new photos of me riding!

[Lesha]

Hello all

I've recently resumed my fortnightly lessons down at Cheston (where you may remember Sue Carnell teaches the chief instructor), after a couple of months off owing to asthma and being between cars

For my second lesson back after 2 months off, Sue came down to watch and video me. I've never seen myself riding on video before, and I really wanted to see how what I feel, actually looked.

4 screen-grabs are at http://www.eclipse.co.uk/sue/Lesha/lesha.html

I was very pleased with what I watched later that evening :-) The thing is, I just had no idea whether movements that felt very noticeable to me were in fact noticeable. I still felt really unstable, and Sue wanted to prove to me that I
wasn't. Now I believe Sue when she tells me that my lower leg is really stable, because I couldn't see it moving :-) I've also vastly improved my "toes-out" tendencies.

However, while I was reassured that what to me felt like major leg wobbles is NOT, I could quite clearly see that when I feel like I am hunching my shoulders in a "fatal crouch" tendency, that it perfectly apparent on video ;-) (not that Sue's picked any pictures showing that, of course....). I also had a slight chair seat, but that's because the saddle's, um..., not ideally cut shall we
say, and there's only so much help a seatbone saver can give! Of course working within a riding school environment one is limited with the changes one can make with tack etc, but we certainly got the saddle's position better (even if it's
still not ideal for rider position/security)

I was in particular VERY pleased with my canter. I hadn't cantered in a school for about 2 years before that night (and the canters I had done were 2, on hacks, in a forward seat, in Ireland last September). We did a short canter on each rein (one from walk) and I was very pleased to see that at no stage did my backside leave the saddle at all (and I wasn't "rowing" with my shoulders - another old tendency which Heather may remember from when she first saw me ride a few years ago!) It's handy that the school walls were white, so it'd have been very obvious if there was air between my backside and the saddle when cantering :-D

So I now know that I don't need to worry quite so much about my lower leg wobbling and toes sticking out (which in actual fact look much better than they feel), and instead can concentrate on sitting up and not rounding my shoulders (which look exactly like they feel!)

I may be progressing relatively slowly (after all, I only ride for an hour a month, and have only had about 6 lessons after a break of 18 months) but I
hope the photos show a reasonable "riding school rider" :-) The other thing to bear in mind of course that I am just one of many riders to ride the horse each week. And while Lesley of course is trying to do her teaching the EE way, not all pupils are as "receptive" as me to it <g>, and other people teach there too. So in a 1/2 hour fortnightly lesson I can only expect the horse to progress so much. She's DEFINITELY sharper off the leg since Lesley started teaching the EE
way though, so it's abundantly clear that kicking is not tolerated :-). And I think in the 3rd picture she's stepping nicely under and starting to look better :-)

Sue continues to teach Lesley, but I don't think that this week (as has happened in the past) Lesley will have me doing the same exercise as Sue's just been doing with her. Lesley was doing canter pirouettes this week :-O

questions/comments/critique welcome!

[Kerry's Partner!!]

Impression is that I'm impressed - very impressed. Your "gaze" in the canter is very impressive - and more so given what you say about this in your thread. The enlightened process in your training shines through - so I think you (and those who teach you) should feel proud. This would be what I would call real achievement - and some, since you don't get the chance to ride or be taught all that frequently.

[Sapphire]

I'd say well done. You look very nice and quiet there, the horse looks very happy and relaxed, it's screams harmony!! You should give yourself a pat on the back, keep it up, you're a fab rider, and you're only going to get better!

[sozzie]

Hi

Can you tell me what you did to stabilise your lower leg?
I've been learning the classical way of riding for the last 6 months once a week (after riding badly for years) and i have the toes sticking out problem. I manage to get my upper body position correct but just as i think i'm doing well my instructors tells me to turn my toes in and i immediately change the position of my hips and it all goes pear shaped!
I'm sure time will help and i've read loads of stuff about it but it's hard to remember when on the horse.

sozzie

[Heather]

HI Lesha,

Have only had a quick glance, but you look so much better than previously at the other stables- just such a pity that you can't ride more often. Have to see if we can find you a horse to ride that needs exercise or something!


Heather

[Lesha]

Originally posted by sozzie
Hi. Can you tell me what you did to stabilise your lower leg? <snip> i have the toes sticking out problem. I manage to get my upper body position correct but just as i think i'm doing well my instructors tells me to turn my toes in and i immediately change the position of my hips and it all goes pear shaped!
I'm sure time will help and i've read loads of stuff about it but it's hard to remember when on the horse.
sozzie
Hi Sozzie - I think concentrating on dropping my weight though the leg helped, i.e. rather than thinking of being sat on my backside, thinking of my weight going down either side through my legs. This especially helped in rising trot (which was one of my worst gaits for turning my toes out) along with thinking of rising forwards from the knees and not "standing in the stirrups" which seems to lead to a sort of "toes out and legs away when standing up, and legs back in with the heel giving a nudge when sitting" movement, a bit like those male Russian dancers who squat down then stand up kicking their legs out standing on theit heels.... ;)
Also, something which may not be immediately obvious but does seem to affect leg stability is the saddle position. A couple of weeks ago at my lesson (not the one Sue was at) the stable girl moved the saddle forwards (too far) before I got on. That, combined with the fact that it's a forward cut saddle anyway so my legs are thrown forward into a chair seat, meant my legs felt REALLY wobbly that lesson. It felt like with the saddle being too far forwards there was less horse under me to drape my legs around, so my legs were wobbling more and tending to grip up more.
Finally, persisting in a gait when I'm tired seems to make me worse too. In your lessons do you have to keep going in sitting trot for ages? When I used to have to (at other riding schools) this resulted in me turning my toes out and in effect trying to hold myself onto the horse by putting my feet as far as I could under its tummy :O . Instead, when you're doing sitting trot and start to get tired and lose the ability to sit deep and absorb the movement with your lower back (i.e. start to stiffen and bounce) immediately go rising, then go back to walk, then try for another few strides of sitting when you've re-established your lower back/seatbone movement.
Hope this helps. To be honest I don't know excactly why/how I've got better. As I said, it was a shock to see the video cos I FELT as bad as I ever was! But carry on trying (but not so hard it makes you tense up!) and I'm sure you'll get better :)

[sozzie]

Thanks for your tips, i'm going to try them next time i ride. I don't find rising or sitting trot a problem really as i find it easier to concentrate on toes in when doing them especially sitting trot when i'm thinking about my weight dropping into my legs. I'm starting to think that my problems in canter stem from my problem of concentrating too much on what my upper body is doing which mucks the whole thing up:o .
Anyway, your photos looked good to me so keep up the good work.:D