Best Riding advice you've had lately

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rlhnlk

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Well I've decided to do a dressage test this weekend and my mam (who has never ridden) has just told me to make sure 'I put my ears back'. She means I need to sit up straight but this really made me laugh!

So what funny and good (or bad!) advice have you had lately?
 
The best advice was to 'sit up, leg on'. :)

The wierdest advice was to 'ride like a gladiator!' I just ended up in fits of giggles and unable to ride at all for a few minutes. :p
 
Oh, actually it would be that when checking my diagonals / canter lead. Not to sit and stare at the legs, and just to flick my eyes ;)
 
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lots

not recent but when I told my best friend I was going XC or SJ she used to enquire if I had packed my parachute and notified local air space :D

Very recent and more seriously new instructor explain that 'imagine that the gusset in your panities has a matching spot on the saddle and chewing gum attached to it to pull you back to the same spot, and you have to plug it in like a socket in the wall' :D works amazingly well too


Also with old horse they used to shout over the loud speaker 'Dee BREATH' good advice :)
 
soulfull said:
Very recent and more seriously new instructor explain that 'imagine that the gusset in your panities has a matching spot on the saddle and chewing gum attached to it to pull you back to the same spot, and you have to plug it in like a socket in the wall' :D works amazingly well too
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Not recent advice but this ^^^^ only put a bit more crudely. You can imagine the effect on a group of 14 yr old girls being told by a big hairy polo player to "screw the saddle" :eek::eek: - we giggled so much we almost fell off!
 
Nothing recent but when your horse is not doing what you want, I like the old adage of "you're either asking the wrong question or asking the question wrong". Think that's on the button most of time.

Also one my sister likes to use (encouragement for a jump off etc) "ride it like you stole it!"
 
Ride the horse he is today, not the horse you think he ought to be.

Can't remember who said it, but it helps me no end when I'm expecting too much / getting stressed because we can do this at home so much better etc.

"Sit up, leg on" is probably the most useful, or possibly "look where you want to be and GO there" while competing. Also "LET him take you" was a bit of a revelation to me - don't have to drive him everywhere.

One that had the biggest response from me, bearing in mind I hate schooling in rising trot, is when an instructor declared "rising trot is for happy hackers" and I promptly replied that I loved him. Inappropriate much? :rolleyes:
 
"Don't say 'Ho' or kiss at her unless you mean it!"

On a strange horse leant to me by someone I'd never even met before at Team Penning the other night. :) He was right, she had some serious stop and go :D
 
Wobblywibble said:
Not recent advice but this ^^^^ only put a bit more crudely. You can imagine the effect on a group of 14 yr old girls being told by a big hairy polo player to "screw the saddle" :eek::eek: - we giggled so much we almost fell off!
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LMAO!


I once had to resort to similar instruction when teaching Naval Officer Cadets the rising trot, they could not get "Up, down" but they jolly well understood "In, Out" :o:D
 
Wobblywibble said:
Not recent advice but this ^^^^ only put a bit more crudely. You can imagine the effect on a group of 14 yr old girls being told by a big hairy polo player to "screw the saddle" :eek::eek: - we giggled so much we almost fell off!
Click to expand...

Enfys said:
LMAO!


I once had to resort to similar instruction when teaching Naval Officer Cadets the rising trot, they could not get "Up, down" but they jolly well understood "In, Out" :o:D
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both :p brilliant must be something wrong with me I didn't 'get' the 'screw the saddle' oh I knew what it mean't but it just didn't work for me :rolleyes:
 
Farrierlover said:
"Ride him like a good horse, not a bad horse" :)
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Oh I like that one.

My instructor comes away with some good ones. Most recently, my horse had been a bit naughty and I was tipping forward and gripping with my knees - my instructor said "stop riding like a victim". Another one, when the mare tanks off in canter is " take a pull with your outside hand - be bloody rude to her."
She always knows when the horse is taking the p*ss!
 
Not my lesson but instructor said "Now imagine for about the 20th time you've just told your husband to empty the dishwasher, now wallop him like you'd like to wallop your husband!".
Must point out that up until then friend had never used a schooling stick and attempts at a little encouraging flick hadn't even made contact with the horses bottom.
Our instructor is fantastic and has a brilliant way of making us laugh which helps so much with the nerves. We get comments such as "Do you want me to fetch the sat nav out the range rover" (first attempt at 4 loop serpentine), "I think they've moved the centre line havn't they?", "I have all my first aid certificates but I'd rather not have to give you the kiss of life so kick on and BREATHE!".
 
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Not lately but its always stuck with me, one of my first hunts on my pony and a few people were following on foot, my Granny among them [shes a traditional no nonsense horse woman] and after having been introduced to her old hunting pals who were out that day I was tagging along with them and didn't realise we were approaching a rather large hedge until I saw it about 20m in front of us and I heard my Granny shout 'KICK ON ELLIE' so kickkickkick I went with a look of pure horror on my face and managed to clear this impressive hedge on my little 14hh pony :eek: for some reason whenever I'm approaching a fence now, even on my 15.2hh Thoroughbred who has springs in her feet my mind always says kick on Ellie :D
 
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