Equitation Help! Someone, PLAY TRAINER!! :)

[Emily]

ok, so i was takin a lesson a few weeks ago, and i had my friend take some pictures (in the attachments) and my trainer didn't say ONE THING the whole lesson!!!! she told me the course, and that was about it! IM GOING CRAZY!! i have horse shows the next two weekends, and then Medal FINALS november 9th! i'm not expecting to win, i just want to not look like a loonatic/retard out there!!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!

[Claire]

wow you look really good to me. my trainer always tells me to bring my shoulders backm maybe that could help you. I don't really know. Sorry, I'm not the best at judging people above my skill level. lol

[Emily]

thanks! :)

[Hanna]

I think you look really good. maybe make sure your elbows dont go out too much and be really aware of your arch in your back. but really you look great.

[Erin Givens]

Hi Emily! I'm a trainer it Texas...so sorry that you're unhappy with your trainer there. I looked at some of your other pics on your page and it looks like you might drop your hand for turns and/or roll-backs. Just double check that you lift your hand to help your horse lift his shoulder for turns, etc. I agree with Claire about the shoulders...although I would say think about lifting the chest...a HUGE help when going over bigger jumper fences and when fences come up fast in a tight course. Sit up tall, close the leg, and let your horse jump up to you! I'd love to see video of your riding...maybe I can help more....Good luck at your next shows. You look like an accomplished rider with a lovely, talented horse!

[♥Meghan♥]

yea you look like an excellent rider and wouldnt worry too much! one thing is that like other people said, you need to arch your back even more and lift up your body a bit. like erin said, it would be nice to see a video of you and your horse jumping. remember to count your strides and push with your legs but at the same time hold him! release with your hands when he goes over a jump and then immediately after the jump, sit back. you probably know how to do some of these things that i listed, but it never hurts to have a little reminder every now and then! you and your horse look like a great team! what type of medal finals are you going to?

[Kayla]

Overall you are riding quite well, but I'm going to ahve to say that if your trainer isn't giving you any critique then get a higher level trainer. There is always something to improve on and new things to learn and if your trainer is just giving you a course to go around on with no other instruction, then that's kind of a waste of time and you should get coached by someone who actually has something to say because it sounds like you ahve gone passed you coaches level of expertise. But yeah, you are riding well. If you want something to work on I would suggest the automatic release because you seem to be quite comfortable with the crest release, but the automatic release will be more effective once you learn how to do it. Just a thought~!

[Emily]

Thanks, i have recently been toying around with the automatic release. It is amazing how much more control you have! lol, anyway, i would switch trainers in a heartbeat if i could afford it... lessons with my current trainer are around $30 cheaper than anywhere else in the area... Hence my posting of a forum on here, hoping for a little extra help, and it has worked FANTASTICALLY! Thanks again for your imput!! :)

[Jenna]

From looking at the pictures all I have as advice is keep your feet pointed in and heels down! Just the typical stuff. Your riding looked pretty good from the pics you showed though!

[sarah]

since everyone so far has metion your shoulders and upper boody needing to be lifted up, ill save you from reading my points about it, instead id like to see you carry your hands instead of resting them on his neck. in the first pic, you've dropped your inside hand which looks bad. i know that your cueing for the right lead but try to do that with your leg, this will get you father in the long run. in the last 2 pics id like to see you place you hand higher up on his crest(not more towards his face but on the top of his crest right where his mane starts) also i use the word place because it's more delacite*sp*. in the pics you have rested them on his neck which is putting extra pressure/weight on his neck making it harder for him to effectively do his job(getting over the fence and keeping the rails up)
i hope this helps

[Kat]

I agree that you need to pick your shoulders up a bit. Your throwing yourself at your horse, which makes his/her job harder. Buy you have a nice flat back ,and are looking up or for your next fence. Your leg looks the best in the second picture. In the first it has slipped back a bit, and in the 3rd, from the hip down is too far back. Looks like the horse is a kind of thrusty jumper, and threw you back a bit. My horse is too, and that happens to me as well *sigh*. I REALLY like your release. You have what looks like a nice soft contact with your horse's mouth. And your hands are placed well, except in the first picture. I shouldn't be able to see your right hand at all (were you grabbing mane?). And you tend to get too high out of your tack. Shouldn't be able to see daylight when you jump (most obvious in the first picture). Just think about having a nice soft contact with your leg, letting your weight sink into your heels, and letting him put you where you need to be. =) All you have to do is get him to the fence, you don't need to jump for him too. lol

How'd ya do at the show, by the way?

[Julia]

7- release more and leg too far backk

6- leaning too much on your horse's neck

4- lege a bit far back, elbows in, and leaning too much on the horse's neck again (nice job at looking at the next jump!!)

-other than those minor problems, your equtation is very pretty!

[Drew*]

You look like an amazing rider but remember not to jump for your horse let him do the jumping. Other than that it looks really good!