Eventing dressage +pics HELP

[I_A_P]

i have had some very confusing comments recently doing the dressage at a few recent ODE's.
I had been getting 30s/31's/33's ish and had been getting no comments-2 of them i got 2 comments on the entire sheet-not entirely helpful!
as well as winning and geting good plascings at some unaff dressge locally.
anyway any comments if anything were that(esp.evenitng side) is that they would like her to stretch more through her neck...and we had been working on this in lessons and really getting her to stretch through her neck and back and down-then just bring her head up a little for a test.

to me-she looks like shes holding her head how they want her..but the last few tests iv got 36's and they have told me she needs to be rounder..although she would be over bent:s and shorter in her frame-so its completely contardictory..if it was a one off then iw d ignore it-now i dont know what i should be doing.
My trainer says what we are doing is correct as we are making her work over her back and you can bring her up a bit more with time. Thing is do judges at PN level prefer for them to be really round and almost tucked up? as thats the ones which seem to be doing better?

here are a few pics to try and illustarte what i mean...what do you think? Which is more correct-excue my position/expressions!

Any general comments would be good thanks!
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

This is in march/April time- i scored a very very good mark in this unaff ODE.. but bear in mind she has toned up and IMO workin a bit better now-but what do i know!
6.

7.

8.http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/fran123t/event pics/Poplar ODE schools/clip13edit.jpg

9.http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y268/fran123t/event pics/Poplar ODE schools/clip2.jpg

10.

11.

12 .

 

[H-J]

I think she looks like she is working over her back and has a nice outline - not overbent in number 10. But seems to get longer in that test in pic 11 and 12

 

[PaddyMonty]

Looking at the pics I would say the comments refer not to the neck but the whole body. Roundness is about quarters, back, shoulder and neck.
In the pics (particularly the first 3) it appears the horse is going downhill. Pic 4 is much better.
When a horse is 'round' is frame will be shorter from top of tail to pole if measured in a straight line but if the measurement was taken following the curve it would actuall be at its longest as the whole topline is streching.
So in essence what I would be looking to do is get the horse to lift / round its back more to create that elusive roundness.

Thats probably clear as mud.

 

[kerilli]

she looks good, takes a good length of stride esp with hindleg, very good. i'd concentrate on the feel and on what your trainer's saying, don't try to put her head and neck in a certain place to please the judge. your trainer's right, the overall picture will change progressively as she learns to take more weight behind, use her back more, etc etc etc. don't forget that a lot of judges at the lower levels.
aren't that brilliant, i'm sorry but it's the truth!
i'd want her feeling a tiny bit softer in the rein so that she looks a bit lighter in front, hard to explain but just so that the overall picture is a little softer. she's lovely, and you're definitely going along the right lines. concentrate on feel, not appearance, imho.

 

[jackpalfreyman]

When i was riding tia at pre-novice (beraring in mind she is working adanced medium) i tried to encourage her frame up more and work her through from behind and she always scored highly. For me in your pictures it lookes like he is falling on his shoulders in the trot and not really coming through from behind (although the canter looks good), so i would suggest you need to try work him up infront more to encourage a more uphill way of going, the softness and swing through his back that you get in the warm up (ie. over his back with a longer neck) then needs to be maintained with the frame higher with more engagment to get higher marks.

I hope that makes sense, that is just my opinion, and will probably differ to everyone elses! Good luck though, he does look lovely

 

[Weezy]

If you look at the pics where she scored highly she is using her body far more, rounder in her back and tracking up/over tracking. I would say that is deffo what the comments refer to, she needs to be rounder in her back and engaging and lifting her tummy more.

She is lovely

 

[I_A_P]

Thanks very much, i do totally understand what you are saying, and that is exactly what we are working on, so thats brilliant!

she is built ever so slightly downhill and she can become a little tense through her back-instructor thinks its just a mare-like quailty in her and so she takes a while to get just right and really working properly!

Thing with her head and neck that i find difficult atm, especially with the confusing comments, is that we have worked her for quite a while trying to make her as round as possible and get her over her back..that now im never sure how her neck should be if that makes sense as i always feel it needs to be rounder...i am getting there though!

 

[I_A_P]

jacko, that does make sense thankyou! the canter is somethings she was really struggling with untila few months ago and through constant practice it seems to have *clicked* and i can get her nice and round. The trot was our best gait-and now it doesnt seem to be quite right, she does need to take mroe weight behind, and i think she will she just needs to carry herself more.