?

I have a habit of getting my shoulders too far in front of my hips. I am self-conscious of it so I try to "sit back" but it seems like I can only hold a really good correct position for a short time before I creep forward again. I do hunt seat and dressage (I know I'll be slightly forward when riding with a lighter seat over fences, but I mean that I do this noticeably way too much). It doesn't seem to affect me too negatively but I think that's just because I'm kind of built that way and I'm used to over-compensating for it.

Could this be a strength thing? What needs to get stronger? I ride about four hours a day so sometimes I don't feel out of shape and know what I need to muscle up. I tend to overarch the small of my back sometimes when I try to sit up.

So I'm 20. Not exactly withering away from old age yet, I know. But hear me out.

I think we've all seen exceptionally talented kids at shows with glue on their backsides riding better than we do. It's impressive, sure, but it's different when they're really kids.

This is where it starts to get me: Looking at riders close to me in age in the 18 and under divisions, I get really discouraged that, well, I should have been riding that well at that age. I started riding when I was 16, not 6. I'm sure that's a huge part of it.

I watched a friend of mine struggle - really struggle - with learning a new discipline a couple years ago. She's in her mid 30's and wanted to get into the hunter ring. Her and I were on a pretty similar level at the time as far as jumping goes, seeing as we'd started about the same time (though she's been riding since a very young age), but there were some things she just didn't get. Like she some sort of (very slight) mental/physical block that didn't allow her to absorb or execute things the way the teenagers did, and I always wondered why, since she was a decent rider.

The point is, I had a very late start. I rode for the first time at the same age people are eligible to ride in the Maclay Finals. Does age really affect how you learn that drastically? Am I pretty much destined to be ten years behind because I wasn't a pony club kid? Have you ever seen someone become competitive in their own age group regardless of not starting young?

I have a pony whose mane went ungroomed for many years. Now she's going into the dressage ring and I need to shorten and thin it for braiding. Only problem is, it is thick. THICK-thick. I've been slowly thinning and shortening it over the past few weeks and finally followed the advice of a friend and shaved a good half inch of width off of it on the bottom side. It has helped a lot, but along with that I pulled it to the appropriate length. It looks pretty good, but sadly it's STILL too thick to braid. They are enormous and bulky and messy-looking. How can I improve this?

I think most of this is a strength thing, I need to work harder and it will improve. However, I have run into a problem that I thought I solved a while back. My left foot and ankle will generally stay where I put it, but my right really, really wants to crank outward, pushing my heel into the horse. I ride hunter and dressage if that makes a difference. I used to notice it in my two point and basically I just held it straight, but now I'm riding a prix st george horse and every slight little thing that is off in my riding is pointed out.

I pointed it out to my trainer and she watched me, and she said I'm definitely doing something screwy with my foot. She asked me if I'd ever broken my ankle, which I have not, but I have sprained it five or six times. She said it may be a weakness there causing this.

Has anyone else had this problem? What can I do to counteract this?

SO

I think we've all had friends or family members who don't "get" the "horse thing". Mine certainly don't.

However, I feel like people's well-being is at risk and I wanted some outside opinions on some happenings lately.

I have a niece and a nephew who got the horse bug up their butts the past couple of months, which is fine. However, when their parents asked me about it I had to decline helping on a regular basis because of my work, and considering that I don't have a dead-broke kid's horse right now, I'd be reliant on borrowing my trainer's lesson horses.

I suggested they ask my trainer about lessons.But they decided that it was too expensive to pay for lessons with her, and that she was too far away from them, which is also fine.

However, they found a barn close to them that offers riding lessons for much cheaper. Which, again, is perfectly fine.

Now, considering that I put the time and effort into becoming a certified instructor last year, and would never, EVER put a small child (not teenagers, not adults, small children) on a horse (ANY horse) without a helmet on.

I realize that the horses the kids are on are absolutely dead broke, dead quiet old things, but it's the concept. Liability, man!

None of the students wear helmets and they seem to think that it's ok. I know the likelihood of them getting bucked off is small, (we've all jumped on with no helmet at SOME point and lived) but the idea of it really bothers me. It seems unprofessional and dangerous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99ryO82SE5c&app=de...

and on the flat

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=84T...

I m boarding and making up some supplement packets. I was going to just do plastic bags, but does anyone have any other clever ideas for doing this?

I have a pony who I'm training and we can't canter. Background of this horse is, a woman got her out of a field where she was a broodmare and never broke for 7 years. The lady I got her from did a great job starting her, but was afraid to canter her so though she has done a lot of other things and is great a walk/trot, she was never asked or made to canter for about a year. So now, rather than just not having a trained depart or transition, she just HASN'T cantered, and she is really confused about what I'm asking her to do.

Of course, obvious choice is to start working on the ground with it. I tried lunging her into it, but she's still confused. So, we went into the round pen, and eventually, I DID succeed in getting it, but only after a LOT of chasing and spanking the ground with the lunge whip. She goes into this MASSIVE trot (she has the gaits of a horse, hence why I jumped at the opportunity to take her on) and only breaks into canter for a few strides (which I rewarded her for). I don't know if she got it or not. It's like she revs up into this trot and goes, "I'm going faster, why are you still chasing me?"

I did get it on her back once, but again, she doesn't know what you're asking and sorting of bolts a few strides and stops.

Has anyone run into this problem before? Is this just something that takes lots and lots of persistence (and me running, xD)?

I m basically an idiot and overfilled the engine. Over a quart. Dipstick is mismarked. Don t want to talk about it. There was smoke. Only drove a few hundred yards.

How much damage am I looking at?

*cries*

So, I have a bit of a puzzle to solve. I was recently offered an Icelandic pony (purebred, but no papers) for a grand. Now, this pony is not gaited, but actually has really nice, uphill w/t/c. She's dead-safe, but not very trained. She will need flatwork as well as over fences training.

I just don't know if training her is worth my money. How long will it take to turn her around? What is the horse market even like right now? I just don't know if the possible benefits outweigh the risks. I mean, for all I know, she could colic and die on me. If money was no object, I wouldn't have this dilemma.

Just need another opinion. What do you think of the movement and the jump?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXQbLjthiEo

My trainer friend is asking me my opinion... I don't know what to tell her. She's tired, sometimes depressed, and she says she's getting irritable with her students and horses. . I don't think she can quit or take a vacation. She teaches by herself 6 days a week, and she needs the income. She really wants my advice but I don't know what to say...

I'm thinking of getting one for my riding. I'm replace my little Flip camera which has worked... ok? I'd like to get a better camera but since the GoPro's are built for getting a little beat up on, I was thinking it might work for me. I've never used one before, do they take decent quality?

Can you zoom in and out with them? I mean, sure it'd be cool to strap it onto my helmet but could I also stand in on the sides and film? Would I be better off with a normal video camera?

I just don't want to buy one and find out it doesn't have what I need or that it takes crappy quality.

I do hunters... I've noticed that a lot of higher level riders have those high cut shadbelly coats and I think they look really sharp, lol. I'm not a higher level rider... would it be weird to get one?

I don't mean rooting them out of my hands, I mean if we're just sitting or walking her to the ring she reaches over and grabs them to chew on them. At first I didn't care, but now she's leaving teeth marks and I don't want to buy new reins constantly because she ruins them. I've tried watching her and shaking them and being annoying until she drops them and a few other things and rewarding her when she doesn't do it, but she still does it.

pic here

http://homelesshart.tumblr.com/post/86702347090

I am transferring pictures and video files from my mom's computer to mine. She has a mac and I have windows.

I'm using a flash drive to move the files, and it's working great except for the video files. They are going onto the drive great, but when I try to open them on my computer it can't play them. What's wrong?

I feel like I'm getting mixed messages about this - Can anyone help?

I've been trained to not grab the horse's neck/balance myself off the horse's neck going over a jump. But whenever I see high level riders in the hunter ring, I notice that they sort of put their hands on the crest of the horse's neck (still giving lots of release so they horse can stretch his neck)

What is correct? I'm confused.