Nobody's A Perfect Rider- What Annoys You The Most About Your Own Riding?

i do like this question :)

when i ride i have a habit to relax my shoulders too much in canter and sitting trot, drives me insane, also i turn my hands "in" instead of "out"

i hate it when other riders think they're so good but really they're terrible, but specifics are heels not down, hands too high, not giving [enough] release over a jump, when people are airborne in canter, when people think that two point over a 30cm crossbar jump is leaning right on the horses neck and when peoples legs bounce everywhere and slide [in all gaits]

haha thanks for the question makes me feel special :)

I clearly don't put enough weight in my stirrups as at the trot they slip back until they're under the arch or my foot instead of the ball. Also I always lean forwards when asking for canter - very bad habit!

What I hate is when people get on a horse without wearing a helmet - recipe for disaster!

Also when people have their horses on a tight rein the whole time whilst riding out. How is the horse supposed to enjoy a nice trail ride in the bush if their mouths are being pulled the whole way? If your horse can't walk on a loose contact then you should be in the arena working on your trust issues.

I look down when I'm doing dressage. I train up to 3rd Level, so this is really a habit I should have gotten rid of a long time ago, but I usually forget to correct myself when I'm riding. I don't have this problem when jumping.

I really hate that awful hunter jumper style when they lay flat on the horse's neck over the fence, while their legs slip back and their seat comes way too far forward. Especially over a two-foot fence, when there's no way they would need that much of a release.

About my own riding- my legs slip back if I'm not paying attention, not enough to do real damage but it happens when I concentrate on other things and forget about my legs. I probably would stop if I did more leg exercises on the ground but I just don't have time lol.

About other people's riding- Basically anything that causes pain to the horse. Biggest annoyance, people with bad hands who yank on the horse's mouth and hurt it- especially when they use a harsh bit! People like that shouldn't be allowed to own a horse. I hate the bad seats too, so many horses get back pain because their rider doesn't know how to carry weight.

What bothers me most about my own riding is how much I struggle with finding a good seat and proper leg position while riding western. This is caused by several things... one, I used to ride english and take dressage lessons, two I have been in two car accidents (not at fault!) that have screwed up my back muscles and I hunch forward and get very stiff in my back no matter how hard I try not to, and lastly... I am having one heck of a time finding a western saddle that actually allows you to ride with a proper seat but still be secure while doing ranch work.

My biggest pet peeve about other riders (specifically my husband), is when ranchers/ranch hands/ropers etc ("cowboy" doesn't really specify enough for me), ride with a chair seat all the time! I realize that while working cattle and roping, you have to sit in various positions to keep your seat/balance and do the job you are doing. BUT!!! If you are just riding, I think they should use at least a somewhat correct seat and leg position. I think what pi$$es me off the most is the horrible position my husband rides in, yet I have never ever his butt come out of the saddle at any gait,or him lose his balance in any situation. And to top it all off, to be completely honest, he is a slightly more effective rider with horses that we both ride! lol

About me: sometimes when i'm cantering on a tight turn my inside leg goes out...i don't know why I do it, but it bugs me. I catch myself doing it, and then I pull it back against his side.

About others: same as you pretty much, when experienced riders can't sit a trot or a canter well, and also when people have their hands all over the place (raised, too far back, too far down, too far forward) and when people move their whole body to get a horse to go forward. UGH, that drives me crazy...it's like "use your legs, not your body"

WIth my own riding, just about everything bothers me. Right now its sitting up too early after fences. My trainer agrees that I continue to go with the horses motion and don't drop onto their back but my butt still touches the saddle a second or two before I should. Its my new jumping quirk after ducking, jumping ahead, swinging leg, propped heel, too long stirrups, and like everything else you can think of.

The think that kills me about experienced riders is their legs swinging back over fences and with inexperienced riders, jumping before they're ready and collapsing onto their horse over fences.

My bad habits are

1. bouncing up in my seat a little at the canter

2. CANT RIDE WITHOUT IRONS way too weird :D

things i cant stand

1. when inexperienced riders have tight reins and they seem to be straining horses!!

2. Not rlly a riding thing but a rider at my barn called a bay horse copper and she claimed she knew this horse very well... wow HA HA

i am so bad at picking up the correct diagonal. i have probably spent 15 hours concentrating on that and nothing else! i've tried wrapping my horses front legs so i can see them and it never helps. it drives me crazy!

i hate it when people can't hold the reins still while riding. i just imagine the metal bit in my mouth bouncing around. also, its awful when riders slam back on their horse's back during trot, canter or after a jump

the thing that annoys me the most about my own riding is when i am running barrels and i can't sit my horses turn. She turns really tight and gets really low and sometimes i lean to far with her and lose my seat, so when we take off for the next barrel i am off balance and she is off balance and it screws up our whole pattern! I am getting a lot better though, that only happens every once in a long while now, but it used to happen like every time i ran barrels when i first started!

What annoys me most when watching other people ride is when their hands are to high, or when they lean too far forward or back at the lope. I hate when people hold their hands way up high when they are riding it bugs me so much i could scream! haha :)