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multiple disciplines
I have been taking riding lessons for almost 5 years. I have owned my own horse for 2.5 years. I have done both my western 2 and english 2 and now preparing for my western 3. I am enjoying trying different things with my horse. Pros and Cons of multi-tasking (multi-disciplining for that matter) with your horse. I also do other training as well. Just wanted to get a few opinions.
Thanks,
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Barbara F. on
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I ride dressage, but also jump little jumps and hack all summer long. I think what you're doing is a great idea. After all, if you limit yourself, you're missing out on all kinds of fun and learning that a variety of disciplines can offer.
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Permalink Reply by Cortni Volkman on
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I switched from hunters to eventing for the purpose of exploring new disciplines and adventures. That and the hunter crowd is not my style :) The thing I like most is how versitile dressage is. I use it in all 3 of the phases and even when I hop on a western horse. Correct dressage training = correct riding. It's beautiful to be a versitile rider and still be correct. Before eventing and hunters, I did barrel racing. Been a change :) But when it all boils down, I love to just hit the trails with my four legged partner in crime. Keep up the versitility. Adds spice to life :)
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Permalink Reply by Geoffrey Pannell on
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Well Kiddo the only discipline you need to worry about is that witch is required to get your bum in the saddle and just ride!!! lol It's all pros ,no cons that I can see. Have fun with your horse just doing stuff. Cheers Geoffrey
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Permalink Reply by Jan Jollymour on
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Hi, Kiddo!
I grew up riding EVERYTHING: hunters, jumpers, dressage, hack, equitation, western, reining, trail, and gymkhanas, and the horse I used for all of that (that's right, one horse!) also moved our cattle on the range when necessary. I don't expect all of that from my horses now, but our dressage horses hack out in the bush, and I put a Western Pleasure championship on my FEI dressage horse (along with a Jumper Championship) just to prove that a schooled horse can and will do pretty much anything you ask it to do.
My horses seemed to cope very well, and changes in tack signalled changes in approaches. I still think that multi-disciplinary approaches to training cover more bases than only one approach. I had a client struggling with the transition from passage to piaffe and back, and when I told her to think "western jog" for the transitions themselves she immediately knew what to do and could help her horse instead of hindering it. I think it helps to keep our horses and ourselves fresh!
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Permalink Reply by A_Sassy_Temptation on
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I ride western pleasure, hunter under saddle, horsemanship, equitation, halter, showmanship, trail class, and trail riding. The cons, the horse is never the "best" and at times I have to sacrifice one for the other in the show ring, my horse is most definatly english challenged, and although we do not like it as much we do it more often to make us "better" at it on the paper work. Pros is that I get the knowledge to do it all, and do not narrow myself down, eventually I may try working hunter, or hunter under fences, but I will probably not show in it.
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haha, I read that..note to self do not type when half asleep! Under fences..I think we could do that..possibly better than over! Hunter OVER fences. ;)
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I totally have to say Slc2 is completely correct. In my experience if I was heading for top competition in Western pleasure, my horse would not be going trail riding/hacking, same with jumping, he wouldn't be jumping, and chances are I may not even try english. He would be working on HIS/HER discpline, and will be sold as that horse for high competition money. But seeing as I am doing amature, I do everything, and will on my next horse decide where I want to spend the most experience, which will be western pleasure probably. Dressage, jumping, barrels, etc etc are the same, once you go high competition its not boring because you want to do it, but if you want to be a riding instructor its good to have the experience so you can cater to more clients.
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Slc2, I have always wondered the same thing, because in Dressage you are doing alot of extension, different gaits, different concepts very unique to the actual dicipline that many discplines do not use. For instance reining is extension and shortening a canter/lope that is it, and they spin and slide, which dessage riders do not do, they do pivot to a degree (sorry do not know the term) but in a very different style, reiners go fast and cross over themselves, while to the untrained eye a dressage horse almost looks as if they are cantering in the front and skipping around the pivot.
IF someone had to compare a western event to dressage it would have to be a western pleasure horsemansip/equitation class atleast in that there is extension, collection (although VERY different), different gaits, some flexion, a pivot (although much like a reiners just slower), and such.. but my opinion and take it for what its worth.
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Permalink Reply by Kairen Jamieson on
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I believe a horse can cross disciplines...but at some point when it is time to move up...it is time to specialize.
A 1.45 Jumper has very little problem in the level 3 and 4 tests...but for anything higher...the rider must decide which discipline to ride in.
My stallion has his bronze in Jumper...will be getting it (hopefully with one more placing) in eventing and will finish his bronze in Dressage either this year or next depending on the show schedule....and he also does competitive rides/swims/my taxes (just kidding...but wish I were not...lol)
My Hunter also does other things outside the Hunter ring like (adult) gymkana classes/competitive rides/low level Dressage.
To me....Dressage and Riening are very similar where Western Pleasure is more like Hunter under saddle.
If one googles Dressage vrs. Reining...there are a ton of exhibitions that show the similarities...and both use the seat/back/core much more than a Pleasure or Hunter rider does.
It will show the diversity of the Riener movement which includes much more than the average Dressage/English rider would think.
One of my favourite is Fest der Pferde 2008: Klassik trifft western Smart Rattle Snake und Lausbub
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zOrY598v_U
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Ingrid Klimke admitted in one of her books that she will jump her top level dressage horses, school her grand prix show jumpers in upper level dressage. and take her eventers to a few show jumping or dressage shows. A well trained horse is a versitile horse.
I do have to disagree with the reining though. Reining tends to have the horse on his forehand and not really balanced in movements where dressage is the polar opposite. I have yet to find a reiner who I would let ride my dressage horse.
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