"change the rein in a free walk on a long rein…" what does this actually mean!!!????

woodlandswow

woodlandswow

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help! .. having done many dressage tests, i am now starting to get better. ;) this weekend if it had not been for my bad change of rein, free walk.. i would have won the class :mad: .. i suddenly occured to me that i dont really know what they are asking… please forgive me for sounding stupid, but… has anyone got pictures.. or can help me.. that would be great as we are going out again this weekend :) thanks
 
As you turn across the diagonal you should lengthen your reins so the horse stretches down and lengthens his stride. Just before you reach the end you should pick you reins back up and back into a walk on a contact.

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not stupid at all, stupid would be not knowing and not asking

my understanding is that the horse will stretch down and take the contact nicely, smoothly, no jerking of the reins, and nice ground covering steps while relaxed. Then you are able to retake the reins without resistance

When writing for judges the biggest 2 mistakes are not enough stretching and not enough forward (positive) steps
 
They want to see that your horse takes the contact forwards - when you start your free walk, let your horse take the reins forward, don't just let them go and drop him on his head! You also want to see a lengthened stride and a nice swing through his back - it is a section where you really want to see them working and swinging freely over their back while taking the rein forwards and striding along. As you finish the free walk, slowly gather the reins up so that he continues working correctly into the shorter rein length, don't just grab the reins and add tension to the movement. Short steps, not tracking up, no rein offered or taken, nose in the air or knees etc are things not to see!

Something to practise at home as it is a great banker movement if you can rely on it, but if your horse has a tendency to stiffness and tension then it can be hard for them as it is a nice stretch. If your horse is this way inclined then practising having him work into the length of rein you offer which still keeping a good walk is handy. If he doesn't take the contact forwards then lateral work to get him into your outside rein can be a big help, inc on a small circle then leg yielding out - try it in walk with different rein lengths. If it is hard for him you might find that although he works well over his back into the rein, his walk might drop off a bit. Just keep him moving well and work on it in short sections.

Good luck with your tests!
 
I always struggle with this in tests.. my horse has a good FWOL at home when neither of us is tense but I never get a good one in a test. I know what I'm aiming and at home/ in lessons he will really stretch down, covers the ground and is loose but in a test either one or both of us is tense because he either sticks his head in the air to look at something else or just curls up. Lots of practise required!
 
The horse needs to be stretching down (so he is working over his back not trying to eat the grass!) and really marching on. FWOL is nothing without either part!
 
as above. you should absolutely keep the contact when you let your reins out, and show the horse willingly stretching forwards downwards to it, lengthening the frame, marching actively and keeping the 4-time beat (not hurrying or idling). doing really tiny alternate tweaks on the reins as you let your reins out can work, also using your legs alternately just as the hindleg on that side comes off the ground, to encourage a bigger step. horse shouldn't jog or be inattentive (no taking advantage of long rein to gawp around!), and long rein is NOT loose rein, it shouldn't go baggy. taking the reins up again smoothly without horse tensing or anticipating is really important too.
 
One in a million - he was always an awkward bugger. On that day in particular he felt like he was going really well - only the grass was obviously to much of a temptation.

On other occasions he used it to gorp at the cricket match that was going on in the field next door. Or if he was in a really foul mood, it was an excuse to leg it to the entrance of the arena/dump rider and run back to lorry park!
 
A rider should maintain the contact through free walk. The poll should lower and the neck stretch out. There should be a clear swing through the walk stride with a good over track.
 
What Kerilli said. A couple of photos of Frodo - this free walk on a long rein scored an 8.


DSC_0380.jpg


DSC_0384.jpg
 
Horse should stretch down and out with head and neck, not just down or curl under/bring nose behind the vertical. Pics above (esp second pic) shows a good frame. Walk needs to be purposeful and active, but not rushing or jogging. Clear overtrack. The pick back up into medium walk should be as seamless as possible for best marks.
 
As everyone else has said but also depending how your horse walks naturally I was given a tip for my chunky munkey cob as FWLR meant for him to go really short&take a break as I did too admittedly but in my head now when doing it I chant
"March,March,March,March" sounds mad I know but it reminds me even in FWLR to keep riding&kicking on!!Changed my marks from 5's to 8's!!
 
From the BD rulebook - Definitions and Interpretation
119. Work on a long rein
a) Free walk on a long rein
Free walk on a long rein is a pace in which the horse is allowed complete freedom to lower and
stretch out his head and neck while the rider maintains a light contact through the rein. The horse
covers as much ground as possible, without haste and without losing the regularity of his steps, the
hind feet touching the ground clearly in front of the foot prints of the forefeet.

As a kid I always used to get the comment that it's free walk on a long rein, not a loose rein, as someone said before i used to just drop the reins (was looking back at my old dressage sheets 1996 was the last one, funnily enough I always remind people of this now, just a pity i didn't learn it myself as I lost a lot of points!!!)
 
ohh, another bit - remember to breath and give through your hands and body! The number of horses and riders that have rushed, tense and short striding free walks in the test, then show a beautiful one as they leave the arena (and chill a bit!) is mental! Shows they have it in there, but you really need to let your hips/body/hands go with the movement and not block at all due to tension.
 
wench said:
One in a million - he was always an awkward bugger. On that day in particular he felt like he was going really well - only the grass was obviously to much of a temptation.

On other occasions he used it to gorp at the cricket match that was going on in the field next door. Or if he was in a really foul mood, it was an excuse to leg it to the entrance of the arena/dump rider and run back to lorry park!
Click to expand...


Really sorry, it wasn't aimed at you, you just posted 2 seconds before me!
 
thanks everyone.. sorry havent replyed sooner with the update but beeen on holiday :rolleyes:
last week did an unaff dressage and got a 7 for one and 6 for another.. improved from a 4. he was very tense though.. deffo something to practice and with all this advice.. well.. next time it will be a 10 !!!
 
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