(And Pics) Baby Spanish's second outing!

[shortstuff99]

Well at the weekend I took my baby Spanish (rising 5) out to her second show. We just did the Prelim 7 as I want to keep the outings nice and simple for her. Unfortunately the weather was crap . It was bloomin' freezing and snowed the whole time! This was the first time she had seen a busy-ish warm-up and was on her toes but was coping okay until right at the end when a misbehaving black horse came in. This really unsettled her so I took her out of the warm-up and walked her around a field until she calmed down. They then very kindly let me into the indoor school during the tea break so I could settle her before my test. The owner (trying to be helpful!) thought letting another horse into the indoor would settle her, but as you may guess, she let in the said black horse! Argghhh! Cue another melt down! lol. Other horse quickly removed I settled her again and started the test. It started well but in the middle of the test she lost some confidence and had a bit of a napping fit which led to scoring a 4 and two 3's! But the rest of the test was mainly 7's so scored a respectable 60% which I didnt think was too bad considering! I will take her out again in a couple of weeks just to help build her confidence up.

No pics of the test but I have some from warming up:

Snow!

Some canter:

A bit of medium trot (think she needs to work from be-hind a little more)

Some trot:

Thanks for reading all I can offer is some jaffa cakes!

 

[shortstuff99]

no comments? Booo

 

[muddy_grey]

What a lovely horse. Well done on the mark and going out in this weather!

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

well done

im sure you are aware but she needs to take the contact forward and down, and relax her topline more, curently she is very tight and bracing her under neck-maybe try warming her up deeper and rounder?

 

[shortstuff99]

well done

im sure you are aware but she needs to take the contact forward and down, and relax her topline more, curently she is very tight and bracing her under neck-maybe try warming her up deeper and rounder?

Thank you yes at home we warm up this way but when she gets nervous out she curls up on me! In the test she was better over the back but I'm hoping with more outings she will relax into the contact more. Thanks for your comments though

 

[cundlegreen]

Nice horse, but your noseband is very low. I'm surprised the judge/steward didn't say something. Good luck for the future.

 

[shortstuff99]

Nice horse, but your noseband is very low. I'm surprised the judge/steward didn't say something. Good luck for the future.

It's a drop!

 

[alainax]

I think even for a drop its low. I much prefer them up a bit so not having the potential to press down on the softer tissue of the nose and restricting air flow. But thats merely my humble opinion

Nice little horse though, look like might have some flashy paces - and you both look good together

 

[Amaranta]

She looks familiar - is she by Lengueto V out of a TB mare?

 

[shortstuff99]

I think even for a drop its low. I much prefer them up a bit so not having the potential to press down on the softer tissue of the nose and restricting air flow. But thats merely my humble opinion

Nice little horse though, look like might have some flashy paces - and you both look good together

Thanks for that, my instructor has checked it and it is 4 fingers above her nostril but she does have a very small head I will raise it a bit though.

 

[shortstuff99]

She looks familiar - is she by Lengueto V out of a TB mare?

She is indeed!

 

[McW]

Bless, her canter will be omitting to envy when she's older. At least she won't be a fair weather horse

 

[Amaranta]

She is indeed!

Is she Nica or Bebe?

 

[Gorseyhorsey]

Your post has brought me out of the woodwork as a serial lurker. I think I may have your horse's sister - who also did her first dressage this weekend - although she is a year older. Is she Japonica?

 

[Cortez]

well done

im sure you are aware but she needs to take the contact forward and down, and relax her topline more, curently she is very tight and bracing her under neck-maybe try warming her up deeper and rounder?

Yup, that's what those darn Spanishers do......and they're not necessarily tight, just look that way, which makes 'em difficult to judge if you're used to WB's.

 

[amyneave]

Well done, she looks good

 

[shortstuff99]

Your post has brought me out of the woodwork as a serial lurker. I think I may have your horse's sister - who also did her first dressage this weekend - although she is a year older. Is she Japonica?

She is Japonica how strange?! Lol Amaranta how do you know her?

 

[Amaranta]

One of my purebreds is by Lengueto V, I am good friends with his owner and was responsible for her arriving in Cambridgeshire , the lady you bought him from is a close friend of mine too.

Nica has oodles of talent and could actually go a long way if you get her onside

 

[shortstuff99]

Oh how cool! I have to say she probably is the best behaved horse I own ! That was her at her spookiest but I can understand it, she's still pretty green and warm ups are scary!

 

[Gorseyhorsey]

She is my girls younger full sister, I thought there was a similarity, Lengueto does seem to stamp his stock strongly. You have inspired me to post about my girl and our recent outings. Yours sounds like she might be a bit calmer than mine was and she looks lovely. The tightness through the neck sounds familiar though!

 

[Festive_Felicitations]

Doing DR in that weather is dedication!

Lovely pics! She is going to be stunning when she is a bit older!

 

[SkewbyTwo]

Yup, that's what those darn Spanishers do......and they're not necessarily tight, just look that way, which makes 'em difficult to judge if you're used to WB's.

I think that's a bit patronising and unnecessary. I agree with PS, also the rider is gripping with the knee and doesn't have lower leg on. The mare can't work through as a result. Nowt to do with being a Spanish breed.

 

[Amaranta]

She is my girls younger full sister, I thought there was a similarity, Lengueto does seem to stamp his stock strongly. You have inspired me to post about my girl and our recent outings. Yours sounds like she might be a bit calmer than mine was and she looks lovely. The tightness through the neck sounds familiar though!

She is a half sister, they are from two different mares, actually yours was the quieter of the two - Nica was dominant but very sweet, yours was a real babe

 

[Amaranta]

I think that's a bit patronising and unnecessary. I agree with PS, also the rider is gripping with the knee and doesn't have lower leg on. The mare can't work through as a result. Nowt to do with being a Spanish breed.

Have to say that Cortez is right, Spaniards in general can look a little tight through the back, they are well know for it, they do have to be ridden tactfully with leg on though otherwise they will shorten and come btv far to easily, so very little hand and more from the seat and leg.

This little mare is actually very very capable, but you have to remember that this is the combinations 2nd competition so, naturally there would have been some nerves involved this time and I do agree the mare is not working properly forward or over her back, but cut them some slack, I am sure they will improve with more experience.

 

[Amaranta]

Your post has brought me out of the woodwork as a serial lurker. I think I may have your horse's sister - who also did her first dressage this weekend - although she is a year older. Is she Japonica?

Apologies, I thought you meant you had BB, yours is obviously the previous year's foal

 

[shortstuff99]

I think that's a bit patronising and unnecessary. I agree with PS, also the rider is gripping with the knee and doesn't have lower leg on. The mare can't work through as a result. Nowt to do with being a Spanish breed.

Yes she wasn't working completely through as she was pretty nervous which will improve with more experience. But I can honestly say I am not gripping with my knees as I have a joint condition which means my knees are always half dislocated so I find it pretty impossible to do that! Thank you for your input though its all useful.

 

[shortstuff99]

She is a half sister, they are from two different mares, actually yours was the quieter of the two - Nica was dominant but very sweet, yours was a real babe

It's really nice to find her history out! Have to say though at my yard the other mares in her field are bigger and badder so she is bottom so maybe why she has calmed a bit?

 

[shortstuff99]

Doing DR in that weather is dedication!

Lovely pics! She is going to be stunning when she is a bit older!

Thank you

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

Yup, that's what those darn Spanishers do......and they're not necessarily tight, just look that way, which makes 'em difficult to judge if you're used to WB's.

sorry but i can tell the difference between a very hot,active breed of horse moving in its natural way and a tight, tense, sucked back horse

there is one walk pic which shows her reaching out to the contact correctly, in the canter she is very short in the neck and onbviously very strong in the hand to the point in 1 pic she is tilting her head and crossing her jaw to pull, this is NOT a critisism of her rider or her schooling, baby horses do all sorts of daft things at shows but please dont tell me this is just "how spanish horses go", because it isnt, and it isnt correct.

in all trot pics she is not taking any contact at all, is clearly sucked back off the contact with her under neck muscle bulging and her hind legs going very much up and down instead of completig the stride and swinging under and in to the hand-again its baby tension but the under neck muscle gives the game away a bit in as much as this is obviously how she is prone to going, and it needs working on.

she's lovely, and the rider is obviously aware of the weaker areas and isnt making excuses for them, so im sure in a few months she will be much softer and longer in the neck

 

[shortstuff99]

Just to add a bit of contrast this is how she goes when she is more settled

(the pics are fuzzy and she was a little spooky this day)

as I said i'm willing to listen to everyone's inputs. My main issues at the start was actually calming the trot down, as she used to try and do medium trot constantly to try and take control. Also as mentioned before I have bad joints so sometimes my riding is poo but she is pretty darn forgiving of me so I can't really blame her having baby moments!