Reviewing Your Riding Videos Part 2 - Your Horse

Working alone without a regular instructor or trainer is tough. And often it’s the ‘little things’ that become the bigger sticking points for riders. Things like staying accountable, using feedback to make tweaks and changes, and creating a regular schedule filled with exercises and activities to move things forward. But all is not lost… It is still possible to move things forward – and reviewing your riding videos is a big part of that.

I have already given you the 5 things to look for when reviewing your own riding and performance in a previous post HERE. Today I want to give you 5 things to focus on when reviewing your horse.

Creating regular riding videos will allow you to be your own feedback person. The key is to simply document and make note of what’s happening – without attaching any judgement

Your Horse is Not You…

So often, as riders, we can fall into the trap of ‘seeing’ our horse and our own body as 1 when watching videos of our riding. And yes, the idea is that you are moving and working together as 1. However, in order to make that happen, each individual must first become good at their part of the work. And that requires you to separate the reviewing.

Review yourself first and then turn your attention to your horse. This way you will get a clearer overall picture of whats going on and what needs work individually for you both.

Here are the things to focus on initially when reviewing your horse:-

a) Working & Thinking ‘Forward’

The basics of basics – forwardness. And yet, so often this absolutely essential key ingredient is missing from the work. Your horse MUST be both thinking and working forward when you are working together. This will show up in how he moves and how attentive he is.

If your horse is lacking forwardness, everything else will fall flat. So take the time to assess this first – and then move on from there.

There is a training HERE on this topic called “4 Actions to Maintain ‘Forward’ in Your Riding”.

b) Focus & Concentration

My next point to look for when reviewing videos of your horse working is to notice how ‘present’ he is with you in the arena or space. Does he seem to want to be there? Or is he giving definite vibes of wanting to be somewhere else? Maybe back at the stables (he might keep drifting towards the gate), or with his friends in the paddock (he is looking and calling for them).

Keep in mind that concentration may we weak initially if your horse is young, green, or coming back into work after a break. It can be strengthened and developed with time

There is a training HERE on this topic called “Why Improving Your Accuracy Will Improve Your Engagement in Your Riding “.

c) Responsiveness

Responsiveness is key for both you and your horse to work together. When you ask a question, he must respond. And, for the most part, this happens. What I think you should focus on is how prompt the response is from your horse towards your question…

Do you ask, ask, ask, ask, and on the next go he ‘might’ respond to your question? If so, responsiveness is definitely something that needs work for you both!

And keep in mind that responsiveness is usually a rider issue – so this may line up with what you’ve noticed about your riding from your review on yourself as well…

There is a training HERE on this topic called “Improving Your Horses General Responsiveness”.

d) Rhythm & Tempo

When looking at the rhythm and tempo, you can actually assess relaxation as well. Neither rhythm nor relaxation can exist for any length of time without each other. You’ll probably notice that your horse has a rhythm – horses are generally rhythmic by nature. However, it’s the quality of the rhythm that your focus will zone in on. And how well your horse can maintain the rhythm when asked different questions or doing something ‘new’.

The goal for rhythm is to have clarity and definition within each stride. How defined are your horses beats within each gait? And how often are they repeating? Are you happy with the tempo?

There is a training HERE on this topic called ” Why Not All Rhythm is Equal in Riding”.

e) Suppleness – Bending (or the lack thereof)

As you know well, suppleness is another essential when it comes to your horse’s way of going. And, again, just like everything else, our own challenges as riders can have a big impact on this. Is your horse ‘kinked’ or braced the wrong way through turns, bends, and corners? Is he falling in or falling out? How about simple flexion through the jaw, poll, and neck?

What I would look for here is how well he can bend, flex, or simply flow with the curve of the line that he’s being asked to ride. Any rigidness, bracing, working against, or ‘wrong’ flexion or bend is where you can start addressing the issues.

There is a training HERE on this topic called “How Flexion Can Transform Your Riding “.