Help - will we ever get past this? Dressage woes.

[iknowmyvalue]

I’d definitely be out doing some pure dressage (ideally in a 20x40 indoor with no boards!) but also have you tried hiring a dressage arena and doing a mock competition? Warm up either in another area (if available) or round the outside, then straight in and ride a test. Not sure where you’re based but quite a few venues round here will hire out their marked arenas. There’s a few that hire grass arenas too over spring/summer.

I’d second the grackle suggestion too, even if it’s only to make you “feel” like you’ve got more control so you’re less likely to panic. If he’s ok elsewhere, then he either knows he can take advantage of the situation to do his own thing or you’re transmitting the tension to him and he’s bouncing off that

It’s not quite the same thing, but if it makes you feel better, mine used to lock onto white boards and jump them

 

[Muddywellies]

How is he with a very short warm up? If that’s suitable and appropriate for the level you’re at.

Or a double warm up. Mine used to bog off with me and a double warm up often helped.

 

[Lady Jane]

Dressage HC. My horse kept taking off on long arena tests when I had to give/retake across the diagonal, then flying change at the track and then stop. I decided to just chuck a test (I was losing loads of marks anyway) and risk being told off for harsh riding. My next test with this movement he did the same thing and I brought him to an abrupt halt very quickly. I picked up the correct canter from my halt and carried on. I got 'broke canter' and a low mark but only for that one movement. He never did it again. Worth considering?

 

[Lois Lame]

I had a moose of a horse who would explode BE at the first canter. Sadly, he also knew where the canter would come in the test and was waiting... waiting.... waiting... for me to ask and, at the first hint that it was TIME TO CANTER.... YE-HAAAAAAA!!!

 

[KikiDee]

Thank you so much for everyones thoughtful responses and excellent advice! It really has given me some hope we can crack this, especially hearing other people have had similar issues - I am feeling much less glum about the situation! I genuinely am super grateful for everyone who has taken the time to reply

I'm just back off holiday so will reply to all suggestions

 

[KikiDee]

A bit of a left field thought, but as you say he's polite cantering at other times. Perhaps when you step back up to prelim for the canter movements do those in two point/light seat to start with, one so you have something to focus on rather than worry about what might happen and giving him more of an opening/space, it might encourage him to play along a bit more. Could be worth a shot especially if it's a place with a friendly judge

This is a fabulous suggestion thank you and one I had never thought of! I actually do this a lot at home for the first few canters to relax him as it's his comfort zone and also gives me more security to let him go forward initially and then anchor him in a bit. I think I will get him out HC and give this a go, at home I usually give him a few strides in a forward seat and then once settled I can sit up and bring him back to me, so if I can replicate this in a test then in theory I would only really need to forfeit the first canter transition/movement.

 

[KikiDee]

Sounds more like a tension issue, prob from both of you than a running off issue. I’m sort of wondering if you’re both holding your breath before that first canter now.
I also think trying 2 point would be interesting, if no further progress I would pay trainer to ride him out, on the basis that he then really gets a feel of how the horse is in the competition arena.

Don’t be too downhearted it sounds like you’ve done a great job overall.

100% it is all tension and I am definitely feeding into it. We had the same issues with exploding into canter at home and it was a 'me' problem as I was expecting it and creating the issue, so we've worked lots on using canter transitions as much as possible within schooling sessions so it becomes just another pace rather than us both being poised waiting for 'the canter' I'm going to give the forward seat idea a go and also focus on getting him out as much as possible until it feels 'normal' for both of us but I've definitely realised reading through the comments that I need a mental re-adjustment as well and to ride more effectively in my tests, I think when it all goes wrong I revert to becoming a bit of a passenger and riding defensively rather than proactively which means the tension is steadily building throughout the test and when we get to the canter section it all bubbles over.

 

[KikiDee]

There's definitely an element of being able to meet a horse at their energy level and then being able to shape what they are doing and being able to bring them back to a more productive mindset, rather than just trying to immediately shut them down every time when they get an adrenaline spike.

I think this is exactly how he needs to be ridden but the balance I am struggling with in dressage. If we are just out for a canter or jumping and he gets a bit daft, I just relax and open him up for a few strides then can quietly bring him back to me. It's the rigidity of the dressage test, combined with both of our tension of being there, that I think you are right I'm trying to shut him down all the time and it is boiling over. I think I need to relax and try and find the feel for being able to rein him in, in that environment, without giving him something to fight. I just think I lack the skill and feel for that at the moment but I will keep getting him out and hopefully it will come!

 

[KikiDee]

Have you tried indoor dressage? What happens then? If there's nowhere to bog off to, maybe you could crack the habit - or, at least, develop nerve coping strategies that work for both of you. How about sacrificing the canter altogether, trot it and get a zero once or twice until you both learn to handle the anxiety. I do feel your pain, speaking as someone who once had a judge flag me down, tell me to breathe, and ask whether I wanted to start the test again!

Our last attempt was indoor.... straight out of the boards and for a quick victory lap of the arena when I asked for the canter I have also tried tests on grass and we just merrily cantered off out the boards and off up the field! He does come back to me fairly quickly but by then the damage is done Yes I struggle terribly with nerves at competitions and he is an anxious horse so I think we are feeding off each other. I'm going to try getting him out HC lots as I think if the pressure is off me to 'perform' and I'm almost going in thinking "this probably won't go well but it doesn't matter" I might relax a bit and ride a bit better!

 

[KikiDee]

Dressage HC. My horse kept taking off on long arena tests when I had to give/retake across the diagonal, then flying change at the track and then stop. I decided to just chuck a test (I was losing loads of marks anyway) and risk being told off for harsh riding. My next test with this movement he did the same thing and I brought him to an abrupt halt very quickly. I picked up the correct canter from my halt and carried on. I got 'broke canter' and a low mark but only for that one movement. He never did it again. Worth considering?

This is well worth a shot thank you! We actually did very similar with his jumping as he was a complete hooligan, my trainer had me stopping very abruptly after fences and even in between fences as he just didn't listen and it was getting dangerous, he would literally come off a turn and lock his jaw and I had nothing as we charged into a combination at 100mph. We did a lot of work of retraining his brain that he needed to listen to me and not make his own mind up on what we were doing, so sometimes we would literally jump into a related distance and then pull up, until he was landing over fences and coming back and listening rather than taking control. It was incredibly hairy and a long process but he really has turned around 100% so I have faith.

I'm wondering if the same approach in his dressage would help and, as you say, just throw a few tests away. So the minute he takes a hold just bring him straight back to a halt, whereas at the moment I'm gritting teeth and trying to get through the movement.

He really is an incredibly sweet horse that wants to get it right, but he runs on adrenaline and has never known a different way of doing things so I think it is just going to be a bit of a process with him!

 

[sbloom]

My best trainers always said it's better to throw one movement to get the horse going sweetly, than to niggle and lose points through all subsequent movements.