Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Barbara F. on January 30, 2011 at 10:27am

Hi Vicki,

 

I can try to help you.

 

Do you have a video of one of your high-60s tests and one of a recent low-60s test? I can watch them and probably find you a percentage or two.

 

Also, a few questions...

Did you just move up a level?

Is your mare looking around a bit more at home?

How often are you having lessons?

what is you training routine?

Have you checked her teeth and saddle fit?

Have you changed anything you use? Spurs? Whip? Bit? Noseband?

Permalink Reply by vickie lawson on January 30, 2011 at 3:41pm

hi barbara: i haven't been able to upload videos. i have tried and tried here and on u tube. or even sending them into dressage today. so i have to sort that out. one problem is that we are on dial up at home (no ports available) so i will need to go out to someone's house and try.

i moved up a level in november- spring here in the southern hemis.

my mare always looks around at home and finds excuses to spook. she sometimes does that at my instructors, but so far has never done that in a show arena. she always goes in and focuses and works. now 1 problem yesterday, was i was kept waiting over 20 min for my first test time. i was supposed to ride at 10:03 and 10:20. but i ended up doing the 1st test at 10_20ish and the 2nd directly after. so in hindsight, that didn't help. delphi only needs a 15 min warm up and i was a bit early yesterday, so even though i was able to do a good 10 walk stretch at the beginning and some in the middle, she was over done, which is maybe why she was bored.

i have lessons in show season every week and had had a lesson thurs night. my instructor is very positive about my horse and usually rips me to shreds (with some good points along the way)

i ride 5-6 x a week and try to get 1 hack in . i try to go to the forest or beach for the hack, and do little hacks after schooling 1-2 x a week. our sessions are about 45 min long, and we stretch walk, then trot and try to do it at canter. before we start leg yields some shoulder-in some lengthen some canter trans. etc.

after yesterday i will get her teeth checked. but they were checked less than 5 mo ago. and ive kept my eye on her back and she has no sore tender places and it seems to be fitting properly.

nothing else has changed. we use spurs and whip or not, but in this case had for the past week used both. its the same bit she's had for a yr now, and it did look at the corners of her mouth to see if there was anything and it was totally normal.

 

today, im taking her to the forest.

 

another big problem i've had is geting her in front of the leg. she is 15.2 and short coupled and very obedient. but she has been reluctant to let loose and fly. i have always thought it is a strength thing- she only turned 5 on thurs jan 27. and my instructor also says that and also that some warmbloods , particulary mares take awhile to click. it's like they don't realise they have that trot in them?

 

 

thanks so much for your email.  vickie

Permalink Reply by Barbara F. on January 30, 2011 at 11:28pm

Ok, here's my reply for what it's worth! :)

I am pasting an edited version of your reply with my responses in italics below.

 

i moved up a level in november- spring here in the southern hemis. Are these some of your first shows at the new level? That would immediately explain the drop in marks while the two of you sort things out over the first few shows.

 

 

my mare always looks around at home and finds excuses to spook. Ok, that is because she is not coming through from behind onto the bit. It is extremely common and goes hand in hand with "behind the leg". Does she spook in the forest or only while she's being worked?

 

she sometimes does that at my instructors, but so far has never done that in a show arena. At Five, she's just muscling up and learning her strength. This is such a challenging age.

 

she always goes in and focuses and works. now 1 problem yesterday, was i was kept waiting over 20 min for my first test time. i was supposed to ride at 10:03 and 10:20. but i ended up doing the 1st test at 10_20ish and the 2nd directly after. so in hindsight, that didn't help. delphi only needs a 15 min warm up and i was a bit early yesterday, so even though i was able to do a good 10 walk stretch at the beginning and some in the middle, she was over done, which is maybe why she was bored. I don't think she was bored, but she probably did her test and was wondering why she had to go back in and do it again. I would have been tempted to scratch from the second test.

 

i have lessons in show season every week and had had a lesson thurs night. my instructor is very positive about my horse and usually rips me to shreds (with some good points along the way) It does sound from past posts like she has been coming along very nicely.

 

i ride 5-6 x a week and try to get 1 hack in . i try to go to the forest or beach for the hack, and do little hacks after schooling 1-2 x a week. That sounds perfect.

 

our sessions are about 45 min long, and we stretch walk, then trot and try to do it at canter. before we start leg yields some shoulder-in some lengthen some canter trans. etc. If she only needs a 15 min warm-up, I would suggest shortening her schooling sessions to 30 minutes, then off for a hack for the other 15 minutes.  This is just my opinion, but forty-five minutes is quite a bit for a 5 yr old five or six days a week.

 

another big problem i've had is geting her in front of the leg. she is 15.2 and short coupled and very obedient. but she has been reluctant to let loose and fly. i have always thought it is a strength thing- she only turned 5 on thurs jan 27. and my instructor also says that and also that some warmbloods , particulary mares take awhile to click. it's like they don't realise they have that trot in them?

She's still very young. If she were mine, I would do tons of trot in the forests, I would do tons of rising trot onto the bit, tons of forward canter onto the bit, tons of trot/canter, so she anticipates the canter, and then stop the schooling sessions when she gives you that forwardness. Try very hard to do this within 30 minutes - that's plenty.

 

Forward onto the bit right now is NUMBER ONE. Once she is there, she will not be spooking, and she'll be steadily in front of the leg.You can't really do anything if she is not in front of your leg onto the bit, so lots of forward, praise when she responds and transition where, if you just nudge her, she'll be off. Those are the main ingredients (which I know you know, but we sometimes get sidetracked!).

If any of this make sense, I can talk you through it a bit more where you need another brain working on it! :)

Permalink Reply by vickie lawson on January 31, 2011 at 3:13am

thank you so much barbara!! i agree with all that you have suggested. the 30 min and trying to really focus on getting her in front of my leg is a great idea! 

 

the higher marks in nov were when we 1st moved up to this next level.

 

i rode her today in the forest (even though we were at the show sat and sun) and rode for 40-50 min. in the forest the tracks are up and down and possibly twisty. some of the up was deeper sand and i made her walk up to strengthen her muscles and use her back. i would never trot up with the deepish sand- too much chance of pulling something serious.

 

but she was great. forward and not too spooky -only once. and it was really really windy today. the pine trees were cracking over head as they bumped into each other i think.

 

on another side, i also rode her 3 yr old brother at home this morning. my husband (not horsey) 1st says 'oh i don't know if you should work him today in this wind'  'how was he taking him out of the paddock?' (like they are directly related!!)  but little comet was so cool. not a spook in the arena and the grass was waving around, the trees were waving around....

 

also my instructor said i should line drive him, as he doesn't turn so well. and my husband said ' you pay this woman lots of money for her expert advice-i'd take it', when i said that i agreed but also liked to just get on and do it.  anyway, i lunged comet then line drove him and he was so obliging and no dramas. then i got on and rode him. we walked around. did a figure 8 at the walk, went around the whole arena and across the diagonal and trotted around to. then we also went down the centre line, turned right and did a circle at B. what a cool little dude. all up i only work him in total 15-20 min 3x a week. many thanks again for your great suggestions.