"I'm very visual. I also am good at making myself into a pretzel. Last night I though of how a skier in slalom changes direction with subtle motion, otherwise they'll bite it. With that subtlety, my mare easily floated back and forth in the zig zag." ~ Annette Gaynes
Horses that have been trained with force often remain somewhat in "prey animal" mode, which means that they will be always looking for a way out of the situation they are in.
"At the beginning, the horse should have a long neck, and be really going into the bit, and that I am able to always have steady contact with a willingness of the horse to go forward. They are a little down at the beginning when I do my warm up, it doesn’t matter if it is a four-year-old or a Grand Prix horse, the first ten minutes are the same. Then when you go to collect, you try to keep them in exactly this position – in front of your leg so the horse is always willing to go forwards, and out." ~ Hubertus Schmidt
As an Eventer, it is smart to do some of your canter flatwork at the gallop, to teach your horse that the extra speed of the gallop is not an excuse to be wild or disobedient.
Here is an exercise that will help you to show your horse how to carry himself in a better way within the confines of the Dressage ring - helping him to be more ready to perform any movement that might be coming! (Click on Article title above to read full entry)
"In the half halt that creates carrying power, we are asking the horse to slow down and carry more weight when his hind leg joints are closed and his hind foot is on the ground. The levade, in which the horse sits on his hindquarters, is the ultimate example of this kind of closing of the joints while carrying the weight." ~ George Williams
"In matters regarding their nature, it is hardly surprising that horses can outwit the rider with considerable ease – after all, they only need to be themselves to succeed. This is so, because in horsemanship the task lies entirely with the rider to become more horse-like, and not for the horse to become human. But, as we gain better understanding of the creatures and find greater harmony with them, we discover to our delight that they feel neither the need nor desire to outwit the rider, and usually come more than halfway to comply with any reasonable requests." ~ Erik Herbermann
The bigger the jump, the more the horse must rock back and lift upwards on the takeoff. Therefore as the jumps get bigger, it becomes even more important that you are poised and patient with your upper body off the ground.
It is not wise to practice your Dressage tests in their entirety very often. Doing so will only cause your horse to learn the test and begin to anticipate the different movements. If you can get your horse truly connected and on the aids, the tests themselves will be easy. Spend most of your Dressage schooling time improving the connection and your horse's carriage, rather than test riding.
In discussing different training methods, and the use of various training gadgets such as draw reins, it is common for those defending their methods to say that as long as we get to the same place in the end, it doesn’t really matter how we get there. But those who jiggle the reins to bring down their horse’s head, or use strong bits or draw reins to force the horse to become more obedient, so that he is more likely to keep his head in the right place no matter what the rest of his body is doing, will not end up in the same place as those who take the time to teach the horse to correctly seek the connection. If Rome is where we want to be, the road they are on will NOT take them there! Read on to find out why! (Click on Article Title above to read full entry)
"First thing I look at when I buy a horse is paces rather than breeding. Beautiful parents don’t always produce beautiful children. I’m not looking for the flashiest paces, but also the trainablility and rideability. How are you going to keep a big, flamboyant mover sound into Grand Prix? You want an easy mover." ~ Carl Hester
Even for those of you who already have your flying changes down pat, it is a good idea to sometimes practice simple changes when jumping courses in training. Simple changes of lead are a great way to remind your horse that jumping a course is really flatwork with some jumps in the way.
Make sure that you never sacrifice the quality of your horse's movement when you are practicing lateral exercises. Keep your focus on maintaining an even rhythm and level of impulsion, with a nice relaxed swinging back, quiet soft hands, and a consistent connection throughout. If you start to struggle with any of those qualities, it is best to come out of the movement, and fix any issues before trying again.
A healthy muscle in your horse's body is pliable and feels a little like a beef roast. It should continue to feel pliable, without tensing up, when you palpate it.
Always challenge yourself to use as little hand as possible in riding any exercise or movement. The more freedom your horse has up front, the more expressive his movement will be.
"No matter if you are a horse, a rider, a dancer, or even a tennis player, tension is your enemy. Suppleness means that the muscles contract and de-contract, and this has to go through the entire horse, it cannot be blocked in the middle of the back, and it also has to go through the rider." ~ Susanne Miesner
If you quit on the right note when working on a difficult concept during training, many horses seem to ponder the concept, and come out even better the next day. Those that say horses do not think deeply are decidedly mistaken.
Which of these 2 horses is reaching more into the rein connection? How can you tell? (Click on Discussion title above, to join in or read this educational discussion.)
"A lot of riders think that will make their jumping better by jumping as many jumps as possible. They will go and get a jumping lesson, as opposed to a dressage lesson or doing some physical exercises to teach them body awareness skills, and probably the last would help them most." ~ Andrew Hoy
If you have truly done the right preparation for a medium or extended trot (or canter), you should need to do very little to actually ask for the movement. You should be able to simply allow it to happen… no mad kicking necessary.
When trying to find your balance, whether for posting at the trot, jumping a fence, or anything in between - you will always be in one of three positions: Either ahead of the motion (too far forward), behind the motion (too far back), or exactly with the motion (perfect). If you have a strong tendency to be in one of the positions other than perfect… say you are often a bit too far forward, don't be discouraged if you find yourself going the other way (too far back) when trying to break your bad habit and make a change. It is a perfectly normal part of the process of finding your balance. Riders will almost always teeter back and forth over that line…. sometimes a bit too far forward, and sometimes a bit too far back, before they find that perfect middle ground.
Once your horse is fairly solid at first level Dressage, a good thing to ask yourself regularly while riding is, "Could I easily go into shoulder in at this moment?"
If your horse is balanced and straight, and stepping up into your outside rein, you should be able to promptly and easily create a quality shoulder in at any spot in the arena, no matter what gait or figure you are currently riding.
"Anyone using their spur every stride, should be yellow carded and kicked out of the sport. Use your whip, get a response, then ask again with your leg, and get a light response." ~ Christopher Burton
This is a subject that so many people have strong opinions on… with one end of the spectrum saying that we shouldn’t be working young horses until they have fully matured, and others saying that a certain amount of work in those formative years is important to build a truly strong athlete. As is often the case in the subject of horses... the middle ground is usually the best. Horses that are pushed too hard or too fast (at any age) can easily suffer negative physical and mental consequences. But young horses in particular require a careful program, as their internal support structures (bones, tendons, and ligaments) are rarely as developed as their muscular bodies might be suggesting. (Click on Article Title above to read full article.)
Think of Dressage training exercises as physical therapy for your horse… similar to the strength training that you might do at the gym. Do a few good reps of a particular exercise, and take a break, or move on to something else. Overtraining any particular group of muscles can be counter productive, often doing more harm than good.
You can't assume that a horse with a low head and neck is on the forehand, any more than you can assume that a horse with a high head carriage is truly collected. You have to look at the whole picture.
When your horse is impressed by a jump, and gathers itself a bit to "look" on the approach, you have a free half halt. Do not get caught taking back in this situation, or you may cause your horse to stop. Think "keep the hind legs moving" all the way to the base of the jump to ensure that you maintain sufficient forward energy as the horse looks. Yet don't push them out of balance by trying to run at the jump.
