Dressage advice/ bright ideas

kickandshout

kickandshout

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Does this happen to anyone else ????. . . . .
we warm up great with lots of transitions no problems there.

We enter the arena and trot round with impulsion (looking lovely -- so i'm told)
the bell goes
frown.gif

we enter at A
and then horsey goes seriously behind the leg resulting in me having to boot for all I'm worth.
Please don't suggest big spurs as that just get continuous bucks.
I welcome ideas or suggestions.
 
That happens to me to. Mine feels absolutely lovely until i turn down the centre line at which point she goes dead to the leg and hangs on to my hands as if her head will drop off if she doesn't! I have tried spurs to with no results. I just end up pony club kicking all the way round producing a horrid test!
 
Having been there and spent many day in tears I worked out it was me. As soon as I headed down that centre line I tense up hugely and send all the wrong messages through my seat and reins without ever realising it. I had to get it into my head that I am competing because I want to - I love it and there really is nothing to worry about (albeit I am still the only person I know who can bucked off during a dressage test
shocked.gif
tongue.gif
).

THe best thing for me was just to keep going down that centre line (I also compete alot better when hungover
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as I am much more relaxed - I obviously do on advocate this
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)
 
My first ( and only) test the horse froze to the spot !! Could not get him to move at all even when we decided to give up. Had a schooling whip which he completly ignored
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very verry embarassing
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Jerry does exactly the same with me! I have only done a couple of competitions but he has been the same both times - I don't really want to wear spurs but I think I might try carrying a stick next time.
The annoying thing is that I know he can go a lot better than he does in a competition!
I suppose it might, just might be me being a bit tense
crazy.gif
 
at the beginning of the summer i had this, it really annoyed me as hed warm up and everyone was saying oh youll win on that if you get double clears, id do some transitions around the arena go in, nice strong entry and then.... turn left or right and he stuck his head in the air and looked awful.
after a huge amount of effort from me and my instructor, we have got his dressage great now. i am doing some unaffiliated dressage competitions so that i get used to it but so that he does aswell, as although often it is the rider, it can also be the horse due to lack of experience. so you just need to do lots of low-key competitions so that both you and your horse geets used to it!
 
I have had some real disasters in (but mostly leaving) the dressage arena. It has taken a while of going back to the same venue to get both of us more confident. In fact last time out there, the judge didn't recognise us from 6 weeks previously and awarded us 2nd!!!

She still goes better at home, but it is improving each time we go. Both of us are less tense and she is starting to trust me. We even tried a new venue last week and managed a calm and reasonably scoring test. Next time we go there I will concentrate on being more forward and improving our score.

Another bonus is that it is improving our jumping too, I managed to go round with what looked like control !!!
 
Thanks for all your replies
At least I don't feel like I'm the only one this happens to
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jules89 -- I'm already carrying a schooling whip if i use it too often it results in a buck or two.

hellspells --- I think you may have a point there I must be tense as i sometimes don't breathe because I'm concentrating (free walk and breathe LOL)

goya -- IL give it a go this week end and see what happens.

Thanks everyone.
wink.gif
 
Hi, this happens to me with my 5yo. We've been out 6-8 times in the past few months and exactly the same thing happens each time. Warm up really nicely then as soon as he has to go into a new arena for the test, he turns all introverted and won't go forwards. Luckily he doesn't spook but totallly ignores leg, taps with the whip and spurs!

I try to use the couple of minutes before the bell to get him going forwards but the time isn't long enough for him to feel secure in the new arena. And that's what i think it is, just insecurity where he's unsure of the new environment compared to the warm up arena. I'm hoping by going out more he'll become used to new places and this will improve, (although it hasn't so far)!! I think if I gave him a sharp smack with the whip during the minutes before the bell he would listen but I daren't do this in front of the judge as I don't know if that's frowned upon - any ideas???
 
I think if it were me i would get him really forward, too forward in fact, outside the arena and around the edge, so that when he drops off a little when trotting down the centre line it then becomes what you are after. Think medium all the way!!

I would also use the whip more on him in schooling and outside, in an appropriate way obviously, so that he learns not to buck or kick out at it and give you the desired effect of stepping more forward when used in a test.
 
If neddy is tense and nervous you could try Bach flower remedies? I use them on mine for BD and as soon as I started my average score went up by 4% - she just seems more chilled and happier? I use 4 drops each of Rock Rose and Aspen on a treat before I get on and again for a second test. At £5 a bottle it's worth a try? Haven't figured out yet if they are working on her or me but I'm happy with the result and so not messing!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Having been there and spent many day in tears I worked out it was me. As soon as I headed down that centre line I tense up hugely and send all the wrong messages through my seat and reins without ever realising it. I had to get it into my head that I am competing because I want to - I love it and there really is nothing to worry about (albeit I am still the only person I know who can bucked off during a dressage test
shocked.gif
tongue.gif
).

THe best thing for me was just to keep going down that centre line (I also compete alot better when hungover
blush.gif
as I am much more relaxed - I obviously do on advocate this
wink.gif
)

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought I was the only one to get bucked off in a test!!
 
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