oldie48
Well-Known Member
Rose and my lovely sharer had another lesson with Peter Storr this morning. S is improving Rose's way of going, she's now generally in front of the leg, much softer and more supple and can sustain a more advanced frame whilst staying more on the hind leg but she can still get tight in her back, hold a bit in her neck and the hind leg still gives the appearance of being just a bit too slow. She is so much stronger though and is capable of giving a loy more than she offers!
Peter suggested riding her much rounder and in a deeper frame, nothing like rollkur, just a lovely soft frame with the back rounded and lifted, encouraging the hind legs to come under. This is not Rose's preferred way of going, she likes long, low and flat. TBH she thought about objecting but with a little persuasion (bit of flex and use of inside leg) she agreed to cooperate. Interestingly, once she was working in this frame, she started to offer a more advanced frame, sometimes on her terms which required her to listen and respond to requests to soften but increasingly on the rider's terms staying soft in her neck and back.
Peter then moved on to introducing half steps using a lunge whip to encourage Rose to quicken and lift her hind legs. As expected she had a bit of an opinion on this but it was done very quietly with lots of praise and polos when she responded correctly instead of trying to go backwards, go up or kick out and she started to get the idea. In true Rose style she had a bit of a melt down then decided that she could do it after all and she was transformed. The quality of her work improves so much when she relaxes and lets go through her body, she looks quite different, has a lot more power and is a lot more rideable. It's very exciting to watch. She's no Valegro but she is capable of some really smart work.
Peter suggested riding her much rounder and in a deeper frame, nothing like rollkur, just a lovely soft frame with the back rounded and lifted, encouraging the hind legs to come under. This is not Rose's preferred way of going, she likes long, low and flat. TBH she thought about objecting but with a little persuasion (bit of flex and use of inside leg) she agreed to cooperate. Interestingly, once she was working in this frame, she started to offer a more advanced frame, sometimes on her terms which required her to listen and respond to requests to soften but increasingly on the rider's terms staying soft in her neck and back.
Peter then moved on to introducing half steps using a lunge whip to encourage Rose to quicken and lift her hind legs. As expected she had a bit of an opinion on this but it was done very quietly with lots of praise and polos when she responded correctly instead of trying to go backwards, go up or kick out and she started to get the idea. In true Rose style she had a bit of a melt down then decided that she could do it after all and she was transformed. The quality of her work improves so much when she relaxes and lets go through her body, she looks quite different, has a lot more power and is a lot more rideable. It's very exciting to watch. She's no Valegro but she is capable of some really smart work.
