Correct v's effective - what do you ride like

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majicmoment

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Having just told someone to lift their inside hand an inch when asking a novice horse to canter, which is probably terribly incorrect, I was wondering how many of you are correct v's how many of you are effective?

I can get my horse working well, do lateral work and jump a fair size course (1.20/1/30's) when I want too, however I dont think I am the most correct rider in the world in lots of ways....namely

If I ride a fizzy horse that wants to go I let it, then do calm work, becasue i have learnt not to argue as it just causes problems, So I trot my horse on stony ground and down hill, go for long canters on iffy ground etc

I will ride most things in spurs regardless of if they need them or not, if they dont, then I dont use them, they are still attached to my feet

I will pony club kick if appropriate - clearly not with spurs!

If I ride something that bucks I literally lift my hands right up to nearly boob height (I dont know, it seems to work)

If I am flat schooling, and I fancy doing a jump, I will jump. Similarly if I am hacking and something looks jumpable, I will jump it.

I have been known to steer with hand not leg (especially when jumping)


Right, what do you do...
 
A bit of both I think. My horse is a quirky bugger so sometimes I have to do things in not a 'BHS' way shall we say, however lots of other horses I have ridden are pretty straight forward and I can look pretty. Some of the things my instructor has helped me with (she is fab) and told me to do I have had a moment of going "what, why, how" but tried it anyhow and it worked.
 
I am far more of an effective than a pretty rider, and sometimes the unconventional works. However, I wouldn't risk my horse (or myself) by doing such things as cantering on iffy ground. I tend to use my aids correctly, as that is what the horses have been taught, so i do ask for bend and turns from the leg, not the hand, but I would occasionally use, for example, an opening rein even tho it is not technically correct to do so. I cannot recall the last time I kicked a horse.
 
Well my lovely cob is very sleepy at the moment so getting him to canter on hacks is interesting. I have to do several large kicks and flap nearly everything to get him going!! I must look dreadful!! And then the other day he just went for it so obviously I need a few lessons lol
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Im like you, i dont do what is deemed correct i will just do what works with that particular horse. I dont actually think there is a "correct" way of riding as every horse is different an we need to treat them as such
 
I would like to think I have an effective style and would NEVER consider entering an equitation class so I guess I'm not terribly 'correct' day to day
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- although I have never been marked down in any dressage so can't be that bad
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In my opinion sometimes you have to ride effective to tell the horse what to do and then teach the horse by riding correctly. for example rein back - it may not look right but nearly every horse will rein back if you gentle apply pressure to the reins tilt your pelvis back into the saddle and take your feet out the stirrups and move your legs really far back and squeeze, the horse now moves back and learns he can move back and you can now teach him how to rein back with the correct not so obvious aids! so i like both effective and correct!
 
Everything I get on I ride softly and then add more aid as required. I ride neatly and correctly but I dont 'enforce' anything even though I was originally trained to 'make' a horse do whatever it is Im asking.

I like to get a good feel for the horse and then put a little pressure on.

I do believe that if the horse has had 23 hours to himself then he needs to give me 100% effort and attension whilst being worked.

If something goes well and I have achieved something I will leave it there.

I dont bully but I can be very firm if I need to be
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Neither. I am rarely correct and rarely effective.
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Huge fan of the pony club kick, wouldn't get anywhere without it...and the hands at boob height whilst bucking
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.... are these not correct?
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Lifting the inside hand should help lift the shoulder so it should help with the transition so it seems both correct and effective.

I don't have a very good position, but I try as best I can because I do think that correct equals effective.
 
Both, i have to ride quite quietly as my boy is quite sensitive!
My instructor (who is a dressage trainer/judge) told me to lift my inside hand up when cantering my 5yo as it helps him lift his inside shoulder.
She said he will get to the point where the aids are invisible, but until then he needs things spelt out for him so he understands!!
 
I can get a horse to do what I want it to, whether that be go in a straight line or a high school movement. Do I look pretty doing it? Hell no. An I doing it correctly? Probably not, but at the end of the day I'm not about to enter top level anything so as long as my horses and I are happy then who cares.
 
i try to balance as best I can

when showing I try to be as "correct" as possible, but still being effective (even if it means being subtly incorrect!)

When schooling I am effective rather than correct, and build up to the horse responding to the point where I can be correct and still get the desired response, sometimes doesnt work and we have to work out subtle signals between us to get it to work! and hope judges dont notcie
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We must be quite similar then, because I do virtually all of those things. I used to creep very carefully across rough ground, then after going hunting in Ireland, I realised it was an excellent way for your horse to become more footsure and now leave the horse to sort out itself.

I also don't mind my horse bucking a few times when warming up for a showjumping class - I think it loosens their backs, and an awful lot of good jumpers buck.

In fact, a lot of the best showjumpers don't have technically the best position, particularly their lower legs, but I guess what they are doing is not hampering the horse and always going with its movement.
 
Both - if I'm riding a youngster or similar I do all sorts of things - anything to help the horse understand what I want. And if they're naughty being 'correct' goes straight out of the window and its anything to stay on - hands at boob height, legs stuck forward, stirrups up by my ankles, whatever!

On my horse however, I have to do things correctly or she just won't do them. If you don't ask her to canter using the correct aids, she won't. If you don't ask her to rein back correctly, she won't. Its pretty frustrating at times - I spent months trying to teach her rein back before I realised I needed to move my legs back an inch, and suddenly she knew what I was saying all along!
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It is quite funny watching experienced riders get on her for the first time and spend five mins struggling to even walk her round on the track though
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Have used the pony club kick on occasions, whether it is correct or not. Does the job to get past the pig farm and over the water jump
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And the hands up when bucking seems to work, despite looking ridiculous!

Steer with hands and legs in flatwork and jumping but not when hacking as there really aren't that many turns
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When I have jumping length stirrups my lower leg is further forward than it should be, but longer stirrups it's the ear/shoulder/elbow/hip/heel line.

I'll ride most types of horse except for known rearers, jump most jumps and do whatever really
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Riding effectively IS riding correctly...

I have an insecure lower leg so ride with shorter stirrups than are aesthetically pleasing - but a flappy leg and a super-sharp horse = not worth risking!

However, to get her so responsive, pony club kicks and shouting have been used many a time so not adverse to that either.

Also, when some far better riders than me who are more aggressive in their style ride her, the devil in her comes out & she'll turn herself inside out - I ride her with a little loop in the reins so she can seek the contact herself, I have minimal contact between jumps so she can sort out her paces herself, I open my inside hand when asking her to canter (I get shouted at so much for this) & it works for us!

Sometimes, though, you do see 'jammy' riders and think 'HOW THE HELL DID THAT HORSE MANAGE TO JUMP THAT HEIGHT WITH YOU MOVING AND FLAPPING ALL OVER THE PLACE?' but y'know! Such is the funny nature of horses!
 
I don't see why a pony club kick, delivered at the right time, is incorrect. A horse should be given a light and subtle leg aid, if he fails to respond repeat once to make sure the aid was 'heard' and if nothing happens a pony club kick is what is required. The important thing is to make sure the rider remains balanced, releases the front end allowing the horse to go forwards and teaching that leg means forward.

There is a very nice demo of this with Charlotte DuJardin on a young stallion (Being Bling?) and Carl Hester talks her through this exact process.
 
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I However, I wouldn't risk my horse (or myself) by doing such things as cantering on iffy ground.

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Dont go hunting then
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you canter up roads and everything!!!
 
effective for me if someone wants to explain correct to my tempermental tb mare then by all means try but she tends to dispose of riders who think that way lol
 
I haven't ridden correctly for years, an Instructor would put their head in their hands and weep at my riding.

I get a horse from A to B without beating or yanking, my horses don't run and hide when they see me coming.

I am effective in that my horses go where I want them to, when and how I want them to. I know my limitations and wouldn't insult many a good horse by getting on them.
 
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