I know my place now... Weekend plans :)

what a smart pony!

No advice, I think milliepops is probably your girl for in the ring tenseness.

Haha! Poor Kira, has she got a reputation? :D

If he was good in the warm up then probably more about the change of environment than anything else? Sounds familiar, and in which case, as everyone else has said the best thing you can do is get plenty of match practice. I have found that arena hire anywhere and everywhere has really helped Kira because 5 mins to welly round a dressage test isn't long enough to get them over the demons of the new space. And then as the training at home develops, you can insist on better quality work as well.

I also try to get K really on the aids as we go round the arena before the bell, this seems to be more effective than letting her look too much because things look different from the inside of the white boards anyway :p so she has to be reminded to prioritise me rather than worrying about each new grain of sand. So I have a little canter, ride some halts, whatever it takes to get her concentration again. Whatever we've done in the warm up is almost irrelevant by the time we've moved to the test arena so that is a critical minute or 2 IME :)
 
Harry Payne Lesson on Sat :)
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Playing dress up on Sunday <3
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Thanks guys - you're all very helpful....

The one thing I don't understand is.... the warmup and arena are basically in the same big manege, one at one side one at the other, so he isn't having to go inside, or come outside or even move to another area of the venue. He is literally just 20 yds further over :(

I'd have more sympathy otherwise.......

Fiona
 
Kira sympathises, Fiona... I warmed up in one test arena yesterday, and moved all of 10 yards over into the one next door, and Kira STILL tried to go behind my leg and get all silly. It was a different set of white boards, you see.... :rolleyes3:
 
what a smart pony!

No advice, I think milliepops is probably your girl for in the ring tenseness.

However do you think it was related to having both ponies there? (speaking from personal experience)

I know where you are coming from, and if it were Flora my TB I'd totally agree, but Fionn hates Daisy ;) and also he neighs even if we go to a RC lesson on our own. One of the livery horses at the venue did reply to him though on this occasion, which was annoying for me :(

Fiona
 
Kira sympathises, Fiona... I warmed up in one test arena yesterday, and moved all of 10 yards over into the one next door, and Kira STILL tried to go behind my leg and get all silly. It was a different set of white boards, you see.... :rolleyes3:

And I thought geldings were more straightforward than the girls :( ;) B***er that for a game of soldiers ;)

Fiona
 
I had a fab second lesson with Andrew Gould this morning. Put Raz in his double for the first time and what a difference! Had a play with some travers in trot and canter, trot half-pass and then we did a few changes to finish.

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Had a last-minute jumping lesson tonight on Blue as well. Haven’t jumped him in ages and it was so much fun :)
 
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