Do You Ride Horses?

[Vanilla Twilight.]

@everyone
Thank you for the advice my lower leg has that chair look so ill work on that my trainer says the same thing. I actually did midnight riding tonight since I'm sleeping over at the barn and nearly face planted xD but here's a good picture!

[Namikaze~Sin]

@everyone
Thank you for the advice my lower leg has that chair look so ill work on that my trainer says the same thing. I actually did midnight riding tonight since I'm sleeping over at the barn and nearly face planted xD but here's a good picture!

WOW thats an amazing picture :3 you must be a very good rider (Maybe in future blur out your face so that it doesn't get reported x3)

[Hime]

@guns n' crue: I know a horse who was kinda sensitive in the mouth, so any shakyness with the hand and his head went high plus he also poped out that lower neck. I'm not sure where he got the habbit. But I'd assume someone way back wasn't very nice with his mouth(he did little harness racing in the past, so...). Could be the same thing with your mare. Back pain is another possibility. Also if she doesn't have muscles in the right places and generally doesn't know how to use herself correctly, that's another possibility as well. Many possibilities really. But generally head high up means tension of some kind, mental or physical, in which case it's usually pain related. How's she to lunge by the way? Like does she move similarry as she would under saddle.

[stirrupirons]

I had another fantastic day! I rode again today! :D I did W/T/C with lateral work. Thinker's very heavy in my hand, so I worked on getting him light and supple. I'm EXTREMELY pleased with my eq. My instructor took a video and I'm just so happy with it! It doesn't feel like today was my second day back in the saddle after over two months out with an injury. I'm in awe. My instructor said we're probably going to drop the training level test and do FIRST LEVEL TEST 3. FIRST. LEVEL. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited. :D
Cantering
Trotting
If you guys could critique for me, that'd be awesome. :)

[sforzando.]

@guns n' crue: I know a horse who was kinda sensitive in the mouth, so any shakyness with the hand and his head went high plus he also poped out that lower neck. I'm not sure where he got the habbit. But I'd assume someone way back wasn't very nice with his mouth(he did little harness racing in the past, so...). Could be the same thing with your mare. Back pain is another possibility. Also if she doesn't have muscles in the right places and generally doesn't know how to use herself correctly, that's another possibility as well. Many possibilities really. But generally head high up means tension of some kind, mental or physical, in which case it's usually pain related. How's she to lunge by the way? Like does she move similarry as she would under saddle.

She doesn't lunge.
That's the problem. xP
When we tried lunging her, she would move from the whip a bit, then come closer to my grandfather.
I mean, he could be doing something wrong, but I don't know.
When she moves in the yard she trots fine. She has a smooth one and her head is high, but she doesn't continuously throw it up like she does when someone is on the saddle.
We're getting a lesson person out to my barn to teach me, as well as get on my mare and figure out what we're doing wrong.

[Namikaze~Sin]

@Hime, thank you so much for the luck wishing I feel a lot better about it now than I used to, I feel fabulous in my new gaiters and boots and cream jodphurs ^_^ It helps being able to ride often and not just in lessons, Fred is really helping me learn because he's not an easy pony but not badly behaved

I got to ride fred again today, I only walked and trotted as K and S(Breezes owner) were holding her on a lead in the paddock and Fred kept napping towards her. I didn't trust myself to keep control so I decided not to push it and I feel better for it!

@monchele I'm so glad to hear you're riding again, it sounds amazing :3 Breeze's owner has been out of riding because she had a massive operation to have her whole face reconstructed, yet she rode Fred a bit today too and even jumped him!

@gun's n' crue Some horses just aren't good to lunge, Fred tips on corners and falls over so lunging really doesn't work for him!

[gam]

@monchele: Only thing I'm seeing if maybe lift your hands up a bit for the cantering photo, and it wouldn't hurt to force your heels down a little more in the second trotting pic, but overall you look really good! You look like you have a strong seat and a solid position, so bravo. You're right to be proud!

@Vanilla Twilight: sleeping over at the barn?! sounds awesome! You two look really good! Fabulous eq for bareback, you look great.


@Circean: yesss! <3

Today I rode Cooper for the last time... he's being leased out. :c But hopefully I will be able to see him again. It was really fun! We jumped pretty small, but he was really energetic and we nailed most of our distances. Our trainer had us do some of the no hands jumping, I had to put my hands behind my back thens straight up in the air, lol Circean had to do airplane arms, then something with the leads. Then we did a regular course for the last time, it was amazing, except Cooper was getting a little tired and trotted a few places, but I don't mind. It was really hot. We screwed up on one of the jumps, but I don't mind that either, because we nailed all of the other 5. It was fun, and I'll miss my sweet little pony <3 Then we walked around the fields for a while. It was pretty awesome, I'll miss him <3

[Plan on it Oliver]

@vanilla Twilight: that is a cool picture (bareback jumping) also the comparing picture your horse seemed to approved like a whole lot! I hope I can do that for Junior, he has a tall head problem until he tires out,needs to relax more. But he looks amazing.

Rainy gets x-rays the 10th I'm going to go down and ride Junior just so I can watch them be taken, plus I need to ride junior like heck so he will be perfect for the show we will be doing August 3rd. I also need to make Junior fit so he doesn't sweat so much. Seriously this guy has a problem he inflicts it on himself by going way faster then necessary. But any ideas to help get his sweat problem/make him super fit in an easy way?

[Circean]

Today was gam's last day with Mr. Cooper :c He was a wonderful horse, and I'll miss seeing him around (not as much as gam though!) Today, as gam explained, we got to do small jumps... like we have been lately :[ but I got to work on my position, because it's total crap.
I wish I had recent pictures of it, but I don't, but I do have this video! (don't worry, no close ups on my face or anything!)
Any advice would be nice! But I'm not having like any troubles recently considering I'm on a small pony. And they're easier to nail your positions down on. I have small arms, so when I reach up to a jump, my shoulders sorta "boulder over" and look like I"m hunching and it's the grossest looking thing ever.

When I'm on a horse, because they have long necks, and I have short arms, it's super hard to reach way up their neck, like my trainer wants, over the jump without rounding my shoulder over my body creating a hunch. If my hands could go lower on their neck, I would be perfectly find because I would only have to reach up, then bend my elbows, but to my trainer, I need to reach farther.

I'm just scared that shes going to keep me on tiny ponies, like Dee Dee who I'm riding, because my position is almost perfect on her (only because shes a pony)

I feel that I should be on bigger horses so I can actually work on a good possition, because I don't want to be riding ponies all my life. And I don't have long to get it down, considering I'm going away to collage in like 3 years, which I'll barley have any riding time to get it down stiff and stone into my mind, if you know what I mean.

Thank for your help! ~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5UatF6m1v8 (video of me jumping)

[gam]

Yes, Cooper will be very missed. He was so sweet and affectionate and he's improved so much, ahhhh he's great <3 I'll him so much.

Yeah, reaching up and giving a big release is so much easier for me because I have long arms. It kinda sucks when the horses have really long necks, and it also sucks when they're really downhill and canter around with their head down, like Shelby and Ringo and stuff.

AHHH SHELBYYYYY she is just so beautiful, I love her <3 I just don't want to ride her, she deserves to just have a break for a while