The Best Tool to Improve Your Riding Is?

Although it is cold and dull outside right now it really won't be long until Spring arrives. I always figure when the Patty's Day parade is over, we can look forward to seeing the green grass pop and start the arduous chore of grooming out those winter coats for the horses that did not get clipped out.

Willowview Hill Farm's Tiberio Lafite,  one of my husband's Grand Prix mounts is always happy to see Spring

My Grand Prix horse Charrington is always exuberant in the Spring. Luckily my husband is always up for the excitement of those first outdoor Spring rides. Working outside is always a great way to condition your horse, working gentle hills, interval canter/trot and videos taken outside are always more fun to watch.

I've usually already started the horses that have had a winter break back up before this, using the longe line to build their strength and top-lines up before I ride them on a daily basis. Even 2/3 times a week with side reins on the longe line will condition them quickly. Horses have great muscle memory.

Winter months are a good time to reflect on how we can best improve our education and riding skills before the new season arrives. With the flurry of activities of booking clinics, filing show entries, calling the vet in for vaccines and ordering new show gear and fresh saddle pads and tack, it is good to enjoy the anticipation of a better season than last year.

It goes without saying the best way to improve quickly is to have a regular lesson with a good trainer. If you are looking for a trainer there are lots advertised on the magazine here at Catskill Horse and differentiated in the Business Directory by discipline. Not everyone can manage to afford that, but it certainly better to work with someone even once a month than no-one at all. How to make the best of the time you spend in the saddle when your paying for the advice from the trainer? Have a video taken of your ride.

There is a lot more to taking a video than just point and shoot. Focus needs to be on the key points of the lesson so you can easily assimilate those ideas. Watching yourself go around endlessly NOT getting it diminishes your self confidence and serves no purpose. As a competitor and earnest practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), I am a big believer in all things positive. Having said that if the cinematographer can edit you down a video that captures your 'Ah-Ha' moments, of which there should be a few during any lesson if your trainer is worth their money, these moments will transfer to the other side of your brain if you watch them enough times. This is extremely beneficial for success with improvement. One of the many hats that I wear includes  professional video services ( & photography services) on a limited basis at any clinics/lessons I attend and this is how I always edit them. Sure, I might fancy the video up with fade ins/outs, wipes, etc. but the content is always succinct.

It should be mentioned that before you take a video it is important to ask your trainer/clinician for permission. It may not be O.K. with them to share their usually hard earned knowledge and education for free on You Tube or facebook or others sources. Think of it as protecting their business. If you are a graphic designer, and you design a fresh idea, you do not give it away for free to the entire world. So it is important to be respectful of their wishes ( on a sidebar here, the same reason you should not expect to audit a clinic for free). Many top level competitors that run a proper clinic circuit will not welcome home made video appearances but will be happy for the hosting video professional to take clinic video.

Northfield Farm, Otego NY Dressage Clinic December 2013 with Grand Prix trainer Paul Alvin-Smith working with Joyce Northrrup who is returning to riding after the birth of her son and working on some dressage basics. When you have had a time away from riding it is a great opportunity to start back up without bad habits and gives a fresh start.

At home riding without a professional trainer of course you can do as you wish, and having a friend with unlimited patience, stand and take a video of your ride bearing in mind the points above as to content can be very useful. If you are starting back up as Spring arrives, take your fuzzy beast in his first back to school workouts and see how things improve. Review the videos critically and with honesty. The first time you see yourself riding there will be instant shame, so expect that.

" I am sitting over my hands," "Riding Front to Back," " Not Sitting Properly," etc. etc.
But because you can see the obvious errors they will be the easiest to fix. Then you'll find yourself reaching a plateau of sorts without some extra help.

This could come from a trainer or self education through good DVDs and books. Again select your material carefully and focus on one thing at a time. And here I will give one of our first advertisers a plug - who just happen to have the largest online selection of quality horse books and DVDs with frank reviews too. Check out TheHorseStudio.com The International Equestrian Shop. Just as it is silly to run around auditing every clinic in creation and never riding in front of a good trainer because it is not the way to improve, running around watching every video and trainer method in creation is not helpful either. When a clinician is instructing the riding student in a clinic, it is not just about what they suggest the rider do but the timing of when they make the suggestion and the method of correction if the student doesn't 'get it'. You can learn a lot from following a series of DVDs that takes you on a diligent path from basics to advanced. And just because you are an advanced rider don't think there aren't a myriad of bad habits or wrongly learned riding faux pars that you can't now recognize and re-learn.

When you reach the advanced levels and train with a big name or Olympic trainer etc. you will always hear that you need to address basics. That is true for everyone. So don't be surprised when you look at a video of yourself and say, "Hey - I see what happened but don't know quite what I did wrong."

So use the dull days of winter to start up your education, get some videos of your work in the saddle and evaluate yourself with a keen eye.

Happy Riding!