Dressage, advice please

[RLF]

Hi,
I have been having lesson on my 11 year old mare for 3 years, we have been scoring over 65% consistantly, my instructor recently rode her because i was having trouble with a movement. while my instructor was riding her she jumped up span round tanked off and was on/off the bit throughout the hour, my instructor concluded that my mare does not accept the leg and suggested i send her to her yard for a weeks intensive training. my concern is that when i ride her she doesnt do this, my mare is very forward going and i ride her with a very light leg, i am worried that being ridden by a stronger leg might cause my instructor an accident or her style of riding might confuse my mare completely especially when she gets back and i am not so strong in the leg. should i get another opinion or let her go to this instructor.!!!!
HELP..

 

[Hornby]

Personally, I wouldn't - it doesn't sound as if the instructor got a very good tune out of her (and you certainly don't want the spinning and tanking improved!). My mare goes off a very light leg and I like that (cos I'm lazy and like to glide around not sweat buckets), just my opinion - I don't even have lessons!

 

[Peanot]

This is what happened to me when I first got Roxy. My instructor at the time was a good friend who regularly competed in Newcomers, Foxhunters and teaches people of all ages. She is a very competent rider and when I had Rox, nearly 4 years ago now, she was only 6 years old and very quick to a light leg. I got used to riding her like this and so we got on very well. My friend/instructor decided to ride her on one lesson and Rox was very argumentative with her and she didn`t go very well at all. She didn`t tank off or anything but just wouldn`t settle. My friend told me that she didn`t want to accept the leg and that I had to get her used to me using my legs. Well, I just carried on riding her with light leg and when my friend decided to sit on her again, about 12 months later, she said that she is more balanced and a lot stronger and she is accepting the leg. So I would just go with it. As you say she is happy and you ride her well, so why change it. As long as you can put your leg on to turn and energise etc, then why worry about it.
Probably your instructor said this because your horse made her look silly and it was obvious that you rode better than she did.

 

[Iestyn]

Sounds a bit like your instructor has a point IMO. Your horse (and I don't know you) may be going quite sweetly in an outline, but is that power coming from behind? Is it engagin or just looking pretty? Sounds like your instructor has tried to engage your horse in the correct way from the leg, and your horse has become argumentative because it's not used to it. If she had more time with your horse maybe she could teach her to be more engaged from the leg. However, I'm not a great fan of someone else schooling my horse - especially a more experienced rider as it then often causes problems when the "normal" rider gets back on. It would be far more beneficial to have some intensive lessons on your horse and YOU teach it to do what your instructor did. My dressage instructor has only sat on my horse once and my SJ/XC instructor has a few times and often has arguments with my boy - the more experienced people often ask far more and a horse sometimes takes offense to it!!!

 

[darksided]

Agree with S_V

 

[BBs]

As I know the mare

I would agree with S_V

Personally its much better that your horse and you get it *together* rather than pay someone stronger to ride her, you will find it just as hard to get the same results. It might be your instructor gets what she wants quicker, however thats not going to help YOU.

Equally, getting into a battle with her, you will never win, softly softly catch your monkey - I would seriously suggest you take yourself and the horse to your trainer and have some intensive training together.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on
Vxx

 

[RLF]

Thanks,

It does seen rational now that you've all suggested i have the intense lessons instead, i think i was worried about offending my instructor by suggesting i ride, but thats what i will do, but since my instructor wasnt able to get the movement from my horse i have ridden her and managed it myself. I have taught her most movements myself canter piroute/piaffe without any help, i just wanted to see how far i could push her with a more experienced person. etc (excuse spelling had some wine).
S.V thanks for your comments, she does work from behind and becomes engaged, i think your right my instructor asked to much of my horse and she just took offense!! and also i think my horse is just so used to my style of riding she got confused.

(les01
'Probably your instructor said this because your horse made her look silly and it was obvious that you rode better than she did'.)

Thank you les01 you made me laugh, I did once beat my instructor at a dressage comp once.

BBs I dont want those results lol (spining, jumping up. tanking off) as you now more than anyone she's lively enough he he

thanks a lot for all your advise,

 

[Peanot]

he he, I think that with all of our advice you have made your mind up and that is what you needed.
Good luck with your mare. She sounds like she knows what its about and if she is using herself correctly, then you have nothing to worry about.

 

[keysoe]

Dont forget that it is how the horse goes for you that is important, not how it goes for someone else

You and horse for a weeks intensive training is one thing

Getting the horse "retrained" is another

 

[Baileysno1]

Hello I am a self confessed lesson addict I have a weekly lesson with my friend who is very experienced with young horses (mines 5) she has never ridden him but is a fantastic pair of eyes on the ground and is great at coming up with useful exercises. Then I go fortnightly to Kate Elliot at Weelsby (Dressage Horse International) who every other session or so gets on she makes mine go like a superstar but I also find it useful as she gives me techniques to try and breaks everything down quite simply for my horse (and me!) to understand. At first I found it a bit disheartning when I saw Kate ride mine so well but my other instructor said to use it as a training tool and try to get as much out of it as I can. I don't think I send mine away to be ridden and trained because as the other have said its how your horse goes for you that matters, but watching and learning from a more experienced rider can be helpfull too.