Is this German/Dutch (or other) lesson the way 'they' do it now?

Don't think it's a lesson, it seems to be a competition. Can anyone translate? Google doesn't do a brilliant job on the comments ;)
 
Thats not a lesson its a show and the commands are what the competitors are to do next. its normal on the continent for pony showing to have them in side or rnning reins in show classes and even if its a first pony class they still judge the rider as well so very different to the uk
 
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Could only watch 30 secnds of it, started feeling myself getting annoyed with the ponies having draw reins/side reins etc. At least we know the strap it in and kick it on school of thought is being taught to our young riders on the continent too and not just here:rolleyes:
 
This is a German competition and not the way it is done in The Netherlands.
Draw/side reins are not allowed in either unaffliated or affiliated dressage competions for ponies or horses. We've done both, and about to start again in affiliated dressage and the rules are very strict. Needless to say I have seen them used and overused in practice.
 
This is pretty common place in Germany. I think it's great, the ponies are not being socked in the teeth and charged around and the riders are learning to have good seats.
 
It tells you what it is at the beginning - "Reitverein St George Marl". I think its pretty good, how cute and well schooled is the Shetland. There are loads of horse shows in Germany, far more than here. The emphasis I think is on rider position and encouraging the horse to make a good shape and work correctly. Don't they have exams or something that you have to ride to a certain criteria in order to pass to the next level?
 
Allover said:
Could only watch 30 secnds of it, started feeling myself getting annoyed with the ponies having draw reins/side reins etc. At least we know the strap it in and kick it on school of thought is being taught to our young riders on the continent too and not just here:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Go to 1.39 and watch the shettie in slo-mo.
 
This looks quite similar to 'schooling shows' I see here in Canada. Minus the gadgets here though. The white saddle cloth plus half pad are must haves according to my showing friends.

There are no Judges or Stewards in the ring, all instructions to change rein, reverse, change speed etc are given via tannoy.
 
It is a Einfacher Reiterwettbewerb, the first ridden competition for youngsters. Only the rider gets judged, not the pony. In my days it was the very first you could do as they didn't allow lead rein back then. We didn't allow side reins either but that may have changed. As it is a club competition, I'd assume it is local and unaffiliated and meant to encourage the youngsters in.
 
Really ...........don,t like seeing any pony strapped down or any kids using spurs.............where is the rider being skillfull if all these gadgets are being used.Says nothing about the pony or kid whose riding....the rider isn,t using hands and seat to get the pony working in an outline......................
 
My thoughts on the girl on the Shetland:

- she takes her legs off to use her spurs then leaves the pony alone, which is completely correct. She is not nagging him in the typical British riding school way
- she sits nicely for someone of her age
- in slow motion you can see that whilst her hands are not completely steady yet, she is not jabbing the pony in the mouth (commonly seen over here with a faulty seat as seat training is frequently neglected!!)
- it is the norm (and rightly so) for novice riders to ride in auxiliary reins in Germany (but not draw reins that run to the hand!) Not only does it keep the bit more steady in the mouth when the hands aren't good enough yet, but how else are you going to teach someone feel? The pony automatically has a contact to go into and the rider just has to ride forwards and work on their position. The END result is a rider who truly understands what a correct contact is as there is no chance for them to start fiddling or riding front to back. We have all ridden with side reins on the lunge and it is so much easier to work on your own self, especially on the seat and in developing quiet hands, which is what good riding is all about. Your only other option is to constantly have a trainer ride and "set up" your horse for you, not realistic for everyone. I truly don't believe you can develop feel through any other hit or miss type strategy, riding on your own etc.

And no I'm not advocating for people to start using more gadgets as its only beneficial when properly supervised and the instructor knows what they're aiming for in the long term. This training still adheres to classical principles I believe, forcing an outline in draw reins does not.
 
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