riding tips/getting horse into an outline

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wench

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Just wondering if any one can offer some tips on my riding for a start, and my horse. Went to first dressgae comp on sat (10th march)

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click on the first link, them I am pics 16-21. I do realise i am tipped forward on some, but on all the pictures of other horses, they are all working in a nice outline. Mine can do it, but not sure really how to achive it
 
Others will give more concise advise than me - PG for one.

However, three observations or questions really.

1. Yes you do tip forward
2. Can you ride a little longer?
3. Does your horse have a tendancy to rush?
 
Hi just had a look at the pics, You have the same habits as I do
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... if you sit back and relax and raise your hands you should find he/she will relax aswell... I know I'm not the right person to say that as when me and my mare are in a new situation or at a competition, I look like I'm gripping on for dear life and looking at her toes
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Other thing is your stirrups are very short especially for dressage?
Other than that he/she looks like they are tracking up quite well even though they are hollowing and head high so maybe its just tension?
 
Firstly I think your pics look nice! Yes you look tense and a bit tipped but I know how it feels in an arena and I always look like I've had a poker put where the sun doesn't shine!
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I had a tip years ago that reassured me, I was told to not look at the horses head, but look at the overall picture and let your eyes go fuzzy. That way you get a general overview of how the horse is moving as a whole and not just the head
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If you look at many of those other pics with they head in, you'll see that many of them look as though they horse's back end doesn't belong to the front!
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All I would say is relax, maybe think about carrying your hands out in front of you, don't worry about where your horse's head is just think forward as you ride. Also I would add that if your going to critically assess future pics of yourself, look more at the line from your elbow to the bit, giving myself that to focus on really helped me
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I'm sure if you find a good instructor and don't get bogged down with the front end you'll soon reap the benefits.

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thanks for the tips...

stirrups were perhaps a little to short - length I use for hacking.

he does rush sometimes
 
Ok some people are used to my mamoth posts, some say they even help so lets see.......
You need to try and think more anout the hind legs rahther than becoming too focused on the front,at the moment your rather nice boy is 'stuck' and tight in the contact. You see contact is a product of the connection from the driving carrying hindleg to the accepting hand,now this is where your position is important. The 'yes i know i tip forward a bit ' is actually really important when it comes to the accepting hand.What happens when you tip is you drop your shoulders , normally because they have followed a 'down' and holding hand. By doing this you block the through flow from the hind leg through the back, a bit like a kink in a hose pipe. Try to really think of your spine like a colomb of blocks each one balanced on top of the other with the biggest block being on the top. therefore it must stay totally balanced so that tha colomb does not collapse and fall. keep you pelvis upright. to feel this rest a long whip in the small of you back [not on the horse for this!!]have your feet a hip width appart knees slightly bent, as if you were sat on a horse then tilt your pelvis so that the end of the whip point vertically down to the floor . This is the position your pelvis needs to be in in order to give you the secure base to sit on. Some say push your belly button over the horses ears , this is quite good but i find that it curves the back too much and you loose the alignment in the spine. Right this done the hands need to be carried the elbow needs to be bent , to get this stand in the position that you now have tall upright , balanced then ket the arms hang down out of the shoulder joint keep the elbows heavey and above your hips and now imagine your hands are light and they want to float but the elbows stay put. Its rather like carrying a tray[ full of glasses of g and t if you like] and you are not going to let any of those glasses fall even if you go around a corner or are trotting . This is how you keep the hand still relative to the horses not still relative to you, thats what you are doind at the moment , sometimes we call it 'pinning' the the hand down and that is why your boy is a little tight. So what happens with the position i have explained is that you use your 'core' [these are the muscles in your stomach behind your belly button, they are the muscles you feel when you cough for example and thats the kind of feeling you want that push down] to support the balance and the connection by being balanced youself. Once you get this you will be able to ride more through too the contact and he will seek the connection and the 'outline will improve because he will then release and work over his back. You can practice the things i have said infront of the mirror and then when you undersrand the feeling and what it looks like you can apply it to the horse. It will take time so be patient maybe get some help, eyes on the ground are always usefull i'm sure you'll get there!
 
Flip me am exhausted from reading!! Yes you are tipping and look a bit tense but I used to do this a lot and still do now and then.

What really helped me was Pilates. Until you've built some strength into your core abdominal muscles it's really hard to sit tall, once you can everything else like your hand/leg position sort of slots into place.

If you can find a good pilates class/teacher near you then I can't recommend it enough even if you only manage once a week because it strenghtens muscles that ordinary sit ups can't reach
 
Yeay, and about time too hun
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Ive missed your lessons and am so inspired now that im gonna finish my galaxy and put theory to test
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Thanks. Hx
 
Why thank you kind peeps!... takes a bow.....
Seriously love helping hope it does!
Put down that Galaxy woman or i'll set the'Pooh' lady on you !
 
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