DefinitelyDressage.com

Last 3 rides Miss A. has decided that she can stop after 4 or 5 strides of trotting. Her saddle fit is fine, her teeth are fine, she's not off, her back is fine. Last night after this shenanigans I had Brad ride her and no problem trotting. I get on her and nope. She may be having a come to Jesus lesson Saturday. And she's doing a weird headset that reminds me of Baroque horses. Arching up with her neck and taking mincing steps. I don't know.

Hmm, I'd give her a job to do, trotting over cavaletti or serpentines. Do a TOF or other "work" when she decides she's done trotting, or trot three strides, almost walk, then trot off again quickly. Not sure if you're asking for advice, but if I was sure she wasn't having a physical problem, the come to Jesus would happen immediately.

Advice would be wonderful. Last night I did walk/trot transitions. But I'm such a bubble-wrap rider, I didn't want to push her....

Check yourself too that you are not anticipating her stopping and bracing/holding yourself to signal her in some way. I always check myself that my posture and "body issues" are not sending mixed signals. That said my guy has done some snail mode walking as soon as I enter the ring from trails. I had to do some tune up to move on.

PaulaO wrote:Last 3 rides Miss A. has decided that she can stop after 4 or 5 strides of trotting. Her saddle fit is fine, her teeth are fine, she's not off, her back is fine. Last night after this shenanigans I had Brad ride her and no problem trotting. I get on her and nope. She may be having a come to Jesus lesson Saturday. And she's doing a weird headset that reminds me of Baroque horses. Arching up with her neck and taking mincing steps. I don't know.

The arching up of the neck and mincing steps would be a red flag to me. You cannot tell if the back is fine just from looking or palpalting it. There can be pain w/o having it be noticeable. Some horses will continue to work through pain if pushed. If she was a new horse to you and did this, then maybe I might think it was behavioral. You've owned/leased her for a long time and she's not done this. If it is pain related, it won't be an easy thing to diagnose w/o extensive diagnostics being that she isn't showing limb lameness.

Totally agree with MC. Try to figure out if maybe she did something in turnout or her stall..... How does she act when trotting out on the lead or lunge line? It does sound like she is reacting to something. Wish they could talk.

Trots in hand just fine. Trotted with ears forward with Brad. She trotted fine when I sat the trot. Posting when she stopped. I wonder if my posting position is the reason.

i am more inclined to think that it is behavioral. however if she stalls when you post, saddle fit might just have changed.

But she trots fine with the guy. And Paula is an admitted "bubble wrap" rider. Just a naughty horse.

I recently changed from an A/P saddle with a felt half pad (on top of a regular pad) to my dressage saddle with no felt pad. I will put the half pad back and see if that changes. I have a feeling it might be my "defensive" riding position. Often the arena is busy and I get anxious. I noticed lately when I post I leeeaaaan forward and hunch over. I have an Oh Jesus strap that I use when I sit the trot so I am upright with open shoulders.

I had such anxiety over this last night that I was having heart palpitations. It's been a stressful time for me at work. Maybe tonight Miss A. and I will just groom and hang together.

So, since she works with Brad, the question is what you are doing differently than him. Leaning forward (sounds like a big contender, its like having a stack of books fall forward, and a greener horse will stop moving with that), gripping with the leg rather than being passive, there is something different. Perhaps combine ground support (raising a lunge whip) will help, or touch of bat onto shoulder, or ? W/o seeing the refusal it is difficult to point out.

PaulaO wrote:I recently changed from an A/P saddle with a felt half pad (on top of a regular pad) to my dressage saddle with no felt pad. I will put the half pad back and see if that changes. I have a feeling it might be my "defensive" riding position. Often the arena is busy and I get anxious. I noticed lately when I post I leeeaaaan forward and hunch over. I have an Oh Jesus strap that I use when I sit the trot so I am upright with open shoulders.

I had such anxiety over this last night that I was having heart palpitations. It's been a stressful time for me at work. Maybe tonight Miss A. and I will just groom and hang together.

Something similar is happening to me with my mare Rocky at lessons. Try not to worry PaulaO. Worrying won’t help but calmly assessing the situation might. I was excited to post my goals on the new goals and progress thread BUT, found that I need to think carefully about my situation first. I am still thinking....

Our situations are, of course, not exactly the same,so our solutions will be different. I think you are wise to just groom and hang with Ariel tonight. I also like the idea of going back to the half pad, maybe even the A/P saddle for a while. Many mares seem to be especially sensitive to stuff like that. Give yourself the time you need to process things. Don’t worry unnecessarily. You have come a long with since you started riding Ariel and the background you have together is good and important. Keep that in mind, and build on it. Grooming and hanging together is positive and in my opoinion, highly underrated in the “dressage world”.

Last night she was back to her sassy self. Don't curry me, don't brush my ears, give me treats. I did hand walking/trotting in the arena, walking over poles, TOF, leg yielding. She trotted in hand just fine. Tomorrow is lesson day and we shall see how she goes...

And our lesson was wonderful. She moved off my leg sharply, trotting just fine. We did lots of walk/trot/walk transitions, rock backs then trotting off. She was most excellent!

Have I mentioned how much I love my red headed mare??? ❤️

super news!

YAY!!! So glad to hear about this "most excellant" mare!

The excellent mare club is an awesome place.

Glad for the good update!

My mare can get like this when she's in heat, I would track the days that it happens and see if it coincides.

i second what orono said!

orono wrote:My mare can get like this when she's in heat, I would track the days that it happens and see if it coincides.

excellent point