YouTube Equestrian Vlogger Fun!

Here I’m sharing videos from YouTube that I’ve enjoyed for various reasons, usually tips about riding that I’ve come across that I find helpful. Even though I’ve had a coach and have taken lessons since the beginning of my riding journey, I still find learning as an adult comes with its own set of challenges, so hearing things said in a different way, or seeing someone may be a bit more relatable than a teenager, lol, can sometimes be just the tip you need.

Please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of these channels, and I’m not saying that their way of doing things is correct, just that they are videos that helped me in some way. And with that little disclaimer out of the way, I hope you enjoy! ❤️

This one features an equestrian vlogger I’ve just come across, Life on the Left Rein. While I’m not an eventer, I do love to learn from a variety of disciplines to glean whatever tidbits I can. This lady is so cute and fun to watch, and her coach is just phenomenal.

Here are my personal take-aways from this video:

Side note – I realize some of this is advanced for a beginner adult rider, but even after 15 years of lessons, I pretty much consider myself a beginner as there is just so much to learn. So, just take from this what works for you, if anything.

• In transitions within the gait, i.e., when asking for a more forward trot, if your horse picks up the next gait instead (in this case, canter), put your leg on more firmly and half halt, do not take your leg off (most people’s natural instinct). If instead, you take your leg off as soon as they pick up the incorrect gait, you are rewarding them for what you didn’t want and telling them that was the correct answer. However, if you put your leg on more and half halt, that tells them that the change of gait was not the correct answer and, in the case of trot, what you wanted was a more forward and engaged trot. The difference was very clear in the video!
  
  
• Ride with your heel flat, not down, even in the downward transition, and even over the jumps!! 😲 In this video, Cameron was pointing out how when Tina asked for a downward transition, she would put her heel down, resulting in her using the reins to balance. Then he also wanted her to keep focusing on having a flat foot over jumps as well.
  
  That honestly blew my mind. I’ve recently really gotten more on board with not riding with heels down (which honestly has been pivotal in my sitting the canter better due to my leg not being stiff and braced, as well as my leg not swinging around in the 2-point). Still, I hadn’t realized this was important in the downward transitions and jumping! You always hear HEELS DOWN, which so flies in the face of typical instruction! But Cameron went on to say that by keeping the foot flat, you’re able to keep your leg under you better, stay in better balance, not pull on the reins, etc, and then that of course helps your horse stay in a better rhythm and the jumps just basically come up to you, no big deal.
  
  Wow. I’ll be taking this to the barn with me to try it out as while I no longer brace through my heel while in a forward gait, I’m pretty sure I put them down for downward transitions and most definitely I try to when jumping… So interesting!
  
  You can see why I still consider myself a beginner – there’s always more to learn and improve! ❤️🐴❤️