Shane Rice riding Lyon Lodge Harmony - Biomechanics Assesment

Thank you to Shane Rice for being brave enough to let me post this and his assessment.  If you would like to have an assessment done for you please send a photo or short video, if you don't want it to be posted that is ok!

Assessment

You are a lovely rider, nice and soft, which allows the horse to move forward nice and freely. You look great, still and the horse looks comfortable. What awesome halts! they are just fantastic!

I could only find a couple of improvements you could make in a short analysis like this, but I hope you get something out of it. 

In the most of the trot work, try and open and close your elbows more. Looking at the trot work at the beginning, you can see the gap between your hands and the wither getting bigger and smaller each stride. This is because your hands are going up and down, only slightly, but will be fixed by opening and closing the elbow joint. Watching the trot work in the last section, you can see that some of the time you do this, and your hands are much stiller. Watch carefully, and you can see that each time your elbows open and close for a few strides, the horse also relaxes into the bridle more, and lengthens the back more for a couple of strides each time. If you can develop more consistency with this, the horse will start to build more elevation as well as the back swings more and allows more relaxation. Thumbs on top, and elbows a bit closer to the sides will make it easier too.

The major thing that we are all guilty of is looking down!! you are looking at the horses head the whole time, and this will be putting more weight onto the forehand. I know it is a hard thing to stop yourself doing, but the benefits are MASSIVE! one of the easiest ways to stop doing it is to get yourself a pair of old sunnies, and put tape over the bottom so you cant look down. Sounds strange, but Colleen swears by it! If you are not game to do that, then just use your awareness to be watching the brim of your hat more than the horses head. try to see if the brim of your hat stays level with the horizon all the time, especially around corners. This will have many other benefits as well as reducing the amount of looking down you do, including more balanced corners, and a straighter horse.

Third thing to work on, keeping your body on the vertical. Now I can't decide if this is something, or are you just sitting forward and light because this is a young horse? Most of your trot work and especially your canter work you are tilted slightly forward. Again, this will put more weight on the forehand. One of the things i get my students to do is to overcorrect and think of bringing the upper body slightly behind the vertical, just for a while, and you will find it easier to find the middle. If you have mirrors this is easy, or get someone to film or watch you and tell you when you are vertical. 

Last and finally, I will give you an exercise to do for at least some time everyday. Ride standing in your stirrups. I don't mean in a two point seat, but actually standing. If you can get your walk trot canter, then your transitions while standing, your seat and lower leg control will improve out of sight. This will improve the one other thing I see here, which is that your lower leg is a little unsteady. Watch the video, and focus on your heel throughout. The heel should always be the lowest point, not just to look pretty and because the rules say so, but also because that is how you get your weight down and have a solid seat. Each time your heel comes up, I could tip you off with my little finger :) 

Practicing the standing in your stirrups, you will have an "ah hah" moment, when all of a sudden you get the feeling of it, and then you will know it forever. Combine this with bringing the body slightly further back, and your hips will start to flow more with the horse, the horse will start to move more through the back under you, and then you can begin asking for shorten and lengthen while keeping the horse in balance, relaxed, and forward, and the power will start to come through.

All in all you are a very nice rider to watch, the horse is lovely, and I would like to see some more of what you do. Do you jump as well? you have a lovely feel for the horse :)

Hope that helps! if you have more questions please ask. Thanks for being brave enough to submit this publicly, and let me know if you are happy for these comments to be posted as well. I am only just starting out as a business, and I am just finishing my biomechanics course so I really appreciate the opportunity to show people what I do.


Shane has replied and told me that this horse is not his, he only got on it for the first time this particular day, and yes she is very green, and very forward moving which explains the forward light seat.  Thank you again Shane for sharing this with us :)