More of my dreadful riding!! :D (video)

I watched your video and also an earlier one.

He doesnt look at forward going now. Im not sure but it also looks like your hands are pulling ever so slightly on every other beat of trot.... might be my eyes tho.

Other then that, hes lovely :)
 
Hi

What a lovely cob. How long have you had him? How old?

Might be my bad eyes or hard to see is his saddle a bit far forward? You look like a bit on his shoulders?? I might be wrong just being helpful.

He really is nice and at least he is going forward etc. But what else do you do with him?

Looks like you have some nice hacking countryside, please make him an allrounder thats all I can say. Traffic etc Dont let him get stale in the dreaded menage and do a real variety of things with him to keep his interest. I was bored watching so he might get bored?

Good luck though, he looks a nice pony.

Am sure someone with more experience can give you some good ideas.
 
What a sweet boy! I do like a spotty cob :)
I'm with Teddi tho, I prefer the video you called the schooling one. He is much more active and responsive. Have conviction in what you are asking him, if you want to trot, go forward purposefully and get a good active trot. I think with the stopping and starting towards the end of the video you posted he is switching off a bit.
 
:D He looks so bouncy!

I think that you have your feet shoved too far in to your stirrups. I do this too, it's the most annoying thing ever :o

Think heels down, and if you don't have them already, get some treads for your stirrups for a bit more grip.

Try not to nag or bounce at his sides with your heels. I see you do this a few strides before you ask him to canter. ask him once, and if he's not coperating, insist that he does! Maybe carry a crop?

I think you also need to relax your legs more, especially in canter and when you are anticipating the jump.

Try not to lean foreward before you get to the jump, let the jump come to you ;)

If he gets bored easily, it may be better to use two or more jumps in different places, instead of jumping the same one over and over :)

I can't tell properly from the video, but you may need to ride with slightly longer reins. It would also help if you think 'flexy elbows' and keep your arms nice and relaxed and moving with him!

I think that you should get someone to lunge you on him once a week, focus on these points without worrying about where you're going, and maybe try some no stirrups stuff to get you sitting deeper in the saddle!

Good luck, he's gorgeous! :D

(btw, can you tell I currently have lots of time on my hands!)
 
oh you are nagging him with your feet too. Nag nag...you will make him dead to the leg. Make sure you get a really good instructor that is use to dealing with youngsters(you and the horse)!
 
Agree with the above, and all the good advice from your schooling video. He looks less forward going in this video and looks like he is getting bored and switching off. You are nagging him with your legs, and think you may need to give him a bit more rein. When you canter...try to really relax your hips and upper body and flow with him, so your bum doesn't bounce about in the saddle and you sort of absorb the movement through your body...hard to explain I know!! Well done for asking for advice and I hope you do well with him.

Do you have a good instructor you can have some lessons with.
 
Do yourself a favour and rise a little less out of the saddle :) rise with your hips, not your knees.

It'll make sitting to the canter a little easier too.

But a lovely pony! He looks so honest and has a cracking jump on him:D
 
I've watched both videos. Your saddle is definitely way too far forward and actually doesn't appear to fit him at all well, it is lifting far too much at the back and slapping down on him every stride, you can see it more as he lifts over the jump, the saddle cracks back down on him. With it that far forward, you are blocking his shoulder movement and this will contribute to the lack of forwardness as it will be mightily uncomfortable and eventually painful for him.

I would really book a lesson with a sympathetic instructor who can put you out on the lunge with no stirrups or reins and help you develop a good strong deep independant seat as currently you are hanging on with your reins while your lower body swings around.

Lovely pony and will do well if you sit back now and take heed of all the advice you are being given.
 
I have no advice, other than he is lovely and I wish you all the best with him :)

I just wanted to say how nice it is, especially recently, that people have given nice helpful advice with no nastiness :D

I know when people ask for constructive crit. it's quite difficult to word your answers cause typing can't convey how you would say it but this is nice to see :)
 
OK, i am no expert but i'll say what i can see...

Your nagging to much with your legs, kick kick kicking him will eventually mean he'll be dead to ur legs and wont move!

Try and sit the canter a bit more, glue ur bum to that saddle!

U seem to be rising really high in the saddle. I'm not sure what to suggest to cure it but you shouldnt be rising so high!

For a little fella, he has a cracking little jump, hes really cute!
 
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I've commented on one of your other video posts and again your horse is so gorgeous! You need to try and sit deeper in the saddle in canter as you're bouncing around a bit right before the jump - maybe you tense up when you see the jump? Your horse looks like he has a short, bouncy stride though so it might take a while to get used to this. You need to go into sitting trot before asking for canter too to make sure he gets the right lead and can balance himself :) you've done well to get a green horse jumping so beautifully though! x
 
I actually think your riding is fine. There is nothing dreadful about it :)
However your saddle is far too forward & it is lifting at the back quite dramatically. I would get a decent saddle fitter out ASAP....I think you would find a lot of your problems would be solved by having the saddle further back.
 
some good advice above!

one thing i would add is you seem to rely on your stirrups to rise- some nice no stirrups lessons would do your balance some good, possibly making you do rising trot without them!

he is lovely :)
 
What a lovely boy he is and, as others have said, well done on getting an otherwise green horse jumping so beautifully and calmly.

Some minor things (leaving aside the saddle fit - I am not a professional saddle fitter so can't/won't comment) . . . I think you had the right idea with the transitions towards the end of the vid, but you need to be firmer/more insistent with those transitions to get the most out of them . . . he should be bouncing off your leg and listening to you - and he's doing neither.

Try and keep your lower leg more underneath you (perhaps take your stirrups away?), make your leg aids clearer/more defined, give him a small half halt BEFORE you apply the leg aid and if you have to ask twice and he isn't bouncing off that leg then back up that leg aid with a flick with the schooling whip.

Also, try and sit still . . . I know how frustrating it is to try and get a backwards-thinking horse moving forwards - and the temptation to try and push them forward/get them going with your seat is huge . . . but all you'll be doing is unbalancing him and making lots of "noise" which he then ignores. Remember that less is more. Sit as quietly as you can and keep your aids as light as you can get them - you'll find he'll listen more.

I feel that your hands are a little low and fixed and you may be blocking him through his shoulders . . . try "carrying" then a little higher and think about the contact being in your elbows rather than your hands . . . flex your wrists slightly and keep your fingers soft - this will create a softer, more forgiving contact and may encourage him to go forwards.

Agree with others who have suggested you do some work without stirrups - it will help your balance/seat immensely - which will, in turn, make it easier for him to balance himself with you on top.

Good luck with him!

P
 
I've watched the other video too, and to be honest in this one he seems bored out his head! You need to do circles, diagonals, transitions, anything like that. He's going to become even more 'lazy' if you constantly go round and round doing the same thing 5 times!

Also, after a jump try and keep the canter a bit longer.
 
I havent had time to read the posts so may be repeating what others have said, but my instant issue was your saddle. Its either too far forward and you are sat over his shoulders which means more effort for him in canter and jumping or it doesnt fit!. Also, either due to this or maybe it is naturally poor fitting but when you jump it rises off his back and this may affect his desire to want to move forward. I can see your desperation to get him to move is to nag- either with your legs or bum, you are a typical saddle polisher! You are better off sitting deep, imagine dropping all the body weight into your lower leg, relaxing the knee and hip, allowing the body to open up and sit deeper so you can feel his pace through your body- this will allow you to feel when he is about to slow so you can ask him purposefully once, maybe twice but the nagging with the legs (common issue with native/cobby types) will actually have the opposite effect. I think try sorting the saddle which may help :)
 
Hey

Just wanted to say well done for jumping that height on a young cob..they arnt easy are they! :). All i'd say is try to keep you legs still and squeeze as you sit, you sit up well though. Lovely coblet you have there :)

x
 
He is an absolute sweetie! I agree that the saddle looks too far forward, if you slip your hand down the front of the saddle where his shoulders are, you shouldn't be able to feel his shoulders moving backward and forwards underneath.

I just think your position just needs a little fine-tuning, are you able to have a lesson with a good instructor who could also give you homework to practise with him.

Just one thing I noticed about him was that his walk doesn't seem to a true 4-beat, but rather he seems to walk two left, then two right legs.

Good luck with him.
 
Gorgeous pony!

Try keeping your shoulders back a bit more - shoulders relaxed and back.
A schooling whip might help to back you up so that you can try not to nag as much with your legs.
Your saddle is too far forward - are there any BHS courses near you you could do? well worth the money and will teach you how to tack up properly, stable management etc.
Try leaning back more when you're riding. Imagine you are trying to sit right on the end of his tail and ths will help you sit deeper as others have suggested this will stop you bouncing about in the saddle.
With your hands try and imagine you are holding a tray with six glasses of water filled all the way to the top and you don't want to spill any - this should help you get nice soft hands.
Would recommend you invest in some lessons though to give you pointers where you need them.

Enjoy ;)
 
Do I recall you saying you were getting the saddle looked at? The way it's sitting up his neck and lifting off his back when he jumps is concerning - but it may just be too far forward :p

Most importantly, are you keeping a close eye on his weight? He would probably be more forward (and find jumping easier) if he lost a bit, from the look of it.

However, I think he's a lovely cob and you should be able to have a lot of fun with him. I'd lengthen my reins an inch or two, back up my leg with a crop every now and then (rather than keep kicking him along), and practice without stirrups to help you rise less out of the saddle / sit deeper in canter if I was working on improving my riding.

However, you're young, you have a lovely honest pony, so mostly I'd be having fun and enjoying him ;) Bareback would do your riding loads of good and has the advantage of being fun and enjoyable. I also think that playing some gymkhana type games is an under-valued way of improving your riding (improving balance and such) and giving your pony some variation in his work and having some fun.
 
As others have said, I think your saddle is too far forward on his shoulder, I used to always do this when I was learning how to do stuff! Also, I don't think it fits him particularly well, but a qualified saddler will be able to confirm this and advise you on what to do for the best.

I think you need to work on getting your lower leg underneath you a bit more. If you can, then ask an experienced friend or an instructor to lunge your pony whilst you ride him. Just stick to walk and trot first of all, and make sure you work evenly on both reins and concentrate on establishing a nice deep seat, and pushing your weight right down from your hips down into your heels, which will make your legs stretch down. Try and do this in walk first of all and then go up a gear into trot. When you're in sitting trot and sitting deep enough, it will be easier for you to stay with the movement of the pony, it's easier to do this on the lunge as somebody else will have the control of him, and will be able to make sure he's going forward enough to establish a nice rhythmical trot. When you take your stirrups back, it might feel like your riding at jockey length, so you could pop them down a hole or two, if you feel comfortable to, but try and make sure you don't have to 'reach' for the stirrups, again, an experienced person with you will be able to advise you on this.

With regards to the forwardness of the pony, instead of kicking him all the time, try carrying a schooling whip with you. If you continue to kick him, he will just ignore you and you will do nothing other then exhaust yourself! Sometimes just carrying a whip alone makes them pull their socks up a bit, but if you need to use it, then ask him to walk on (or trot - or whatever) first by squeezing your legs, if he doesn't respond then ask a bit firmer, and if still nothing, then give him a tap with your whip (not a smack as you might end up in the next village! :D). From that, he will learn to be a bit more responsive to your leg.

I know its hard to this time of year, but he might benefit from hacking out several times a week, this will help with his forwardness, and will make everything a bit more interesting for both him and you!

He's a lovely boy though, really like his colour! :)
 
Thank you all for replying- no nastiness, lots of compliments, good straight advice and a lot of tips :)

- i am getting a schooling whip this week ;)
- Merl is getting his saddle reflocked and fitted next week- it does not fit!!!
- i am going to try and spice up his sessions as i can tell hes bored now...
- we are reducing treat intake so that tummy starts to come off
- and hes a real Cros country/ showjumper NOT dressage- its just the area we need LOADS of help in thats why im posting this- i dont school much, only once a week at most!

Thank you all soooo much!!! :D
 
Saddle is too far forward. You are also sitting/rising to the wrong trot diagonal. As mentioned earlier, don't nag so much with the leg - imagine how you would feel if you were at the recieving end of it!

Work on transitions, without stirrups, circles, serpentines (sp) and that should help.

If you jump, remember that the getaway is as important as the approach - by practicing this now you'll be more prepared for jumping more than one fence at a time.

:)
 
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