How do you judge a rider!?

Question

I have this "problem" to where when I judge a rider I only judge them on how good their Equitation is and not how good they can actually ride. And I hate it because I figure if I judge a rider that way then people will judge me that way so I have this thing latley that as long as I look good riding on camera then I'm a good rider and it doesnt even matter if I can actually ride a horse and get the horse to preform in a proper and effective way. Am I the only one who does this or does anyone share the same "thing"?...Btw if you say a rider who didnt necessairly look good EQ wise but could get the horse to preform well would you consider the rider bad? just curious...

Answer 1

well, "equitation" in the show ring is just that - how well you pose on the horse.. in order to show off how good they look they will usually use a push button horse for it, because the harder you have to work to get the horse going well, the less perfect you look... people who ride good equitation in the show ring can also be good all around riders/trainers, but you will see a difference in how they look on a horse, dependent upon what they are riding... a truly good rider gets a tough horse going well, and looks at least fairly decent doing it, as good equitation helps the horse perform at its best... perfect equitation was developed for a reason - because its easiest for the horse to do what it is we want him to do - so a rider that doesnt look real good but can get the horse to perform well should learn to look/ride better equitation wise, because that will actually help the horse perform even better...

people who really understand horses and horse training will judge you and your horse by everything they see, not just you or just the horse... those are the people that count... the people who only judge you dont know what they are talking about anyways, so who cares...

Answer 2

Yaknow, I just don't judge.

But i'd say that it's not only the rider but the horse they're riding. A bad horse can make the rider look bad too. It goes both ways.

Answer 3

One thing I love about horses is how incredibly honest they are. Horses don't lie, they reflect their rider (which is where the expression, "a horse is the true mirror of its rider" originated from), and therefore if you look to the horse, you will gain great insight into the ability of the rider.Taking into account what the horse is physically capable of at that stage due to conditioning, age and training, a rider who can pull out the best possible in a horse under any conditions is a good rider. Good riders can ride any horse, anywhere, any time and get positive improvements and results. Substance over form, though usually they go hand-in-hand.

I've seen riders with certain confirmation flaws of their own (lol) take a rushing, choppy, stiff young horse and within 10 or 15 minutes have that same horse easing into a rythmic tempo, reaching long and low for the bit, beginning to flex and bend, taking a few lateral steps...now that is an amazing thing to behold.

When all else fails, look to the horse, they always tell you the deal. I've seen many riders with what they think is really good EQ and (those usually will tell you they are EQ queens/kings, too -whereas the really good riders don't talk, they ride), get on an unfamiliar horse and you can quickly see they are passive not active riders, with no positive impact on the horse.

Answer 4

I know exactly what you are saying. A person can be a very effective rider without looking pretty. Now I think it comes down to what is required from that person. In the show ring, every thing has to be right, the way the person sits, the style of clothing (even how pretty they are, I know I shouldn't say that, but we all know that to be slim,long legged and pretty faced would all be a bonus) but for schooling horses, things are very different. An experienced trainer may have developed their own style over the years that works well with the horses but is not quite perfect in the show ring.

Answer 5

I think a lot of the things that make riders look good are important to ride the horse well. If a rider's leg is swinging around, they aren't using their leg so they aren't really riding their horse effectively. If their hands are moving, they are pulling on their horses mouth which they shouldn't be. If their seat is bouncing around, they aren't teaching their horse to take small cues from shifting their weight. If the horse looks really good and the rider is still, there are certain things I will over look such as a hunched back and looking down. But I'm not sure how you can be effectively riding if everything is bouncing around and you don't look decent. After all, there is a reason for the correct position. It's not just to look pretty, it's because it is also the most effective position.

Answer 6

i take both into consideration. eq isn't everything but if a rider doesn't have ok eq then the horse performing is a result of training not abilty. push button horses really do exsist. i find it easier to judge a rider if i have had an experience with the mount

Answer 7

If the rider is a good, quite, and effective rider, the horse will look good. 99.9% of the time, the horse looks bad because the rider is bad. So, you can basically judge a rider by how good and happy the horse looks and moves.

Answer 8

There are people who 'seem' to have perfect equitation, but are just posing.

A rider with truley perfect equitation will make the horse look better. They might not look like a great rider themselves, but there are many things you can't see.

I think bad riders are ones who just pose. The look great, but their horse is on the forehand, not having enough impulsion, and doesn't have the correct head, neck, and body set.

I can't stand when I see riders see-saw either. It is a quick fix, and is not true training. You can have a head set that seems good, but the horses back will be hollow and his legs will be stiff.

Answer 9

When I "judge" a rider, I'm looking for a horseman.  All the lessons in the world won't make a horseman of you, it comes from within...your equitation may not be 100 percent perfection but you'll have a horse that is highly responsive to cues and the rider makes it all appear effortless.   And that rider will not appear like a sack of potatoes on horseback.  I'm looking for a rider that flows with his/her horse.  

I believe it's really hard for a rider who only equitates to appear as the real deal...there's a certain phoniness to their ride which you can spot very quickly.  Their actions are robotic, their posture is stiff and frozen.  Their wrists are locked.  Their legs aren't where they are supposed to be.  If the horse makes a quick move, this rider is usually behind the eight ball and cannot catch up with the motion.  Which in turn destroys their profile.  For all the stiffness, when their seat is gone from a quick move from the horse, nothing could be more revealing as to their inadequacies on horseback.  

It takes many, many hours to develop a seat and hands and become a great eq rider.