm on the correct diagonal to the left, I feel really off and I lean really hard to the outside. It should get better with practice, right? I just need to force myself to practice. haha

Yeah, I was having her stop and start at the same places because the left side of the arena was basically a mud pit with a hill in the middle so I didn't want to risk having her try to canter through that and killing us both. :lol: That is a very good point though. I don't feel comfortable with the other side of the arena so I'm letting her get into bad habits. I do usually ask her to canter along the side that we were cantering on, usually we do a lap or two, but it always starts there.

Also, is there anything I can do to get her to shorten her canter stride without stopping? I just can't seem to get my courage up to have her canter in a smaller circle than the full arena because I never feel like we're going to make it standing up. Maybe that's something I should work on at the trot and then progress to the canter?

I'm still practicing feeling my leads too, I only just realized a week or so ago that I can actually feel when she's on the wrong lead. I still have to think about it for a few strides though. :lol: But in time...

Thanks for your response!

 

[horsegirlmaddy]

This is not a good habit to get into, but while you're working on your diagonals and her leads, I find it helps to wrap her two front legs in two bright, different-coloured polo wraps so you can glance down and see which leg is leading. That helps with me, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea

 

[TheCowgirlRanda]

I have a huge amount of trouble with the Right lead for some reason I can't feel it when my horse is on the left lead when she is suppost to be on the Right. I can tell going to the left just fine though. I had a short lesson the other day and it helps to have someone right there so the second you take off on the wrong lead they tell you and you stop and try again, this way your horse knows that he/she is wrong. Its bad to go around on the wrong lead because this teaches them that its ok. but when you do pick up the correct lead lope around the arena a couple times before you stop or slow down... I hope this helps out, if not sorry lol. good Luck!!!

 

[mom2pride]

Remembering the first vids I've seen of you and Lacey, I think you have both come a long ways...over all she seems quite happy and relaxed, and you both look like you're enjoying yourselves.

 

[IheartPheobe]

No critique here~ just wanna say, I absolutely LOVE your mare! and you guys seem to have a very nice bond.. she seems like a very nice, relaxed ride

 

[Wallaby]

I have a huge amount of trouble with the Right lead for some reason I can't feel it when my horse is on the left lead when she is suppost to be on the Right. I can tell going to the left just fine though. I had a short lesson the other day and it helps to have someone right there so the second you take off on the wrong lead they tell you and you stop and try again, this way your horse knows that he/she is wrong. Its bad to go around on the wrong lead because this teaches them that its ok. but when you do pick up the correct lead lope around the arena a couple times before you stop or slow down... I hope this helps out, if not sorry lol. good Luck!!!

Actually, there's a funny story about that: I tried getting my "trainer" to be my ground person and help me out with her leads, and you know what I discovered? My "TRAINER" doesn't know her leads. :shock: Yeah. So now I'm just trying to reteach myself how to see and feel the leads since no one at my barn seems to be familiar with which lead is the proper one. >.< That's my project for the summer, to be able to figure out which lead she's on as soon as she takes off and correct her if necessary. Hopefully, since I'll be working as the head wrangler at a camp, I'll be able to train one of my "underlings" to be my ground person since they'll probably be interested in learning, unlike my "trainer" (who doesn't train me anymore, btw).

horsegirlmaddie- That's a good idea. I'll give it a try. =)

Thanks Mom2Pride and IheartPheobe!
She is sooooo much more relaxed right now than she's ever been. I'm so exceedingly proud of her. She's really rapidly turning into the kind of horse everyone wants to ride, where as before, she was "The Demon Pony" *insert canned screams* that everyone was afraid of. She really is a nice ride too. She's a real "tell me to do anything, in a way I can understand, and I will try gosh darn hard to do it" kinda mare.