How to Become a Better Rider
|
|
Becoming a better rider isn't easy. Few things really worth doing are. But it is worth it to both you and your horse.
Riding Lessons
The fastest way to improve your riding skills is to take riding lessons. Group lessons are great, but the one-on-one feedback that a coach can provide during a private lesson can be even more valuable. Don't be afraid to take lessons from different coaches, as all will have a slightly different opinion, and you can decide what works for you. Also, don't be afraid to take lessons from high-level coaches in the discipline you choose. These people are usually very approachable, not tremendously more expensive, and are glad to help even beginners start out right. If you can't afford weekly lessons, even once a month lessons can help your riding improve.
Photographs
Photos catch good moments, and they catch not so good moments. From the good moments, we can learn what to do more of. Take a look at how you are holding your head, arms, hands, legs, feet and notice your posture. Like what you see? Do more of that. Also, take a look at your horse. Does it look like it is paying attention to you? Is it fussing or looking uncomfortable? Why might that be? Inevitably, the camera can catch you in a bad moment. There's a lot to be learned from those not-so-proud moments. Hide those photos and examine them when no one else is around, so you don't repeat the moment in the future.
Video
Set up a video cam in the corner of the ring or arena when you ride. Having a friend do the videoing is even better. This is really useful when you're trying to make small adjustments to say, your hand position, or how you carry your head, because even small adjustments can feel huge. Watching a video as you experiment with these sort of things is useful, because you can see the changes those adjustments make—tiny adjustments, that feel so uncomfortable when you first start to make them. You can also see how your horse reacts to your riding.
Clinics
Whether you participate on horseback, audit (that's watch) or even volunteer to help, clinics are a great way to learn new things, and correct problems. There are a lot of different ways clinics are run, so you may be able to take part in private or group lessons, ground work or watching others ride and help analyze what you see. No matter how the clinic is arranged, you'll likely come away with something new to think about and try.
Showing
Showing can bring out the best and the worst in a person's riding. But, because we are striving to do as well as we can, showing can be an incentive, if not an actual occasion, to improve our riding. Horse show jitters can sometimes be a rider's undoing. It's easy to get frazzled and fall apart, but try to look at each show as a learning opportunity, not a competition.
What' have you found the most effective way to improve your riding?
Image Credit: © Anke Van Wyk | Dreamstime.com |
|
|
More News by Winniefield Park
|
|
3P *Starring Ruth* has captured two spots on the leaderboard joining * Queen Of Hearts. Starring Ruth is a 17.1 hand Friesian mare out of the PythonPonyPalaces stable and was foaled September 7, 2023. She not only was #1 ranked ho ...
|
|
DNA testing can tell you a number of things about a horse’s risk of developing a hereditary disease, coat color, genetic markers for speed, temperament and gait and can give some insight into a horse’s breed. In this video, The Cl ...
|
|
Here is a story of how a passion for horses led one woman to a life of secrecy and dishonesty. Over twenty years she built a life of glamor and competitive success. But many people asked how she funded her extravagant lifestyle th ...
|
|
One of the world’s rarest breeds is the Suffolk Punch. Native to Britain, these stocky draft horses once had pride of place in agricultural work, hauling artillery, pulling public transportation vehicles like busses and towing bar ...
|
|
*V For Victory* is entrenched on the leaderboard and still holds the Best Streak with an 18,792 run and a jumpoff record of 29,444 - 19. But two mares have taken over the Top Rank and Highest Jump records. At 16, the 17-hand Crown ...
|
|
Get your daily dose of nature with this 49-minute video of wild horses travelling to a water hole in Sand Wash Basin, a BLM managed area in Colorado. The small herd drinks, grazes and swish's flies in the semi-arid desert environm ...
|
|
Halloween is just around the corner and it's time to consider costumes for you and your four-legged friends. A recent viral trend is dressing your pet as a ghost. Some sheets and paint are the basis of this costume, and you can se ...
|
|
Good riders do what they can to make their horse’s job easier. Especially when jumping, your position can help or hinder your horse as it adjusts its strides and balance between and over obstacles. Here’s a video with good suggest ...
|
|
|