Lesson with new trainer and some matchy matchy *Video*

[wellsat]

Gerry has been out of proper work almost ince I bought him due to a suspensory injury and is only now coming back into proper schooling and we can start to think about competing again. He had been making some progress but we were getting more and more frequent rearing and tantrums, general opinion was that he was just being mardy having been used to having his own way for so long while off work.

Took him to a new trainer on Monday to see if a different perspective would help and it was amazing, he was like a different horse. No rearing, no evasion, no chomping, no head tossing and our transitions were 100% better. Where my previous trainer had been telling me to go slower and to shorten my reins Chris had me riding with much longer reins and going forwards much more. Gerry was clearly so much happier. Its very, very difficult riding like he wanted me to, you'll see on the video that he keeps shouting "Diagonal", I never have a problem with my diagnoal but I was concentrating so hard on everything else it went out the window.

Very excited about about next lesson, have lots to practise in the meantime.

Please excuse the numpty riding in the video, its my first canter in the new style. If you hear the comment about 30secs from the end its made by a list judge who has ridden at PSG and happened to be watching

 

[Booboos]

Looking really good! I really like your new trainer's approach, he is very clear and his advice seems very effective. What was the judge's comment, I couldn't quite hear it? Hope it was complimentary as you were both doing really well.

 

[wellsat]

Thanks booboos, it was very complementary, I'm surprised his head fitted in the trailer to take him home again

 

[dressager]

Lovely horse and nice riding

I am very keen on your new trainer's approach, I like the fact he really emphasises how much more important the outside aids are and you should be able to give the inside rein at any time. This is the way I was taught in Germany, in a nutshell, ride forwards and straight, and leave the head alone! It definitely pays off in the long run, although its damn hard work and frustrating at times!

 

[TarrSteps]

It can be really interesting how different approaches not only suit different horses but how some horses can or can't cope with specific approaches. (Theoretically a good system, with tweaks, will do the job for most but it's clearly a bit more complicated than that.)

I saw three people last year who all moved from a successful trainer on their yard, who works very well for other liveries, because their horses were behaving in a dangerously resistant manner and getting worse. They are all more or less fine now arguably less "correctly" as in they don't always look the way they'd need to to win in the ring but my argument would be they didn't look the part when they were rearing/kicking out/running backwards either. Yes, other horses have been successfully "ridden through" such periods - with this trainer - but it was not the answer for these three. Doesn't make it a bad system or a good system, just not the system that works for them.

Personally, I have found approaches like/close to your new trainer result in a higher percentage of willing, sound, "happy" performers over the long haul but arguably not always the winners on the day in the short term. Works for me. (I'm lucky as most of the horse I see are at the opposite end of the spectrum from winning so people are just happy if the horse isn't being dangerous, competitive success is a bonus!)

Good luck and long may it continue.

 

[luckyhorseshoe]

Lovely video - I definitely think this is the way to go for a sound, healthy, happy horse. And i am hopeful that judges will pick up on this too.

 

[wellsat]

Dressager - I thought it might be a European thing, he spent a long time working in Germany so clearly has their approach to dressage. Very "pure" if thats the right way of saying it.

TarrSteps you are so very right. I had to get a friend to stand and shout at me tonight because the temptation to use my hands was quite overwhelming. I wouldn't have said I was someone that rode on my hands but not using them at all is incredibly difficult.

I got so frustrated tonight because my downwards transitions weren't as quick as a I wanted them to be and he didn't stay in a consistent outline the entire time but I know it will come. Luckily the dressage comp I had entered this weekend has been cancelled or it would have been a complete trainwreck! I know this is the way for him but its put our dressage debut bck a month or so!