Getting to know each other.

Your horse is beautiful and I am sure when they get used to each other they will both relax a bit. I am rather getting on in on years now but when I was having lessons many years ago I would have been told that my horse was 'over bent' if it was holding its head in that position, have thoughts changed? Please excuse my ignorance just curious really.
 
Having been on a yard with both an Olympic and International dressage rider and sharing the school whilst they have schooled a variety of horses, this guy looks pretty kind ;)

I'm sure we will see a change in Armas as time progresses :)
 
Totally agree with Auslander & Cortez etc. If you watch the rider he actually has a very soft rein contact and is using his core to push the horse forwards into his contact, the horse is then evading that contact by dropping behind the bit or doing just about anything else!

He looks like a horse with a lot of potential and I'm looking forwards to seeing the progress. I do hope that during all this hard work you take him out for a good gallop or something so he can let off some steam too, you'd be surprised how much this will help the schooling too!
 
Thank you for those of you with the positive feed back. Just to clarify we are only doing 2hrs a day work. 1hr in the morning & 1hr in the afternoon.
One afternoon per week will be spent hacking him out.

Its a mixture of the trainer riding him first as I want to iron out the evading issues as I do not have the skill.

By the second week we will be doing 1hr with the trainer riding and 1hr with me riding per day.

Today Armas was much more content and working well, however he is a temperamental ****** when he gets cross he tries to throw his toys out of the pram. I want to try and break him out of that habit.

I am extremely happy with the trainer he understands the breed Very well and came highly recommended. For those of you who comments were negative at the beginning of the thread. I would like to see you be brave enough to post a video !
 
Any biccies going?
Homemade cookies and there's usually a cake in the tin :D

I am extremely happy with the trainer he understands the breed Very well and came highly recommended. For those of you who comments were negative at the beginning of the thread. I would like to see you be brave enough to post a video !

Please be brave enough to post updates Armas!:)
 
Homemade cookies and there's usually a cake in the tin :D



Please be brave enough to post updates Armas!:)

He will post as he has nothing to be brave about. He knows whose opinions he values and whose he doesn't.

To be honest, it was incredibly brave of some members to post and comment on this video in the first place... :)
 
He will post as he has nothing to be brave about. He knows whose opinions he values and whose he doesn't.

To be honest, it was incredibly brave of some members to post and comment on this video in the first place... :)

I value the opinions thus far of a handful of posters as always. Those that commented first should go stand in the corner and hang there heads in shame as there advice sucked !

The video of each day will now be in the video vault should you wish to watch the progress alternately they are all on Armas Facebook page.
 
I like Armas - but he is a typical hot headed PRE! As for the toys-thrown-from-pram, if he is anything like a PRE i know, after a few days he should stop and realy start working with you. :)

Ive posted videos on here and got comments, both good and bad. Its about knowing whos opinion to respect, and the people with ulterior motives.
 
Well im going to throw my two pennies worth in.

On initially watching this video I have to say i was not impressed at all. If I had seen this at a show I would not have complimented the horse or rider but it is day one.

The problem we have with watching a video is we have no way to really feel what the horse is doing. I dont know the history of this horse or even how old it is.
My experience with spanish horses is that they are stroppy oppinionated (sp?) little things and sometimes when you've got something that drops a contact and uses its spanish up and downess to get out of things, the only thing you can do is still slightly low hands and push the horse into it, tantrum and all.

My concern would be, that you have men who just by their design are stronger, working your horse and when you get on (im assuming you are a woman) i hope you can keep him as "contained".

Looking forward to seeing whether they settle together tho.
 
Well, Armas has gone dark :rolleyes:

But I agree with Aus and Cortez (whose opinions I respect), I like his style, and Armas is chancing it hence it all looks a bit ropey. But I'm late enough to this that I may as well just baaaa along ;)
 
Well, Armas has gone dark :rolleyes:

But I agree with Aus and Cortez (whose opinions I respect), I like his style, and Armas is chancing it hence it all looks a bit ropey. But I'm late enough to this that I may as well just baaaa along ;)

Have a look at the update threads in VV - looking a lot better :) Maybe a while before we get another update though ;)
 
I'm going to go against the grain here (and I have on several occasions in the past harshly criticised the way this horse has been ridden, so am not biased!)

I think that the horse is a seriously hot little number, who uses speed to his advantage, is very adept at blocking the rider, and has no problem ducking right behind the vertical if he feels it will help him evade. If you watch the rider and not the horse, he is actually quite soft, and very quick to give the rein as praise for the horse when he offers a few correct steps/comes back out from being curled up and broken over at the poll.

He is extremely strong in the seat/core/legs - which I believe is what's making the horse throw all his toys out of his pram. There are moments where he looks a bit inelegant, but having ridden super hot spanish horses, I can sympathise! As a new partnership, its not pretty at the moment, but I'm very interested to see how it develops. I think this chap might surprise everyone!

FW - he was giving the rein to allow the horse to stretch, and Armas went to snatch - so he blocked him pretty hard. Didn't happen again, so Armas clearly saw the error of his ways!

I know I'm really late to this thread, but totally agree with this, thought I'd watched a different video to everyone else before I saw this post!
 
I am too clueless either way to comment,but it looked ok to me.My only thoughts were that the horse looked more p!ssed off than anxious,and that's as technical as i get:o

I love the sheepiness of this thread though (and yes i know sheepiness isn't really a word),first page everyone outraged,second page respected member offers alternate opinion,rest of pages everyone agrees with respected member and doubters from first page nowhere to be seen:p

Human nature is so interesting,if a little predictable,and certainly do see all sides of it on here;):D
 
My old horse did some dressage in her younger days, and one day I let a friend ride her out of curiosity as to just how much she would remember. She moved beautifully and I was really impressed with how much came back.
When I got back on, she bucked me off on the first corner... guess a novice just doesn't compare to being ridden by someone who knows all the movements:D
It'll be interesting to see Armas's owner in the saddle for comparison :)
 
I questioned it on the first page. I'm still here, I'm not feeling sheepish, but it's not my horse, and I'm new here so I wasn't going to go wading in. I'm sure the horse will learn to accept what he is meant to do. I know nothing about Spanish horses, so if their way of going is meant to be more in this vein, fair enough. I'm not necassarily a fan of long and low anyway, as I think most horses are ridden downhill into it, putting them on their forehand. I would go for an 'out' rather than down, but that is beside the point in this case.
I did ask a question on the first day, and was not graced with a response, so I have simply observed.
However, to put my case: for me, the horse reacted to the aids rather than responded, in the early videos. Therefore, for me, I'd have not been worried about amount of canter that first day, but simply encouraged him to accept a leg aid without quite so much haste, and relax so he became more rideable. That's just me. I'm in no rush. I accept other people say he is hot and evading. For me a horse that is relaxed doesn't wish to evade, so I go for relaxation, rhythm and ensure physical ability first. The gentleman schooling him,(who incidentally, I at no point criticised, or suggested I could do better) has been employed to 'step up' this horses training in a set amount of time. Therefore I imagine he will use a method that advances them quickest. My concerns? (if i am allowed to have, which really I shouldn't as it is nowt to do with me!) Initially the horse was very forward (& I agree how nice to see a horse not restricted, as so many are because their riders are terrified) , by yesterday's update, he was much more rhythmical and less onward bound. He did show some 'don't want to go' moments, but that is of no consequence because the rider is competent and experienced. His hind limb action to me looks shorter, and there were steps in day 3,on the right rein in walk where I thought he was irregular in his stride behind.
I have not seen today's video in full, but someone had commented about soundness.
Several people have mentioned a physio, but understandably this isn't a readily available option. So in my experience (& I'm not saying this is what WILL happen, because I am sure the employed rider is very aware) an intensively trained horse is now being asked to increase his performance whilst becoming steadily more uncomfortably through his body. He starts to object, the rider becomes stronger, the horse complies as best he can. Eventually he either physically breaks down, or his behaviour becomes too difficult. He is branded a bad ponio, and is sold. Cheap, to the wally who who comes along and thinks he can sort him out :) and that's how he spends much of his life, uncomfortable, confused, and misunderstood :) unless he gets lucky.
I am NOT saying that is what will happen here, but that is why I had reservations on the first day, because that is what happens in most cases.:)
 
well i don't like the way the way the horse is being ridden and if that makes me a sheep thats fine by me :p

Actually I think that makes you a non sheep because you didn't quickly follow the suit of the respected member/s,or does it make you a sheep of the first wave of responses that didn't like it,hmm not sure,but don't worry this is HHO someone will be bound to know,someone always knows it all on here:p:D

Sorry being flippant now,only meant in jest and in a good way,gotta love it here really!!

On a more serious note I do think the OP only does what he genuinely believes to be in the best interests of his horse and does seem quite devoted to providing the best training and opportunities for him so sure he wouldn't risk his comfort or education.
 
Another one here who commented on the first page.:) Basically to say that horse didn't look happy with this new way of going and looked confused about what was being asked of him. also followed up in a response to Armas that I personally wasn't a fan of force but that his horse is beautiful.. Or words to this effect.
I wanted to ask him to take it a bit slower with him and not rush things but didn't think it was for me to say. It's his hoss and he can do with it as he likes. He asked for comments on how it looked and yes, I'd agree that a couple of the comments were a bit OTT but that's what happens when you post stuff on here. It seems:eek:

I thought he looked a little easier at times on day 2 but was still fighting the rider.

I can understand him being annoyed but didn't think his retaliating like that was very dignified.

Have looked at day 4 video and also thought that the horse looks lame behind. This was actually commented on by someone with very sharp eyes on day 2. Gave up watching after some minutes. Yawn.
Over and out.:) Baaaaa :D
 
What is it you don't like, not being bolshy, genuinely interested?

really ? :D
i don't like his hands/contact mainly , i believe a horse needs to gain confidence in a steady/consistent/soft/following contact with the horses mouth , not a yerky , coming and going , fiddily contact , especially so for a horse that tends to evade by ducking behind the vertical
but that is going of a short video clip (i have watched the other updates) and no one knows what sort of a feel the horse is giving apart from the rider :)
but just because i wouldn't let this rider on my horse or ride that horse the way he is doing doesn't mean it is wrong , there are many roads to Rome i'm just saying that isn't the one i'd choose for that horse
he is a stunning horse who i'm sure his owner is very proud of and only wants the very best for and if he is happy with this trainer/rider then that is all that really matters and he should just simply ignore the posts he doesn't agree with :)


Actually I think that makes you a non sheep because you didn't quickly follow the suit of the respected member/s,or does it make you a sheep of the first wave of responses that didn't like it,hmm not sure,but don't worry this is HHO someone will be bound to know,someone always knows it all on here:p:D

Sorry being flippant now,only meant in jest and in a good way,gotta love it here really!!

On a more serious note I do think the OP only does what he genuinely believes to be in the best interests of his horse and does seem quite devoted to providing the best training and opportunities for him so sure he wouldn't risk his comfort or education.

:D :D i'm thoroughly confused now as to what i am , probably the 2nd dumbest poster on the board eh ;) :D

bbbbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ;)

i'm sure the op does indeed want the very best for his wonderful horse and just because it isn't the way i'd do things, it isn't necessarily wrong :)
 
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