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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
   
| First is the chicken-flapping elbows on takeoff. Does anyone know of one thing this means I'm doing or not doing?
Second is getting bounced out of the saddle off the barrels. I watched my state finals runs on Xena and there's a couple times where I've gotten bounced higher than the horn. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 246
Location: Idaho | Here is my unprofessional opinion.... :) the arm thing is something that has become a habit. It has somehow become a thing you do to tell your horse to run. The only way to get rid of that is conscious effort and practice :) As for the bouncing.... some horses are hard to ride and will really jar a person i their turns. But another reason, Ive seen is when a person tries to ride with their upper body and not their lower body. When a person just tries to hang on to the horn to balance themselves they bounce. When they squeeze with their knees and use their core to balance and "hang on" (for lack of a better word) their is less bounce and more control. More leg (mostly the knees and inner thigh) and core usage and less upper body usage leads to better balance and control. Just my opinion.... for what it is worth :) |
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 Purveyor of unconventional wisdom
Posts: 17112
Location: CA | I can't add much to the above poster, but the elbows out thingy... I kind of think of it as wind resistance and in that sense it is slowing my run. I keep my elbows tucked in and it helps me stay off the face, and be a bit more smooth in my turns. It does really make that big of a difference. I go to the horn in my turns so I don't bounce that much. I have a gelding that will really pop me up as he drives out. He is really strong coming out of his turns, so i sit a bit more forward on him so he can't send me any higher. He is reining trained and if I really sit in the turns he will bury his butt. So the forward thing helps keep him moving and he doesn't have a chance to pop me up. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Flapping elbows is a horsemanship issue. I rode english and western horsemanship for years as a kid. My husband makes fun of me even when I'm not on my horse because I don't have much free swinging arm movement walking or running! LOL
Basically concentrate on keeping your elbows tucked in. To urge on your horse, think of handing a textbook with 2 hands to someone. Your arms are in an L shape moving forward. If you flap handing a book to someone, you'd look awfully silly!
Bouncing in the saddle could be lots of things. One of which could be your saddle is not the right size for your derriere. Or you could have my problem...a super duper powerful nag who throws you around like a rag doll! Whiplash! LOL
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | To me, most people who "flap" their arms while riding, have their weight balanced in the upper part of their body. You need to concentrate on putting your weight in your feet. This will also probably help reduce the bouncing out of the saddle too, if your weight is in the lower part of your body, when you sit to turn a barrel, you should stay there (for the most part). |
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 Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | Do you have a video you could show us? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-10-10 8:06 AM To me, most people who "flap" their arms while riding, have their weight balanced in the upper part of their body. You need to concentrate on putting your weight in your feet. This will also probably help reduce the bouncing out of the saddle too, if your weight is in the lower part of your body, when you sit to turn a barrel, you should stay there (for the most part).
This........I would think you need more weight in your stirrups and lower leg. I see a lot of barrel racers with stirrups that are too long and/or they do not put any weight in their stirrups. I think this has started the rubber band use to keep riders from losing stirrups. |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | Elbows is a nalance issue. When you lose your balance the first place you start to compensate is throughte hands and arms. I'm a big fan of riding bareback with your eyes closed, and doing a whole lot of two point. Also, spending time riding without any reins. Its amazing how much our balanxe depends on just having something in our hands. Getting thrown up coming off the barrel to me is a timing issue that can be made better with working on balance. If your balance is weak, you're going to be behind your horse. Changing stirrup length can help sometimes- I ride better and stick better with longer stirrups. If you brace against your stirrups instead of sinking into them, you'll have a harder time. |
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| Going to try to upload video . . . |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | Fairweather - 2014-10-10 2:44 PM
Elbows is a nalance issue. When you lose your balance the first place you start to compensate is throughte hands and arms. I'm a big fan of riding bareback with your eyes closed, and doing a whole lot of two point. Also, spending time riding without any reins. Its amazing how much our balanxe depends on just having something in our hands. Getting thrown up coming off the barrel to me is a timing issue that can be made better with working on balance. If your balance is weak, you're going to be behind your horse. Changing stirrup length can help sometimes- I ride better and stick better with longer stirrups. If you brace against your stirrups instead of sinking into them, you'll have a harder time.
George? George Morris, are you stalking us lowly barrel racers? Lol
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Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | svincent - 2014-10-10 5:22 PM
Fairweather - 2014-10-10 2:44 PM
Elbows is a nalance issue. When you lose your balance the first place you start to compensate is throughte hands and arms. I'm a big fan of riding bareback with your eyes closed, and doing a whole lot of two point. Also, spending time riding without any reins. Its amazing how much our balanxe depends on just having something in our hands. Getting thrown up coming off the barrel to me is a timing issue that can be made better with working on balance. If your balance is weak, you're going to be behind your horse. Changing stirrup length can help sometimes- I ride better and stick better with longer stirrups. If you brace against your stirrups instead of sinking into them, you'll have a harder time.
George? George Morris, are you stalking us lowly barrel racers? Lol
Lol!!!! I actually rode under a gal that trained under George Morris at the same time as Michael Plumb. I think thats when I started ocd equitation tendencies,lol! |
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| Going to try to upload video . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlB_iF0rqu0&feature=youtu.be |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| Imusd to be really bad, like a bird for,take,off. Put a rubger band on each arm and a string betweem them. You will feel when you flap. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | In my unprofessional opinion, what I'm seeing in your video is your upper body looks pretty stiff and bracy, maybe try relaxing your back especially your lower back and engaging your core muscles a little bit more. That should help with both the arms and the popping up. We as riders are always our own worst critics and you look much better than you think! When you approach a barrel or set up to stop really melt your body into your saddle and relax which would will help when you leave the barrel as well because (I know it sounds counter intuitive) but your body is set up and relaxed so you can leave the barrel with your seat still deep but your upper body up in the go position. |
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 Playing the Waiting Game
Posts: 2304
| Both of your issues sounds like a lack of balance. I would look into taking english pleasure lessons to gain balance. If you can take the lessons on your barrel horse it would help bothe of you greatly. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448
Location: lone star state | For balance ride bareback. I do this when exercising my horse. Start out walking trotting and build up to lope. Go out on trails or pasture rides not tight circles or arena work. Long trotting is the best gait for balance and makes you sit with low center of gravity. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1092
Location: OK | Take 2 big rubber bands (like the ones girls use on their feet). Hook them together. Run one side through your belt loop on the side and put the rubber band through itself so it's attached. Then run your arm through the other end. Do this on the other side too. This reminds you to keep your elbows down to your sides, but allows you to move and isn't dangerous. With your arms down, you will have to concentrate on using your body to balance instead of your arms.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1092
Location: OK | Also, think of your bellybutton area as a hinge. You bend there, keeping your shoulders still and your butt moving with the horse. This is work. You will get tired, but very worth it. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | A couple things to add to what's already been said:
The arm flapping does slow your horse because every movement you make in your hands/arms travels down to the bit so each flap is actually checking your horse. I'd suggest putting a medium side braid in your horses mane at about the midway point of the neck. Then when you are practicing focus on getting your hands forward and up the neck to the braid and rest there. With the focus on getting to the braid and sitting there you shouldn't be flapping your arms as much. This is a habit that will take a bit to break.
At each turn you are being left behind which is why you are bouncing out of your saddle. My suggestion is work on sitting deep in your saddle and pulling on you horn so the muscle in your arm flexes then pull yourself up. Again this is practice. Arm strengthening exercises and core exercises will certainly help if it's a muscle weakness issue. You're also leaning back as you come into your turn so make sure your slightly tipped forward at the belly button.
I agree with no-stirrup exercises but I've also taught a lot of students over time who on their own or at some point have spent an excessive amount of time working with no stirrups to better their balance and then continually lose their stirrups because they are gripping with their legs and thighs and not putting the weight down into their heels once they have their stirrups back.
I love no stirrup work but balance it out with using your stirrups. Sitting and posting trot with no stirrups is an excellent way to build core muscles. Same with two-point with and without stirrups. Make sure while do these exercises you pull your belly button inwards and upwards so you are getting a work out. If you aren't muscle sore the first while.. have some watch you because something is going wrong.
Best of luck. |
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