Ridecamp: [RC] Dressage (little long)

Dressage riders/trainers--need some feedback from you
on a number of issues.  Please do
not flame 
meâ?¦we're trying to learn but also want something
that will work for the both of us.   
There are a number of dressage instructors in our area
but it appears not one of them can
agree with the 
other as to which is "best"â?¦they each seem to have
their own agenda on way things get done
(I board at a 
barn with a dressage instructor). 
Initially took some dressage lessons for my 6 yo Arab
mare whom I've had for 2 years now.
 We took 
lessons to help develop and strengthen her as she had
not been worked much in her past.
 After a few 
lessons 1x a week (all I could afford) for a period of
a month or so my mare started turning her
back on me 
in the stall.  We still did a few more lessons before
we quit altogether.  Since then she's been
just fine. 
This instructor believes in riding in a "frame" and
most students wear gloves because of pulling
on the reins.   
Initially she gave me instruction on a school gelding
and then my mare.  Yes, she had me
pulling the same 
as all the other students.  She often had me sit very
crooked to force(?) a bend in my mare or
whatever you 
dressage instructors have us do for this reason. 
We had done some lateral shoulder in work along the
arena wall during our lessons.  She
would go well 
laterally working left to rightâ?¦but would not
working right to left.   
We did quit taking dressage lessons and meanwhile and
since we had been doing our LSD
work with a 
friend the entire time along roads and trails and
hills and such.  In mid-May we did our first CTR
doing 20.5 
miles on Saturday and another 17 miles on Sunday
morning and the mare did just fineâ?¦we
were thrilled 
and she was very happy (she likes trails). 
During the CTR she would start jigging whenever we
were within 2 miles of camp or when other
horses 
passed us too much.  She was controllable.  Well
figure if she's going to jig she might as well
workâ?¦so we 
did shoulder ins along the trailâ?¦first on her good
side and then decided she ought to do some
on her bad 
sideâ?¦sure enough she did it!!! 
Since then she sprained her collateral ligament in her
stifle region and we've been back under
saddle now 
for 4 weeks doing walk work to build her back up.  The
other day we did shoulder ins along the
wall doing 
both directions and cheerfully mentioned this to the
dressage instructor.   
She said that my mare must have been cheating and of
course I wouldn't know (agreed).  Said
to get her on 
the lunge line with side reins.  Teach her to go
straight before worrying about lateral work, etc.
etc.  Well my 
mare's vet told us to stay OFF the lunge line as it
was too much strain for her stifle. 
Meanwhile here is my philosophy--all our trail work
has strengthened my mare and thus she is
now able to 
perform some lateral exercises.  Before all the trail
work she was not "fit" enough to perform
these 
exercises and that's why she reacted negatively to the
lessons. 
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly
appreciated.  I know she needs to learn to collect
and use her 
rear end better but I don't believe the lunge line is
the answer necessarily.  I am also not a
dressage rider 
per seâ?¦but can manage to pull off some easier
exercisesâ?¦whether or not they are done
"correctly" may be 
another matter but at least the try is there.   
Another note--this dressage instructor has been
working with horses for 30+ years but I feel
she is not a 
true horsey person.  She has never ridden outside of
an arena environment feeling that it is just
too 
"dangerous" amongst other things (including feeling
that horses are "dumb" and she is not
afraid to teach 
that philosophy to her students too).  Of course I'm
one of those that tell her otherwise but am
sure to tell 
her that's *my* opinion. 
Thanks in Advance, 
Val + Sania 

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