Can I see your natives doing dressage?

[Kokopelli]

If everything goes to plan I am getting a project pony, a 13.2 new forest to mainly do dressage but he is going to be a fab little guy to have a lot of fun on. He goes very well in walk and trot and canter is a work in progress but he is a fab learner and has a great attitude so it will come.

Would love to hear stories and see pictures of your natives doing dressage? What sort of comments do you get and do you ever feel unfairly judged because your not on big 'proper' horse?

Also do you plait or leave them natural? His mane is currently quite short so would it be better to plait until it grows?

 

[Twiggy14]

Leave them natural

I have no pics of me...but I have pics of my cousin on her welsh c (None of the actually test as I videoed, but got some of warm up? )

He's only young dear of him, come on so well!!

 

[Charem]

New Forests are the best.

Technically cheating as it was a an event but this is Asbo aka Red (a forester of course) doing the dressage. His mane is pulled so that it can be left au-natural for showing and plait up for eventing/hunting.

In terms of being marked against other horses, he was 3rd after dressage at our last event (29) and has never got more than a 35. As long as they are correct in their way of going and you are acurate there's no reason why you shouldn't do well.

 

[Kokopelli]

They're both stunning, how big is your new forest?

I used to ride one for someone and he was amazing fab on the flat and loved jumping so he bucked loads it was brilliant.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Usually you'll find most of the lighter build M&M's plaited for proper stressage with exception of the heavy breeds (Highland, Fells, Dales, Exmoor, Dartmoor & Shetlands).
The NF's & Connemara's (as well as Welsh B's and the finer A's) have pulled manes for M&M showing anyway - tho not as short as you would for a show pony etc.

Many of the natives will not show true dressage extensions & are quite tight through the shoulder.
That said, I've had a Fell working nicely in Novice & have been well placed in the past with assorted NF's, Fells, Welsh C & a couple of Exmoors!

You ought to get a pretty reasonable test out of most NF's (tho not all as some are more of the old fashioned type & a little heavier built, thus being harder to engage) If yours has a well set on neck & a good shoulder, then you will be well on the way

Pics please!

 

[QueenOfCadence]

My boy is a Welsh Cob x TB so not entirely a native (is a Welsh Cob considered a native -.-?). I'll share anyway - just ignore me if I'm wrong

Trot

Counter Canter:

Canter:

Walkies:

Walk Pirroutte:

Please excuse my horrid seat and look at the yellow-pony

 

[ester]

was dressage honest

sometimes we have even been known to do it 'properly'

he used to have a long mane and I would do an arab plait but decided he got to hot under it anyway and was nagged by peeps on here so it got pulled!

 

[Kokopelli]

Wow they both are lovely!

He is a bit of a chunky new forest but he slightly over weight atm so I'm thinking he will look different once the weight is off. He has a nice neck and shoulder and naturally works up hill but as you say think extension will be tricky which is what I've been concerned about but I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

This isn't me on him and was taken after a week or so after backing he goes differently now (been under saddle for 4 weeks.) The last few days he's all of a sudden got it and has clicked what he's meant to do.

 

[renegade]

I do dressage with Dales ponies. Currently have 6 year old who did his 2nd ever test the other week I do find that judges for me have been fair (Rory did find it amusing in a baby way to jump in and out of the arena in canter) My previous Dales Ozzie I did a lot of prelim and had moved up to novice when he was sold. He was a lovely pony and never scored under 60%. I did find though when I moved up to novice that doing movements like medium trot etc unless he really gave it he wouldnt get the marks where as a tb or wb would get the mark for only showing a little I do think for judges it was just easier to see when a big moving horse did it rather than a little pony. Thats only my opinion though.#Ive always ridden with manes in a neat tight running plait for dressage as it looks tidy and keeps my reins from getting tangled.

This is Rory

Ozzie

Ozzie again not the best pics of him Im afraid

 

[trendybraincell]

Shadow, my 10yr old Welsh Cob. He's working advanced medium at home and competing elementary...he's not a world beater but he works correctly and when I engage my brain then we do quite well! We went to the Petplan Championships at the Nationals last year at Novice, and we spent last weekend at the South West BD camp at Hartpury surrounded by pirouetting warmbloods!

He's pulled, plaited and totally trimmed now. Someone mentioned extension from the shoulder can be harder for them to achieve, this is true but with correct training them can learn to open through the shoulder, Shadows mediums & extensions are quite impressive. I find his natural action causes more problems in the canter his front end come up too much as you can see in the second picture. His flying changes are still very expressive in front!!

 

[Charem]

Red is 14.2hh, he's a chunky lad though. Do you know your project pony's breeding?

Ester...you appear to be green in one of your photos

 

[trendybraincell]

Ester...you appear to be green in one of your photos

Does Frank give you motion sickness?

 

[shortstuff99]

Will try and post pics of mine later but my new forest is 25 years old and recently scored 67% in a Novice and beat about 30 horses! He also never scores less than 60 at Novice. As said before as long as they are correct no reason why you can't do well.

 

[ester]

Does Frank give you motion sickness?

ah I knew there was something

Charem.. if you look I also have ears although they're not as impressive as my friend's pony's ... he played the part of 'donkey'

I do hope we can be sound enough to do some more poncing about looking silly at some point

 

[welshstar]

I've done a bit of dressage on my welsh D and I keep him unplaited as he has a rather large mane! I've yet to have any comments on his breed or the knee action in his paces. We don't do too well but that is entirely due to his welsh mindset to travel everywhere at great speed!

There is a lot of natives in our area that do dressage, infact another D in the area regularly wins at elementary level. Also look at nps dressage championships and competitions

 

[ester]

Frank missed out on that welsh memo... well unless he is bored and decides he might get killed by a leaf

He is a nightmare to warm up but usually finds a bit more in the tank when he has an audience/judge to show off to. he doesn't have a particularly welsh action most of the time so certainly no comments on that front, any issues we had were training/history issues rather than breed issues. explaining that it was ok to canter on the wrong leg at 18 took some time .

koko, a I did a couple of pairs tests with my friends then baby newfie.. he put up with a lot of frank's daft antics and was generally a star and a good egg. He was however even lazier than frank given the chance and although correct would have struggled above novice.

 

[MissSBird]

Me and B do a little dressage! We're doing prelim and novice at the moment, and have been pretty sucessful with +60 in our prelims and 59% in our first novice (ok the 2nd/most recent novice was a disgraceful score below 50% but let's just not talk about that).

I've never felt put at a disadvantage for his being a connemara. I also plait/don't plait depending on how I'm feeling. I have a tendency to use the native card - which is a bit lazy I admit, but I get away with it!

 

[SO1]

I don't have any photos of me doing dressage on my new forest. I am only doing prelim on him but I don't come from a dressage background and neither did he neither of us had done any dressage before. I have won an Open Prelim on him and he is normally placed. If your pony is registered then you can do native pony dressage with the NPS. I did this once and came 2nd.

He is often the only pony in the class. I don't plait him and I wear a tweed. I doubt we will get to higher level of dressage not because of him but because of me.

I have never had any negative comments (other than the times he was rather naughty) when we were just starting out).

My new forest is also an excellant jumper - (his half sister does BE100 eventing and has points so maybe it runs in the family)

 

[maisie06]

14.2 welsh D. We have been doing dressage with him up to novice level. Sometimes he is plaited, sometimes native - depends on how much time I have!! Never had any nasty comments and he holds his own against the horses!

 

[JFTDWS]

Fergles the super-highland (well he performs ninja moves anyway)...

I normally running plait his mane. There's one local judge who is convinced that he should move like a warmblood and repeatedly gives comments about needing more "sparkle" or "practically jogging" (when he's moving perfectly normally with reasonable impulsion but very "highlandy" strides, and I can say that for sure as I video nearly everything and checked! ) but most of them seem to receive him reasonably well and he would probably do ok if he had a more competent jockey!

eta he's competing at novice unaff and normally placed with 65%ish.

 

[NeverSayNever]

couple of pics of my sec d from Jan this year - we only did intro as i was quite pregnant lol

 

[dafthoss]

Well we are not dressage divas but here is the yellow pony strutting his stuff

No really recent ones these are all last year, we dont find extension a problem, he is quite capable just not motivated to do it . Only time we struggle is free walk as he is long bodied and short leged so unless he is really marching he doesnt look that great and then he tends to fall on his face.

 

[Mince Pie]

A couple of very old ones of Ollycob who was very green and tense at the time!

Please excuse my lower leg! He has grown a bit now so don't have to raise my heels to use the spurs any more!

 

[JFTDWS]

No really recent ones these are all last year, we dont find extension a problem, he is quite capable just not motivated to do it . Only time we struggle is free walk as he is long bodied and short leged so unless he is really marching he doesnt look that great and then he tends to fall on his face.

Haha Fergs is the opposite - he finds extension difficult but collection is easy peasy, and free walk / stretchy trots are his top scoring moves

 

[dafthoss]

Thats cos fergs is aiming for higher stuff

 

[KidnapMoss]

This is my Exmoor I do dressage some unaffilated and some affilaited at prelim level and I'm aiming for novice

I leave him au natural and it takes me ten minutes to get ready!!

He's not cut out for ridden showing despite being totally gorgeous and a good mover, he gets frightened, dressage suits him a lot better. Judges seem to like him because he is so cheerful, we have been asked quite a few times if we have brought the companion along for a ride in the box by fellow competitors though

At Addington NPS Dressage champs

And because I'm quite sad I made a little video of him schooling and doing some unaff. This was when we had just started, I'm a lot more accurate now

http://youtu.be/VEGkC_DmcZg

 

[JFTDWS]

Thats cos fergs is aiming for higher stuff

then his lack of extension will be a serious problem!

 

[dafthoss]

then his lack of extension will be a serious problem!

He told me he's planning on making up for it in the colected work

 

[Cheiro1]

I have a 15hh welshy I do dressage with.

She competes at novice and got 68.8% and 70% on her last outing.

She finds the extention work very easy, but the collection harder. But she has always been very open in her shoulder and free there

(I don't always school in a double, but it just refine things a bit so I think its good to have it in her mouth sometimes )

 

[caterpillar]

Gorgeous. Very refreshing to see a Welsh D in a light, accepting contact. Many tend to look tense and on the forehand.

There is someone else on the forum with a gorgeous welsh D. Dark bay if I remember correctly but they don't post much anymore.

JFTD - where's your hairnet?