Nicest compliment you've received, as a rider?

One at the end of an Xc rally with PC 'you have one of the best lower legs postitions I've seen all day' from a BE trainer, even though I stick my toes out like a penguin (told this by another intructor) whilst going over a jump. I was in the last ride and he'd just taught a ride full of the older girls who compete Novice BE, so was quite nice to hear, even if he was just saying it to be nice! :)
Another from an intructor who teachs me dressage for PC, told me my boy was a credit to me and he was completely unrecognisable in temperament and way of going from when I first got him :D I don't think I will get much better than that!
But I have had my fair share of critism too :p
 
Ok maybe this doesn't strictly count as it was in an in hand class but it's the one I remember more than anything else :) Ponies UK 2008 In hand showman of the year...I won :p and when the judge gave me my rosette she said to me "Brilliant...Absolutely brilliant" :D :D :D
 
one of the girls at the yard telling me that one day she hoped to be as good of a rider as I am :D
and when I was feeling really down about my riding, one of the lads 'You must be the best rider, you keep getting all the hard ones."
Also, the yo who isn't a warm and cuddly man asking me to help break in a young horse because I'm a 'good, quiet rider' :) :)
:D
i know its not much but they make me smile.
 
Many years ago being told that only the instructor the owner and me could get the owners dressage horse properly on the bit and more recently when the Appy mare was being a bit of a pig in the show ring that we came third as I had a quiet seat and hands. (Should hope I have the chap that taught me to ride when Adam was a lad would have had something to say if I hadn't! :D)
 
The one i remember the most is from my instructor a couple of months ago. My instructor is not one to give out compliments often (he will do the that's it or well done if i do something right though). It was a miserable day and Pharaoh was messing about and not listening to me at all, i got off so my instructor could get on (a usual thing as i learn better watching and hes better at showing people) and i said to him that he's messing about because im useless - he turned round and told me i wasnt and that not many people would carry on trying! Also had several people on the yard say that i was a beautiful rider with the patience of a saint one evening (i am not a beautiful rider - atleast i dont think i am!). Pharaoh had been doing his usual act of finding something to hate and kept napping at one of the mirrors so i spent 15 mins making him go past it without napping away and kept calm throughout as there is no point getting annoyed with him because he plays up even more. He did work beautifully in the end though! I think i'm one of these people that isnt great at taking compliments lol.
 
That i'm a quiet rider (they'd obviously never seen me on Herc when he's being stubborn)

That my riding (i ride western in english tack, very long legs and barely any contact...and can still get my boys and other horses i ride going nicely) was effective...my RI had been trying to get me out of it....including threatening to stick my on some lil 13hh thing cus it was speedy therefore i would need more of a contact on it...she gave up in the end.

And the wranglers in AZ takin me and my mate on mental trails cus they knew we could handle it (not sayin anything, but nice to know they think so when they've only seen you ride a handfull of times)
 
rofl another one - my instructor telling me that when i was riding one of the horses, it was the only time she had ever seen him working properly on the bit :D
was very pleasedd
 
Aw, Solly, you deserve that :D

TelH - Good on you! Any pics?

Rebchico - Those are some lovely compliments!

yorksG - You're a tougher rider than I!

Swift08 - That sounds like a lovely, supportive yard, you really deserve those compliments!

starsnrunes - That is a really good compliment from the ranch hands, you should be very proud!
 
This is the only pic I have...it's a bit :o :o :D Showman of the year you had 2 mins in the ring on your own to do a show to any music of your choice...I did a compilation of songs from the Wizard of Oz :D Lulu was the scarecrow and my friend's dog Poppet was Toto :) We had to make Poppet a little safety harness cos when we were practising with her at home she jumped out of the basket and landed on her face :eek:

PoniesUK.jpg
 
From a List 1 dressage judge who's PSG horse i was trying with a view to loan
"You are a very sympathtic rider"

The from a fellow compeititor who hadn't seen me for a few months
"Bl88dy Hell! you've improved"

:D :D :D
 
Having had a couple of stops in a SJ class, from the judge over the loudspeaker "Well done for such a calm and compassionate ride, Well done."
Also from an old school trainer "bloody good hands"
 
That I have a good seat by 2 people - I had the comment from 2 different instructors within about a month of each other! No-one has ever commented on it before! :D
 
i get 'well sat' at lot as i'm warming up (horse likes to show off capriole/bronking/bucking when away from home - never does it at home :rolleyes:)

then 'is that the same horse?' after she's setteled down and going well in arena :)
 
My favourite comment, when working at a different stable yard and wanting lessons rather than just hacking out:
"what do you want lessons for, you can ride perfectly well"
Now from this particular YO this was something special and still makes me smile.

ps - since returning to lessons I'm realising exactly why I need them and am now just a little suspicious that previous YO just wanted someone to hack out the broncos in the winter. Sigh!
 
What a nice thread to start TG!

Mine was last week:

Since riding at the Cavalry to say the horses have challenged me at times is an understatment, I went from my lovely riding school horses that I knew and trusted to war horses!!! They have taught me so much more about riding difficult horses and keeping my nerve and balance!!!!
This winter was particularly hard as the horses were more fizzy than normal and even my calmer favorite horses were dancing me around the park, bucking rearing brocning spinning napping - everything! 2 rides like this and I was ****scared to get back on one.

After some help, from the other fantastic riders down there I stuck at it and gradually got my confidence back.

Last week I rode out with a girl who is a fantastic rider and rides the most difficult horse in our troop, which the rest of us won't get on!

After a great ride with a nice long canter, her horse started broncing and rearing etc etc, before I would have completely flapped and made the situation much worse. But I managed to stay calm, keep my horse calm, warn the riding school who were approaching and asked pedestrians to stay off the bridle track, whilst I did this he reared up and broke her nose - blood EVERYWHERE so keeping my horse with hers we trotted them straight back in and sorted it out.

She later sent me a lovely message saying how she was so grateful for my escort home and how my reactions have gotten so much better and I really helped her out.

Was so :D that she said that, as at one point I know I wasnt rated in her eyes as any sort of decent rider
 
TelH - What kind of show do you have to do?

pippipony - Those are lovely :)

JessandCharlie - Aw, you must've been dead chuffed!

timefort - That's really nice! :) I love having lessons though, I think they're good fun :o

posie_honey - Hehe, I think I might be developing a superglue bum like you, I just can't seem to fall off at the moment!
*touches every bit of available wood!*

Stencilface - Aw, thats lovely!

thinlizzy - Well, you're bringing the youngster up, so it must be at least a little bit of a compliment for you!
 
Cavblacks that is such a good compliment! It really means more when its from someone who's been tough on you before (like the YM with me). Hope your poor friend is ok! Oh, and you are forgiven your little ****! :D I think even cr*p is starred!
**** - Yep, it is!

JessandCharlie - Where do you get your Siggie from?!

JunoXV - Hehe :D
 
My instructor was talking to someone about me riding one of their horses or something (don't really remember the situation.. was a number of years ago!) Anyway my instructor said I was a "cracking little rider"... made my day :D
 
Apparently I have nice hands and a good lower leg, oh and I need to have more faith in my ability because I'm a better rider then I give myself credit for...
 
Ahh, this is a cuddly fluffy thread in the extreme!.

At our last RC SJ comp, my yo asked if I was doing the next class, I said no - and he said "Good!". (I had just beaten him in the 3' beforehand) :p

Once when I was jumping b in the school, one of the other liveries was trying to use my phone to take photos, but accidentally turned on the Video camera and didn't know she was recording the sound of 3 or 4 liveries watching & discussing me and my horse and how good he was and how quiet I sat over the big jumps that the jumps were nearly as big as b and that one wished she rode like me!. Ahhhhh!, that could have gone seriously wrong though!.
 
Thelwell_girl...

They stopped running the class after the year I won (which I was most unimpressed about!) but it was essentially just wow the judge, anything goes, as opposed to your bog standard showing. There were some people who would just do like trotting figures of 8 etc which tbh is a tad boring. The girl who came 2nd did cartwheels with her pony trotting along side her for part of her show. I did things like sitting on the floor with Lulu trotting round me, went from trot to halt and let go of the lead rein and left her standing there on her own in the middle of the ring then ran back for her, got her to walk round me so she tied me up with the lead rein (yes I know the safety issues!), taught her to do turn on the forehand from the ground so I could effectively spin her around me. I just tried to work with the music and I edited the music to give it a sort of Ponies UK theme too which I think got me a lot of marks.

i just hope that one year they decide to reintroduce the class :)
 
Katie__Connie - Thats lovely, and very true I bet! :)

ElphabaFae - You couldnt ask for a nicer compliment! I bet you're a fab rider, too.
 
Baileyhoss - I bet you were positively glowing afterwards! And of course its a fluffy thread, I am a Thelwell girl after all!

TelH - Aw, I wish there was a video, it sounds like one amazing class!
 
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