jumping and flat work

[TheDressageRider]

I know people out there love thier jumping and thats fine their doing what they love but what gets me is jumpers saying "flat work/dressage wont help my horse" or "dressage is stupid it does'nt do anything" WRONG.


If you think about it your Riding a course some wear big with the normal number of 12 fences.You are only in the air for 36 seconds all the way around that course as it take 3 seconds to approche, take off , and land. all the rest is flast work.

jumping horses would'nt be able to do flying changes,quick turns ect. with out basic flat work trianing.also trianing flat work will help with thier time and turns.


but I think the point what Im trying to get across is that flat work is nearly everything. You need flat work to make the horse walk,trot, and canter. listen you young showjumpers who could be stars and who ever reads this post think about it long and hard and tell me "flat work does'nt do anything"

TheDressageRider

 

[Demille]

You sound like my instructor! And i totally agree, i cant stand it when i hear people say 'i dont do flat work.' Jumping is mainly flat work.

There was a girl at my old yard who only ever hacked or jumped her horse and never schooled him. When she jumped she either kept jumpting the same fence over and over just putting it up, or jumped aroung the same course of jumps. She didnt even do grid work and she used to wonder why he didnt perform at SJ competitions....hmm i wonder!

I've not worked in SJ, but have worked in eventing at a few different yards and we didnt jump all that often, obviously we would school over fences perhaps once a fortnight but it was mainy flat work schooling and fitness work.

 

[hiyapartner]

Your posts are so difficult to understand because of bad spelling and grammer . If you think that groundwork is important to showjumpers as their horses are on the ground most of the time, I am sure most would agree with you but that is not really dressage.

 

[RussianGirl]

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Your posts are so difficult to understand because of bad spelling and grammer.

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I agree; though I agree with most of your posts (From what I can understand of them, anyway) but the spelling makes things really difficult for the proportion of people on here who do not speak perfect english...

 

[JoBo]

Here, here! From a person who rides a cob so has to have the flat work spot on in order to jump the bigger (over 1m) jumps!

 

[TheDressageRider]

[ QUOTE ]
Your posts are so difficult to understand because of bad spelling and grammer . If you think that groundwork is important to showjumpers as their horses are on the ground most of the time, I am sure most would agree with you but that is not really dressage.

[/ QUOTE ]

yes i no Im not good at spelling but define Dressage for me?
Dressage is not just a load of movements perfomed in a marked out ring Dressage is a way of training, a Disapline.
I would call flat work Dressage training as flat work covers most things you do in a Dressage test.
Dressage is a Disapline and a way of training to keep the horse going forward and working from behind keeping one Rythem and one out line this is looked for in any case Dressage,jumping,eventing, showing

 

[Hullabaloo]

I see flatwork as separate from dressage.
Yes, good flatwork is important in jumping as the horse needs rhythm and balance. However, dressage ia about performing a set test and not all the movements are relevant for a jumping horse. When I school my horse on the flat, my emphasis is on things like shortening and lengthening the canter stride, not on trot work and free walk on a loose rein which would be required in dressage.

I had a few lessons with someone who rode at a fairly high level in dressage and I got very down one day when she was quite rude about my riding. My usual instructor reminded me that while I might not always be "correct", that I was jumping my horse up to 3' sj and xc with reasonable results and could survive a day's hunting on him (he's not allowed to go any more as he's such a liability so it was no mean achievement!) - all things that she wouldn't even consider.

I guess that what I'm trying to say is that being able to get good marks in a dressage test will not necessarily improve my jumping. Working on the flatwork which is relevant to jumping will. That is why I think there is a difference.

 

[TheDressageRider]

I can see your point of view but if you thing of Dressage again say novice leve thats bascly normal movments in flat work. but i do see where you are coming from.

TheDressageRider

 

[silverstar]

Yep I agree with dressagerider but also on the other hand Hullaballoo is quite right as well. Speaking as a rider who has done more showjumping than dressage. Ive started some dressage lessons and can see how that helps my riding too, esp. my position which is bloomin awful, but then I stayed in the saddle when needed to over a jump. But I find it difficult getting a horse on the bit and getting it to stay there.

 

[palomino698]

I was always taught that jumping a course is just dressage with obstacles.

 

[xspiralx]

You're right but you are kind of stating the obvious. Any rider with half a brain already knows how important flatwork is to jumping - I think the person that claims is not is very rare.

I also agree with Hullabaloo - I too would make a distinction between flatwork and dressage. Of course the basic elements are the same - the horse should be forward, engaged, balanced, listening etc. However schooling for dressage on the flat isn't necessarily the same as schooling for jumping - different elements are prioritised.

 

[Tuppence88]

Dressage is like libraries to me.
I have no problem reading books just don't make me do it in a dusty old place aka library. Same with riding no problem doing flat work just not in a school going round and round and round. I like to do flying changes around puddles and lengthening and shortening strides on long straight open tracks. I can do great turn on the forehand at gates!
and it all transfers perfectly if I HAVE to go into the school.
shhh just don't call it dressage!