Your Riding Positions 2

[Torny]

I would like to THANK everyone for participating in the first 'Your Riding Position Thread'
I hope it has been of use to many of you. I am unable to find a recent photo of me riding, I shall hopefully be getting my boy Jack early next year and send in pictures.

The reason for this new thread is because the first is getting a wee bit crowded. So heres a new space for everyone to post to.

Look forward to talking to you all,

[Silver1]

I'd give it a go but all I've got are videos, and they're frankly embaressing. I cringe at the very sight of them.

[IrisSilverMoon]

here you can do me...:)

I know my hands are tilted, thats one of my biggest issues that I am always working on...:p but lemme know if you see something else maybe I haven't spotted...;)

[Bridget]

At first, you looked to be leaning back, but then I had to rotate the picture, because it's obvious that the vertical pole wasn't vertical.

It looks perfect to me, apart from the hands as you have already said.

[nat]

i cant find anything wrong with your position. i only have jumping pictures which you can look at if you want but i have none of me riding on the flat.

[Torny]

Hi,

Just want to comment on your hands, they look a little pram like, also try loosening those reins because they look extremely taught which is causing your horse to open his/her mouth.

Otherwise, great ;)

[IrisSilverMoon]

actually my reins weren't taught...LOL... I was in dressage...that mouth opening is always how Pat has his mouth whether there is contact or no, its not open, his lips are just curled down so you can see his teeth...:p I dont' know why, but thats just how he is. He grinds his teeth too...:rolleyes:

i think it all comes from when Pat was side reined to the extreme, which was before he came to our stable, its really hard to get any relaxation in his jaw now. Although he makes a pretty picture...:)

[EMMYOH]

What a beauty of a horse.;)

[Torny]

Sorry, didn't mean to put 'extremel'y, it is quite a strong word.

He is a lovely horse, strange how he opens his mouth. Does no one know why he does it? :(

lol,
Take care ;) hope you did well in that dressage test :D

[IrisSilverMoon]

no one has figured it out. Since its just the lips that are open and not the teeth I think its just some thing that he does. We got him when he was 15 so he'd been through the works and i'm assuming something that happened before we got him caused him to start doing that. In any case it just seems to be some quirk, it doesn't effect his way of going at all.

[Waikato Valuta]

I dont have a pic but I can discribe my prob and maybe you can help.

I only do this on one horse and i think its becuase he bucked my of about 6 months ago and I keep getting tense. Even though the buck was from the walk.

Anyway.

I swing my legs in the canter. I have seen myself on video and it is quite embaracing. I look like a real beginer. They swing forward and back. He has a very unbalanced canter and he realy chucks me around so I'm inclined to think thats the prob. But I would still like to improve the stillness of my leg. It is hard to do exercises to improve his balance if mine is all over the place.

I have been tryign to relax into the saddle. But I feel relaxed. I have a good amount of weight in the saddle. and my heals are down.

[epcd3000]

My mum took pictures of me riding Boomer today, and I really noticed how far forward my legs are.. I don't know if it's just me over analysing or what.. Also, are my feet too much out of the stirrups? Any comments/suggestions? Thanks!!

Do my stirrups looks too short?

[Waikato Valuta]

it looks like you are hanging onto the stirrups with your toes.

and your legs are a little forward but it looks like you are in a jumpping saddle so that might not be a bad thing.

[Torny]

Waikato

Hmmm, sounds to me you need to improve your seat in the canter. Do you feel your seat is unbalanced / out of sync with the horse?

The only other thing I could suggest is if you do some leg strengthening excercises to improve your muscle and control of your leg.

The gait of the horse could possibly be what does not help, it can improved if it is just schooling the horse needs. But it could be his/her natural gait in which case it's the riders job to learn to sit to the movement ;)

Hope this has helped!
I know how frustrating swinging legs are because I've done it myself before! :(

[Torny]

EPCD3000

Righty ho.

I think your right in suggesting to have your stirrups longer, espcially when it looks as though your clinging on to the stirrup with the tip of your toe.
With the stirrup lengthened you will be able to lengthen your leg and bring them back, your heels will not be pointing drastically downwards and you will feel your knees will come back in.

The problem with a lot of saddles, as I have been told and completely agree with, is that the stirrup bars for the leathers are too far forwards. So it encourages riders to bring their leg forward and so adopting the 'Arm chair' Seat.

Remember, don't ram your heels down. Not only does it not look very nice but it takes your leg away from the horses side and so you can't react effectivley when 'Asking' for transitions etc...

Hope this has helped! ;)

[Waikato Valuta]

Thanks. I dont do this on other horses. Just him he has a big gait.

I dont feel out of sync with him, my seat does not move just my legs. I can bring him back to a trot just by stitting deep and closing my thighs. What sort of leg exercises do you recomend.

I rode him today and yesterday and mum says my legs are staying alot stiller. But it still needs work but I wont get work becuase my horse has been sold. I will continue to work on my seat with my other horse but my legs dont swing with him.

[Torny]

Excercises, urmmmm.

Well you can do something simple as walking & cycling which will help both your lower adn upper leg

By stnading against a wall then slowly squatting (back still against the wall) hold the position for a a few seconds then stadn up again. That will strenthen your thigh.

Just test with different things really. If you can feel a muscle being worked when you are doing soemthing then remember what it was you were doing and use it as an excercise. Thats what I do.

You say that your leg has got better, Great!! Which means practice makes perfect :D

I was just thinking, I find my legs wobbled a bit when on rather rounded horses ;)

Ohh gotta dash!

[epcd3000]

Thanks for the advice! I lengthend my stirrups another notch and was able to place more foot into it. When me and Boomer started trotting, there was no bounce or hurting knees! I came out of my seat a lot lower than before.

Thank-you! :D



P.S - I also noticed as I could lengthen my leg, it was able to bend back in less of an "armchair seat". :p

[leo's mam]

Has any1 got tips 4 keepin heels down wen jumpin

[Torny]

Leo's Mam

Hey, ;)

Let me think. The only thought I get is that you may be tipping forwards when jumping, and so your legs go back and bend.

Have you had anyone video you or taken photos to see if you can pin point what the cause is?? If not it would be a good idea because it helps tremendously!!
:D

I'll see if I can find a photo which I can explain things with.

Sorry I couldn't be more help, But I'll see what I can do ;)

[kyanya]

Hiya,

I just realised I haven't posted on my position for ages, and thought I may as well.

Since my last piccie of my riding on http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25507 (the first picture placed on that thread) a lot of time has passed. I had a while out of the saddle due to an injury, but I have been at my new riding school for approximately 3 months now, and I am enjoying it very much.

Anyway, I do now have a digital camera. Unfortunately my mum isn't all that good with it, so movies haven't happened yet (!) but I do have some pictures.

Anyway, I'd be interested to know what people think of my position, and also how it has changed since my last post.

I feel it is better now as I am on a bigger horse (approx. 15.1).

In that photo I think I was either at the very beginning of warming up, or colling down. Wither way, I definitely do not go round with my reins that slack all the time!

I would say that my leg is too far forward, right from the hip joint. Then, I think my stirrup could be let down a couple of holes, to try and straighten my leg a little. Then, I also think I need to work on bringing my heel up a little, to bring my leg closer to my horse's side. Actually, the lesson after that one the instructor had me really concentrating on bringing my hell up, so it wasn't rammed down, and thet made a big difference.

Oh how I wish I could ride in one of Heather's dressage saddles. The stirrup bars are further back, and everything about them encourages you to maintain a good position.

[tillynz]

If you are having trouble with your heels not staying down, It is probably because you are gripping with your knee, But it's not a big prblem so I wouldn't panic. This is probably causing your legs to swing, thus the heel comes up.
First things first! DO NOT try to put your heel down over the jump, it will only put your lower leg in a forward position. and you will change your centre of balance.
If your heel is secure when you are on the flat, then when you are jumping, squeeze your horses sides with the inside of your calves, and you heel will naturally stay in a better position, you will also find you are better balanced position and not interfering with your horses momentum.
Try it at tell us how it all goes.

[shaka]

Can any one help me on my position here?
This was taken about 7 weeks ago. ABout 5 strides out from the log its possible to turn into it, and Shaka starts leaping and rearing and jumping forward, so I have to sit up, when he goes over the fence, to stay on him I have to fold quite quickly, so my heels have come up from going from upright to flat out! It's not brilliant quality, but if anyone has any advice it would be much appreciated!
Keep in mind that when then was taken I had not sat on a horse for 2 weeks!

[Waikato Valuta]

your position is very good. Except your legs look like they have sliped back just a tad and you are leaning to far forward.

shaka

[ride4life]

just thought i would reply to you pic shaka

you are in a vary precarious postition there, your leg is your base of support, not having htat has unraveled a series of other problems. your heel is up and has slid back causing your upper body to go forward. you are to far out of the saddle with your crotch even infront of the pommel! by relying on your horses neck for lack of base from your leg, you cannot preform a proper release. you seem to have excagerate your crest release here it is kind of moxed with a mane release. in a proper crest release your hand should be 1 or 2 inches lower to have support from the neck.i think as long as you sit up and let your horses thrust close your hip angle you will GREATLY improve. by the looks here you are trying to jump for him, i was the same at one time but after riding many greenies and fling through fences and over them by myself i have changed those habits.

p.s- these were just some comments on what was wrong and how you could improve, please dont take it as a diss or w/e pictures are only a second of your riding, have fun :)

[pipkin]

Hiya, i have always wondered if i have the right position in jumping. Here i have a picture of me landing after a jump and I was wondering what I can improve on! The pony is a riding school pony so is not my own and i had only ever ridden him once before that lesson. He is a pretty slow horse but when he gets going up to jumps he is goos and that was what i was working on in that lesson- to get him moving. Thanks
Julia x x x :D

[tarkia]

It looks like your leaning on his neck and your legs are too far back, put your weight in the stirrups :D

[ebony]

is my position ok jumping this jump? is there anything i can improve on? (like julia said :D !) as ebony's a riding school pony she doesn't get to jump this height very often so she's not always prepared for it, and neither am i! so any comments would be appreciated!

[EquiCrazyTn]

epcd3000

one time i was riding this gorgeous 17.0 hand horse she was very well trained. My instructor made me switch horses with this other person because when she trotted my butt was to bouncy
so i got on the other guys horse and his stir-ups were longer then what iwas riding on the mare, so i tried them then my instructor complimented me so from now on when i get on i swing my legs front to back a couple of times to loosen them then i adjust my stir-ups they are suppose sit right below your ankle

[EquiCrazyTn]

ebony

i am not an expert, but try dipping your back a little

[FreedomStar]

ebony- The horse looks like she's jumping a bit flat, try keeping her collected and more round up to the fence which will help her keep her impulsion and she'll jump a bit rounder. Your seat is pretty good, but you're arching your back which is bad. And it looks like you're looking down which might be why she looks like she's jumping a bit flat in the picture.

[FreedomStar]

julia- the only thing I can see wrong with you is that you've fallen forward a bit on the landing. It looks like you were ahead of the horse, but besides that I can see nothing wrong.

[tillynz]

Ebony

You are dipping your back but if you look up, it will help a lot.
You are staying with the movement very well though

[DITZ]

Have a go at this one then...:D