What's your style?

While watching the WEG, one of the commentators had mentioned "This persons 'Style' of riding is very fast. That person's Style of riding is very careful." While yet a few others she described as elegant, effective, classical..." and so on. Not to long ago a friend of mine made a comment about a judge not liking her 'style' of riding. That got me thinking- What is MY style of riding?

While we all hope for our riding to be described as careful, elegant, effective, classical, quiet, etc. we often describe what we feel what we're doing up there as being None of those things. Our seat is off balance- sitting heavier or deeper on one side then the other. Stiff shoulders, leaning into our turns, sloppy lower legs and then there's Grabby McGrabby Hands with a death grip on the reins.... It's so easy for each of us to find fault with the way we ride and most of us can tick off the things we need to work on and either Do More or Stop Doing.  

While there have been things I have worked on to overcome- my hands are a big one for me. Whether it's keeping them on the horses withers or where I hold them when driving, and having one person telling us to do it this way and another telling us the opposite- It gets frustrating. We try hard to please everyone and try to guess what the judge likes to see and 'Do That', but it doesn't always work.

I have thought long and hard about it over the past few months, about what My style is. My new man told me a while back that at the last driving show, he felt bad for me and my Ponyman, that we didn't win any of the ring type classes on the first day. But then on the second day, when it came to the Games classes and we turned on the heat to Bring It, opening up a giant can of Whoop Ass!? He was super proud of us flying around the courses the way we do. He could understand why Kat and I enjoyed it so much. We were a force to be reckoned with and people around him were excitedly asking questions about us.

Things that different people have said over the years have stuck in my mind. People whose opinions I respect in the different sports I have competed in, have helped shape me in how I ride or compete.  But that still leaves the question to be asked- What is my 'Style' of riding?

I have decided that it is a combination of things. With the driving- Our forte is not elegance. I know this and have for some time. We get things done and can hold our own in pleasure classes, but Kat and I are not the stand out type to watch on the rail. Our Dressage tests were hardly flawless, but our scores were always decent enough to get us by on. While I'm okay with that, maybe it's something to focus on and take a bit more seriously. If we were competing and traveling a lot to do so- it would be beneficial. At this point, it's just something to be considered. When it comes to the games classes, cones and hazards- we are fast and what some might consider almost reckless, but things are still under control, so it's all good. We are definitely fun to watch. Kat and I don't have to think, we just DO. He's quick and loves it and I enjoy letting him go for it.

My riding is much the same. Rail classes I can take it or leave it and score decent marks to get by on. I'm not sure I'm an elegant rider, since I don't often have anyone around to take pictures, let alone video, that I can share and dissect over and over to improve upon. I ride both English (hunt seat and dressage) and western and one of the girls at the barn asked me about it the other night. She had started out at a dressage barn but hasn't sat in an English saddle in years.  She wondered which one I'm more comfortable with? I shrugged it off as I told her that I've done both so much it's all interchangeable.

My style? Some days I still don't know. If there's one thing for sure, it's a work in progress.