DRESSAGE MELTDOWN ADVICE PLS....

Chloe_GHE

Chloe_GHE

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I really need some good advice and or training tips to help with my dressage.

Here's the lowdown - When we compete on grass I collect Soap up too much and so we aren't doing the great working trot he does at home so I paced out a 20x40 in a paddock so I could practise in comp conditions.

Took Soap in there last night and he did this...

- Avoided going straight, 1/4's in or out so constantly trying to straighten him
- Didn't want to left bend, wouldn't move away through the shoulder, and when did tried to run out outside shoulder
- Wants me to hold him up all the time but I'm not going to
- Inconsistent rhythm rushing and going behind the leg, arena is on a slope but no excuse.

He just went like a dog, nothing wrong with his saddle teeth back etc etc all tip top. Just think we have reached this plateaux and can't get off it. I really want to working him at the next level feels like he has been going like this for ages. Got really dispondant about not being able to afford dressae saddle and having to do everything at jumping length, but that's no excuse.

Feel really demoralised, try so hard, put so much money time effort into horses but sometimes he just acts like I've taught him nothing. Really have the urge to get a pro on him to show me that it is possible, and to show Soap. is that a cop out?.......don't care feel rubbish can't ride one side of a donkey....
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I want so much to be atleast 25% better at dressage this year but it's not happening, have booked a lesson and friend has offered loan of her dressage saddle so will give that a go.....probs just a down day, does anyone else get them?....
 
Everyone gets down days so try not to worry. The help of a good trainer would give you the confidence to cope with 'off days.' It would also give you strategies to be able to turn them into a more positive experience.
Is he better competing on a surface? If so it may be the grass causing the problem.
 
maybe not work actually IN the paced out school the whole time - just work in the field itself and then go in for 5 mins, back out, just do a long side, then go back out

sounds like you have got in a panic about it though, if you are getting upset about it, then you will pass it on to him, and he will pick up on this, and maybe (just maybe) start to take the p*ss?

Don't give up
 
Ah, don't feel too bad, I would guess it could just be an off day, mine goes like a yak, like you described yours when he is having an off day and you really know about it, I just tend to leave it rather than struggle for ages to achieve something basic he damn well knows how to do and usually does straight away, so go for a hack or something and come back to it another day.

Do you usually work in a space/arena larger than 20x40, because they can get a bit stuffy and less manouverable when you put them in a smaller arena and ask them to do the same work, they just aren't necessarily used to it.

Sounds like he may just have not been in a very workmanlike mood, with leaning on the hand and not going forward through his shoulder, the solution is usually just to send them right on forward just get them on a loose rein trot and canter like a giraffe but open them up, then ask to collect up and 'work'.

I shouldn't worry too much, but just go along to your lesson and make the best of it, try the saddle but remember that will be different to both you and him. Sorry, not much help as its hard to tell a problem just from reading about it.

The other thing is, if he is not listening and being a bit of a bugger, just constantly ask him to be doing something different, e.g loops, trasnitions, serpentines, changing rein, get his interest and keep him guessing!!!
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Thanks guys

Jules I was doing exactly that working in and out of the arena and using the rest of the paddock. He is about 5% worse on the left rein but last night was ridiculous then after a bit he went great on the left and crappy on the right!!!!

milz I think maybe you might be right he wasn't feeling too "workmanlike" "more twerp-man-like" it's just frustrating whe they won't even do the simplest of things like go straight or not spook at a tyre they have seen a million times before.....*sigh* ....bloomin' horses.....
 
I would not work him in the arena for a while, he sounds to be reliant on the fence/walls for straightness. If you do ride in arena i would ride on the inside track only so you have to keep him straight- will be difficult at first as they always try to fall out onto the track but worth it in the end. When you hack I would do lots of schooling exercises so he learns he can keep himself straight regardless of the different terrains and going.
You have got so far with soap, and it will come with time and think of the amazing sense of achievement that you have gotten him to where he is and you hadn't just stuck a pro on.
 
I know I just see everyone else sending their horses off and getting back these perfect little ponies, and there's me battling on trying to make a dressage horse out of him.....you just loose the faith in yourself from time to time....

He does rely on the walls etc so I have been doing exactly that in the school, and thought next step would be to do it out in the paddock, maybe it's a blip, i will just focus on keeping him straight and forward for a while and ignore the other stuff, if i come back to it after a bit im sure it will be better.....i hope
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Thanks guys
milz I think maybe you might be right he wasn't feeling too "workmanlike" "more twerp-man-like" it's just frustrating whe they won't even do the simplest of things like go straight or not spook at a tyre they have seen a million times before.....*sigh* ....bloomin' horses.....

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thats horses for you, some days it just won't happen, and its best (9/10 times) not to have an argument/fight about it and just come back another day and they will act like nothing happened!!
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But you will have days where they just go all rubbish and won't even get the simplest thing right and you do feel down about it, but try not to, as the next day will be better!!!
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when working in the arena, stay off the walls (outside track) for a few weeks.
go back to absolute basics - is he in rhythm, is he straight, is he even in both reins. don't worry about the jump saddle, better in that if it fits him properly than in a dr saddle that might not. just put your stirrups down a few holes and ignore it. fwiw Toddy and co used to do dr on some horses in jump saddles, they just went better that way, i remember Toddy doing dr at at 3-day in a jump saddle... by choice, obv!
maybe ask someone else to ride him for a session just to give you some honest feedback. if you ride him all the time it might be that he gets out there and trains YOU for an hour... "if i do this, she'll do that, and that's easier for me" etc etc. all horses do this to some extent, unless their riders are exceptionally wise to it!someone who doesn't know him will notice immediately what he's doing, and can tell you. don't despair, we all have days like that!
 
Thanks Kerilli

I was doing that off the track stuff in the school about 1.5ms away from the edge and he was going lovely and straight.

But in the paddock it feels like he doesn't want to hold himself up or slow down through his back so when I half halt he just sticks his arse out rather than shorten if that makes sense, and when i put on more outside leg to correct this he rushes fwds!....I will work on the basics again with him straight, rythm, even, and understanding that leg doesnt mean faster! and see how that goes.

So frustrating when all you want to do is get better and things seem to go backwards!
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okay, umm... did you have studs in? seriously. if he's used to being ridden on a surface for schooling, and only on grass for schooling/flatwork at events with studs in (i'm discounting hacking out on grass because you aren't turning tightly etc or being precise, usually). he might have been worrying about slipping and hence unhappy about using himself. lots are.
i sold a mare i'd evented to 2* level as a dr schoolmistress to a lady with no school. i warned her that the mare would take a while to find her feet again while being schooled on grass because she was so used to studs. sure enough, she went really weirdly for the 1st few times (enough that the lady's instructor said she 'hated the horse and couldn't work out why she'd bought it' and i nearly had the mare back), but i had warned her, and sure enough after another few times the mare started to get used to not having studs, and was fine from then on...
 
Hi Chloe,
We have very similar stuff with our ex-racer. We always school him 2-3 m in from the track in our manege... and this does help. But he still gets the hump if we over do the schooling. (Not saying you have...) So we have learnt to school him out hacking as well. It definitely helps. After all, he can't lean on anything... and he gets to go in straight lines a lot of the time. Then whenever the track allows we do serpentines, circles, leg yield, etc. He loves it, and thinks its a very good game. We get the best work out of him like this. Hope it helps.
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You know you might have just hit the nail on the head!

I always put studs in to go in that paddock and jump on grass, but I thought as I was only walk/trot and theres quite a bit of give in the ground he would be ok

maybe that was it!!!!....he was really quite uncharacteristically rubbish.....what a doofus why didn't i follow through with what i normally do for competing and jumping....

Studs in tonight and see if that helps....
 
Yes that's the tactic I am having to take with Jack he just switches off in the school hence I put this arena out in the paddock and we have a large flat gallop which is great to hack to and school him on. Soap is usually really good but I think Kerilli might just have stated the obvious error I had totally overlooked!!! (see above)

I always try to drop in a bit of leg yield or alt bends when out hacking and he does respond well maybe now he is older and wiser I might just have to trick him into working like this...
 
What about lunging before you get on. I find it often chills me out as much as the horse.

Work on flexion on the left rein stick with it and they will give in and go softer. If he sits on the left hand try giving the rein away for the whole time you school.

I have to say my dressage marks improved by 10% just having a dressage saddle. I think mine cost £250 so they are a sound investment.
 
I find mine can be difficult to settle somewhere different sometimes, if you havent schooled in the padock for a while he may just have been reacting to that, the stud suggestion was a very good one!

I agree with LEC re the dressage saddle, I put my on a credit card (bad me!) 2nd hand one that wasnt too expensive and my marks went up considerably, my rider mark has consistantly been 1 - 2 marks higher since I changed saddles.
 
Chloe, I love you!!!

(No I'm not insane!)

I just feel so relieved that someone else is feeling the same as I am at the moment. Honestly, your post is pretty much word for word what I have been whinging to my friends about for weeks/poss a month
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I shall keep an eye on this thread closely but please at least feel a little better that you're very much not on your own with this.
 
Cripes! I go out to buy a sandwhich and come back to declarations of love! What a Tuesday!!!!

lec - yeah I hadn't thoght about lunging him, but I might give that a go. I don't tend to do too much lunging as I get impatient and just want to get on! I persisted with the left rein and he softened and went great then when I changed rein he was all stiff on the right which just makes me think he's being a wally, and he can't remember which rein he is pretending to not understand on!

Colouredfan/Lec - I am saving my pennies as we speak. I know it SHOULD be possible to get good marks in a jump saddle but maybe in this case it's a better option for horse and rider to try the appropriate saddle

Saskia - I'm flattered
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Sometimes when things go bad I feel like a bit of a wally posting about it but then to hear other people are having the same issue, and to read and then practise the advise posted I realise it is beneficial to do it.

Hope you find some helpful suggestions in this thread...
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Feel really demoralised, try so hard, put so much money time effort into horses but sometimes he just acts like I've taught him nothing. Really have the urge to get a pro on him to show me that it is possible, and to show Soap. is that a cop out?.......don't care feel rubbish can't ride one side of a donkey....
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This paragraph describes how I'm feeling at the moment too! Although it's SJing for me/us, and would add that I feel like I've learnt nothing!

Mine jumps really nicely at home but something always goes wrong when we're out. I feel like I spend so much time/money trying to do better and it all comes to nothing! I know it's 50/50 his/my problem but dressage is getting better all the time and he's fab xc, so it's really frustrating that the sjing just lets us down all the time
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I think I just need to snap out of it and practice more, but I do sympathise with you as I know how you feel!

Mine never used to like going on grass either but with practice (I have no school so when the field is dry enough I ride on it 3 or 4 times a week) he is much better and seems to find going on grass a lot easier than horses that spend most of thier time on a surface!

Anyway, that was very long and mainly me whinging - sorry about that!!! Hopefully it was just a bad day and he'll be fine tomorrow x
 
Ok, sounds like you are trying to hard
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I went through these problems with my horse (still do regularly!) and basically have just learnt to call it a day if things get a bit heated!! Does he do lateral work? 99% of the problem is not being infront of the leg, straightness etc all comes when he is infront of the leg. Also, I got my best aff dressage mark (31.5) riding in my jump saddle...and at the first event of the year...I have always ridden in a dr saddle before, so they are not the be all and end all
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