Goals and Progress May/June 2017

[Gwen]

Svv he looks gorgeous! Love that hind leg.

[Sue B]

Gwen, it sounds like you had a real break through regarding Callie's spook n scoot, Congratulations! I remember reading something like that in a ODG book about dressage training and thinking "yeah, but they don't know my crazy horse." Turns out, however, "they" were right. If you take that energy and use it for good instead of evil, the spookiness becomes less dramatic over time. My two that I have now, I started from scratch, and they both know that whatever silliness they may have will simply be put to more work because I refuse to play into it. The spookiest horse I ever had was Lad, and while he never lost his extreme reactivity, it did become much more manageable over time as I learned to just "go with it." Btw, i love your mare, she looks similar to my little power house, Rudy.

Welcome back svv, it looks like you are having a blast at the schooling show. I'm thinking about doing little horse trial derbies with my 2nd/3rd lvl horse, Rudy, this summer, if I can figure out how to jump in my dressage saddle without hurting my knees.

Moutaineer, still jingling that Laddie hurries up and heals and that the stem cell therapy works!

Khall, I am so happy to hear that Rip is still ripping around. Jingles that maybe he can have a long life as a pasture pet at least.

Cb06, love the pictures of you and your ASB. Welcome back.

So I rode both days this weekend and have been too busy to ride since (maybe tonight?). Tio insisted on cantering Sunday, and while he got a little tense at times (wind was cookin'), he is gaining in confidence every time we do it and never once offered to buck. My baby is finally growing up I think. One of the days I will get some pictures of the kid to prove it. Rudy continues to progress and I think is strong enough again to start working those flying changes; which means I have to find a time when I can go meet up with an upper level instructor friend and get some coaching. I don't have mirrors and ds was too busy to video, but judging from the feel I get and his shadow, Rudy was honestly reaching out to the bit and holding a very nice 2nd/3rd level frame, ie with nose ahead of the vertical instead of curling behind. It takes so much concentration on my part to be very still (and forward) with my hands, upright in my body with open and flexible hips, and draped with my whole leg. Oh my gosh but climbing the levels is hard. I would love to see my coach ride him.

[Kyra's Mom]

Everyone is so busy and making good progress.

I had my post-op visit yesterday and got the green light to work back into normal activities. Yeah . Riding won't be one of those for awhile. Of course I am still sore so riding won't be until that is no longer an issue. That is OK. I have lots of ground work to do. I have been working via the internet with Karen Rohlf's programs so I have a vast amount of groundwork material to work on and would like to do a bit more consistent caveletti work with her. I want to keep things varied so she doesn't get bored.

The PA (physician's assistant) I saw yesterday just cautioned me not to fall down. Not that I would do any damage to the surgery site...just that it would hurt. REALLY? I think that's is a given. I go back and see the surgeon in 4 weeks and will ask him about riding. I really am in no hurry. The weather is going to get hot and I am turning into a weather wuss in my old age so in the fall when the weather is cooler will probably be a good time to give it a try.

So back to horsing around. Hopefully I can get Ms.Yak to finish shedding out. Our weather (like everyone's) has been so weird.
Wind, wind, wind then some rain then a couple days of 80's then back to the 50's to low 60's. It is supposed to be the same pattern this week. 80's today and tomorrow then down to the 50's by Sunday.

Happy riding all.

Susan

[Tuddy]

Wow! Everyone is doing well! I love spring, makes you feel like you can finally accomplish something now that winter is out of the way.

My horsemanship clinic with Yonka went better than I expected. He has only had a handful of rides on him, I fully expected to do ground work the full three days. Day 1 was total groundwork so the clinician could see where we were with our horses and see what gaps could be filled and which tools he thought would be the best to help us fill those gaps. Yonka did very well and we found he is extremely stiff on the left side. We did a lot of bending and working on circles. Day 2 was review of Day 1 and we all got on our horses. I struggled a bit because I really haven't "rode" Yonka, and I felt stuck, and then I ended up making Yonka feel the same way. So the clinician hopped on him and rode him around the arena to get a feel of what he was like and what approach to use next. We found out that he needs to move out more freely, and to just let him. That was enough for Day 2. Day 3 I hopped up on Yonka feeling a little more confident and more prepared for the lesson. In order to have him move out more freely, I literally had Yonka play follow the leader with the clinicians horse (clinician did most of his teaching on horseback). Overall, I left the clinic with a baseline of where we need to go next in order to progress, but I am still stuck as I need some outside help - a real coach/trainer - that can be the eyes on the ground, and extra hands to step in when I need it.

The clinician gave me some positive feed back, which I welcomed with relief, as I have been feeling like an absolute failure since my episode with Tuddy.

I am also on another saddle search as this one is too small for my table top horse...

Here are some pictures for some fun...

Yonka and I waiting for the rest of the group to join us and get the day started...

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Yonka watching the clinician demo an exercise on his horse...

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Hopping up to get to work on Day 3...

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[Chisamba]

He looks fab, svv.

Gwen, I love cross training, both for horse brains and rider progress. Cross rails cavaletti etc. Sounds like it really worked for you.

It is very difficult not to ride with a defensive grudge. I had an incredible difficult time overcoming that on Deneb. Then one day a friend rode her in a group lesson. Clean slate, no preconceived notions. I saw how she responded when ridden in a more trusting way and began to trust her more.

It's takes self trust and confidence.

With summer coming everyone seems to be hitting their stride in progress. It's good to share.

[khall]

I GOT MY MIRACLE! Took Rip to the vet today and the scope was beyond our expectations, the treatments and supplements are working and his airway is almost normal now. Dan and I were shocked to say the least. So thankful Dan has found a TX vet to learn more about NCS and just everything. I have not quit smiling!!

More later but had to share now for celebratory wine.

[Gwen]

That's amazing Khall!!!!

[Dresseur]

Yay Khall!!! That is super news for you!!

[Chisamba]

I am thrilled to hear your news Khall!

[Josette]

I love hearing GOOD NEWS!!! Wishing Rip a speedy recovery.

[Gwen]

Thank you Sue B! And I totally get what you are saying with the focus required just to keep your body in the right place, never mind the concentration any given exercise takes on top of that!

And yes, I think it will be quite a big deal for us as a "couple". Rode her in the outdoor today, had one scoot that fizzled out once I turned it into a regular canter, and every time I felt myself wanting to take with the reins, I pretended there was a cross rail in front of us, looked up, pushed my hands forward and asked her to go more forward as well, not goosing her but just getting my thighs to relax and allow more. She went from a nervous wreck to calm enough for some very nice simple change work and walking around on a totally loose rein by the end! I couldn't be more excited!

Thank goodness horses (or at least this horse!) don't hold grudges! I will never cease to be amazed by and grateful for how quickly she comes around when I change my behavior. I can almost hear her saying "well if you would just do it RIGHT then we wouldn't HAVE this problem, would we??"

Also played with lifting the inside rein for bend and to get her off the shoulder and into the outside rein, I learned from the video that my rein aids deteriorate into down and back, contributing to the claustrophobic feeling I'm imposing on her. By the end, particularly in canter, I was getting a really nice light feel, like gently tossing a ball from my inside hand to the outside, gently catching the energy in the outside rein. So much more effective both in getting and maintaining balance, bend and straightness, as well as preventing spooks without locking her down and being inadvertently confrontational about it.

Kyra's Mom, I'm glad you are gettting the green light to start to get back to a normal life! And Tuddy, that sounds Iike an interesting and helpful clinic, and Yonka is ridiculously adorable.

[StraightForward]

That is so great to hear, Khall!

[Rosie B]

YAY Khall!!!!!! That is fantastic news! So so so happy for you!!!

[khall]

It really is hard to even comprehend this has happened. All that we had learned was that this could not be reversed once we had gotten to the point with Rip and I really cannot explain (other than Rip and I have had so many people pulling for us) such incredible results. See my separate thread for more info.

So I want to join the goals thread with Rip, yeah!! Get back to riding him and see where he is at. I had wanted to start with flying changes before the problems, would love to get back to that goal again. So when I go to Spain that is what I would like to focus on is the prep for changes and then get the aids and timing down. FCs are probably my weakest link. I have ridden them on trained horses up to ones and have trained them with OTTBs that made it look easy. So now to work them with Rip as long as things continue on a good path.

I am beyond the moon over this incredible change of fortune!!!

[Gwen]

This really is just amazing Khall! And I hope you will take copious notes on your Spain trip, I have wanted to do that trip for quite some time, and I want to hear all about it!

[piedmontfields]

Love the great news about Rip and the great update Gwen! Happy Friday, people.

My happy news is that I am well enough to work in sitting trot and canter

[Sue B]

Wow, so much happy news today!

Congratulations on Rip's reprieve, khall. Doing the happy dance just for you.

Gwen, that is so cool that you have found the key with your mare. You must be so thrilled. I am jealous though, that you get to go to Spain.

Three cheers pf, now all we need is kyra's mom off the red shirt list and moutaineer's Lad back in action.

Chisamba, I totally get the defensive riding thing. I went through that with my nutter, Lad, and it took a clinician to point out what effect my defensiveness was having on him. Goes to show that, no matter our experience level or how many horses we've trained, there is always something new to learn from each mount. Guess that's why Podhaski"s book is called "My Horses, My Teachers".

My exciting news is that Tio earned a walk down the road, and he managed to do so with near perfect manners. On the way back though, he started spooling up over the birds in the spruce trees to the point that a butterfly fluttering up from the ground made him jump! When he realized that it was just a butterfly, however, he immediately unspooled and sheepishly finished our walkabout. I had to laugh out loud. Silly kid.

[piedmontfields]

My exciting news is that Tio earned a walk down the road, and he managed to do so with near perfect manners. On the way back though, he started spooling up over the birds in the spruce trees to the point that a butterfly fluttering up from the ground made him jump! When he realized that it was just a butterfly, however, he immediately unspooled and sheepishly finished our walkabout. I had to laugh out loud. Silly kid.

They are so funny. Yesterday I was deliberately making sure my mare had a good view of the cross country pond works being installed below us (including giant black plastic liner) while walking along a fence line. All of a sudden she does a 180. Huh? Oh--there's a *cow* resting behind a shrub on the other side of the fence. Come on, little bull fighting horse! She never did pay the cross country course construction any mind.

[khall]

SueB it is I khall that is going to Spain. A friend and I leave the 26th (which is doubly why having the Rip saga heading in better direction so important!!) to ride for a week there. This has been on my bucket list for 10 yrs now. I turn 50 this year and that was my goal, to do the Spain trip this year. My friend and I are so excited!! Yes will take pictures and lots of notes. I have not ridden PREs very much, just a handful of times. Though I do prefer a sensitive horse like a good TB so I am hoping this will be a great learning experience for both my friend and I. I need to get this under my belt since my filly is 3 now and will be ready to start before I know it!

[Moutaineer]

Khall, I'm so pleased to hear your news! And Spain will be super fun, especially now that cloud has been lifted. What a rollercoaster.

Piedmont, I am glad you are feeling better. Horse time works wonders.

KM, I'm glad you are able to start getting your butt back in gear

Looks like everyone is having fun and making progress!

Laddie says he feels like a million dollars and he doesn't know what all the fuss is about. Hand walking outside in the sunshine with construction going on next door and the wind blowing is apparently Very Exciting compared to the boring indoor arena. We have had to become acquainted with a nose chain in the interests of everyone's safety.

We are still waiting for round 1 of stem cells to rock up from CSU, so we are spinning our wheels a bit.

I'm going to take Walker down to the barn this weekend and have a bit of a lesson on him, see how he really feels about real work.

We met a large female moose out on the dirt roads the other day. We were in a rather tricky spot on a land bridge between a deep pond and a big drop off into a gulley when she dropped down onto the road off the wooded hill in front of us. I felt it was legitimate cause for a spook and spin and hussle off in the opposite direction, and I wasn't feeling like getting into a discussion about it in a tight spot with mama moose bearing down on us! But that particular patch of road will now have gone from being deeply suspect to distinctly taboo, I guess.

Riding in a fenced arena will be a relaxing change!

[Borrowed Freedom]

Ok I haven't posted yet this month, but I think Delilah is making some nice progress. Her canter is starting become less like a run away steam train on more like a balanced horse . My instructor gave me an exercise to work on her where we ride a 4 loop serpentine in the canter, asking for a change of leg through trot each time we change leg. As she can get sticky about moving forward he told me not to worry too much about the frame and just focus on the transition and that she canters forward. Well in my last lesson when we got to the canter, wow, what a difference. Started on the right which is her side that she tends to go runaway train and what a difference.

We also started working on getting her trot more 'floaty', and I must say she has already got such a stunning trot. My old retired boy Hurricane always struggled with lengthening the trot, so having a horse that finds it fairly easy to push from behind a nice change.

[piedmontfields]

SueB it is I khall that is going to Spain. A friend and I leave the 26th (which is doubly why having the Rip saga heading in better direction so important!!) to ride for a week there. This has been on my bucket list for 10 yrs now. I turn 50 this year and that was my goal, to do the Spain trip this year.

You will love it! Wishing you a grand time. As a Francophile, I admit that the bread is terrible in Spain, but it is still a fine conveyor for tapas!

I am trying to pick dates for my 50th year trip with my DH to Portugal (he rides well enough to do the trail half of a dressage-trail vacation). My health has been holding me back but I'm hoping to get this sorted out for next spring.

[kande50]

Thank you Sue B! And I totally get what you are saying with the focus required just to keep your body in the right place, never mind the concentration any given exercise takes on top of that! .

Truer words were never spoken. And then try counting strides on top of that!

[Rosie B]

Bliss is finally feeling better!!! I had my first ride post abscess this morning and it was wonderful to be back in the saddle. I'm just going to take it slow for the next couple weeks to give him lots of time to get back in the groove.

[demi]

Glad Bliss is better! and Khall, that is great news about Rip! I live in Texas and while I haven't known personally of any cases, I am on alert after your experiences.

Emma is my best buddy these days. I think I have the key to a consistent rein contact. I will give it another month and then reevaluate.

I went over my notes from the last 17 months and I kind of got the feeling of coming full circle. The rein length that is working so well right now is the same length I tried when I first started riding her. But back then it didn't work at all. So I gradually shortened them over a few months time. We went through a head flipping phase, a spooking phase, and a bucking at the canter phase. I complicated things by trying to get her to accept the whip which she was terrified of. (I knew that she had serious issues when I bought her) Even with the problems, I stayed with the shorter rein length through December. In January I changed the program to a walk/trot only "lungeing" routine which i described somewhere in another post. I started riding her again in April and and the right rein length became apparent. I have a new warm up that came out of the "lungeing" routine also.

The longer rein that didn't work initially, now works very nicely. The rein contact that was so illusive, is now consistent and sweet. I will try to just keep things simple, no lateral work, no lengthening stride. Also, no canter unless she offers it (canter was also an issue when I bought her and I think the main reason she was sold).At any rate, I want this good connection to be a given in the equation.

[demi]

... I think I have the key to a consistent rein contact. . .

The key is that I am gaining her trust.

[Gwen]

I'm so glad Bliss is better Rosie, and you are back in the saddle!

We had a schooling show yesterday but had to scratch due to all the crazy rain and cold, we weren't riding until the afternooon and the ring was a puddle by 11!

In other news, our barn got a pixio! And I got to test drive it in my lesson on Friday, it worked beautifully!

Here we are attempting a run through of 2-3 - after seeing Monday's video, and our jump lesson Tuesday, I've been putting all my energy and concentration into still, forward hands and soft arms, and Callie has been responding beautifully. I am a control freak and I think it makes her claustrophobic! So I'm officially admitting that I have a problem, and am trying to give her more space with my aids, and she's so much happier and less fearful.

https://youtu.be/dX1hP4xjJ7g

Next thing to focus on, based on this, is getting more weight into my left seat bone, I tend to drift to the right in my balance and then collapse my left side and shoulder. I'd also like to tip my pelvis a touch forward so I can drop my leg/thigh. Nothing like video for a control freak's need for nitpicking!!! also I was conservative in the trot lengthens because she had been breaking into canter earlier in the lesson.

Canter work is obviously weak, I find it very difficult to get a straight, no jig simple change. On a 10m circle I can manage it, but it all falls apart on the diagonal. And our serpentine geometry... After this my trainer had me work the geometry on that, it looked better by the end of the lesson. We still have three weeks before our first rated show to get it together!!

Any suggestions on simple changes, serpentines, and anything else that jumps out at you are more than welcome! I'm a little nervous posting video but it's been such a supportive group that I'm sure it will be more helpful than not.

[Dresseur]

Looking good, Gwen! One thing, I'd think about tightening/engaging your core to fix the tipping, especially making sure that your obliques are engaged as well. I worry that if you start concentrating on tipping your pelvis one way or another, you may make the crookedness worse - and I think that the underlying issue is that there is too much give in the core. Engaging that will pull your pelvis equal. The trot work was all very harmonious and pleasant, the canter just needs a bit more energy, but again, a very nice picture. Do watch your walk pirouettes - the first one (the left) was stepping out quite a bit, think haunches in and make sure you get that hind to step up and under. The right, even though it stuck, was better because it stepped up and under. I'd make that one a touch bigger to make sure that the rhythm is kept.

[Dresseur]

Very interesting pair of lessons on Miro. We covered a lot of ground and made some very important tweaks. Like I keep saying, he's doing all the right things, but there was something in the feel that I wasn't sold on in some of the movements.

First up, corners - I was not a fan of how he was glossing over the corners - he was just kind of motorcycling around them, but stopping and walking through the corners wasn't making a change. My coach told me to cut the corner and leg yield into them to stand him up and help him stop leaning on the inside leg. This made a huge difference. We had also been taking note that at the beginning of each long side done in a lateral movement (SI or HI) he would bobble around and then I'd do a circle and he would come back to the movement much steadier. So, first we tried to circle before each movement - which helped, but the second that we combined leg yielding him into the corner and THEN starting the movement - it was steady with good energy the entire way through. Clever boy was leaning on my inside leg, so as I made the correction to start the SI or HI, he would bump around.

The next item up for review was the half-pass. My coach commented that it just didn't have the flow as the other movements and asked if I thought that it was the bend or the response to my leg. I told her that I felt like he just wasn't moving off of my outside leg well enough and was getting a bit stuck. So, she asked me to try some sharp leg yields off the outside leg from corner to X. It didn't matter if it scrambled a bit, or jumped forward or what, but he HAD to move over from my leg with a sharp response. We did 3 of them in each direction and then re-addressed the half-pass. He moved over with alacrity and the whole thing flowed. So, instead of scissoring the front legs and leaving the hind behind, the front and hind were moving together and the bend was good.

We got A+'s on our walk pirouettes, and then we moved on to the canter. Andrea had remarked that the canter seemed a bit flat to her. She caveated the statement by saying that we may not be able to work on that until he gains more strength and we start collecting it more, but it was something that she was filing away. However, when she got on him (I periodically ask for her to sit on him so that she can make sure that the feel in the bridle and through his back is correct) she said that she immediately knew what the issue was. To explain this, I have to back-track a bit. After the show, Andrea got on Gala several days later and said that all of the pieces were there (light in the bridle, felt good in the back, good activity behind, etc) but that something was "stuck" She said that the best way that she could describe it was that it felt triangulated with the weight too far over the shoulders, rather than the weight being shifted to the hinds. When she felt Miro, she said that was exactly the feel she got from him too. So, when I was complaining that he felt like a beach-ball, he was literally rolling over shoulders, and not shifting his balance at all. The remedy was that I needed to push a bit more with my seat and back to drag the haunches under and then lift and give up front so that he didn't' bury his neck down. This made a huge, huge difference. Suddenly he was up and expressive in a way that I hadn't felt.

This translated into the lengthened trot - I was able to pick him up and send him forward and that gave me a feeling that I knew will be able to be developed further, where as the other, more buried trot, while beautiful, had limitations. So, all in all, I'm very pleased at what I felt and learned this weekend.

Not as dramatic, but more up and a much better balance. This can be developed further, the pic on my previous could not be.

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Lightbulbs here. Much more amplitude than I've ever gotten before and the feeling in the bridle is beautiful

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Finally keeping his haunches up to his shoulders and having even crossing with a good amount of forward.

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[Dresseur]

And, just two more pics.

The half second after the pic of the lengthening that I posted above.

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All this work changed the baseline trot to be more up, and more impulsive behind.

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[piedmontfields]

Dresseur--those photos of Miro are WOW! Big changes. That nice up trot photo shows great potential. Thanks for sharing your journey.

Gwen, I loved seeing your video and work. It is so helpful to see a horse with some similar characteristics to mine physically, too (shorter neck and back).Please note that both you and Callie look very focused in this video! I like Dresseur's "remember your obliques" comment for you. As a yoga teacher, I would say that I want you to develop a 3-D core---so that you get a little "bigger" and strong all the way around your center, as though your ribs get wider and there is a reach from your lowered diaphragm to your pelvic floor. One additional comment for test prep is to work on your walk transitions. I think you could clean that up easily with some attention.

[Moutaineer]

Gwen, you look good! You'll kill it in a couple more weeks!

On simple changes... I struggled with these quite a bit last year, so this is based on my experience! You've got to be truly straight for them to come through and land featherlike from canter to walk. Think shoulder fore as you come onto the diagonal--it'll bring the hind end underneath and straighten her out. Then don't throw it away before you step back into the canter. Keep the straightness, keep the butt underneath you. If you let them fall into the down transition, the up transition is going to be untidy. And hold your own front end up, then the horse will hold his up too.

One thing I did find is that as you increase the level of collection and straightness, you will suddenly realize that you aren't thinking about them anymore, and that they are just coming automatically.

I found that the countercanter serpentine was all about mastering control of my position. If I was solid, he didn't get distracted and confused and he just kept trucking around. As soon as I collapsed my core or changed my balance, we were all over the place. Gets back to how important that core strength is for this sport.

[Flight]

Dresseur, your post is quite timely or me. I've just had a weekend of comps and on both my horses all the comments were " needs more uphill" "on the forehand". I actually feel a bit crap about it, because I didn't think I rode my horse in a downhill way, and I've never had so many comments about this!
When I think of it more logically, yes the big young horse is struggling with 1st level, and yes he is really big and has trouble staying balanced and engaging his hind legs, so I shouldn't be competing at this level yet (although it pushes me to keep training).
The little horse at 3rd level - well I still don't really know what I'm doing but I can clearly see that he needs to engage more behind and lighten his shoulders, I just don't know how to get that from him.
I'll upload my tests and share, and happy for any comments to help me!

[musical comedy]

I've just had a weekend of comps and on both my horses all the comments were " needs more uphill" "on the forehand". I actually feel a bit crap about it, because I didn't think I rode my horse in a downhill way, and I've never had so many comments about this!

All the videos and photos I've seen of your 3rd level horse do not show a horse on the forehand. He is clearly working in 3rd level carriage. We haven't seen your test, so maybe you had a bad day. I will say that in my experience showing, comments like "needs more engagement" is very common at 3rd level on up. We can always use more engagement Was there any consistency in what movements you are getting these comments on, and was it trot or canter or both?

[musical comedy]

Dresseur--those photos of Miro are WOW!

You can say that again. Dresseur is on a roll.

[Chisamba]

In other news, our barn got a pixio! And I got to test drive it in my lesson on Friday, it worked beautifully!

. Nothing like video for a control freak's need for nitpicking!!!
We still have three weeks before our first rated show to get it together!!

Any suggestions on simple changes, serpentines, and anything else that jumps out at you are more than welcome! I'm a little nervous posting video but it's been such a supportive group that I'm sure it will be more helpful than not.

I think you have made huge and fabulous progress. Are you perhaps doing the WHH June show in Augusta?

Wrt nit-picking, just remember to see the overall picture and pick the most important priority. Do not lose the woods for the trees.

I am going to sound like a stuck record, but for your simple changes use your breathing and seat to tell the horse what to do, so that your aids can elastically assist in the how to do it. I'm not sure what your trainer does, but I tend to let my seat get a little heavy to keep the downward transition uphill, and my seat get a little light to allow the back to be elastic for the upward.

If you think it might help, use it, if not ignore

[Chisamba]

Dresseur, there really is nothing as inspiring to bringing along a youngster as riding an upper level horse. Your hard work on your silver is definitely showing in Miro.

Way to go!

[Chisamba]

Flight, once I took my 3rd level horse to ride with a clinician. I felt she was going very beautifully but the clinician was really pushing me for more uphill, more engagement, etc.

I became quite emotional, and stopped to ask what I was doing wrong. I thought my trot was quite good. Clinician said, a bit sarcastically, " trot is fine, don't you want to passage"....

And I said, oh. In that case, more it is.

Perhaps the judge is thinking about where you are going, not where you have been.

[Chisamba]

My report. The Christian Bachinger clinic is much earlier this year. In June. My first rated show, in June. Not sure I can afford both, so in a quandary about which to do.

Something one of you said inspired me, So I have been warming up through the levels. 10 min at training and first, developing second via lateral work after about 15. Then introducing new or improving introduced work thereafter. (with plenty of stretch breaks)

I like it! It helps establish fundamentals before adding difficulty.

[kande50]

The little horse at 3rd level - well I still don't really know what I'm doing but I can clearly see that he needs to engage more behind and lighten his shoulders, I just don't know how to get that from him.

I think the simple answer is probably correct lateral work, but of course, all the parts that need to be correct to get correct lateral work is the challenge.

I'll upload my tests and share, and happy for any comments to help me!

Now that so many just buy a fancy moving horse and teach him to fling his legs up through the levels without ever getting him off the forehand, I'm actually surprised that there are any judges left out there who are still trying to inspire riders to teach their horses how to lighten their forehands. So IMO, we should be grateful when a judge can see it and is willing to speak up, because so many of them are fine with horses dumped on the forehand as long as they stay btv and move as much like Saddlebreds as possible. :-/

[demi]

This is a really good training forum. I only wish I had more to add myself! At least I can tell everyone how well they are doing. I know it's easy to just say "oh your horse is doing so well" but I am kinda picky about what I like and I think ALL of our contributors have some really nice qualities to their training. I never say something I don't really, really mean. Just like our horses, our riders need to be told "good job".

Gwen, I like your mare a lot. What is her breed? and does she have a blue eye? I have a 14.2 hh bay arab/quarter cross mare that looks and moves a lot like her. I like how you are going about your training and am sure you will progress nicely.

And Dresseur! wow. Miro looks just beautiful and you make such an attractive pair. I guess he is quite talented but sometimes the very talented ones need the best training. Your program is tops. Thanks for sharing so we can all benefit from your experience.

Tuddy, I'm glad you had a good experience at your horsemanship clinic. Yonka is an impressive boy! Isn't he the one standing in the back of a pick up truck in the snow!?

I am looking forward to your show video, Flight. I always not only enjoy your work, but learn from it as well.

I am looking forward for the ones that are sidelined at the moment to come back.

[Moutaineer]

I have an interesting issue with Walker that I would appreciate some input on. (Who is being Such A Good Boy.)

I took him to the barn yesterday to work in the big ring--mine at home is kind of tiny. He hasn't cantered under saddle for 2 years, apart from the odd blast up a hill on a trail ride, and his canter has never been his best gait (he's really a 6 mover overall) so I really didn't want to start him back in my rather restricted space.

His trot work was really quite nice, forward, round, balanced. His walk was a bit "mincy" to start with, but once he was warmed up, he started to swing through and step out more.

The canter though... awful, beyond awful. When we first started, it was like he couldn't work out what sequence his legs were supposed to move in. After some transitions, we could get about three quarters of a 20 meter circle of actual canter without it falling apart. Straight lines were even more difficult.

I'm pretty sure it's not hurting him--I've known this horse a long time and he's not that stoic, and he knows how to communicate with me. He's be stopping if it hurt--actually, he's be bucking and snarky if it hurt. He's very responsive to a light canter aid and really wants to go forward and give it a go. He's not running or hollowing, he just loses the rhythm and sequence. He did improve from the beginning of the session to the end.

So my plan going forward is to put him on the lunge for a few minutes each day and let him canter and work it out for himself without a rider on board, (both for his sake and for mine--it's a total back-killer, like riding a randomly moving pogo stick.) That way, I'll also be able to see what's going on, too.

Any thoughts on other exercises that might help?

[Dresseur]

Mountaineer, I would build it on the longe for sure. In the ridden work, keep it very short, and keep it on a circle. So, canter enough for him to get situated and then bring it down before it falls apart. When that gets better, you can start making the circles move more down the long side so that they have bits and pieces of straight in them. And, you'll have to experiment if pushing the canter out or keeping it contained helps him more.

[khall]

I had a horse that did not have a good canter at all. What worked for her was to use transitions with short canters both from W and T. SI to canter was great to build the engagement and ultimately teaching her piaffe to get her stronger was the best thing I could do to build up the hind leg strength. I would also get out in my fields and do light seat/two point canter to let her roll on a bit. Jumping grids is also a great way to build strength in canter.

BTW there are some lovely horses on this thread!! Miro, Gwen's mare, chestnut gelding of Svv, cb's ASB,chi samba's 3, flight's two. I am envious you all have help to get videos and pictures! I normally ride alone so rarely have someone to photograph or video.

I have ridden Rip now a couple of times, first was just a quick ride after a lunge and WIH. He felt awesome!! Then I had a ride yesterday and he was distracted a bit, nothing horrible except we had a pretty big stumble, slide around on our nose/knees. Had some hard rain that was rough on my arena and I am not sure if the footing gave way or if he spooked and then hit soft footing. No harm done to either of us, but boy I hate riding when they are worrying what is going on outside the arena.

[Ryeissa]

Moutaneer- I would not canter on the longe, horses seem to have a hard time balancing on a circle, with out the rider helping them. JMHO. I would focus on the trot and walk quality, canter will come in time. IF you do longe, make it "long ovals" down the long side if you can with area for the horse to travel straight.

[Kyra's Mom]

Mountaineer,
I would make sure that he is very relaxed before starting the canter. If he tries and it falls apart, I would go back to trot, reacquire the relaxation and try again. It sounds like he is tense about it. Agree with at least viewing it on the longe to see if something else is going on.

Kyra had some time off during the winter. My first couple of rides, her canter was tight and tense...probably my electric butt (not being able to sit well due to the tailbone issue) but I changed to NOT cantering if it wasn't right for both our sakes. I wasn't going to perpetuate the tension. It didn't take long and she was back to her nice grown up canter.

As one instructor I had put it...Walker was probably calling the union! What I have to work?

Susan

[Tuddy]

Tuddy, I'm glad you had a good experience at your horsemanship clinic. Yonka is an impressive boy! Isn't he the one standing in the back of a pick up truck in the snow!?

Yup, he is kinda my "Hold my beer and watch this" horse....

[Gwen]

Love the photos and the commentary Dresseur, very interesting.

Dresseur and Piedmont - thank you for the suggestions on my core, I can see what you are saying - I'm sort of breaking under the ribs to absorb the movement, so there's a lot of pelvis bouncing. I tried today to use the imagery of filling in under my ribs and engaging the obliques, and it felt really good - I felt lighter and like I was floating/holding myself more upright. We had set up the pixio in the indoor today, but it malfunctioned so I only got frustratingly brief views of the work, but I *think* it looked better, like the bottom and top of my torso were working as one column, rather than breaking in half? I definitely got one view where I was still *leaning* left (tracking right), but I wasn't *collapsing* left. Small improvement but I'll take it. De-wiggling my torso has been a long hard road for me, I think I might be within shouting (perhaps through a megaphone) distance of the end goal thanks to the hours of Pilates over the past year but it probably depends on the day!

Mountaineer, very helpful tips thank you! I did feel that the counter canter went better today as long as I kept the engaged/floating feeling in my core, and your comments helped me remember to keep it together throughout. I have no ideas on Walker's canter issue but I'm sure you'll work it out!

Chisamba, thank you so much, that means a lot to me! I kept your suggestion on the canter-walk in mind today and we had much smoother down transitions - I stopped *trying* so hard and instead focused on letting it happen. I wasn't able to keep her through in most of them, but we had one that stayed round and felt like a gentle landing instead of me shutting down movement and momentum, so that was exciting. And yes, going to try for the Augusta show, we've never been able to go before so it will be fun to get another venue to practice in. I always feel like the first show in a new spot is more about learning how to show there - our second year at Saugerties went much more smoothly, for example, because I knew what to expect and where everything was! So I don't have super high expectations, would just like to go and come back in one piece, hopefully without going off course in the heat of the moment! It will be our first 2-3 so that should be exciting.

Demi, she is a Welsh/Warmblood cross, theoretically, but I can't prove it! And yes, she has one blue eye. I've enjoyed reading your challenges and progressions with Emma!

Khall, I'm so excited that you had a few rides on Rip!! Just incredible.

Phew, I hope I got everyone! I usually am writing a post on my phone and it's hard to scroll up and down, so I'm taking advantage of being on a computer to really respond appropriately to everyone.

[Flight]

Yup, he is kinda my "Hold my beer and watch this" horse....

LOL sounds like a cool horse! He looks like one in the photos

Khall - that's so good about Rip, and that you rode him!!!! Fabulous news So hoping it stays that way.

Gwen, nice video and I was trying to see where the beacon thingies you set up for the pixio are?? I think you are doing well, you just have to keep chipping away at it, and then you look back and it all is easier. I took a while to get the simple changes right and now they are quite easy, I never thought they would be. Video yourself as much as you can, it's so helpful.

Mountaineer - my big horse, his canter was wild at first, I could only do big circles and never straight at first. He was more unco on the lunge too.

I had a good think about my competitions on the weekend and what went on. My little horse always gets behind my leg at shows and I end up having to push him, and he gets the sh!ts and I get the sh!ts and it all is hard work. His little ears go back a bit and I get all puffed... I though it was tension, so I spent heaps of time warming up, getting him to relax. But I think he's actually being inattentive! So I've ridden him twice since, went back to a snaffle, took the spurs off, got my thwacky crop and concentrated more on him. When he didn't respond or I lost his attention, I thwacked my crop on my boot (makes a good noise) and had him responding to a light squeeze of my calf. Again, I try so hard for lightness, that I think he tunes out and all I do is nag. I have to say he was amazing to ride after a few thwackings!

Musical comedy - I spoke to one of the judges after, and he said my canter work was ok, but trot not great. Good to know that engagement is a common theme for everyone, not just me!!
Chisamba - thanks for that little story because my aim is not just 3rd level either... aghh it's a tough sport!

Anyway, I'll share my vids from the weekend:
https://youtu.be/WyySvhhieTY

https://youtu.be/BcafgkQDUJg

[Gwen]

I was trying to see where the beacon thingies you set up for the pixio are?? I think you are doing well, you just have to keep chipping away at it, and then you look back and it all is easier. I took a while to get the simple changes right and now they are quite easy, I never thought they would be. Video yourself as much as you can, it's so helpful.

Beacon at A, C, and E. In the indoor they were at A, C and B, and it worked fine for the two rides previous to mine, but something went awry for my ride, not sure what. I'm SO excited about it, video is the most helpful thing ever, and the ability to get video of this quality without another human is magical. I can't tell you how many times I've thought I was doing something, only to see video and discover how off I was!

Thanks for the encouragement! Tough sport indeed.

I love love LOVED your 4th level horse (is his name really dingaling?? ), and was having a tough time seeing what the judge was seeing, tbh, but I'm nowhere close to that level so I suspect all I can see at the moment is a level of engagement I would kill for. I know what it feels like to get a test back with comments asking for more and feeling like "but wait, where the heck am I going to find more??" It sounds like you took it in a positive direction, I look forward to seeing the results!