Dressage with kevin the teenager

[toomanyhorses26]

Took the grump out for some unaffiliated dressage today only a walk and trot and a prelim as haven't been ou since sept

Well less said the better we cantered our way through the walk and trot test and freestyling our way with handstands and bucks through the prelim - needless to say % were not good but did somehow manage to qualify for uk riders and chasers champs (never heard of it so if anyone can shed some light

) then had a couple of hours wait and had a 45 min private with Andrew Gould. He was really good

My horses main issue is he is very hard to get in front of the leg but think we might have made some in roads today . He had me riding with a more definate contact and backed up with loads of leg,spur,whip (delete as appropriate

) not too bad in walk and trot although there is probably another 20% to get out of the lazy little s*d but the canter is a sticking point . He realy resents the leg and being made to go forward so we normally buck,fart and kick our way through the canter - I have been going along the lines of riding to try and minimise these outbursts but he had me riding really stongly forward and everytime we had a buck to keep the contact and legs went on again (although there were a few times when the school surface seem to be coming up to meet me rapidly

) He then got on and I can truely say I have never seen my horse go better (I am slightly bitter that he managed it in two minutes where I have been riding this horse for nearly two years

) but I have never seen someone so still on a horse but get the desired result. Well worth the money and I am booked in for the next sessions so hopefully we can get on top of the teenage attitude once and for all.

 

[MegaBeast]

Sounds like a brilliant lesson, bet you can't wait til the next!

 

[TarrSteps]

[ QUOTE ]
I am slightly bitter that he managed it in two minutes where I have been riding this horse for nearly two years

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, but think of the thousands of hours he's spent on his own riding and the vast number of horses he's sat on. He b*****y well SHOULD be able to ride your horse better than you. Isn't that why you're paying him to teach you?

Sounds like an inspirational lesson. Sometimes seeing what a horse can do when asked questions by someone else makes you so much more confident and determined when asking yourself.

 

[toomanyhorses26]

It was honestly an amazing 45 mins - it might not have looked it from the outside but the power I got from the reluctant ex racer was ssooooo good and to seewhat he could be like if i knuckle on my riding has really inspired me as I was thinking of loaning/selling a couple of weeks back as we just really agaisnt each other. One thing that he said to me that really stuck was that don't automatically assume that if he stick his head up,puts in a buck etc that I am in the wrong as the horse knows exactly how to play me and has a fear factor over me so even if I may take some falls in the process I can ride a much stronger position for myself. I was being a bit tongue in cheek over my comment

it was just that I have done all the reschooling oin him myself and he just 'got ' him in such a short space of time it was quite annoying almost and just made me think of how he could be if I had ridden him like that from the beginning