Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Chris Paus <paus@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi Ann Marie...
After that, I took a few months off and did some basic
dressage lessons for myself and sent Star back to
kindergarten with the dressage trainer. When we went
back to competition the next spring, I got lots of
compliments on my "new" horse. I had better balance
and more confidence as a rider, and Star gained
abilities he didn't know he had.

I have to add a "ditto" to the above statement. I have one of these "spooky ayrabs" he's 8 but has only been under saddle a little over 2 years. We've been taking dressage lessons about 4 months, twice per month. It has really helped us both. Ash has dumped me 7 times in 2+ years. The last one really was a doozy! (My MRI came back with no compression fracture BTW!! Just 3 broken vertebrae wings!!) I noticed at this last spook/dump that Ash really appreciates bit contact. The dressage lessons seem to give him more confidence and he is learning to rely on contact to communicate with me. Our last spook I had transferred both reins to my left hand, had loose reins and was cantering along, using my right hand/arm to push branches out of my way. I was enjoying the scenery and not giving him signals, not telling him that he had nothing to fear from the horse eating logs that we were coming up on, so a 6' jump to the right and I was laying on my back on a gravel road! I learned a good lesson with him over this and I really think keeping some contact calms him. I'm going to ask my instructor tomorrow about my theory, as we have another lesson! Ash is 8 and everyone says at 10 they start calming, I'm holding everyone who ever said that to it!!!!!

Heidi-aerc#M20935  /\_/\~    http://www.synjinarts.com
                 ~~/~~  \\~~~~   (Wildlife/Western & Equine
                  /   O> ) \~~~~~    Art)
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