Dressage report...and a warming up question

[[59668]]

Well this evening ex polo pony and I trundled 15 mins down the road for our first dressage comp.
Only intro A and a venue we have done arena hire at.
She was great to plait up, loaded so well, travelled brilliantly, waited on the trailer patiently.
Got a little worried when a horsebox came a little close behind her as she doesn't like big rattly things.
A bit of a nappy t*t in the warm up arena towards other horses. She was fine for about 10 mins and then started up. Same as in group clinics. Not really sure what to do with that...any suggestions for handling it/fixing it? She sort of head down tossing humping half rears spins. Annoying.
So I took her out and just walked her quietly round the car park occasionally popping back in the warm up. If she created I turned small circles till she settled then back out into the car park.
Into the indoor and the white boards and flowers were a shock..as was the dog the venue was allowing to run up and down the spectator alley on one side. Ffs.
Did a really sweet test though. Didn't push for too much as I wanted relaxed so we jogged through it for 63.7%
Loaded perfectly again and waited on the trailer while I went to get my sheet.
Overall very pleased with her bar the warm up arena shenanigans.
Also lovely to meet another forum user in real life

 

[muddybay]

My horse always used to be like that bronced in every warm up napped to everything and spun all the time! My advice would be to just grit through it everyone told me that and I didn't believe them but now with experience he barely does it anymore touch wood!

 

[Kizzy2004]

Sounds like a great result for your first trip out with all that went on.

My youngster is very looky and reactive to other horses around him in the warm up. The best thing is just to get them out as much as possible and lots of transitions trying to keep them focused on you rather then everyone else. Depending on the size of the warm up if I can I try and pick a quiet corner and stick him on a circle doing lots of transitions and a bit of spiralling in and out then walk him around the whole arena for a stretch and then start working him in using more space but if I feel him lighting up I stick him back on the circle and repeat. He’s got a lot better and is more chilled in the warm up.

 

[[59668]]

Is it viable does anyone think when you are literally jumping 80cm or less and doing prelim dressage to just not go in the warm up arena? Maybe have a little walk and trot round the venue?

 

[MissTyc]

Is it viable does anyone think when you are literally jumping 80cm or less and doing prelim dressage to just not go in the warm up arena? Maybe have a little walk and trot round the venue?

I walk up and down the car park with my mare and use a first test as a warm up then walk up and down the car park again until the second test!

 

[milliepops]

I've done a PSG without going in the warm up arena ? horse wasn't coping with the atmosphere so I just walked quietly round the car park and then cracked on in canter around the arena before the bell went ?

I would not trot around the venue.

But ideally you'd work through this with more clinics etc before attempting another show. My horse was just having an off day, actually planning to swerve the warm up is just postponing the problem.

 

[Carrottom]

Well done on your first outing. Although it's not a problem not to go in the warm up, I think you will be missing out a lot if you don't try to crack this at this point. With ex racers I have taken them to dressage comps where I have been able to spend an hour going in and out of the warm up to get them so switched off to it that they are bored.

 

[[59668]]

Well done on your first outing. Although it's not a problem not to go in the warm up, I think you will be missing out a lot if you don't try to crack this at this point. With ex racers I have taken them to dressage comps where I have been able to spend an hour going in and out of the warm up to get them so switched off to it that they are bored.

Yeah it probably is something I should work on. I get the same thing in group clinics....10 mins she's fine then the napping begins. I guess I just need to figure out what to do to work on this.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Fantastic for your first outing, well done!! When you do a clinic and she starts messing about after 10 mins , what does the trainer suggest?

 

[[59668]]

Fantastic for your first outing, well done!! When you do a clinic and she starts messing about after 10 mins , what does the trainer suggest?

Um well to push her on mostly. Ride forward. But she feels like she will explode if I do that and I don't really want to add energy to the situation.