do you think you're any good?

[Gembo]

^ do you think think you're a good rider ? i think im just mediocre not amazing but not awful or thats what i hope :L

 

[Supertrooper]

No but I can ride and I love to learn. You never stop learning with horses and they are great levellers too xx

 

[Super_Kat]

I manage to stay on most of te time so I'd say yes

 

[dressagelove]

Define a 'good rider'.
Am I competent? yes. Have I a lot to learn? Yes. Can I get my horse do what I want it to do? most of the time lol. It depends what you mean by a good rider I think. Im not bad but want to be better!

 

[Shantara]

I'd say me and Ned are learning together.
I went to a string on 'professional' riding schools and it put me off riding. So I had to get my confidence back all over again. I'm currently doing this at a lovely little stables

Neither me or Ned are particularly good, but we are helping each other along gradually

 

[RoobyDoobs]

No, but not bad either.... Work in progress is probably a good description!!!

 

[NU ABO]

I'd say I'm a confident and competent rider, but I'm still a novice, I'm still learning and still making mistakes.

But my horse listens to me, my balance is good, my position is good according to my instructor and I'm quick at picking things up.
I also respond quite well to constructive criticism. If my instructor tells me I'm doing something wrong I will work as hard as I can to improve until I'm doing it right.

 

[FionaM12]

I was probably a reasonable rider when I was young, but then I had to give up for over 30 years...

Now? I'm pretty dreadful I expect. Unfit, creaky, nervous and forgotten most of anything I ever learned... But I do my best, I think I've still got okay hands and I don't ride too heavy on her back. Some of the rest will come with time, and I'm just happy to be back on a horse at all.

 

[littlescallywag]

Was a pretty good rider in my teens but defo not now.... Pretty blooming awful.
Wish I'd never given up

 

[FionaM12]

Was a pretty good rider in my teens but defo not now.... Pretty blooming awful.
Wish I'd never given up

I had no choice but to give up. But it's never too late to improve, or to enjoy riding!

 

[Ladydragon]

Was a pretty good rider in my teens but defo not now.... Pretty blooming awful.
Wish I'd never given up

That was me too... Pretty fearless and totally comfortable as a youngster...

25 years later, one fairly recent brain surgery and and I'm a bit of a disaster... I know what my body is supposed to be doing - it's just not doing it... Almost like having to start from scratch only this time as a scaredy cat with zero confidence... It's massively frustrating...

 

[SamanthaUK]

I believe that I am an ok rider. I hate judging myself though! I do stay on so I guess that means i'm not too bad.

I don't want to sound modest and go 'oh yeah, i'm fantastic' because I know that i'm far from it.

With horses though, that's the great thing. You never stop learning! And that's why i'm going to college. To continue my equine education.

The question is what do you all think? :}

These photo's are from 2010, I have improved since then! :}

 

[FionaM12]

The question is what do you all think? :}

I don't think you can tell an awful lot from photos really Sammy! But you look fine to me.

 

[SamanthaUK]

I don't think you can tell an awful lot from photos really Sammy! But you look fine to me.

I have no video's. :{ But I promise I'll get some when I go to college!! :}

 

[Black_Horse_White]

I too had a break of about 10 years, I would class my self as a confident rider on the flat, just don't jump anymore. And I do manage to stay on most of the time.

 

[Hen]

Define a 'good rider'.
Am I competent? yes. Have I a lot to learn? Yes. Can I get my horse do what I want it to do? most of the time lol. It depends what you mean by a good rider I think. Im not bad but want to be better!

I agree with this. I think riding different disciplines and getting older has made me a 'fairer rider' if not a better one (because I recognise equitation weaknesses which I have now which I had even as a child rider). By a 'fairer rider', I mean that I have a reasonable idea of my equitation strengths and weaknesses and a much clearer idea about the type of horse I am better suited to riding (both in terms of their physical build/athleticism and character). Riding is about both physical and mental fitness of two partners who (hopefully) agree on a shared objective - 'good' is never good enough, there's always scope to discover something or try something new.

 

[fidleyspromise]

On a good, steady riding school horse - Yes.

I'd say I'm an average rider. not great but not bad. I'm not as good or as confident as I once was, simply because I don't ride a variety of horses anymore.

 

[1Lucie]

Erm... nope i would say i'm average. Have lessons when i can afford to, plan to do a few fun rides this year and maybe an unaffliated dressage test if my confidence continues to grow!

 

[JFTDWS]

dear god what a question

 

[Holzdweaver]

In the classic 'position' sense im not a good rider at all, i have piano hands, my shoulders come forward, i duck at canter sometimes, i look down, pretty much my upper is letting me down a lot. My lower leg i like though, its nice and stable but sometimes my toes point out.

but, I move with the horse, in balance, i dont drag on the reins, im a light seated rider with very soft hands. I dont annoy or niggle, its pressure and release and easy to understand. I like to work the horse out, and work together rather than boss about.

Iv also only had only one lesson on a horse in my life, ten years ago now and iv been riding for 11 years. The horses have taught me.

Saying that, i will get on any horse, whether it bucks, rears, naps, pigroots, throws itself on the floor, jumps like a demented deer... etc xD and 'school' them, and by school i dont mean dressage schooling, i mean as in, teaching the horse that it doesnt need to do all those naughty things! lol

and God forbid the little devil actually gets me off, im more likely going to laugh and then get on again. I dont take offence, i take everything as a learning curve.

Nothing like riding a previous 'nutjob bronc' (owners words not mine) on the buckle while doing figures of eight with leg changes and the horse responding to your slight weight changes, all because she just wants to work for you and would like you to ask instead of inflicting pain on an extremely sensitive mouth.

 

[TicTac]

I'm certainly no Charlotte DuJardin but after 45 years I would say that i am a good rider. I would probably fall into the category of ' nice' as I am quiet but effective. However I still have lessons and I'm still learning allthough it takes me longer to recover now!!!

 

[Snowysadude]

I would never say I was a good rider but I am constantly learning and sit most things now. Am competent and capable but sometimes do lack confidence which is my biggest downfall. I sit most of my boys tantrums etc so I have to be ok

 

[BSJAlove]

difficult queston because its different for everyone..

I think im a good rider but im always trying to be better. When i sit back and think of what ive achived im very proud. However on a normal day to day basis, im always thinking of things i could have done better/differently ect. You always learn new things with horses anyway. so long as you enjoy yourself, who cares

 

[icyfreya]

Nope! In fact I think im a pretty bad rider tbh, but im learning & improving very quickly! I think it depends entirely on the sphere...if i were to go to a general riding school i would probably be very advanced/amazing, but as a horse owner/competitor im a complete novice. I can get my boy to work in an outline, basic lateral moves/leg yield/shoulder etc, sit his 180 spins and spooks and mini tantrums, and jump up to 1m on a schoolmaster, but not on my boy as he is a bit loony at jumping...but the rest is coming!
I think i put myself down lots too though as lots of my equestrian friends are amazing (3 are on the british international young rider squads, my instructor competes at 3* level, fellow liveries own bonkers ex racers whose idea of a quiet/easy ride is only small bucks/rears etc ) sooo that can makes me feel like i can't ride at all!

 

[DH1]

Nope, other than the fact that I have soft hands and a light seat. I often think I would have better to take up knitting or embroidery
I am improving though, trying lots of no stirrups & time in the saddle. I am very self critical, which doesn't help I remain hell bent on becoming decent rider

 

[wtdnh131]

i am not completely disastrous but when it comes to having the classical position, well mine does not exist!! im more like a tony mccoy than carl hester, i like riding short and im pretty proud of my forward position but when it comes to dressage im about average, though my lower leg when i ask for canter is just catastrophic i need to fix that!!

 

[sandi_84]

Pft NO!
I used to be pretty good 10 years ago but then I stopped riding and had to go right back to basics. Now I can walk/trot/canter/jump with a pretty reasonable amount of control and without looking like a big sack of tatties, I can get the horse to work in an outline although I have to really concentrate or I loose it and I can cope with a few half halts now (new in my horsey vocab/repetoir) and I can cope with spooks and the occasional buck - although if I have to sit more than 2 in a row thats it flying lesson time! But i'm learning all the time and love the fact that I've gone back to the start because this way I'll have a really solid basis to expand on and me and my horse will benifit from it all Saying that I'm really looking forward to the day that my instructer starts chucking the more complicated stuff at me!