Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I don't ride dressage (haven't met a dressage trainer in the area that doesn't fit that DQ personality), but I used to show and I still use my show trainer to put that base on my horses.  Arena work is boring, but there are no distractions there and the horse can really focus on you.  The goal is to make the elements of control - leg yields, giving to the bit, lead changes, half-halts, etc - habit, so that when you get the horse to a ride situation and the brain suddenly goes flying south in the wind, you still have these now automatic responses that let you stay in control. 

  I had a lesson recently that just made me chuckle, but also made me realize how good my 5 year old was getting.  The entire time we were working in the arena, I could tell that his attention was on everything but me.  He was watching birds, other horses, the barn cleaning guy, the mail carrier, etc, BUT, he still did everything I asked and when I mentioned to my trainer that I totally didn't have his attention - she said she couldn't tell because he was doing everything just right!  His responses have become automatic and he doesn't have to think about how to respond when I cue, he just does it. 

 

Rae

Tall C Arabians - Central Region

Cindy Collins <ccollins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Dressage has a lot ot offer, but remember it is ridden on the Flat and in
> a groomed arena.
>
> Ridecampers (bear with me on this story):
> OK. I have one final story on taking dressage lessons. First, know that
> I HATE arena work and avoided it with contempt for 45 years of my life. 
> True DQ's (dressage queens for those of you who don't know the term) make
> me sick. That being said, I kept reading about people like Becky Hart and
> Valarie Kanavy (and many more top riders) who swore that dressage and
> centered riding techniques made the difference in their horses and their
> personal riding. About this time I met a local dressage instructor who
> actually rode her dressage and event horses cross country, as far and as
> fast as I rode my endurance horses for their conditioning. I had a new
> endurance horse that I really wanted to start correctly and keep sound
>  and
> decided it was time to experiment and see if taking dressage lessons would
> really improve/benefit me and the horse in my sport of endurance. Since I
> already had over 6,000 miles in the sport at that point, most folks
> thought I was crazy (especially my husband who says dressage is like
> watching water boil!) for wasting my money on "riding lessons." So, about
> three years ago I began my life as a closet, want-to-be DQ.
>
> During this same time frame I was having serious physical problems and
> underwent a series of surgeries that would have made any sensible person
> give up endurance riding for a while. I truly believe that my lessons are
> the only reason I was able to keep riding endurance during that time. The
> improvements in my personal balance and core muscles and my understanding
> of the horse's balance and the ability to "place" my horse where I wanted,
> when I wanted, at the pace I wanted made all the difference in the world
> to me. At the
>  last ride I attended this month, a well-known rider
> actually said to management...I have no control over this horse's speed,
> all I do is try to navigate. Well, I've been there and I'm too old for
> that **** any more. The top riders that I admire never look like they are
> out of control. They look secure and balanced and focused. That's my
> ideal.
>
> Yes, my dressage work is in an arena on a smooth surface. But now, I can
> practice my leg yields, lead changes, half-halts (invaluable at the start
> of a ride), etc. in that controlled arena environment, then head out to
> the trail later in the week and practice it out there on the fly. The
> horse needs to be able to do these things in a calm, secure environment
> first before he can do it in the excitement of a ride start. My husband
> no longer laughs, either. He rode my mare on a trail ride a few months
> back and was blown away by her responsiveness. He admitted that we'd
> never owned a horse with such
>  light and responsive control. Now, I have a
> very hot 5 year old gelding coming up and he is on the edge of being more
> horse than I want to deal with at my age! He and I are doing dressage and
> jumping lessons (jumping on a green, hot horse is great two-point
> practice) on a regular basis as his foundation for endurance. He's going
> to still be a handful for me, but he will head into his first 50 with a
> very sound foundation and the ability to change leads on cue, leg yield on
> the trail, and be balanced on both diagonals and leads.
>
> So, I still HATE arena work, but believe that it is the very best thing
> I've ever done for me and my horses. It's been worth every dime. Thanks
> for listening. Cindy
>
>
>
> ============================================================
> At the end of the day maybe the definition of endurance isn't the length of
> the ride but rather the spirit in which it is ridden. 
> ~ Maryanne Stroud Gabani
>
> ridecamp.net
>  information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/
>
> ============================================================