Dressage improvement pointers

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

Ok once you have all finished sniggering at the thought of the Destroyer and I doing dressage (and i use that term VERY loosely) i wonder if i might have a few tips?

We have got reasonable marks for our centre line as he always has his "I'm on a mission" trot on but as we turn to move up the school he looses impulsion on the turn and we get marked down for it. Its like he sees the boards and starts to slow down so the turn is a less punchy trot than the straight bit down the centre line. How to keep him in that big trot through the turns? I've not got boards at the yard so he's not used to seeing them?

Ditto on one walk and trot test (B i think) you have to do a circle of trot allowing the horse to stretch down. Cue awful marks for us as he seems to take the slackening off of the rein as a cue to slow down even if i keep my leg on. Any ideas of exercises i can do to help him stretch whilst keeping impulsion?

Finally any tips for making me as the rider use more of the school when in the test? I panic and then make my circles etc much smaller than they could be which when you're riding Hovis who has the turning circle of the QE2 is hardly helping him!

Any helpful tips appreciated.

 

[martlin]

As I have never seen Hovis (yes, I know, shame on me!) and am not a dressage aficionado as such, it is a bit tricky for me to say, but I will have a go. That's the disclaimer over with.
Now, he is large and probably struggling a bit in confined space of a dressage arena, no? I would suggest that you apply a bit less of a punchy/''on a mission'' trot down the centre line and then drive him really strongly around your inside leg through the bends. Also make sure you flex him gently (if he is anything like Mabel the tank, I can imagine that bit of advice might be a tad redundant) to the inside, so he kind of steps out towards the boards and doesn't stare at them directly. All that will give an impression of more consistent impulsion/rhythm and possibly improve the marks?
As to the stretch trot, you just need to practice at home plenty. If you release his front and he slows down, just push him on without worrying where the head goes or if he runs off.

Sorry, it probably isn't very clear, it is soo much easier to explain when you ride than over the tinterweb.