Do you ever watch yourself ride?

[RachelB]

Sounds like an odd question, but do you ever watch yourself ride? As in get someone to video you, either schooling or in lessons? If so, is your riding as you expect it to look or do you think you are better or worse thank you look? Do you think it is a useful way to learn?
I only ask because I've just seen a video of my lesson on Monday and I was thoroughly shocked at how much of a useless wet blanket I am

and I have been shamed into making sure I improve!

 

[Eira]

Yes , I used to have someone video me ride sol 9/10 times as I was so paranoid I wasn't effective on her. Most of the time I was appauled..

 

[Ellies_mum2]

Good grief no!!

I would be too traumatised to ever ride again

 

[GinaB]

No, I would vomit if I saw myself ride and probably never get on a horse again

 

[diggerbez]

[ QUOTE ]
No, I would vomit if I saw myself ride and probably never get on a horse again

[/ QUOTE ]

ditto! and i look so fat in my jods that i don't think i would ever eat again either!

 

[CrazyMare]

Sometimes - Dad sometimes videos my lessons or competing. I'm always shocked at the difference between what I feel and what I see - I often say I'm wobbly and its going badly to find I look still on the video or vice versa!

 

[Scarlett]

yup - fairly regularily.

OH is present most of the time when I ride as he rides too so he takes pics and vids for me too see. I get Pics and vids from my lessons too so I can see how we are getting on and what I need to do to improve. Its most useful when Instructors voice can be heard too so I can hear what she is saying and the effect it has. Also if I am having an issue between lessons I can video it and send it too Ins to have a look.

I see it as a really useful thing, sometimes my riding is shameful but I use that as a good reason to work harder and improve!

 

[jumptoit]

No - but I really need to!

 

[only_me]

YO videoed me doing dressage schooling so i could see where i was going wrong

I was actually ashamed of my riding, and i look horrendously fat in my jodphurs (she says whilst eating munchies

) and i didnt want to watch it as it was so bad

not the sort of thing you want to watch before your first FEI* test!!

 

[dozzie]

Yes! I think it is a really good way to see where you need to improve. Especially with bad habits.

 

[Saf]

Love / Hate it, its a useful tool getting videoed, hate looking at it as I get soo picky about what I do wrong, eg lean into a fence, right shoulder roles in, elbows poke out dare I go on

but it does help and also helps getting other peoples views as much as it can sometimes hurt

I think its a medium we don't use enough

ETS and on XC I always look so slow to what it feels

 

[RachelB]

Ok that makes me feel MUCH better, I'm obviously not the only one who gets a much better feeling than it actually looks from the outside! I'm always told I'm not a brave enough rider and that I really need to "go for it", but considering on Monday I could barely make a walk-trot transition without looking like I was going to fall off... I thought maybe I should take up good ol' knitting!

There are mirrors in the school and I didn't even look too bad in those... which is lying - camera or mirrors?!

Although I have to say it has been useful - I now KNOW I need to "go for it" FAR more, and I am 100 times more motivated to actually ride the darned horse so I can prove to myself that I can do it!

 

[RachelB]

[ QUOTE ]
Its most useful when Instructors voice can be heard too so I can hear what she is saying and the effect it has.

[/ QUOTE ]
My video is fairly rubbish then as it was a horrendously windy day in a very open school, and the instructor is Portuguese so hard to hear at the best of times

 

[Chico Mio]

Only by accident - ie caught in videos friends have taken of their offspring at my old RS. Makes me cringe, especially when there is me, obviously lumpy old fogey, with all these lithe young things in their cream breeches and skimpy tee shirts. Consoled by the fact that my horse was by far the best looking and well behaved!

 

[RachelB]

[ QUOTE ]
I was actually ashamed of my riding, and i look horrendously fat in my jodphurs (she says whilst eating munchies

) and i didnt want to watch it as it was so bad

not the sort of thing you want to watch before your first FEI* test!!

[/ QUOTE ]
I was planning on watching the video for the first time with the horse's owner when she got back off holiday... I now 1) never want to watch it again myself, and 2) NEVER want another soul to see it, LET ALONE the horse's owner!!! She'll wonder why she ever let me sit on him!!!

This is going to be very embarrassing... again!

 

[CrazyMare]

I have got some crackers on video though - bouncing a 1 stride double for example, and some impressive knitting of reins down a set of steps.

 

[dozzie]

Agree about the speed thing! I have just had a vid done of Dozzie jumping and could really see the issues! But I couldnt feel them!

 

[jenbleep]

I think I prefer photos...at least then you can delete the bad ones!

But no seriously....my riding is quite important to me

so since last week I have been getting Charisma's owner to video me in lessons...the video is easier to work on my camera as well

to see how I actually ride, and see how C is working underneath me.

My next lesson isn't until early June but I will no doubt video and ask you all for CC

I do think my instructor must think I'm quite self obsessed though....and she would be right hahahaa

 

[sarah23]

I think it's a good thing to do. I often get my OH to video me at dressage Comps and then go home and watch the tape while looking at the comments from the judge which i find helps. Also early on this season i have not been as fit as i have been and when i look at the tapes of me riding XC i looked sloppy and i was embarrassed at my style, enough to do something about it.

 

[SunSmile]

[ QUOTE ]
No - but I really need to!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto this!

 

[rara007]

It is useful to learn from, especially with new ponies and I don't really know how it looks from ontop when it looks best from the side, if that makes any sense. I can't do it too often though as it makes me cringe, I ride so badly, moving in places not meant to, heavy fat, stiff, fixed upeprbody etc.

 

[Paddockornament]

I am a love/hate person too. I absolutely hate seeing myself ride but it is so incredibly useful to compare how it feels to how it looks. A graphic illustration is that many years ago I was struggling a bit to get good marks in my canter and I felt like I was having trouble holding my horse but when I saw the video, he was only barely cantering. I gritted my teeth and pushed him on more and we won our next outing. Doing my first cross country in years, it felt like we were ticking along in a nice cross country rhythm but it turns out we were hardly moving *blush*.

 

[Vicki1986]

never used to but now someone videos most of my dressage tests - its very helpful and now i realise where its all going wrong / how naff my position can be sometimes!