Introducing Lindeza (lin-day-za)

I was hoping to do the winter of the group lesson, which is very low key, a bunch of friends who ride together every two weeks, before moving on to more serious one on one training. But the arena really is bad, and another friend has stopped going there. It wasn't a cheap builder who did it, either, one of the 'best' in the country. I'm in a quandary now.

I'm trying to find a new trainer for Ludo, one who has also trained PREs. I was recommended Gary Foggan by the people I bought Deza from, and have his number from two different people, but he's not responding.
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I dont know if she is local enough to you, and she is not my cup of tea personally but is a decent trainer, Tori Peter is Cheshire based I think, she rides iberians and trains herself with a Portuguese trainer. She's nice enough, just wasnt for me
 
In my experience (not competition) a really good trainer will take into account things like breed/type etc but will absolutely work with what is in front of them. It is a pet hate of mine where instructors start the session talking about 'his/her breed/type' as that means that you have already started out with a bias; sometimes that may be a good experience but I don't really want bias as I have plenty of that myself!! What I want from a trainer is objective, helpful advice about what is in front of them on the day. With experience that trainer can then develop a real understanding of the horse over a period of time without wearing rose-tinted or other sorts of glasses when looking at your horse. Sadly, I think the trainer I took my young mare to simply does not like Welsh cobs - her first comments were about that and in spite of my mare being actually more saintly than the established horse she turned up with, a lot of the time I got to hear about how 'difficult' Welshies can be and about how it was important to get xyz sorted first before I had 'problems'. That may be all true but that immediate bias and the dire surface completely switched me off which is a shame as I liked the trainer as a person, the school is handy and similar to you, there is a pleasant established little group working with her.

Sometimes it is better to ask to watch a trainer/training session with someone else (obviously with everyone's blessing and in an informal way) before committing with a horse I find. :)
 
Get thee to an Iberian-experienced trainer post haste. Spanish/Iberian horses are different - they move differently, they think differently, they react differently and they need to be ridden differently too. (A bit: they're not from outer space or anything..........).

I'm pretty experienced and spent the first half of my horsey life with high powered dressage Warmbloods competing at FEI levels. When I started with Spanish horses you would have thought I couldn't ride at all and had to completely remake myself. With the help of some really kind trainers in Spain and particularly Portugal I finally learned how to ride properly (well, I'm still learning of course).
 
Cortez said:
Get thee to an Iberian-experienced trainer post haste. Spanish/Iberian horses are different - they move differently, they think differently, they react differently and they need to be ridden differently too. (A bit: they're not from outer space or anything..........).
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I'd like to argue your last point. My PRE is definitely from outer space. Cannot explain his, erm "quirks" otherwise!
 
Cortez said:
Get thee to an Iberian-experienced trainer post haste. Spanish/Iberian horses are different - they move differently, they think differently, they react differently and they need to be ridden differently too. (A bit: they're not from outer space or anything..........).

I'm pretty experienced and spent the first half of my horsey life with high powered dressage Warmbloods competing at FEI levels. When I started with Spanish horses you would have thought I couldn't ride at all and had to completely remake myself. With the help of some really kind trainers in Spain and particularly Portugal I finally learned how to ride properly (well, I'm still learning of course).
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I knew you'd say that :) Trying to find one.
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i think all the basics are the same, straight forward rhythm etc, so for those a trainer who appreciates that the most simple and basic things as gospel would be what i would look for, and who knows takes things very slowly as lin has only been ridden a very short time.

a good trainer needs to have ridden different types and understand their ways of moving, a slightly staccato trot is utterly different to a flowing trot, i think it would be easy to ruin an iberian by rushing in too fast as they seem to be born to be the ultimate horse for teaching you how to ride properly, i feel if you can ride one really well you have reached an equestrian plateau which will help you with riding all other breeds.

as for which trainer, someone like sylvia loch would be where i would look, a odd lesson with her could be worth the effort, i would certainly be looking to the highest level personally a kind of investment in the horses future, even riding a schoolmaster iberian to know what feelings to expect from decent work

not saying i ride properly or anything, but i`ve noticed the rub off onto other horses where schooling is concerned its helped me a great deal, and understanding whats going on and how i influence the horse has come from stepping back and figuring out how to ride these horses
 
Please look at how some of the trainers themselves ride and give clinics first even if it is only footage on Youtube. It can be quite an eye opener and will give you an idea of who might be compatible with you and your horse. I was quite shocked the other day when I came across a video of a well-publicised and much published 'classical' exponent riding horses at a clinic she was teaching at.
 
To be fair, I have ridden with a trainer that worked quite well for my horse and I, but I am not a huge fan of her riding. Her instruction worked for me and she wasn't actually riding my horse, so that worked out.

It is ideal to watch a lesson before you take one, but sometimes you just have to go and ride with the trainer to see for yourself. If it takes a bit to find one you match with, that's fine.
 
Well it's been an interesting few weeks!

First the good news. She's going to be a super hack. She's already really comfortable to ride out and hardly making much of a fuss about anything.

But on the arena at home she's taken a huge dislike to the jump blocks, which she ignored for the first two weeks. I rode her on a very windy day, and since that day she has been so silly about them that it has taken the whole session just to get her to walk and trot past them and do a circle anywhere on the arena. She has frankly been driving me nuts!

She has an ability to drop the bottom of her neck down between her shoulders, like she's about to face down a bull, and once she's done that, there's no way to control her. I worked out how to keep her head up and stop her doing it, but she still won't settle or bend the way I want her to. For two weeks, cantering has been off the menu. Her emergency stops and handbrake turns would have been too dangerous.

Then in a miracle of timing, this happened:

20200806_150922.jpg


Five one ton bags of rubber, three of them with loose flaps moving in the breeze. This morning, no matter where she looked there was something frightening. She spun away from one only to find herself facing another. The blocks became insignificant, there was too much else to worry about.

And after ten minutes, she decided safety lay with me, and we had the best session we have had in weeks. We even had a canter on each lead around them all.

So she can stay a bit longer ?
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cauda equina said:
So pleased the flooding (although unintentional) was successful!
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I said to the a OH yesterday I was going to flood her with them and that it was very frowned on for a training method. But it was that or not ride until I've spread it, which will be quite a while as I'm doing it by hand ?

She didn't seem to switch off, just to make a conscious decision they weren't worth the fuss she was making.

It was very effective!
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I’ve had my boy 4 years now. I still get that giddy feeling and can’t believe my dream come true.
You won’t regret for a second. I hope you have many happy years together.
She is beautiful ?
 
Cortez said:
Get thee to an Iberian-experienced trainer post haste. Spanish/Iberian horses are different - they move differently, they think differently, they react differently and they need to be ridden differently too. (A bit: they're not from outer space or anything..........).

I'm pretty experienced and spent the first half of my horsey life with high powered dressage Warmbloods competing at FEI levels. When I started with Spanish horses you would have thought I couldn't ride at all and had to completely remake myself. With the help of some really kind trainers in Spain and particularly Portugal I finally learned how to ride properly (well, I'm still learning of course).
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In what way do they have to be ridden differently? Do you mean you have to use lighter aids because they are sensitive or something else? Is it just Spanish horses that you have found this with?
 
mule said:
In what way do they have to be ridden differently? Do you mean you have to use lighter aids because they are sensitive or something else? Is it just Spanish horses that you have found this with?
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Yes, and no. It's a bit unexplainable, until you actually ride one (a properly trained one I might add), and then you'll know. And quite frankly I have zero desire to ever ride anything that isn't Spanish/Iberian ever again.
 
mule said:
In what way do they have to be ridden differently? Do you mean you have to use lighter aids because they are sensitive or something else? Is it just Spanish horses that you have found this with?
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All I can say is she's a bit weird, and I spend my time wondering how much of it is because she is already seven and newly broken and how much is the Spanish. The feeling of an ability to drop the C6/7 neck vertebrae down in the shoulder cradle is something I've never come across before. The sensitivity is something else as well, all I have to do is squeeze just above my knees and she stops, from whatever pace, no rein. The innate 'sit' also has to be felt to be believed. And the desire to be moving, usually forwards, puts paid to any necessity to think about creating impulsion.

Other than that and a few other bits and pieces, she's a completely normal English/Irish horse ?
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mule said:
In what way do they have to be ridden differently? Do you mean you have to use lighter aids because they are sensitive or something else? Is it just Spanish horses that you have found this with?
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i think they suit classical seat, riding, because the balance is different, the way they are put together makes the balance unusual the movement is unique, {i think} combined with their intelligence and responses which becomes very sensitive with training, or should,

its not like a cob or a tb its like an iberian, so you ride it how it is, unless of course you have a mainly tb tres sangres three blood, hispano anglo arab, now thats another story i`m working on currently
 
ycbm said:
All I can say is she's a bit weird, and I spend my time wondering how much of it is because she is already seven and newly broken and how much is the Spanish. The feeling of an ability to drop the C6/7 neck vertebrae down in the shoulder cradle is something I've never come across before. The sensitivity is something else as well, all I have to do in squeeze just above my knees and she stops, from whatever pace, no rein. The innate 'sit' also has to be felt to be believed. And the desire to be moving, usually forwards, puts paid to any necessity to think about creating impulsion.

Other than that and a few other bits and pieces, she's a completely normal English/Irish horse ?
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That sounds lovely
 
tristar said:
i think they suit classical seat, riding, because the balance is different, the way they are put together makes the balance unusual the movement is unique, {i think} combined with their intelligence and responses which becomes very sensitive with training, or should,

its not like a cob or a tb its like an iberian, so you ride it how it is, unless of course you have a mainly tb tres sangres three blood, hispano anglo arab, now thats another story i`m working on currently
Click to expand...

tristar said:
i think they suit classical seat, riding, because the balance is different, the way they are put together makes the balance unusual the movement is unique, {i think} combined with their intelligence and responses which becomes very sensitive with training, or should,

its not like a cob or a tb its like an iberian, so you ride it how it is, unless of course you have a mainly tb tres sangres three blood, hispano anglo arab, now thats another story i`m working on currently
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At the risk of sounding clueless what is a classical seat?
 
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