He doesn't do anything bad, his neck is just tight, he's not through. His tenseness has gotten worse since we're riding Novice and our tests are early, 8am. How do I calm/relax him before our event dressage tests?
My current approach is to: 1. walk him around the dressage arena the night before 2. start warming up 1 hour before 3. walk a lot, talking to him and allowing him to stretch out 4. do lots of walk-trot-walk transitions, canter-walk transitions and shoulder in.
I'll take any ideas: preparation, warm up, supplements that might help.. drugs for him or me ;) Thanks! (Catherine)
Hi Catherine!
You are not alone! Tension at shows is a very common problem! It sounds like you have the right idea with your current approach. I do have a few things to add... some of which you may already be doing, but I will mention them anyways. Along with some advice on warm up for the Dressage phase and dealing with tension in Dressage... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 112Systematic, progressive training is like stacking one building block squarely on top of another, to eventually build a strong, solid building.Tip/Quote of the Day # 111Think of that girth tight against your horse's side… after a while he tunes that out and barely notices it. The same will happen with your legs if they are always tight and clamped on his sides.Tip/Quote of the Day # 110Most riders don't do nearly enough transitions in their daily work sessions.Discussion # 76: Is this horse behind the bit? Or behind the vertical?Is this horse behind the bit, behind the vertical, or both? Is there something about the rider's position that may be contributing to this problem? And what should the rider do to fix this situation? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Whenever a horse lifts one knee higher than the other over a jump, it is usually indicative of a horse that is out of balance laterally. That low right knee means that your horse.... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 107"If we don't ask for a shorter frame and more suppleness, the horse won't offer it," ~ Steffen PetersTip/Quote of the Day # 106"It is not what you don't know that causes problems, it is what you don't know that you don't know." ~ Brian SaboThe Bravery Test (Current freebie!)
A good Event horse must be brave. To be really safe in this sport, the horse has to really want to go tackle the unknown wherever we may be pointing them. Many hearts have been broken over beautiful, athletic, and talented horses that just didn't have this quality. While bravery can be developed to some degree through training, most horses have an innate limit. And it is a shame to waste time, money, and effort... not to mention mental anguish, and sometimes even injury... to try to take a horse past that limit.
So how can you tell if the horse you are working with is innately brave or not? I have a quick easy little test that I have found to quite accurately predict how brave and willing a horse will be. And no, it is not jumping through a ring of fire! Read on to find out about this little test that can be done with a horse of any age or level of experience: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
So, as with Monday morning quarterbacking, today is the day to look back on our first schooling show and review where we are and what we’ve learned. This is the very first time Lexi and I have completed an entire cross country course or stadium course withmore than 4 jumps in a row. In fact, in our stadium round she started to slow down after about the 5th jump. I have no doubt she thought she was done. No way Jose! (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Question # 148: I'm finding it very hard to think further ahead than the next fence when jumping a course. I find I concentrate on riding that fence, then land, and think 'Now where.... ahh yes'. By then I've inevitably landed on the wrong lead.... or lost my nice rhythmical canter. Is there anything I can do - any exercises (on or off horse) to get myself thinking further ahead, or is it just a case of practice...practice...practice? I'm happy to do the practice, but if there is some advice you can give that would help now, I'd really appreciate it! Many thanks (Catherine)
Hi Catherine!
This is quite a common problem! And definitely have an negative effect on your courses, usually making them rough and somewhat disorganized. The trick is to have your course firmly embedded into your subconscious, so that your responses on course can be fairly automatic. Read this article on how to achieve that... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 103“In the art of riding, any excuse to yield is justified.” ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 102"The legs bring the horse to the seat, and the seat brings the horse to the hands. When the teacher says "shorten the reins" it needs to be translated into: "engage the hind legs, sit on them, and then take the slack out of the reins", because if you shorten the reins from front to back, the horse will only resist." ~ Thomas Ritter Tip/Quote of the Day # 101Lunge lessons are one of the best ways to improve a rider's seat. They allow the rider to focus more on learning to feel what their body is doing, as they don't have to worry about controlling the horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 100 Be careful to use the same emphasis, speed, and tone of voice with any voice commands. This helps to make things very clear to your horse. I often see riders yelling and screaming a voice command such as "whoa", in such a way that the horse probably has no idea what they are saying. Horses don't learn the words per se, they learn what something sounds like. Quiz # 20: What are some ways a rider can get eliminated on cross country at an Event?What are some ways a rider can get themselves eliminated on the cross country phase at an Event? (Click on Quiz Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Tip/Quote of the Day # 99A key to success is the rider's ability to differentiate between resisting and pulling on the reins.Tip/Quote of the Day # 98Always try to respond rather than simply reacting. Always try to listen more than you talk. And always think and ask questions rather than assuming. The Different Schools of Dressage
If you watch, listen, or read enough Dressage theory, you will probably find that there are many different philosophies on the subject. And much of the information available is often confusing... and contradictory. There are two main (and nearly polar opposite) schools of thought regarding Dressage - the French and the German. And many trainers (like me) have systems that fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum that spans between the two extremes. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read the full article)
That can be a very annoying problem! And some highly strung horses never fully overcome their fidgetiness. If she is an otherwise good horse, I would probably be inclined to meet her half way. Meaning that you only really ask her to stand when it is absolutely necessary. If you really do want to work on her ability to stand still, then as with any behavioral issue, you have to decide if your horse is... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 96The more you know, the more your horse will appreciate you :)Tip/Quote of the Day # 95The rider's elbows should at all times act as a hinge, following the horse's movement much like the rubber donut in side reins. Tip/Quote of the Day # 94The upper arm belongs to the rider's seat, while the rider's lower arm belongs to the horse, and should be forward feeling at all times. Photo # 50: This is Kayla!(Click on Photo Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this photo)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 93"You are going to meet a fence one of three ways - short, right or long. Therefore you want to meet it on a stride that the horse can work from - a bouncy energetic canter - then he can add if he needs to and pat the ground, or say thanks for getting me here right." ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 92If you are struggling to achieve something, it can often be helpful to act "as if" you already have the qualities you desire.Tip/Quote of the Day # 91If the horse doesn't want to be straight in his body, you can best improve him by exaggerating the opposite of whatever tendency he has. If he likes to over bend his neck to the left and carry his haunches to the left - regularly ask for flexion and bend through the body to the right (no matter which direction you are going.)Tip/Quote of the Day # 90
A correct inside bend in the body is truly evident only when there is a soft, almost loose inside rein.
This is a great question, as so many riders struggle to find that elusive elastic connection with their horse's mouth! First of all, before a rider has any real chance of finding a good rein connection, they must... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 89
Always straighten a horse by bringing the shoulders over into alignment, rather than by attempting to move the haunches.
The Trials and Tribulations of bringing along talented horses (The Black Horse Chronicle)
I am fortunate to work with a variety of horses each year, generally ranging from unbroke 3 year olds to well brought along horses with their particular quirks well installed. With the huge jump in the popularity of OTTBs (yay!!) I am also seeing a... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
This exercise promotes lateral suppleness, and encourages the horse to move with a relaxed, swinging back: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Practicing transitions on a circle allows you to utilize the bend and increased engagement from the circle to improve the connection in your transitions.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 85Counting each stride out loud or in your head can help you to maintain a rhythm and an even stride when jumping, and is a great trick to keep the troublesome part of your brain quiet as you negotiate fences.Quiz # 18: Rule quiz! If you are competing novice level, and there is a flagged beginner novice cross country jump on your path, can you jump it if you want to?If you are competing novice level, and there is a flagged beginner novice cross country jump on your path, can you jump it if you want to? (Click on Quiz Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Tip/Quote of the Day # 84"It’s normal to lose momentum when pursuing goals. Sometimes this happens because we’re not truly committed to our goals. Other times, it’s because we struggle to hold ourselves accountable for doing the necessary work… but it’s time to re-focus, re-energize, and re-align with your goals and dreams so you can achieve greater success and finish off the year strong!" ~ Jack CanfieldTip/Quote of the Day # 83In training the horse to be more responsive and self motivated, it is better to use the whip than the spur as reinforcement. As if the horse only ever feels light aids on his sides, he will be more sensitized to that light pressure. While reinforcing with the spur might get the job done, a touch with the whip behind the saddle will do a better job of keeping him sensitive to a light aid on his sides. Question # 145: I have a very busy brain. Because of this I over think everything! Unless it is a very complicated question... I can complete complicated jumps with ease, ...but I often mess up on simple outside lines. This frustrates my trainer to no end. I have only been riding 19 months and eventing for 4 months. I know that if I can fix this now I will do better in the long run. Any suggestions on how to help with over thinking? Anything helps, thanks! (Katie)
Hi Katie!
Ah, the joys of an over active mind! You are probably highly intelligent, with a higher than average ability to process and apply information. This, like any other trait, has its pros and cons. As you describe, you will thrive when things get hard... which is when many riders become overwhelmed. But you will have to learn to... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 82The horse's favorite reward is the release of the aid.
