Help with schooling please!

[Liloandstitch]

So I've had my mare for almost a year now and it's fair to say she's improved my riding ALOT! But one thing I do have a problem with is knowing wether she's actually working correctly or not?! She feels like she's working in a lovely light outline and she's really supple (most of the time), she can go into the forehand sometimes but it's not a constant feeling. Anyway, I will Finnish the ride thinking she's been amazing, which she is most of the time because she's done what I've asked of her! But recently after looking at videos of me riding her I've looked back on them and she's looked nothing like she felt? She's got an arched neck but her nose pokes out and she isn't in a proper outline. She also looks very tense but she didn't feel it at the time? She can be tense sometimes but I normally just do serpentines and long and low to make her relaxed, which seems to work, however on these videos of her she looks tense when she never felt it? I don't know if it's my riding or something but what should I be looking to feel? How do I know she's working correctly whilst riding her? I don't want her to work behind the vertical so I never ask her for more roundness as I'd rather her nose be higher than forced in. She feels the same as my other horse when he works in an outline and he looks fine, so why do you reckon she doesn't look the same and as i feel?! In desperate need to help my riding! I have lessons in case anyone is wandering but I still not completely sure what feeling I'm looking for!

 

[be positive]

No two horses will look or feel the same even if they are ridden and trained the same way, your instructor is best placed to answer your questions and tell you when she is working in a relaxed and correct way, it is not a case of looking at where the nose is but at how the horse is working through it's whole body, she may have a way of going that gives you a false sense of how well she is going, an arched neck often means they are holding themselves with a slightly hollow back, slightly tense but remaining soft in the hand so you feel that more is happening than there is, they are holding back rather than pushing forward.

I would have a chat to your instructor and explain that you cannot yet feel when she is going well and ask them to give you a bit more help towards gaining a better feel and knowing when things are going well, possibly getting her working more through to what may be a slightly stronger contact, not necessarily keeping her in an outline but having her more in front of the leg and forward to the hand , it may be that she looks tense as she is more powerful in her movement but is relaxed in her body and mind, there is no need to force anything you can ask for more roundness without getting her btv it may help release any tension as you will be able to ask her to go where you want and use herself more actively.
It may also be worth having a few sessions with a different trainer, sometimes a new pair of eyes can make a difference.

 

[Liloandstitch]

Thank you so much for that reply! Yes when you say she might be hollow in the back but feels different, that would match what she looks like in videos. When we first got her she used to just hollow her back and canter on the spot so I probably haven't adjusted to a feeling of her not doing that so I don't think there's anything wrong with it even when there is. Thanks for your words I'll get another instructor I know to see what she thinks