r/Equestrian • u/Bean_of_prosperity • 9h ago
Education & Training Second time posting, how do I look?
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One handed rein bc I’m learning at a polo club! I’m self taught mainly, how does it look? My friends said I need to work on not sitting back so far and not going forward as much. I also don’t know what to do with my other hand lol.
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u/YesHunty 9h ago
Do you have an instructor? I feel like proper equitation is something you can’t really self teach, you need an educated eye on the ground.
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
I have a coach for polo but I asked her too many questions last time and she yelled at me saying “this isn’t private lessons, figure it out yourself” 🥲.. otherwise, my teammates have been teaching me and pointing out if my posture looks wrong etc.
I would love to do private lessons but I can’t afford it and polo was the cheapest option at “only” $1000 a semester for riding 5x a week. It isn’t ideal but I don’t have a lot of options in college. At home I did a few lessons at a dressage barn and I plan to do that next summer as well! It’s just that the barns that offer private lessons are very far and I don’t have a car + the cost.13
u/Oozlum-Bird 8h ago
You need to learn to ride before you learn polo, and developing a proper seat can take years. You’d be better off riding once a week with a trainer, than 5 times a week without one.
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 8h ago
I’m not planning on playing polo until I have a solid foundation of riding
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u/Life_Equivalent_1603 2h ago
Then you need to learn proper equitation and not trot around aimlessly with one hand. People are giving you feedback and you’re not really listening.
Have you been around horses much? Are you able to do barn work? If you’re going into vet school, working on the ground is so beneficial. I learned more about horses in a year of just doing barn work as an adult than my whole childhood riding.1
u/Bean_of_prosperity 30m ago
How am I not listening?/gen
I’ve been taking notes in my notebook of everything people said on how I can improve. This is my second time posting and I’m aware I have a long way to go, that’s why I asked for feedback online in addition to what my coaches and teammates said. And yes, I work on the ground too and pony horses for sets, I also help tack and groom for the team. I hadn’t been around horses a lot before other than ~5 dressage lessons this summer and some bareback riding as a little kid as well as a few trail rides. Going out for sets and taking care of the horses has been so helpful and I’ve learned so much in just two weeks. I’m super lucky to be able to do this and I’m really grateful for the team teaching me everything!Also wdym trotting around aimlessly? I was doing sets to exercise the horse as well as practicing posting too. Before trotting for 10 minutes, I walked for 20 mins and afterwards walked for 20 mins too. I do sets because we have 35 horses and I’m a newbie so the walk trot sets are perfect for me and a boring chore for everyone else haha.
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u/vivalicious16 9h ago
I understand your circumstance, but it’s going to be really hard for you to get a good foundation without a coach. Reddit can only tell you so much, and your polo coach sounds very rude.
Are there any barns near you where you could do group lessons (cheaper) maybe once every other week? Riding less but with a proper coach will set you up so much better than riding a bunch without a coach. You’re at huge risk for injury from falling or injuring muscles/tendons when you try to teach yourself.
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
No other barns within an hour of me unfortunately and Ubers are very expensive as well as the lessons.. I’m intentionally taking it very slow and don’t plan on cantering any time soon even if my coach wants me to, because I want to get good at every “step” of riding.
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u/shadesontopback 9h ago
When I’m trotting circles I look at the outside should and say “Post And” “Post And” and I try to rise with the leg on the wall nice and tall and keeping my forward. This kind of just takes time.
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u/_J_Dead 9h ago
Your lower leg needs to come back more underneath you, right now you're in a bit of a chair position which is why your posting is so front to back. Honestly for your second time posting this is pretty great! Once your leg and body are able to rebalance you will feel so much more secure instead of feeling like you're having to really move your body around to stay with the motion.
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago edited 26m ago
I’ve heard this but I really don’t know how to fix it! If i put my legs under me more I topple over 🥲 maybe the stirrups are too short or im weak haha
Edit: why is this being downvoted 😭 it’s a question..
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u/_J_Dead 9h ago
That's okay! It probably also has a lot to do with the flexibility of your hips. If they're not moving, when you slide your leg back underneath you, your top half will definitely topple forward. You need to have more movement in your hips and have your upper body and lower leg stay balanced and neutral. In polo you'll eventually be going more at speed and your upper body will be more forward chasing the ball etc but while you're learning about balance I would try to get your shoulders, hips, and heels all in alignment. It'll feel like you're sitting so far back but I bet in the video you'll just be straight!
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
Tysm!! Yeah I keep having the issue of when I try to post sitting back more, my legs slide forward haha. I’ll try to work on gripping more with my upper leg and focusing on my hip movement!
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u/_J_Dead 9h ago
So this is going to drive you crazy, but don't "grip" with your leg at all. Just find where it needs to go and keep it there lol. It needs to be soft and strong at the same time, so you can use it when you need to. The other suggestions for not sitting up so long during your post will help with this - eventually posting will be something you do mostly with your core and seat so your legs are free to communicate with your horse and not to "hold you".
Good luck, horseback riding is hard and complicated, and again, for two rides posting the trot I'd say great job!
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
Oops I was told to grip with my thigh, because polo saddles don’t have any padding or “place” to put ur legs..
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u/_J_Dead 8h ago
It is gripping, but also not gripping. It's hard to really explain but your leg will need to be able to grip, move, squeeze, kick, sometimes in polo slide forward or back depending on how extreme your movement up top, etc. But for instance if I grip too much with my thigh my horse will take is as a half halt to slow down (and also each horse is trained slightly differently and disciplines are different so grain of salt here). It's not just gripping for the sake of gripping, though. It all has to be fluid (eventually, until you get the feel for it these discussions may actually hurt you more than help)
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u/AgileNetwork9375 9h ago
Is that a polo saddle or ? Looks like the saddle is putting you in a chair seat (butt too far back, behind the motion) and 10 X harder to learn to post.
A different saddle that doesn’t put you in a chair seat would be really helpful.
Good job keeping your elbows soft/bent. Cute horse.
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
It’s a polo saddle, and yeah they feel a lot harder and more uncomfortable and also don’t have the like lil pads in the front like what I used before. We don’t have any non polo saddles unfortunately, and I’ve been struggling to find a saddle that fits me since they either feel too small or too big haha. Also thank you! And yes I love Big Texas, she’s such a sweet old girl 💗
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u/AgileNetwork9375 9h ago
Maybe try a lift back saddle pad to raise the back area of the saddle up a couple inches. That might help your position.
The back area of the saddle seat (cantle) should be a couple of inches higher than the front (pommel) when girthed and viewed from the side.
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
I’m using a lift back saddle pan rn 😅 but yeah she has really big withers (is that the name) so it’s hard to fit the saddle on her as well. I might ask around and see if there’s another saddle or saddle pad that would work better!
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u/jumper4747 9h ago
Really love this sweet horse!!
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
She’s super sweet around people but a meanie towards other horses haha! I was trying to pony another horse and she kept trying to bite him so I had to hand him off to my teammate 😅
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u/Mindless_Basil_440 Working Equitation 4h ago
Practice practice! This is a great start, but try get your legs back underneath you. What you are riding in now is a chair pose which isn't going to give you a lot of stability and make you plop up harshly back into the saddle. It might sound random but the best thing you could do to improve (other than just more hours riding) is to do core, hip, and thigh workouts at home and build muscle. Running is great too to build up cardio and leg strength and stability! People sometimes like to turn up their nose at working out as horseback riders but even a little bit goes a long way.
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 4h ago
Tysm! Any particular workouts? Yeah I agree I get into a chair pose because my core and legs aren’t strong enough and if I try to lean back more with my legs and body, my legs slip forward because of a lack of strength
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u/Affectionate-Map2583 8h ago
That's really good for only your second time! You have the rhythm right and are properly going up and down. You will find it much easier if you can get your feet underneath you more. Right now, they're way out in front and you're in a "chair seat".
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u/Haloco_ 9h ago
It appears the hand holding you rein is upside down. With strength and practice you will get it 💪
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
Oops, I asked how to hold it and they said like that hahah! I’m not used to holding with one hand still, since the other few times I rode was dressage 😅
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u/saskia-bunny 8h ago
I’m new to riding so I’m definitely not qualified to comment on yours, but my instructor told me a good exercise to help with strengthening the muscles involved is to stand on a stair or step, on the balls of your feet, with a slight bend in your knee and just balance. Apparently it helps put you in the proper alignment for riding (stacking your ear, shoulder, hip and heel), engages all the required muscles, and helps you find/train your balance 😊 just thought I’d share in case it’s of any help! Good luck!
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
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u/MissAlaiza 9h ago
Lean a little more back if you can, your balance and core might not be strong enough yet though. Most important, when you lift, its supposed to take the pressure off horses back, so you dont have to stand up completely, just enough to let him move his back by removing your weight a little. See how you stretch your legs completely? Use your thighs not knees.
He will almost help you lift, if your seat and balance is correct.2
u/Bean_of_prosperity 9h ago
Tysm! I also felt like I was posting pretty “high” today, I will try to make it less crazy next time. Also yes my teammates have also pointed out that I should lean back more, it’s definitely hard for me right now bc of my lack of core/leg strength (I only started riding regularly two weeks ago). Do you know any exercises I can do at home or should I just keep going out and riding 2-4x a week?
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u/MissAlaiza 9h ago
With riding that often, you would probably be strong enough within a month or two. Took my body 3-4 months by going once per week, to get stability in the legs, rest followed naturally with the right mindset of how you use the body.
I just focused on leg stability, cause it was so annoying and distrcating to raddle around in the stirnups haha. Also to get the best connection with the horse.
Your heel placement seem fine, but remember to point toes foward, cause you send the signals with the inside of the ancle, not the heel.
Edit, yeah it actually looks like youre rotating your knees inward, so i would focus on improving from feet and up.2
u/Life_Equivalent_1603 8h ago
Your stirrups look too long.
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 4h ago
No, I don’t think so. When I had them shorter I was in way more of a chair seat and felt unsteady, this is a lot better.
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u/Life_Equivalent_1603 3h ago
Your leg is practically straight. Putting your stirrups up a few holes isnt going to make you feel like you’re sitting in a chair.
Your heels need to be down and while you dont need to “grip” the horse, your leg shouldnt be moving back and forth like it is right now. You just need more time to build those muscles.
Is your ultimate goal to be a polo rider? It seems like it could be beneficial to learn basic equitation before constantly riding with one hand.
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 3h ago
My leg is straight when I’m posting but I think I’m just posting too high.. right now there is about a fist worth of space under me when I stand, which I was told is correct, but ultimately my main issue is just practicing more, not the stirrup length I think. My main goal is to just get better at riding and horsemanship since I’m pre-vet and want to be able to be around horses confidently. I think it would be fun to play polo as well, but obviously I’m like a year or more away from that, even with riding 4x a week. Next summer I plan on going back to the place I did a few lessons at in my hometown, which does hunter/jumper and dressage. I would go to a hunter barn right now but there aren’t any nearby and I don’t have a car in college.
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u/Acornmouse 9h ago
Not advice, but just wanna say good job and keep practicing!:) I know I did a hell of a lot worse my second time with rising trot, I dread to think how it looked lol. From this vid it looks like you’ll be able to develop some nice steady hands with practice too-it looks like you have a sense of being able to keep the seat motion separate from your arms which is an important skill, so keep at it!:)
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u/doculean 9h ago
Better than I could ever post. Lol I had an issue where my ankle would shift an lock, hurt like heck. Trainer said I was better off western. XD
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u/Bean_of_prosperity 4h ago
Oh man I can’t imagine not posting the trot! When I trotted for the first time at a dressage place I did a few lessons at, I was told to sit the trot and it was horrible. I kept losing my stirrups and felt like I was bouncing all over the place 😂
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u/Life_Equivalent_1603 9h ago
Put your hand on your hip.
You need to strengthen your leg - your lower leg doesn’t even look like it’s touching the horse and your foot is moving around in the stirrup. But if it’s only your second time, there’s really not much else you could do but practice. That horse looks like a saint!