Yup, it’s my worst habit. My trainer fusses at me fairly regularly. I think it comes from riding idiots and/or green horses, but that’s not a good excuse. It’s not like I can’t feel a diagonal or lead, and since I’m not riding equitation, diagonals don’t matter anyway.
I look up enough that I don’t crash into people, but I definitely look down when I ride.
I don’t see the point in staring off into the distance down an empty longside, honestly. I look at my horse’s ears because it gives me more info on what he’s thinking.
Yep.
Heresy.
Fine with it.
[QUOTE=elaineh;7809448]
I’ve just completed a survey of horse riders and found out what are the most common bad riding habits! Report published here: http://www.honesthorseriding.com/the-top-12-most-common-bad-riding-habits/[/QUOTE]
Okay. I think that your conclusion is incorrect. You say that your survey reveals the most common bad riding habits. I think your survey only reveals what bad habits people are aware of or that they are willing to admit to.
I wonder if you asked instructors what the most common bad riding habits of their students are, whether the response would be the same?
I think you would get a lot of “balancing off the reins” and “failing to ride forward enough” type comments.
Only a rider understands how interesting a horse’s ears are from the saddle… sigh…
I advise students that were there any $$$ on the ground, I’d have already pocketed it. So stop looking!!!
One trouble with riders looking down too much is that it may alter the rider’s balance more than most realize.
A finely tuned horse on a jumping course will start turning toward’s where you are looking after a jump, they can feel your weight change just by the turning of your head and what that does to our balance.
The more experienced a rider, the more it can just let it’s eyes wander without the rest of the head and so body being involved and those also won’t be looking down much, already have spotted the ground ahead before they get that close.
I think that doing much on a horse, not just sitting there, helps tremendously with some habits.
We used to play silly broom polo regularly, mostly to loosen riders up and it did help.
Even one rider alone can hit a ball around a maze of poles to learn to balance without thinking about it all the time.
Bluey, it’s not may alter the rider’s balance, it does alter the rider’s balance.
Where the head goes, the shoulders go, where the rider’s shoulders go, so does the horse’s shoulders.
[QUOTE=merrygoround;7812053]
Bluey, it’s not may alter the rider’s balance, it does alter the rider’s balance.
Where the head goes, the shoulders go, where the rider’s shoulders go, so does the horse’s shoulders.[/QUOTE]
Right, I didn’t want to offend anyone that may not agree.
I watched Rodney Jenkins win the jump off in Madison Square Garden on Idle Dice without hardly touching the reins, just moving slightly in the saddle and the horse would change directions practically on the dime and give him a nickel back.
That was some memorable ride.
The only photo I have if one of my favorite horses caught me looking down, checking that the neck didn’t change when I gave the inside rein. Bummer!! The horse still looked great, the rider…!
Does anyone else find it easier to look up at a trot when they’re posting, vs. sitting it? I don’t know why, but I do…
Yep, I’d say looking down is my #1 problem. I do it much less if I’m at a place with mirrors. I really have to look at my horse’s ears because he’s easily distracted and I have to derail that focus sometimes. But I also tend to look at the neck musculature to gauge how he’s using his back. It’s a habit I always have to remember to break!
This was my reaction as well…
Based on my observations, I would say the number one rider error is nagging their horse with their leg. Nag nag nag! It drives me crazy to watch them. And then they complain that the horse is behind the leg.
^Also nagging with the hand.
Endless half halts that don’t go anywhere to “massage him slow”. If you can’t make it down the longside without 10 half halts, you’re doing it wrong.
Endless worrying with the hand to get the head down, too.
Many riders and their horses fall apart completely if you tell them, “Just come out of the shortside and put a giant loop in the reins and coast the longaide.” Whee! Three strides later horse is going 90mph and/or has his head in the rafters. There’s your sign that they are riding almost exclusively from hand.
[QUOTE=meupatdoes;7812407]
^Also nagging with the hand.
Endless half halts that don’t go anywhere to “massage him slow”. If you can’t make it down the longside without 10 half halts, you’re doing it wrong.
Endless worrying with the hand to get the head down, too.
Many riders and their horses fall apart completely if you tell them, “Just come out of the shortside and put a giant loop in the reins and coast the longaide.” Whee! Three strides later horse is going 90mph and/or has his head in the rafters. There’s your sign that they are riding almost exclusively from hand.[/QUOTE]
Where can I find that horse? Sounds like it has an awesome gallop and jump. I would like another nice event horse.
[QUOTE=LarkspurCO;7812353]
Based on my observations, I would say the number one rider error is nagging their horse with their leg. Nag nag nag! It drives me crazy to watch them. And then they complain that the horse is behind the leg.[/QUOTE]
That may be discipline dependent.
It bothered me also, until I learned there was a reason behind the madness.
In reining, some are trained where you add energy with your leg.
You don’t touch the drapey reins, only move your hand on a mere 2"-3" square in front of you to guide and indicate direction, the rest is with your body, so other aids are used/invented.
The faster you pump, the faster your horse goes, then when you ease up, the horse slows down once not being “driven” so much.
Eventually, on the better trained horses, you end up barely moving your seat and they respond to that energy, if you push more, they go faster, if you suck back, the stop and if you keep it up, they back up.
Many good reiners you can ride without anything at all, no reins, no string around the neck, directly off your body energy.
That started with how you pump with your legs and seat.
I just sold one such horse, fun to ride too, not many get trained that finely.
Yes, it does look silly watching them do that, but there is method behind that madness.
Now, if you are jumping, no, that won’t get you very far, wrong place to ride like that.
How 'bout riding with your thumbs pointing towards each other, instead of thumbs uppermost? “Prampusher hands” changes the angles of your forearms so that your elbows tend to stick out.
I also hate the leg nagging, and even moreso, constantly fussing with the reins, seesawing, etc.
[QUOTE=pony baloney;7814221]
How 'bout riding with your thumbs pointing towards each other, instead of thumbs uppermost? “Prampusher hands” changes the angles of your forearms so that your elbows tend to stick out.
I also hate the leg nagging, and even moreso, constantly fussing with the reins, seesawing, etc.[/QUOTE]
That is also called piano hands, a common bad habit, that may make the rider tend to fall forward and the finer communication with reins harder.
[QUOTE=Sparrowette;7809661]
“Where ever you are looking, that’s where you’ll land” was what I was told… Stay up, look up![/QUOTE]
Yep. I must have heard that 10001 times. If you look down, that’s where you’ll end up. Look where you want to go.
Not surprised looking down is so common, but #2 leaning forward is a huge one. I do it all the time, and come back from most local shows thinking almost everyone could’ve done with improvement in this area.
[QUOTE=Bluey;7814240]
That is also called piano hands, a common bad habit, that may make the rider tend to fall forward and the finer communication with reins harder.[/QUOTE]
I learned it as puppy dog hands. and I still get caught at this one, too. As well as flapping my arms, cocking my wrists…how long have I been doing this sport??
