How do we look?

OvergrownShetland

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 February 2014
Messages
94
Visit site
This is B and myself schooling. I like to use dressage tests as a guide when I'm riding as I'm not the most creative person when it comes to my schooling! I chose intro B this time. I've been working really hard on improving B's rhythm and transitions, he has a tendency to get excited and too worked up to do anything. I just wondered how we looked to strangers as we don't go out competing much and I would like some constructive criticism and advice as to what I should aim to be working on now I have *hopefully* cracked the stressing out issue.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=750051901701367&l=1798575023338590626
 

9tails

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 January 2009
Messages
4,763
Visit site
Cor, look at those flares! He looks nicely forward and listening, his transitions are accurate and he has a great free walk. Well done!
 

blitznbobs

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 June 2010
Messages
6,248
Location
Cheshire
Visit site
Getting there - he has a nice rhythm most of the time. The glaring thing to me is you need to work on straightness and bend - down the centre line his back legs are not in line with his front and on circles he often has an outside bend... you sit nicely but think thumbs on top and you may get a shorter outline.

the best criticism you can get is the judges - go out and ride and get some sheets which will show you areas to workon

Blitz
 

OvergrownShetland

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 February 2014
Messages
94
Visit site
Getting there - he has a nice rhythm most of the time. The glaring thing to me is you need to work on straightness and bend - down the centre line his back legs are not in line with his front and on circles he often has an outside bend... you sit nicely but think thumbs on top and you may get a shorter outline.

the best criticism you can get is the judges - go out and ride and get some sheets which will show you areas to workon

Blitz

Thank you :) The aim of the month is bend! He's as stiff as a board bless him so I've been googling exercises to help with bend, also looking at booking him a massage to see if theres an underlying muscular issue.
 

Woolly Hat n Wellies

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 April 2014
Messages
482
Visit site
Thank you :) The aim of the month is bend! He's as stiff as a board bless him so I've been googling exercises to help with bend, also looking at booking him a massage to see if theres an underlying muscular issue.

I think your work on his excitement seems to have been really effective. I wouldn't have guessed you'd had problems with it if you hadn't said anything.

The link below is a shoddily put together diagram in Paint of an exercise my instructor at the uni riding club had us doing for bending. We started in walk, making the loops around the ends of the poles quite wide, and gradually progressed to doing them quite tightly and in trot. We had to aim for the same rhythm all the way through the exercise. We mixed it up with occasionally trotting over the poles as well. They were spaced fairly wide, but still close enough to trot over. I was on an ancient TB who was stiff as a board and found it quite a challenge, even in walk to begin with, and he had really loosened up towards the end of the lesson.

http://s942.photobucket.com/user/jer1488/media/Ladysbendingexercise_zps4782cb15.png.html?sort=3&o=0
 

OvergrownShetland

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 February 2014
Messages
94
Visit site
I think your work on his excitement seems to have been really effective. I wouldn't have guessed you'd had problems with it if you hadn't said anything.

The link below is a shoddily put together diagram in Paint of an exercise my instructor at the uni riding club had us doing for bending. We started in walk, making the loops around the ends of the poles quite wide, and gradually progressed to doing them quite tightly and in trot. We had to aim for the same rhythm all the way through the exercise. We mixed it up with occasionally trotting over the poles as well. They were spaced fairly wide, but still close enough to trot over. I was on an ancient TB who was stiff as a board and found it quite a challenge, even in walk to begin with, and he had really loosened up towards the end of the lesson.

http://s942.photobucket.com/user/jer1488/media/Ladysbendingexercise_zps4782cb15.png.html?sort=3&o=0

Thank you very much! That is a very useful pic!
 
Top