Watching a video that just makes sense!

[Green Bean]

Now this could just be me, but I was watching Elphick Event Ponies latest video last night, and once Megan was on the beautiful GP dressage black warmblood and being talked through how to ride him by owner Rich Hayward, I learnt so much! Now it isn't 'the usual' stuff you go through in a 'normal' lesson, well, not at my lowly level, but oh my word, talking through the canter with poor nervous Megan (I am sure most of us can relate in some way or another) on this 18hh beauty addressed completely, the questions I have over commencement of the canter and what is expected of you as the rider.
Well worth a watch., even if you aren't an Elphick follower. (47) I CANNOT RIDE THIS TOP DRESSAGE HORSE - YouTube

 

[Barton Bounty]

I love this channel, one of the very few I follow that are not pretentious ?

What a stunning boy though

 

[mini_b]

I really do like megan elphick - haven’t caught up with videos for a while so look forward to a binge watch!
she comes across so well and I loved her at Pratoni.

 

[stangs]

The instruction was interesting but I found the riding consistently uncomfortable viewing.



This being promoted to 165k subscribers.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Thank you for sharing, I haven't heard of this channel and really getting in to watching videos to help me between my lessons.

The "just stop piaffing!" made me chuckle and am just at the start of the canter bit now.

I am also at a very lowly level but the nerves are incredibly relatable and the "don't desert him" thing is interesting as links to some reading I have been doing around nerves and mental/physically abandoning the horse.

 

[TheMule]

The instruction was interesting but I found the riding consistently uncomfortable viewing.

View attachment 104268

This being promoted to 165k subscribers.

I also found it very uncomfortable viewing- this is not the sort of dressage I enjoy watching.

 

[Gloi]

The instruction was interesting but I found the riding consistently uncomfortable viewing.

View attachment 104268

This being promoted to 165k subscribers.

So much of the warm up was ridden with the horse way btv. Is this a normal thing for horses this level?

 

[Barton Bounty]

Thank you for sharing, I haven't heard of this channel and really getting in to watching videos to help me between my lessons.

The "just stop piaffing!" made me chuckle and am just at the start of the canter bit now.

I am also at a very lowly level but the nerves are incredibly relatable and the "don't desert him" thing is interesting as links to some reading I have been doing around nerves and mental/physically abandoning the horse.

If you like this, watch your riding success, alicia dickinson is good too ?

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Thank you I will check this out.

Now on to Elphick video riding a top showjumper - the 'riding not my horses' series is a great idea. At a much higher level than me but relatable for someone who has only ever ridden 'not my horse'!

Eta - seriously, fascinating watching these videos. I am not sure what level she events at though it is clearly much higher than my level, yet there's so many similarities with how I feel sometimes when I ride and lack confidence, when she is on the horses she isn't familiar with (granted they are also much, much higher level than any horse I've ever sat on!)

 

[LEC]

She competes at 70-90cm predominantly.
I think my issue is for someone who has so many lessons and horses and experience she should be better. After all riding and videoing it is her full time job.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

She competes at 70-90cm predominantly.
I think my issue is for someone who has so many lessons and horses and experience she should be better. After all riding and videoing it is her full time job.

Ooh, interesting! In what way better/what level should she be do you think? I'm not too familiar with her background although I see there's some videos about that so perhaps will check those out.

 

[RachelFerd]

She competes at 70-90cm predominantly.
I think my issue is for someone who has so many lessons and horses and experience she should be better. After all riding and videoing it is her full time job.

She's an interesting example of someone producing consistently sub 30 test at 80/90/100 level

 

[smolmaus]

She competes at 70-90cm predominantly.
I think my issue is for someone who has so many lessons and horses and experience she should be better. After all riding and videoing it is her full time job.

She has rather "typecast" herself so to speak with her connies and connie types and she gets them going very nicely. I wasn't at all surprised she struggled with very different horses. I would actually say she maybe doesn't have as many lessons as I would, if anything!

I was impressed with how she got Vossi going in one of the other videos, had good instincts that overruled how she was being told to ride and horse really responded.

eta: i really enjoyed this video (barring the head carriage already mentioned). Gave me lovely flashbacks to the first time my old instructor let me sit on her Grand Prix boy about 10 years ago. He was a much more forgiving fellow and thankfully there wasn't a camera on me at the time, just a lot of laughter ?

 

[shortstuff99]

The instruction was interesting but I found the riding consistently uncomfortable viewing.

View attachment 104268

This being promoted to 165k subscribers.

Looked very heavy in the hand, when collection should be lightness.

 

[ihatework]

She competes at 70-90cm predominantly.
I think my issue is for someone who has so many lessons and horses and experience she should be better. After all riding and videoing it is her full time job.

I think you are being a bit harsh!
Never heard of her, but just dug.
She is relatively young, all the horses she has been doing BE on are smaller types of non flash breeding, she seems to have done them all herself from scratch and not unsuccessfully.

She is that competitive grassroots type. There is a bit of a jump up sitting on a whopping great dressage horse. Whilst it’s not my cup of tea I really don’t think she did a bad job considering the level of her experience

 

[Lady Jane]

I don't know her but if you are used to riding connies and generally very nice horses but without the extravegant movement (regardless of how high or low you jump), riding a horse with this movement is a whole different ball game however well schooled

 

[Michen]

Poor gal! She came third or second at badminton grassroots I think on a non flashy pony. Good for her.

 

[LEC]

She's an interesting example of someone producing consistently sub 30 test at 80/90/100 level

See I don’t get it! I watch the videos and wonder how the heck they are picking up 25-28 scores. But…. it’s often at local events doing 90/100 not the pro dominated ones. What pisses me off the most is that in the BE rules it’s says throat lashes must be worn and not a single person has picked up on that she doesn’t wear one.

 

[RachelFerd]

See I don’t get it! I watch the videos and wonder how the heck they are picking up 25-28 scores. But…. it’s often at local events doing 90/100 not the pro dominated ones. What pisses me off the most is that in the BE rules it’s says throat lashes must be worn and not a single person has picked up on that she doesn’t wear one.

I also find it interesting - very accurate but slightly BTV tests, but they seem to get the same marks across a range of judges, including at Badminton GR.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Ooh, interesting! In what way better/what level should she be do you think? I'm not too familiar with her background although I see there's some videos about that so perhaps will check those out.

At the end of the day does it really matter what height she is competing, does it? I think all her horses are around 14.1-2, they are never going to be jumping 1.40 lol. She may well be quite happy doing what she is doing with her horses. She is out there doing it and for that she deserves credit. ?

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

At the end of the day does it really matter what height she is competing, does it? I think all her horses are around 14.1-2, they are never going to be jumping 1.40 lol. She may well be quite happy doing what she is doing with her horses. She is out there doing it and for that she deserves credit. ?

Didn't say it mattered. I thought the idea of where she (or anyone actually) 'should' be was an interesting one and wondered how that was quantified.

Personally I found more to learn from watching someone work through the "holy cow this is scary, I'm riding terribly and going to die" moments than if she'd got on and been able do it all perfectly without any doubts. I haven't yet watched any of her riding her own horses.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Didn't say it mattered. I thought the idea of where she (or anyone actually) 'should' be was an interesting one and wondered how that was quantified.

Personally I found more to learn from watching someone work through the "holy cow this is scary, I'm riding terribly and going to die" moments than if she'd got on and been able do it all perfectly without any doubts. I haven't yet watched any of her riding her own horses.

? i didnt know i had quoted your post lol. I was responding to above

 

[scats]

She produces some fantastic little event ponies- connie and connie x types and does a smashing job with them. She’s not used to riding bigger horses, particularly big moving dressage horses. I think she did a great job. I think she’s found where she is comfortable, with the smaller horses, and knows exactly where her niche is, but she’s just having a bit of fun for this Christmas series.
Fair play to her for having a go and showing the parts that weren’t so great.

 

[smolmaus]

At the end of the day does it really matter what height she is competing, does it? I think all her horses are around 14.1-2, they are never going to be jumping 1.40 lol. She may well be quite happy doing what she is doing with her horses. She is out there doing it and for that she deserves credit. ?

Her two main horses are technically horses, they're both overheight connies so 15'1-ish I think. Still doesn't take anything away from it tho, watching them tackle a BE100 is enough to put the frights into me.

For comparison, Ashley Harrison is out competing at 2* level and while I do enjoy her videos as well its not like your average leisure rider, like me, gets anything "more" out of them. Its entertainment, not instruction.

 

[Bernster]

Just watched it and it isn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting given some of the comments on here. I don’t know anything about her but she clearly says she’s not a ‘dressage’ rider, doesn’t ride at this level, and doesn’t ride this type of horse. First time riding a giant GP horse I think she did well in the circs! Even in the warm up the horse looks like it’s got a tendency to go BTV (I don’t know the trainer or either of their backgrounds to know if that’s how it’s trained, ridden etc) - obv she’s going to struggle to ride it really competently first time out.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Her two main horses are technically horses, they're both overheight connies so 15'1-ish I think. Still doesn't take anything away from it tho, watching them tackle a BE100 is enough to put the frights into me.

For comparison, Ashley Harrison is out competing at 2* level and while I do enjoy her videos as well its not like your average leisure rider, like me, gets anything "more" out of them. Its entertainment, not instruction.

Nah, it really is just entertainment isnt it. ? but on the whole, first time on the horse! I commend her ?

 

[Alibear]

I enjoy her channel; she's managing to show horse riding to the masses without getting completely slated for it, which is impressive. It's nice to see someone encouraging the sport and participation. She's not trying to be an Olympic eventer. She has very good social media skills, the mentions of the tech she uses and editing etc., using the right tone of voice, showing the right clips etc.
Also, how are we supposed to improve if we only ride a horse at the level we are at all the time? When you get on a more well-trained horse or one that's trained in a different discipline, there's always going to be some disconnect. She stuck with it with support from her instructor and did a good job as the lesson progressed; I'm sure plenty imagine you just sit on a well-trained horse, and off it goes!

 

[RachelFerd]

Her two main horses are technically horses, they're both overheight connies so 15'1-ish I think. Still doesn't take anything away from it tho, watching them tackle a BE100 is enough to put the frights into me.

For comparison, Ashley Harrison is out competing at 2* level and while I do enjoy her videos as well its not like your average leisure rider, like me, gets anything "more" out of them. Its entertainment, not instruction.

Ashley is out competing at 4* level as well as the lower FEI levels - I've really enjoyed her videos as they have given me a nice insight into the couple of levels above what I'm doing. I totally get the generic appeal of the Megan Elphick videos because it is showing the grassroots side of eventing, which is in close enough reach to be inspiring to people.

 

[smolmaus]

Ashley is out competing at 4* level as well as the lower FEI levels - I've really enjoyed her videos as they have given me a nice insight into the couple of levels above what I'm doing. I totally get the generic appeal of the Megan Elphick videos because it is showing the grassroots side of eventing, which is in close enough reach to be inspiring to people.

You're right, she is doing 4* on Zeb of course!

Sorry to Ashley for selling her short! ? it all might as well be jumping the moon for me tbh, if I ever get my little cob round a 60cm shortened course with the local 12yo's it will be like my badders!

 

[LEC]

I really like Ashley’s videos as really show the ups and downs of trying to compete against the big guys. Also shows a great relationship she has with her horse.