For heavens sakes, dressage riders of the world, you have to remember something.
It's really, REALLY important. You cannot START out riding dressage. You must, must MUST learn how to ride "normally", FIRST!
I would be hearing the outraged cries from the DQ's, right about now, if any of them actually read here. Fortunately, they do not, so I'm relatively safe.
I STARTED riding dressage, exclusively! Look how great I am!!
Name me ONE rider that's true for.
One great rider, who started in dressage, and stayed in dressage. Never rode nothin' else.
I'll wait. Yeah, I thought so.
I've said ThaT before, too, ad frickin' nauseated. Ride lots of different types of horses, and lots of styles of riding and ... and Then specialize. Or not. Trail riding is a specialization, too, ya know.
I watched a very capable rider on a young horse tonight. The more I watched, the more I thought, "For Heaven's SAKES!!"
POST THAT DAMNED TROT!! Why are you bouncing all over the young horse's back, instead of softly rising/falling with the trot? Just, WHY? It's freezing cold where this rider was, and I totally get that. I get the video nerves, too. BUT. That makes my point even more obvious, I hope.
Sitting the trot, is....
HARD!!!! For horse and rider, both! When it's absolute zero in the arena, here's another suggestion. Use a warm quarter sheet or cooler, for loosening up. At the walk, and then at the trot. A quarter sheet, y'all know what that is? Just a super big loin coverer, really. When it's cold enough to freeze the schnot in your nose before it drips, it's time to keep the old buns warm as you warm/loosen up. Both of you will benefit from some help in the warmth department.
You fortunate milder climes people are snickering. Yeah, well, piffle.
The other point of my post remains the same. Do not try too hard, too fast, to ride "dressage". Ride the horse first, get him broke and going forward and straight. I think all young horses should be broke to do a hack class, first. jmo.
The dressidge assumption seems to be that you NeveR post, it's just not cool to post, you must SIT.
No, you must NoT. ESPECIALLY with a young cold greenie!
There was another problem I had with the video I watched. TOO much wrangling the neck around, not enough encouraging of the horse to just lighten up and get on with it.
See, this is another pet peeve of mine. Look at how much I've bent Tad's head/neck here, for this right turn.
Not very much, yes? Do NOT twist/pull/force the horse's head around!! Teeny tiny bends, to start. The emphasis, with any young horse, should be "go straight, go forward". Asking them for a LOT of twist/turn of the neck just confuses them, in my cranky old opinion.
As BHM describes in her great post about the Vertical line we "all" aspire to, the more important part is that the horse remains comfortable, in whatever carriage he is in. An older, more flexible, more educated and balanced horse can acquiesce to his riders demands. The young horse is still building the muscles that will carry you in comfort, for him.
Don't stress those muscles beyond what they can bear.
OH, and that's the other thing. Dressage and Straight Legs. It makes me NUTso. Doesn't anybody know how incredibly hard it is to ride with a totally straight leg?? That is NOT the "correct" leg position, in dressage, anyway.
No, it is NOT. The longer your leg, the deeper your seat, and the better you better be ABLE to sit. If you're bouncing your kidneys out your nose, lean back, and grab the pommel, and looooosen your hips into the movement. But do NOT do it for too long, on the young horse, or with the beginning rider.
The Posting Trot is the gateway to sitting. There is NO shame in posting a trot! The posting trot introduces you both gently, to the rhythmic metronome your body is learning to follow. If you can't post, your stirrups are TOO long.
With the young horse, sitting the trot should be reserved for corners and turns, at first, and only gingerly/gently/kindly should you sit. If you can't, don't! You are HEAVY up there! Not you personally. The horse thinks so, is all.
Here's a dressage rider, from years ago. Look at the angle in his leg.
Again, with the young horse, posting can teach them different stride lengths, by your own encouragement to lengthen the beat time. Shortening the beat time is for the sitting trot, and it is hard, and don't do it too much.
Basic Starting Point Stirrup Length, for ANY discipline.
Everybody should know this, it's in every Practical Horseman George Morris critique I've ever read. Here it is, anyway. The lowest the bottom of your stirrup iron should EVER be, is just below your ankle bone. It can shorten from there, but it never goes longer.
EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
deeeeep breath.
Okay, I feel better. rant button has been switched to simmer.
Thanks for letting me vent, y'all. And thanks for the inspiration, Most Capable Rider! Stop trying so hard! Relax, who CARES, you are riding, enJOY.
29 comments:
Hi GL! This is an good post. Could you, would you, link the video? I'm curious to see what you see.
I like what ya say about just learning to ride first. My goal has always been and always was, just to have a comfy, pleasurable ride for me and the horse. I'm trying to learn to now "re-ride" after too many years away and too many pounds gained. It's coming back, slowly. Would help if I had time to ride more than once a week or so. Sigh....
I do recall, playing collegiate polo, that we always had a yearly try-out for the new wannabes. Put them on one of our better, "sports car" type ponies. Had them trot, canter, stop, start. All quickly, as per polo. But nothing too extreme (I thought at the time). Amazing how many "I rode dressage and took lessons for 10 years" riders fell right on off! Not that they were good dressage riders, I really wouldn't have known. But personally, I felt they had just been taught to balance too much forward really on the mouth/neck of the horse. That don't work so good in polo! But you are right, they should have learned to just RIDE first at which point they should have been able to manage the polo ponies. They weren't bucking broncos after all. Just when you asked for go they go, same for stop, turn and etc!
And again, I'm no expert (like you!) and I never took lessons as such, but somehow, somewhere I learned (or came up with?) this idea of relaxing that deep lower back spot, that combined with long legs and good enough stomach strength to have steady hands (that's an issue right now, better last ride!) as being the key to riding with the horse rather than against it. That is I could relax and move deeply with the horse in especially that lower back spot then I could not only post the trot, forward the canter but also sit the trot and even be able to ask horse to turn, stop and start quickly while standing up in stirrups and what not. It all came from that spot.
So tell me, is that all wrong? I really don't know where I ever came up with it? I just know that when I can achieve that I feel pretty solid. I had it for a little bit last ride. My old mare is such a character. She had been "spoiled" I think by some not so good riders at her last collegiate polo gig (they actually take total nonriders now, which I suppose might be in some ways be better than the 10 years lesson folks...). We've been working on relearning "whoa" (she's getting that down real quick), relaxing between transitions and also, the pick up the canter from the walk (and soon standhill) versus crazy fast trotting (I think this is probably where she got spoiled by new riders). 3x I asked her. No good. Back to walk, calm down, relax. 4th time, bam! Kinda like retuning the engine on an old Porsche, she knows how to do it just needs a little reminder. Fun! (Once I get stronger and we're both in better shape I'm looking forward to trying the rollbacks I watch her do in the pasture all the time!).
Oh, and I posted a new dog story on my funny farmer tales blog, you might like it! Check out the one on Poochie the Prairie Dog.
www.funnyfarmertales.blogspot.com
Good point about the temperature to , hard to be a supple popsicle.I think this is part of the reason dressage confuses me ,I always though of it as a super cotrol ballet of sorts between horse and rider ,and so often I am seeing something different
Fun post GL.
Hee.
One thing I learned very early (riding crazy-smooth little Arabians whose trots I COULD sit) was that you always, always, always warm yourself and the horse up with some nice, forward posting trot.
I think that's a good tip, yeah?
Going to try to say smething here about stirrup length(hope I make sense) I ride with a longer leg, but the rule of thumb I uses is get on the horse ,get sat,and balanced ,then I should be able to lift my toe lightly and be in the stirrup.I don't as such keep weight in my stirrup , but pressure.Keep the stirrup on my foot and a bit of balance is a fast move ,but thats it .You don't post from the stirrup,but if you are reaching for it you are no longer in a balanced seat on the horse.That is why I say if the stirrups are too long ,shorten them or don't use them . Rode a young one last night ,and the trainer is an evil bugger (will adjust stirrups for any one else .I stepped up ,and wasn't planning to ride to start with so wasn't concerned ,but did comment that they were long for me Ernie laughed and said "oh you are fine " I was ,but I was fine because I stopped reaching and rode without the stirrups (dan I am sore this morning)This particular horse is one I raised and an absolute Peach btw
Sunshine &butterflies ,Zora pics????
Hey, PF! I still need to send you, or type it up, some of my "funny farm" tales.
I will not post the video, the rider is too nice a kid, and the ride really was a fluke. It simply inspired the rant. I've watched this type of mistake before.
The rider was having a bad day.
PF said "this idea of relaxing that deep lower back spot, that combined with long legs and good enough stomach strength to have steady hands (that's an issue right now, better last ride!) as being the key to riding with the horse rather than against it."
You've just described what I think Sally Swift would call your center.
Exactly right!
HP calls it your "core".
Yes, yes, YES, FV! It's hard to describe it, and whooHOO for your ride last night!
Great comments!
Hey, Sunshine:) I think one should always start out posting. Yes, indeed.
coughcoughcoughZORApics...
GL - Well glad to know I wasn't totally off base. Especially since I've already started preaching to my kids about that when we are lead-lining around the barnyard. Somebody must have told me that at some point? I wish I could remember who/when? I sure did stick in my brain, however it happened.
And yes, send me your funny farmer stories! I especially like black humor sorta ones which I think many farmers excel at and is wholly unappreciated in our overly P.C. world. I started it as a Ebey's Prairie thing (which is where I'm at in real world time), but I can definitely see expanding into "guest farmer" stories as well. I've got way more stories to post. I kinda have to wait til the "funny" inspiration hits me, however. Usually late at night. Go figure!
Now, back on topic...
Seriously one of my pet peeves. Dressage is training. It is a training scale. We do not start out sitting. Some never really attain a good sitting trot.
Banging your butt into a youngster's back isn't doing him any favors. He is going to learn to stiffen, back, jaw, loin etc... He will do this to try and protect himself from your lousy riding. POST. Easier on the horse. Easier on you.
Work your way up to sitting. Sit a few strides...if you cant stay soft, supple and maintain your seat...post again before you loose it and start banging on him.
After posting a bit go back and try a few more strides of sitting. Rome was not built in a day. A horse with a tight back is a hundred times harder to sit, than one with a soft back. If you ride poorly pounding on your horse you'll create a tight back and compound your problem.
Oh yeah, and sitting takes core strength. Develop those abs. Take Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates. Build your core strength, and riding will become easier. You will find you can shorten or lengthen your horse's stride through your core.
Good points as always.
My previous comment about Arabs getting skinner was in regards to your statement about the #1 horse in the US getting skinnier. The #1 horse in the US is the Arab and HP commented about them getting skinnier. I was wondering how this impacts the breed.
I don't think all Arabs are getting skinnier. I think they've bred bone and depth out of many of the lines.
If you look at the halter types, you bet. They are wispy fragile looking little things.
I guess I should 'fess up, and mention that a video I watched PREVIOUS to this video, was on the Days End Farm Video site. I THINK. Can't remember. I was only mildly annoyed at this point, you see. Check what the lunar cycle is, you'll understand:)
Loooonar cycle...
The green pinto pony was jackhammering at the trot, and the amateur rider was pounding away. Why Not Post??
Painful to watch, for both horse and rider.
The Most Capable Rider video wasn't that bad, it just raised the ire I had tamped down previously like.
Clear?
yeah, I didn't think so.
BHM, I don't think I said that, but I'll take your word for it:)
The Practical Horseman magazine is getting skinnier. OH, now I see!
Sorry, my coherency meter was off at the end of that post. It WaS a tangent, after all:)
Great topic GL! As HP said, Rome was not built in a day. Neither was anywhere else that I know of...
For those learning to ride, leave the greenies for the riders who are further along. They aren't so much worried about their position as much as just riding and encouraging the horses position and reactions to our movements up there.
When I was learning to ride, I was mounted on the best kick & go horses in the area. Kick them, they go. More like squeeze & go, but same principle. Learn to balance, learn to stay on, learn to stay out of their mouth and out of their way.
Now that I am trying to fine tune everything- some days it feels like it all turns to pure shite. Why? Because my mind is scattered. I am trying to do this, trying not to do that, thinking too much and not just focusing and letting it happen.
It all comes from core strength, but also from being still. Just like the balance poses in yoga are more easily attained when you clear your mind, so it goes with riding too. Relax, breathe and tell your mind to shut the hell up! You might just be suprised how much differently the ride goes.
"It all comes from core strength, but also from being still."
Still, to the core:)
eeeek!
Just reinforcing what CNJ is saying. Stillness is key. She doesnt mean holding yourself rigidley in place. You have to have enough 'resistence' in your body to hold your position, but not so much that you don't follow the movement of the horse, and sit there like a stick. A quiet rider is moving with the horse, not stiffly held in place banging against the horse.
14th!
ooops, hey who did that??
Oh, Hi, HP!
yes, yes, yes.
I have another post burbling aGain. Thanks, youze guys.
Oh, I had to drop off a sign at the OSPCA, took Blaze with me. She got to meet "Crash", their resident receptionist dog, very well behaved.
Then we visited the cats. I was too busy looking at the cats, suffice it to say that Blaze is bery tired tonight:) She was very surprised. So were the cats:)
Not to worry, it was a quickie, I didn't want to upset them.
The kittens were the curious ones, of course.
SO many, too many cats.
Kittens galore.
sigh.
Spay & Neuter!!!!!!
and POST the Trot!
GL, who's the horse in the top picture? Bears a striking resemblance to HP's Top, especially the nose. :)
BHM, can you point me to where HP said Arabians were getting skinnier? I am so lost. I see where GL was saying the Practical Horseman magazines were getting skinnier, but not the #1 horse in the U.S. Sorry, head is spinning from trying to decipher it. I'll go back to my studies now...
Yeah, really, BH. It's like trying to do a puzzle:)
Get back to real work!
(cracks whip)
Oh, that's me 'n Tad, in the top pic, blistering cold day, early in his training. First winter, I "broke" him in the fall.
I have a warm cooler on his butt.
Silly word, cooler.
I have a warm blankie on his butt.
PF, don't laugh.
You said "I'm no expert (like you!)".
Like me, I am no expert either. I'm not.
Overtly opinionated, maybe:)
Okay, this is NOT getting my spare room clean, best friend is coming tomorrow!!
whoo HOO.
I will blame ALL of you for the general filth still remaining, upon her arrival. I should take a picture of my house, someday. Close ups.
It will make you feel soooo GREAT about your own housekeeping skills.
Mrs. Small would be so proud of me.
Yes, Indeed.
Very good post GL and lots of good comments.
I think most amatuers who ride green horses most of the time should occasionally take some lessons or at least practice on a well trained horse if available. When I was working with Whinnie a few years ago, we were at a standstill and Whinnie is the type of horse who could be screwed up easily, so I decided to take some lessons on a school horse at the barn where my trainer was. It was a blast and I loved my school horse even though he could be such a PITA on the flat. The jumping was great. That would of course be Wizard, who is waiting for me to come out and feed right now.
Sheesh!
Zora pics:
A Miss Kitty
I grew into my ears
I have feather!
When you dive out the gate at a show, you get to wear the grape suit
Sunshine, thanks for the pics ! She is a cutie!Fuzzy and adorable!
You can see mine on my blog if you like , scroll down they are in a couple posts then one right at the bottom
I've been taking dressage lessons now for the past three months. I'm glad that I started out in h/j and an occasional spin on a ranch horse with western tack. The thing that's been so hard for me is the long legs and more open angle at the knee. I still want to ride forward, and it's a challenge to fight with that desire, but I am slowly learning to use my seat more as an aid, which never occurred to me when I rode when I was younger (I learned like many did, at a first/worst barn).
There's certainly nothing wrong with posting in a dressage saddle. My instructor has me doing it all the time. Like you said, goL, sitting a trot on a greenie is not wise as their topline isn't fully developed.
great post here!
and quarter sheets are snuggly warm on those cold snow days.
aww. Zora's a very cute, fuzzy baby girl, S&B. Her coat looks soooo warm.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
sigh..
scritch, scritch, scritch. Oh, she's a cutie. Love those ears, wow!
Thank You S&B, great, if dark northerly pictures:) The Vernal Equinox approaches. SOONer, maybe, this year? March 20th. Look it up:)
Who couldn't like a horse with lots of (strike that) enough ear?
That's why I like donkeys best, I guess;)
I know, CNJ, I know. I don't care. The first critter I own again with four legs and hooves will be a donkey.
Named Top.
(RUNS LIKE THE WINDDDDDDD)
(Well, I couldn't very well say Johnnie, now could I??)
Although he has nice long ears too. Not like those mutant QH's.
ha, I better go to bed. Company coming!
more ridiculous burble to follow.
Careful GL. I don't think shipping is that much. You might end up with that donkey on your doorstep.
Cute pics, S&B.
GL- there's plenty of donkeys around here, I can round one up and ship them if you'd like. I'm sure the Hacienda up north wouldn't miss any, just may not be so willing to let them go. Probably enough in your area already as well. Why go adding to the herd, right?
HP- Agreed! 'Still' does not mean stiff and rigid. I see a lot of that here at shows across the board. H/J shows, open shows WP, EP, 4H, dressage... you name it. Riders looking perched and if I move I will just break into pieces! As a reflection their horses move the same way- stiff, heavy on the forehand, hanging on the bit, unbalanced and clunking around the ring.
Quiet riders you say? Quiet the mind. It helps quiet the rider. This makes for a quiet horse as well. They feed off of us and our thoughts, body language and movements.
While there has to be some stiffness and body control, there also has to be some rythm and flow to the movements. Ebb and flow coming to mind GL?
Just like we can't always focus on collection all the time, we have to allow the horse to relax, stretch out and down, then maybe a little work on extending.
And with some horses, their trot is just not one you can easily sit. Ever. Just post. It makes everyones life easier. Yours and especially theirs.
My old guy Spunky had this trot that had alot of spring in it. It isn't choppy or rough just pushes you up in the air. The goal with him was to learn to control how high I went up. Learning to sit his trot and look good was quite challenging. I had to do it because I used to show in eq classes.
Learning to ride his trot made it easy to ride most every other horse's trot.
Luckily, that horse had the best canter.
I always found it helpful when jumping courses to count, that helped me keep my mind focused and to keep the rhythm and the striding.
S&B,
Zora is a cute little thing, although I imagine she isn't so little anymore.
Wow, that is a whole lotta grape there. What size blanket does Spooky wear?
BH,
GL said they were getting skinnier. HP made a comment a while ago on FF that was something along the lines of the Arab being thin.
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