i am getting frustrated....

[Nikita88]

I am getting very frustrated about my position.
I put this in dressage 'cause you probably know alot about position. Keep in mind im not great yet, im a D-3 pony club and my horse is C-3...so she knows alot, so it will be easy to work with


1) I dont have terrible position, but i do notice it needs working on. This is actually more of a jumping type question...but i always feel unbalanced when i am jumping, i know its 'cause of my position....help :(. im always leaning to far forward and my pony club instructor tells me she likes to over exagurate things. like i always lean with my inside shoulder to far in...its hard to explain but its like my inside shoulder is dipped down. she tells me to bring it back and over exagurate it...then my regular instructor (who knows more) tells me the same thing, but the problem is, i cant even over exagurate it. i really dont notice that i ride with my shoulders like that then i see pictures of me riding and im disgusted by how it looks. I dont know if this has anything to do with it, but i have ADD so im never conentrating on the things i am doing now (this is a REAL example, i have trouble concentrating on my leg cause im thinking about how im going to do my curtosy circle at the end... weird i know but i cant help it!) so i dont know if its normal tojnot think about your leg position and not think about the jump ahead of you untill you get there. or if its normal for people to be thinking that far ahead instead of concentrating on what your doing right now. see what im saying? hard to explain, but i get told 'just think while your riding everything your instructor tells you' but its not that simple for me...i will be thinking about it for a couple seconds, then i just wonder off into another zone worrying about my curtosy circle. Any suggestions? or is there anyone else with this ADD thing that has had the same problems? im worried im the only one and will never get this position thing down 'cause of the fact i cant concentrate that well.


2) I have trouble getting my horse nikita on the bit....i have done it a couple times and i KNOW she knows how to do it cause she is C-3. so i know its something i am doing. My instructor tells me how to get her on the bit and she is AWESOME at riding, but i guess what im asking is...is there different ways to get them on the bit that nikita could have been tought? she was trained in Tennessee and i live in Wisconsin so, i dont know if they do it different in different places. If so, how do you get your horse on the bit? i really need help with it.

[tbone]

Problem 1: To get balanced I would work on my position on the flat walking, trotting, etc. I'm not totally sure by dipped down :confused: what you mean but, if what I think is right you should roll your shoulders back. Ro anwser your other question do some people think about their leg position and the jump infront of them... for me it actually depends honestly I don't concentrate on my leg as much now that I have figured out how to. I typically think about the jump because if I don't my horse will run out with me. Possibly to help with concentrating try to get whoever rides with you and your instructors to remind you what to be thinking about. I'm not sure any of my advice is going to help much as I'm not the best person to ask about for jumping advice.

Problem 2: I'm actually from Tennessee and as far as I know most places teach it the same. I'm working on my horse getting on the bit when I do a light contact but that is going to take awhile anyway the way I ask and have been taught to is to get a light contact and I suppose gently ask with the reins while keeping my legs still. Make sure you are keeping your legs compltley still as it might be confusing her. What gait have you been trying to get her on the bit at? You might want to start trying at the halt and then gradually building up to the walk, trot, and canter.

[IrisSilverMoon]

how long have you ben jumping? I'm not sure this is a quesiton of having ADD so much as general trying to concentrate on too many things at once, everybody's done that before, its pretty easy to end up doing. How are you getting into your jump position? I wonder if maybe a little old style (sitting back over the fence instead of jump position) might not help you get your leg solidified. try forgetting about the curtesy circle until after you've landed the jump, if its just a curtesy will your instructor yell at you because you forgot it once?

also, how is your instructor telling you to get your horse on the bit?

there are quite a few different ways to get a horse on the bit. One is intermittently halting and backing as you go around the arena at a trot. Trot for a bit, halt and back, as soon as your horse drops her nose ask her to trot again and then repeat until she is trotting around with her nose down. There shouldnt' be any walk in there either, walking is cheating for this exercise.

another way to do it is opening the bit. keeping your elbows at your side open your lower arm out from your body, this will open the bit and cause your horse to drop her head, as soon as she does this give immediatly and praise, you can do this for all three gaits and the halt, its best to start out with the halt and then go to walk and then trot and then canter.

the best and quietest way to get a horse on the bit is to tickle the inside rein with your fingers, very softly so no one can see. keep tickling until she softens and gives.

[Nikita88]

i have been jumping for a few months, i jump about 2'3-2'6. when i get into my jump position i do the 2 point position (or half seat, whatever you call it). My instructor wasnt at the show when i forgot my curtesy circle, i dont think she would have gotten mad she just would have told me the next time i go out not to forget my curtesy circle.

We try to get her on the bit at the walk. if i get her at the bit, i can keep her on the bit at the trot and canter so we are not worrying about getting her on the bit at the trot and canter to much. She tells me to keep a short rein, my elbows bent and kinda pull up on the reins instead of down. she will sometimes tell me to squeeze with my legs. She will get on the bit when i do that, it just takes a very long time to get her to do that. After shes been on the bit for a while, i will let her stretch her neck down and we do excersies similar to what you said. lettting them stick there nose down and praising them.

tbone-what i meant by dipped down was like my shoulders are very un-even. My outside shoulder is higher then my inside shoulder.

Thanks for your help :) im going riding later today and im going to work on getting her on the bit and keeping my shoulders strait seeing as though that is my 2 main problems.

xoxo
*Jen*