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Tiffany Tiu
04 Mar 2010 22:40
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We see them around us all the time - our instructors, the yard's owner, a friend's trainer; people who can just get onto a horse they've never seen before, and ride it and make it look like it's the easiest ride in the world, when in the reality it might just be the complete opposite.
My question is - how do they do that? Putting experience aside, what similarities do they have (i.e. soft hands, strong leg aids)?
I'm putting this under the dressage forum since I'm looking at this from the context of things like simple lateral work, or extremely basic dressage movements.
Thanks a lot!
Tiffany x
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Fidodido
05 Mar 2010 13:50
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I think you will find that most of them have a strong core which you need to have a good independant seat and hands. The Tai chi and jon pitt videos on here explain it far better than me :-).
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Diana
16 Mar 2010 14:07
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I agree about the "core" plus it is also about experience and self belief. I can't remember who said it but the quote is "they do it because they believe they can."
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DressageSpain
16 Mar 2010 16:26
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You say experience aside but that is the main thing that good riders have on their side.
You will also not believe the difference it make bing physcially fit, supple and with a strong core. You cannot expect riding to be easy unless you are fit.
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Diana
19 Mar 2010 14:15
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"You say experience aside but that is the main thing that good riders have on their side.
You will also not believe the difference it make bing physcially fit, supple and with a strong core. You cannot expect riding to be easy unless you are fit. "
DressageSpain You are absolutely right. I think few people consider how their own fitness impacts the horse and reaction times. The fitter you are the better you will ride and the safer riding is.
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DressageSpain
19 Mar 2010 14:37
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Thanks Diana, my hours toiling away on my exercise bike in front of Eastenders is paying off!!!
Tifftui - You ask what similarities riders would have. Every rider is different but you would do well to read some books on dressage rding and training, these will give you an insight into what the riders are doing.
Soft hands are important, at the right time, a well placed half halt is also. I think to sum it up, its the aids to the horse being precise and in the right moment. You need to be able to think quick and ahead of your horse, be sharper(quicker) with your aids, then you would not need to ride round with heavy hands and banging legs, which no horse will respond to.
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Tiffany Tiu
13 Apr 2010 22:01
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Hi all - thanks for the comments!
I've been increasingly realizing the importance of core stability, especially since I've been doing some practice lately on a PSG schoolmaster - I felt like I had done 100 sit-ups in 1 minute for 45 minutes straight!
I'll be working on my core stability - I'm only just realizing how important it is to keep myself fit and go to the gym on regular basis.
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Maxineruth
16 Apr 2010 20:04
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I think it has something to do with having a strong seat and core, this allows aids to ONLY be applied when needed. because you are sitting correctly the horse is not overwhelmed by needless conversation with the rider (legs constantly flapping, hands constantly moving ect.). Sitting correctly also disrupts the horse less and allows it to be more confident to try moving and behaving correctly.
Finally I believe it is belief that you can do it. It then translates to the horse who then believes that they can trust you as a leader.
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peaches
18 Apr 2010 12:11
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Sitting trot...
Nothing can improve one's riding like hours in the saddle. Yes of course it helps to have that perfect position in the saddle, ie. ear, shoulder, hip and heel alignment, but try not to get too hung up on whether you can sit or not.
With my pupils, I find that the more they worry about it, the more they think about it the less they can do sitting trot, it's as if thier minds are paralysing their bodies.
You will not be able to look pretty or sit correctly on a young unbalanced horse or a horse that's not working correctly through it's back. Before you attempt to try to sit, make sure that your horse is taking the contact correctly and wants to work in an outline - independent of the reins - without constant corrections from the rider. The better your horse is working from behind over it's back the better chance you have at being able to sit without having the feeling that you are being bounced out of the saddle.
When I ask my pupils to go sitting, I can see the instant look of dread on thier faces...it's only sitting trot, it's not facing a firing squad! but it might as well be.
I immdediatly ask them to do some leg yields or shoulder in, I don't give them chance to think 'I can't sit' or I'm bouncing, I just give constand commands to do different exercises. The brain cannot think about what it can't do while it's trying to carry out other more important things like trying to follow commands.
After a while, my riders are so determined to get thier mounts to do the exercises corectly, that they forget that they think they can't sit to the trot and they are just sitting and enjoying doing some more difficult exercises; after a short while I always ask my riders to go rising and let their horses stretch round and down with their necks, it gives the horses backs a break and lets them stretch after doing something more physical.
It's a two way street, your horse will not have the strength to be able to carry you properly if you don't strenghten thier backs with exercises like shoulder ins, travers, renvers etc., which need you to be sitting to carry out these exercises correctly.
Most of the time, my riders are surprised at how they forgot that they felt that they couldn't sit properly to the trot, and they are beaming from ear to ear.
It's amazing what our brains do to us when we think too much! We just have to get on with it, if it means we wobble or bounce a bit, then so beit, the only way to learn to sit is to SIT!. Best of luck.
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DressageSpain
18 Apr 2010 17:10
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Interestng and correct about the sitting trot, peaches. I don't do that exactly but something similar as most of my pupils have had sitting trot hyped up to be something that makes them instantly nervous and tense.
I ask them to think about when they sit to change the leg, they do that relaxed and with no problem. So if they can do 2 sit steps, why not 3 or 4, then 5 then 6 and so on.
They are really pleased with the results and that they have had it broken down to something more managable in their own minds.
I think that there are many riding instructors that have a lot to answer to, by making a big deal of sitting to the trot, they actually make the situation worse not better as the pupil is then tense in their mind before they even start.
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bocelli
22 Apr 2010 21:18
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I agree with you all... but then there are people that are just gifted. There are those who sit to the trot just from the beginning, those who just seem to anticipate what is needed at every single step...
And there are those who (like me) who just keep trying!! :-)
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alex o'kane
05 Jun 2010 06:32
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"I agree with you all... but then there are people that are just gifted. There are those who seat to the trot just from the beginning, those who just seem to anticipate what is needed at every single step...
And there are those who (like me) who just keep trying!! :-)"
that is the true for just about everyhing!!! watching your trainers tapes and in slow motion seems to help as you get to see how they do it and your brain can understnd then watch it in reg. speed, following that go out and ride. something that has done me well!! also watch other rides besides your trainer!! jumpers, dressage , all kinds and see if you yourself can see the diffrent things that all great riders do!!
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