It seems like every day, showing horses gets harder and harder. Horses are getting nicer and everyone out there is a good rider. We are all consistently looking for ways to get better and perfect the fine points of our performances. It seems there is no better way to take your game to the next level than to see what the judges see. As riders, we look at the horse’s neck and have to rely on feel to take care of the rest. The judges see our profile and watch us from the ground, so it only makes sense that videoing is the best way to get the judges perspective of our performance.
I recently watched the documentary Tom vs. Time and, although I am not a New England Patriots fan, I loved it. One thing that had me intrigued was how much time Patriots quarterback Tom Brady spends watching film. And not just watching the game back once but pining over individual seconds of the game. He says he watches film all day Monday, all day Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. He even mows over preseason games down to the play for changes and ways to make things better. He studies when they win and even more so when they lose. And he’s not alone; this is common practice with professional athletes today. It’s part of their daily preparation, and they are getting paid to do it.
This got me thinking about how much the horse show world has changed with the ability to video our horses so much more conveniently. Football players are watching the other players to learn their tells, plays and try to outsmart the other team. As horse trainers, we are looking more at the movement of the horses or mistakes we have made in our technique or the technique and timing of our students.
So often, when you are riding and showing horses, things on their back can feel so much different than they look. We talk about feel so much on a daily basis, and the way to get better is actually to see what’s going on from the ground level.
I have found myself videoing a lot lately. I think it’s so helpful for my students to watch themselves on video. It is so easy to forget what just happened in a pattern or a long rail class. When you can watch the video back, you can dissect everything that has occurred without leaving anything out. There is indeed no denying an instant replay of your class as soon as you come out of the pen. But even on a daily basis, I believe we all can improve by watching ourselves ride, even in our backyard.
I also asked a few competitors whether they watch videos of themselves to improve their performances in the show arena.
Kaleena Weakly – I feel like it’s one of the more critical parts of our training/learning process. In one aspect, in patterns, I feel like many times, my ride may not feel as good as I’d hoped. But when I can review the video, more times than not, I like what I see, and it has helped me become a more confident showman and always to keep showing even if you feel like you had a misstep or bobble with your horse. It is also super helpful with green horses; I like to look back and see how they have progressed (or maybe not progressed) and see what you did in the past that worked or didn’t work, better. It’s super helpful in the trail to be able to playback and compare the pace you had and the spots you chose, and even how your horse profiles in specific bridles. I love videos.
Meg DePalma Whelan – I feel that having your rides/patterns filmed is essential in the critiquing process. We are our biggest critics and having the ability to watch yourself for errors or improvements is sometimes tough to do. We rely on our trainer’s feedback but seeing it for yourself I think is better. I honestly don’t see videos much of myself because I forget to ask a barn mate to tape, but when someone does, I probably watch it a dozen times. Each time I see something, I don’t like and want to improve the next time around.
Julian Harris – It’s essential for me because I️ do a lot on my own. I’ve had a lot of horses that feel better than they look and sometimes a horse moves the best when it doesn’t feel good at all.
Lan
a Markway – I watch film all the time from home and at shows. I feel like it’s essential since I ride mostly by myself. My mom tries to be my second set of eyes, but she’s not always around.
Meredith Landy – I use video any time I can find someone to video me; show pen, practice, wherever. It is such a valuable tool. You know when your trainer tells you to pull in your elbows and you think to yourself, they can’t go in any further? Watch the video, and you will see that space that the trainer saw and you didn’t feel. There’s nothing like it to better yourself.
Jenna Tolson – I have a love-hate relationship with watching videos of myself. It’s not always fun to do when something went wrong in the show pen, but it is still insightful. We videotape a lot of our practice rides too. So often, the way something feels can be way different than the way something looks, both good and bad, so it always helps to have a video to back up what you’re feeling or what you think you look like. Smartphones have made taking quick videos so easy today. I don’t see any reason why you wouldn’t.
Cori Cansdale – I do watch videos of my rides. I find it extremely helpful to see what my weaknesses are and what I need to focus on inside and out of the show pen. Seeing myself gives me the opportunity to make my observations about my riding and see what my trainer is talking about.
Gentry Cherry – I think it’s beneficial. Before I showed at the youth world, I only rode the horse I showed five times before. So, I watched the video of Jimmy, the guy who won the NRHA Derby on him about a month before over and over again to see what I needed to do to ride as closely like him as possible.
Beckie Peskin – I don’t show with Robin (Frid) a good portion of the year, so I have friends video me and then use it to see where I need improvement. Often, things feel one way but don’t look like what it feels like. I have caught so many little things that I can improve on this way.
Whitney Vicars– It seems I get to watch more of my show videos than practice videos because someone isn’t always readily available to video practice. However, when prepping for the major shows, I always ask my mom or husband ahead of time to be there to film some of my practices. I think it is very beneficial. It allows you to have a visual of what your coach or trainer is trying to tell you is happening with your body or horse. I have found it to be very helpful with my showmanship run especially. Sometimes you aren’t fully aware your body is doing something until you see it, and then it’s like, “oh, that’s what I’m doing. Gotta quit that!” I’ve also found it instrumental in developing better feel for my horse. If you feel like your horse is doing something different with his/her movement but you just aren’t sure what or if you like it, watching it on video gives you a visual for that feel and then you have a better understanding of what’s happening when you feel that.
Do you like watching videos of yourself? What benefits have you gotten from the practice? Let us know.
