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Dresseur

Thank you for all of the suggestions! I've tried full seats in different makes and fabrics, I HATE the feel. But, I love the euroseat, which seem to follow the seam lines of full seats...I find it to be super flattering. I think I'd be ok if the seat was a similar fabric, but I don't like when the f...

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I would hope to!
They make custom breeches?? I may have to spring for that. Sigh...

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Hmm. I do know a seamstress that may be able to help. And I'll take a peek at the Horze breeches.
Thanks!

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Yes it is. And my list of "don't wants" is long

I don't want bling, I don't want back pockets, I don't want silicone grippiness, I don't want see-through... sigh.

Just plain, white, high waisted, knee patch breeches. A euroseat is a plus. Are they out there?!

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I have less than 7 weeks before I put on a shadbelly for the first time :shock: :shock: With that in mind, I started looking at my show breeches. I'm not into spending 100's of dollars on breeches - my favorite pair are TuffRiders ribbed white knee patch breeches because they are comfortable, wear l...

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Sorry, thread JUMP!

Chisamba had started a thread about lightness and contact and I thought she meant to post her latest reply under that.

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I think that we had a thread ump lol.... In any case, I think that we can all agree that the lightening or release of the reins is necessary. But, horses aren't born trained, so, when you feel weight, you have to take a hh and release, while simultaneously energizing the hind so that the horse can l...

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Khall, I think in moments when there is more firmness, no, they are not in self-carriage - the rider is helping to support the horse in that instance. I don't think that the rider should be satisfied with constant heavy, dead pressure. The goal should always be to have the horse as light as it can b...

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Very interesting subject. A couple of things that I think of - 1. different riders perceive weight differently. A weak rider (musculature only) will feel that a horse with 3lbs of weight in the reins has 10lbs and a strong rider will think that same 3lbs is much less. 2. Horses also have a preferenc...

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I'm going to take a moment and say that this is the funniest thing that I have read in a long time! now, i have not ever actually seen a whore in action. Nor did i ever take whoring lessons, so my image of what the hips of a whore are like may be exceptionally different from some one else. :lol: :lo...

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So, no, I don't subscribe to that method, nor does my coach. When I first started dressage, I had a teacher who taught that, I spent a long time unlearning it, but initially, it does make it easier to "sit", but you are less influential IMO. Basically, what I've been taught is that the pel...

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Agreed, a good float can make a world of difference. And yes, younger horses tend to need more attention because their teeth are softer- I get M's checked every 6 months just to make sure.

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I'm lucky enough to be in an area where we got a break from the February cold and got to enjoy temperatures in the mid-60's this weekend. That meant riding outside!!! Miro was, as always, a rockstar and as always, we found ourselves with an audience! I swear he's going to think he needs an entourage...

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Sigh, yesterday was a kick in the breeches on Gala. The order of the day was trot/passage transitions and it took 45 minutes to figure it out, and while the lesson was learnt, I don't know that it's sunk in. Sigh. I should start a blog

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More Carl please!

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Mare, I pm'd you.

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Flight, if you can feel that, you have won half the battle! I was feeling it, and my instinct was that he was being lazy behind, but didn't want to start jazzing him up without talking to my coach first since I don't want to over face him. Gwen, yes, you're absolutely right with the collection =\= s...

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I love iffeting! Perfect word! Gwen, welcome back, and Flight, please do share! Everything has been trucking along pretty smoothly in my world except for the 2s on Gala. I'm twisting or something, she's not straight enough - can't put my finger on it, but the 4s, 3s and 1s all work. It's like there'...

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Ok, finally back at it, had an all day work session, no phones or computers allowed :lol: So, here are my thoughts. One, I find the assumption that the horse is being defensive, or that if we seek to make the neck lower for a moment in time, that we are being forceful, interesting. I also find the a...

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I think that subscribing to a one size fits all approach can be problematic. I expect a response from the horses that I ride and handle, period, end of story. So, if I do not get a response, or a try (it can be a very small try), I do something about it - and what I do, depends on what I feel is hap...

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The conversation re where to ride a horse is something that I find to be fascinating. The absolute to me is that you ride the horse in the posture that is best suited to get to the back and the hind legs. If you don't have the back and you don't have the hinds, you have nothing that will gymnastical...

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Thank you! As you know from our conversations, this has been a bit of a struggle - but we're consistently getting much better reach to the bridle. We also started stretching work, getting him to reach down and open up and this seems to be helping quite a bit, but even with completely loose reins, he...

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Khall, I'm glad that you are getting some good news even though you're not out of the woods yet. Flight, hopefully you are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and are coming out of the FC hump! My lessons on Gala are continuing, I was able to ask for and get 2's and 1's, so I'm incredibly exci...

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Great post to read Dresseur, because that uphill feeling with quicker hindlegs is now what I think I'm feeling I need to have more of, but since me and my horse are learning together, it's hard to know what is right and what's not. I've entered a comp next month at medium/3rd level. I'm not sure if...

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I've never heard of that Khall, it sounds scary. You can count on my jingles!

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It looks like everything is healing well. Swelling is way down, just slightly warm, still sound on it. Of course, the bute can mask some of it- but I'm satisfied that nothing catastrophic happened that will surprise me as he weans off the bute. Whew!

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Today it was quite warm and swollen. Still not markedly off on it. Just a wee bit at the trot. I hand-walked him and cold-hosed. Started a bute regimen and applied a furazone sweat to get the swelling down. I also found a lovely deep cut on his left eyelid. Sigh...

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Progress on Gala seems infinitesimal. Not enough quickness behind, not enough up in the shoulders, not enough straightness, not in front of my back/leg enough- the litany of sins is great when trying not to act like a monkey on a GP horse! I'm feeling glimpses of what IS "enough" but when ...

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My surprise is the lovely boo-boo on his inside right front cannon bone

At least he's not off on it, but it gave me a bit of a scare, I'll be watching closely for any signs of infection because of course it was also slathered in a good helping of mud!

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My guess is that I don't have a snowball's chance in #%% to get in. Seems like it would be fairly political. But one can dream! And I may just submit an application, just in case

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http://www.neda.org/event/2017FallSymposium

Wow, wow, wow! Maine is STILL a haul for me, but oh to be able to see this. Or to be a demo rider!!!

Dear Carl, please keep coming to the East Coast!

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I had a gut reaction that your boy may have been one to slam on the brakes! :lol: I wouldn't abandon the canter on the spots (not saying you are, but it WILL help with the piri work if you start getting more honest responses there too). Think of it not as a transition to bring it down to, think of i...

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I use that exercise, w piri right, walk straight, walk piri left, left lead canter, collect and walk. Then repeat walk piri left, walk straight, walk piri right, right lead canter, collect and walk - but, even the w piris, I don't shut down. I always school them pretty large - it makes it much less ...

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This is also why I like the the haunches in on a large circle, you can keep the sweep and fluidity of the stride, and you are bringing the hind under more, which helps with collection and will build strength. I would not/do not wait until the canter on the spot is 100% confirmed - you can work on th...

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Info pm'd to you!

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Mods, I'm putting this here since it's relevant to dressage training, but please delete if this violates the rules - I'm not selling, just letting people know that the publisher of Paul Belasik's Dressage for the 21st Century is looking to liquidate about 300 books. I can put people in touch with he...

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The publisher of Paul Belasik's Dressage for the 21st Century is looking to liquidate about 300 books. Please PM me for her email if you are interested. Either singles or you can buy in lots. These books are brand new, not used.

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Overall 2017 goals! We'll see what happens. - Silver medal, and if all goes well, an Intermediare debut may be in the books. - For Miro, we're not looking to compete much. Maybe take him out at 2nd level by the end of summer. He's qualified for the 1st level regional championships, but we're not goi...

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How is the regular haunches in and how big of a circle are you on? When I start it, I literally ask for 2 or 3 steps and then back out on a very large circle. The other thing to check on is your canter/collected canter. Does that hollow and slow also? If so, make sure the hinds are staying active- c...

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Ok, also a very fun discussion! I've heard trainers talk about doing piris from the shoulder in, or moving the shoulders around the haunches. I've not seen piris taught with that method that actually sat and had the inside hind stroke up under the mass. IMO, that method tends to produce piris that s...

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HafDressage, I disagree a bit - many of the books from the ODG talk about changing from the hip, or back. It's a very classical way to ask for changes. Maybe I was a bit misleading, I don't do nothing with my leg, but my leg is not the initiator of the change, nor is it the initiator of the canter s...

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You could teach a horse to respond to inside leg....or outside leg... or touching the shoulder, or hip or any damned thing that you timed correctly, did consistently I agree with this. Flying changes are incredibly personal to a horse and rider team, and you can teach them any way that you want to....

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Yes, there is only one time that you can give the aids for the change and have them go through, and that is when the hind legs are in the air. If you give it when one or both of the hinds are on the ground, the horse can't physically change lead until the hinds are in flight again, (that would be an...

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I would agree that perception of something happening at the time of the aid can be off. However, in the way that I'm being taught to ride the change and teach the change, the movement of the leg is a reciprocal action from the hip. The leg is not giving the aid. Also, the collection is part of the s...

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I'm so glad that you are having breakthroughs and that progress is being made. (Glad for everyone, really!) And yes, like I said, when you are training the changes, it's definitely natural for it to come after the aid. In terms of a rider learning how to really ride changes, as well as train changes...

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Hmm. I would say that when teaching changes, yes, the change often happens after the aids. The way that I am learning to ride them and teach them, the set up is actually part of the aid to change, so that when I change my hip, the horse changes at that exact moment as well - there is no lag in ask a...

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My December goals are kind of nebulous, because what I'm working on won't necessarily have a linear progression. For M - steering has returned, but I want to keep making sure that I'm not letting him stiffen on the left rein. He finds the work that he's doing easy, and I want to keep it happy and li...

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I'm in a very interesting place right now in terms of my education as a rider and as a trainer. In regards to training - Mr. Miro has forgotten how to steer, or rather, I let some things creep in that I didn't recognize as being harbingers to a bit of an issue and now I'm working through the fall ou...

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I had almost this exact problem with Willie when we started teaching him the changes. His were never late, but we needed to help him by tapping on the new inside with the whip and kicking changes turned to bucking changes in short order. I was told that fixing the bucking/kicking always doable and t...

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Khall, that sounds like what I'm doing as well. The big thing is that I cannot hold on the reins, which for me can be hard - because when I work hard, I tend to crunch up and bring my hands back to my body. So, I have to think hh, let go (or give or soften or whatever term works best). But more impo...

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