how can you tell a good rider?

[heather]

You have hit the nail bang on the head, horsiehelen- the lack of instructors who can convey this simplicity, and why I am desperately trying to train more up this way! But unless you have the resources of certain other large and affluent equestrian organisations, it is a very slow and frustrating process!!


I think this will be the year to do a Robin Hood and rob a few large banks for the good of the horse!!

Heather

[laura]

the definition of "good" as demonstrated by the replies on here is HUUUUGely varaible ........ and depends on the expectaions of the viewer ..... as seen by the replies on here.

sarah has made that point really in separate posts

I think you can see if someone is a good rider if they are quiet , no obvious movement of legs or hands except moving in time with the horse . The rider should be able to ask the horse to move forward, backward and sideways ( not necessarily dressage test standard but smoothly and smartly enough to get out of danger like on a road) and to ask a horse to move front end or back end around . .... oh and to halt smoothly. To be able to rise and sit to the trot without bouncing on the horses back .......... and canter circles without falling off

A good rider is also considerate to the horse in what is being asked and for how long .... not just jumping round and round and round for example if horse might be tired or mentally fed up . Rider takes inot account the terrain and the environment when out and about and prepares the horse for things it might meet or be scared of.



I define it thus rather than necessarily jumping great height or galloping and staying on ..... because although there might be sufficient balance etc not to fall of ........... the horse might not be having such a great time !!!!!
I think that even many competitive riders I see are not good riders.

I ( dons tin hat now) even include the "gadget count" in my definition of a good rider ....... in everyday life I am shocked by the amount of horses I see in tight dropped nosebands, martingles etc . Less is more in my book.


I thnk the IH bit becomes more obvious to SEE to see when thinks not going quite so smoothly ........ how does the rider react ........ does the horse get the blame , get called naughty..... or does the rider calmly deal with the situation ( even if that means getting off to do so and dealing with the issue from the ground.)


I think that some of the defintions from others are for a GREAT rider rather than a GOOD rider. I think that for the majority of us GOOD is attainable . GREAT requires an amount of training and experience the vast majority of us will never have the opportunity to attain.


okk thought for the day ........ off to do some practice and see how far I get towards good ( Only hack for a couple hours so should not be too taxing )

[laura]

yes def agree helen and heather .......... it is much harder to undo the years and years of not having good teaching to start with. I KNOW what its like at 50 to be trying to make that change happen !!!!!!!!!!

[Susan]

Horsiehelen had one lesson on Flynn with June teaching her, and the feel she got that day was amazing, to learn simply you do not pull to stop she found amazing.. we offered her this because it upset me so much to hear how her lessons were shouting at her and expecting her to understand when they were actually teaching her nothing but spouting words. May as well shout in a different language but it wot make you understand. It was also in walk and trot she learned it wasnt speed but correct walk and trot. She was able to ask and get a up into trot with impulsion not a fall into trot and be on the forehand. You started to see the makings of a good rider in one lesson.
Heather June and I look forward to experiencing your similator soon.!

For myself IH has taught me awareness and the need to be soft, as has Mark Rashid but the key as many know was RWYM lessons from Julia and Nicky. If I had the opportunity of Heather I may well be spouting same of her.
To learn to only move as much as the horse, plug into them and allow them to move and make aids as quiet as possible and let them hear.
Aids such a leg behind the girth meant nothing if my leg was not still and I was not able to control it and if my seat was constantly moving in what I used to believe meant moving with the horse how was able to ride and try and be at one.

Heather says you need to get the basics right and build on that and sadly few riders get that teaching. Julia took me back to basics, and to many outside they saw me as going backwards and all the years I had ridden I was losing time. They were so wrong, because without getting basics right I was not improving or moving forwards I was in fact going backwards and not improving at all.
Horses get blamed as being lazy and Flynn is one of them. But get the question right and clear he had least stands a chance to hear and answer. That must go for so many out there.
Then you can see a good rider when they get a horse such as him and he moves obediently and correctly.

But how you learn to see is when your learn to experience it yourself I feel.

[horsiehelen]

Susan - Personally I think it was the *tweak* of my leg position that made the most difference. I was able to stop and ask for trot in a totally different way because my position hadn't allowed it to happen before.

[potto]

Thanks geeup... thats interesting what you say about your daughter... might have another think about my positions in saddles versus non saddles... and riding....food for thought...

[Susan]

ah but the others trainers didnt tweak your leg? and it is that tweak we all have been through that has the most amazing change to us..

[horsiehelen]

Oh yes the little tweaks make BIG differences.

[geeup]

so a good rider has tweaked legs! osuns painful! ;D

[horsiehelen]

LOL - June actually chopped about a foot off my leg! *Kidding*

I think it was my knee in the wrong place and my bum needed to be further back in the saddle. But yes: since that lesson, I truly believe that position counts for a lot. And a good instructor counts some more. This combination with a rider who wants to learn *should* equal a good rider eventually. (what ever a good rider is).

[Anne_Oxfordshire]

I'd say a good rider:
- looks in tune with the horse
- gets the horse to do what they want by non-violent means
- makes the horse feel comfortable, i.e. doesn't yank on reins, sits lightly and in balance...

[june]

It's just the "old fashioned" shoulder, hip, heel alignment that puts you in balance, but it helps if someone on the ground puts you in that position and you get to feel it.