Correcting my own mistakes

I was riding a few weeks ago and realized that I was pretty much solely focused on the performance of my horse. At some level I was aware of my own position and balance and what effect that is having on my horse but it dawned on me that I could use more focus on correcting my own bad riding habits and at the forefront of hhat list would be balance and timing (of cues and the release). As far as riding, we all know the common advice....... "head up", "heels down", "put a slight arch to your back", "push your butt into the seat", "heels aligned with your hip and shoulder", "put a little more weight into your stirrups", "quit leaning to the inside when you ride circles", "quit leaning to the outside when you ride circles",...or what I was always told "you look like a monkey riding a donkey". All good things.

Years ago, maybe even 10-12 years ago, I had a noted dressage competitor come down to my arena and watch me ride and offer observations. She pretty much gave me what I knew to be my bad habit of riding too much forward as my shoulders were not really over may hips but more to my thighs. Some of that is correctable with your heels down or at least on the same plane as your toes, but when your toes start dipping down too much it places your body weight forward, hence the shoulders past your centerline. But it certainly helped to have someone coach me and (near continuously) tell me shoulders back, butt in seat and heels down. There was a time when my ego wouldn't have allowed any consideration of those type of observations.

But lets not forget about timing. Oh so important. With bad timing we can prevent the horse from learning, frustrating us and well as the horse. I hate to think of myself as the rider who asks, asks, aks and never gives, gives, gives. So along with focusing on my seat and correcting those bad habits, but I am also working on looking for that slightest movement or understanding the horse presents and give him a release. And upon that release be sure to give him a pause as well, so what I am asking doesn't run right into other asks and masking the release.

Most people know or are aware of what I wrote above. If this helps someone, then great. But to be sure I am writing this for myself primarily. So after going a couple months in the late part of last year without throwing a leg over a horse, I made it a goal to make sure every ride is as accurate as I can be with my position and balance. The horses have enough to do without trying to compensate for me.