[quote user="lilyxnc"] This rider in Emil Spadone's video has beautiful equitation. Her shoulder is visibly in front of her knee. It is possible that I still don't understand :] [/quote] I would disagree with your comment that this rider has 'beautiful equitation'. If I was being asked to critique this image I would say that the rider is too far forwards and has allowed her shoulders to collapse rather than releasing through her arms. Her back is too flat and she is too

[quote user="lilyxnc"] [quote user="JennyBristol"] your shoulders should NEVER be in front of your knees. [/quote] I would venture to ask what you mean by this. It's not possible for your shoulders to be behind your knees. [/quote] I will venture to explain. If you draw a straight line (perpendicular to the ground) from the rider's shoulder to the ground, the knee should not sit behind this line. Try it on the ground in front of the mirror. To get the knee behind this

Shoulder in... the horse walks on three tracks with the inside hind and outside fore treading on the same line. The horse is bent around the rider's inside neck with an even bend through the entire body from top of tail to poll. Used to improve flexion and therefore straightness and to encourage engagement of the hind quarters. Shoulder in should technically be perfored at trot although it can be 'taught' to horse and/or rider in walk. The aids for shoulder in are similar to those for

[quote user="rachaels2cool"] he's a very strong horse, i used to ride him, and he has a tendency to lean on the hands, but if he is ridden forward with very soft contact, he gets very light in the bridle and responsive to the aids. [/quote] Says it all really. Sounds as if these people are trying to haul the horse's head in rather than ride him forward from behind and make him soft, light and responsive. It is a popular, incorrect and lazy technique that stems from ignorance of

You need to practice your jumping position on the ground in front of a mirror. When riding you need to aim to always be in a position whereby if someone magically 'vanished' your horse from under you, you would be left perfectly balanced on the ground on your feet. I'm sure that you can see that if I erased the horse from under you in this picture, you would fall flat on your face! What you have done is a common rider error when jumping. You are clearly keen to avoid catching your horse

I think people get far too obsessed with 'shoulds' and 'usuals' and 'what everyone else does/says' etc. What works for the horse is the most important thing when riding. If he doesn't want to walk around on a long rein, let him trot. I often go into the arena and give the horse a long rein and, if it is an anxious, forward horse, I just sit quiet, keep him on a circle and let him pick the pace. After 5 mins or so, once he realises that you aren't going to pull on him

We regularly bit up and long rein (like lunging but not on a circle) horses as young as 2 for short times. Because they aren't carrying a rider or being made to work on small circles, they can safely begin to learn the discipline of being a riding horse without stressing their joints. I would put her bridle on, wrap up or remove the reins and tie her up in the stable for 15mins or so to get used to the bit. You could also put side reins on her (once she is happy wearing the saddle obviously)

[quote user="txspots"]How would you tie a horse with a bit in it's mouth? Put a halter on under the headstall and tie a lead to that, or maybe you mean put her in her stall? [/quote] I would put a headcollar on over the bridle and tie her up at the back of her stable with a leadrope. But then I'm english, we don't have cross ties, we tie with a single rope and we don't generally use halters much - headcollars are more common.

something my mentor has taught me is that an instructor is only as good as her ponies. What makes our job so hard is that you are constantly juggling teaching the rider with keeping the horse sweet. It sounds as if you have (through innocent inexperience) taken your focus off the horse and concentrated too much on the rider. My advice would be to look at the way you position yourself in the areana. Don't just stand in the middle, walk round with the beginner, standing just behind the horse's

[climbs onto soapbox] The problem here seems to be (as usual with situations like this) that individuals are trying to teach you to ride 'by the book' rather than 'by the horse'. There is no 'ABSOLUTELY WRONG' but likewise what you have been taught - inside leg and inside rein - is not an absolute either. there is only what works for the horse you ride. You need to go back to the horse to find out what you need to do. If the horse is cutting the corners and falling in through