Warm up/ expectations

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Elise's Equines
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Warm up/ expectations

Postby Elise's Equines » Sat Jul 16, 2022 3:57 pm

I have a loaded question, I have been riding for many years it was just last year I got serious in dressage. I had been doing little bits of it but mostly having fun as a young rider. I helped train a couple naughty ponies so it was an adjustment to come and ride at a more professional dressage barn. Sometimes when I get on I get in a training the horse mindset which closes my mind to learning which is what I am trying to do. I don't have goals when I get on nor do I have expectations. Can someone help me try and understand how to make those expectations and goals when I get on? I ride first level just as an idea.

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StraightForward
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Re: Warm up/ expectations

Postby StraightForward » Sat Jul 16, 2022 6:14 pm

I'm not sure what you mean by a training mindset, but maybe it is more a mindset of "making" the horse behave rather than training in the gymnastic sense of dressage? Also, are you riding the same horse(s) consistently, or different horses? If the same horses, you should have a basic sense of the things they need to work on, and then refine that when you get on and see how they are feeling mentally and physically that day. For me, it's helped a lot to learn more about the biomechanics and physiology that go into developing a horse, and then deciding how to address that through the training. Each ride should be an exercise in learning to feel what is going on with the horse, like where is he not supple, whether he is in front of the leg, on the forehand etc, and then using movements and exercises to address and improve on that.

There is also always plenty to work on with one's own position, so it is good to make that a focus either for a portion of each ride, or when you are on a more seasoned horse. If you can get lunge lessons, then you can also bring that work into riding on your own to develop your seat. The more you can refine your seat and develop fine control over your aids, the more you'll be able to feel into the horse and ride him in a way that makes him more straight and supple. It's kind of a never ending cycle.
Keep calm and canter on.

Elise's Equines
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Re: Warm up/ expectations

Postby Elise's Equines » Sat Jul 16, 2022 6:57 pm

Thank you, what I mean by a training mindset is I get on and try and "train" the horse because that is what I am used to, I am on very seasoned horses who know what they are doing and am trying to have them teach me. I have my horse and then I ride a couple of the school masters as well.

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StraightForward
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Re: Warm up/ expectations

Postby StraightForward » Sat Jul 16, 2022 10:35 pm

Yep, I've ridden green horses most of my life, so I get that! I finally have a horse going consistently around 2nd level, and it is a new ballgame training when you can pretty much get on and have the horse obediently W/T/C on the bit and perform basic lateral work. But then the whole world of dressage beyond that can open up to you! In your situation, I would try to get as many lessons on the schoolmasters as possible to really get a feel for when the horse is working correctly so you can get a feel for what is correct as far as straightness, bend, etc. and then work on reproducing it when you're riding on your own with the schoolmasters and your own horses. Studying theory alongside really helps a lot. You'll go much farther as an active teacher for yourself, so try to read a bit, or find a new exercise before you ride every day. Then it is kind of like being a scientist, applying the theory and learning from the horse.
Keep calm and canter on.

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Chisamba
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Re: Warm up/ expectations

Postby Chisamba » Sun Jul 17, 2022 10:52 am

Well it's OK because whether or not you try every time you ride you train. It's impossible not to, but on a seasoned horse when I warn up I take the time to assess my level of communication with the horse. I sit quietly and centered. First think I want to know is how does the horse respond to my weight. So in the walk on a long train I will simply look to see letter. For example if in on the rail I will look to x and allow my torso to follow my eyes I look to x . If the horse turns I know it is responsiveb to weight aid. Then I will experiment with my legs. If I put the flat calf of my leg on the horse how did it respond. It I squeeze with a heel what does it do, it I touch with a heel what does it do. Then I know what leg aid it is trained to.

So that gives me an idea of both it's level of training and responsiveness. I then take up a light contact . I begin to ask for inside flexion. If the horse responds appropriately I add inside leg to outside rein and find out exactly how much contact the horse requires to half half. All is that usually takes about five minutes of walk warm up. Then still in walk I will see how well the horse moves laterally. If you are a first level rider simple moving turn on the forehand and leg yield. I check for appropriate levels of response and communication at those. Then I pick up the trot. I usual start the trip in a training level contract and do circles and serpentine. Each circle I half halt four times in the circle. Sux strides in each quarter and one half half. That gives me time to individualize each aid. Inside flexion, inside leg outside rein yield and forward or what I call the five steps of the half half. I assess Amma fine tune the level of redone to each step without adding the next step until I am happy with the response. So insidecrein, does the horse soften , bend, relax the jaw. Inside leg, does the horse yield thev ribcage to the outside, outside rein, does the horse bring its outside shoulder to center and continue to step under. Yield, relax my fingers, does the horse lengthen it's neck into the contact, forward whe I add light both legs does it the step willingly forward .

Then canter, is the horse receptive to ask the aids equally well in walk, trot and canter. And in both directions.

And that is the warm up or an whole hour has gone just trying to do those things depending on the quality of the ride and level of training of the horse.

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Re: Warm up/ expectations

Postby blob » Sun Jul 17, 2022 9:34 pm

I think it can be misleading to think "i'm going to just learn from the horse" because like Chisamba said, every ride trains the horse and because ultimately the rider is still the one guiding the horse.

However, I personally find that it is helpful to approach riding a school master with the mind frame that this is an opportunity to work on myself. Is my position where I want it to be at all times? Are my aids precise and subtle? Are they getting the response that I want? Is the timing of my aids precise and clear? It can be a chance to further and further nuance--what if I use a bit less leg during the transition? Can I use more seat and less leg/hand? Can I keep the same rhythm and impulsion in and out of lateral work?

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Re: Warm up/ expectations

Postby Lipsmackerpony88 » Sun Jul 17, 2022 9:41 pm

Nothing to add because I think all the replies here are just perfect.

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Re: Warm up/ expectations

Postby piedmontfields » Mon Jul 18, 2022 2:34 pm

The description I learned is that even with a trained horse, you "warm up through the levels" of training. Your warm-up might start with your horse looking like a training level horse and end with the horse working at the level you are currently schooling. You have all of the the tools of the training scale to properly warm-up your horse and get them ready for their current work.

Also, our dear schoolmasters and elder trained horses can especially need that long walk time plus early cantering to warm up and feel loose enough to teach us! Every horse has a warm-up plan that suits them best and that plan can change over time.

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Re: Warm up/ expectations

Postby Ponichiwa » Mon Jul 18, 2022 3:02 pm

A big part of my warm up is diagnosing what to work on that day. So I'll break up the pieces we need to check:
- Reaction to the leg (via my first walk/trot transition)
- Reaction to the half-halt (via walk/halt/walk)
- Reaction to the lateral aids (via leg-yield or half pass in walk)
- Reaction to the suppling aids (via serpentines in walk or trot)

I may have some sort of macro-level plan for my ride ("Today we'll work on improving the canter for changes") but for the most part I let what I find in the warm up guide my work. Recognizing that there is often a trade-off between building suppleness and building strength/working on collection, I like to make sure that I touch both ends of that spectrum. E.g. I'll school very collected canter and medium canter with several bouts of stretching in the trot or canter to give a bit of a break.

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Re: Warm up/ expectations

Postby piedmontfields » Tue Aug 02, 2022 5:07 pm

Again, I'm a fan of Ponichiwa's approach. Test the aids, systematically.

As humans, we have to accept that we test the horse's training and understanding every ride. It can be very quick, but we still need to do it.

BTW, George Williams wrote an article in DT on this topic once (kindergarten and the aids? or something) if you want another source.


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