My horse hates dressage advice please

[Holidays_are_coming]

Ok I have posted on here for a while as the charming horse kicked her own tendon, however luckerly it was on a bruise and she is back in work, Ive owned my lovley mare for a yr, she was never taught to work into a contact when she was backed, however was taught flying changes and to jump amazingly well!!!!

Between me and my instructor we are trying to sort her out and we had a break through last week in my lesson however she now trying to win the battle and not relax and give to me I though my arm was going to fall off but we got there in the end and got the best canter work Ive ever had woohoo!!! We might be dressage divas next yr!!!

Should I concentrate on the dressage, it really needs some work and just do mainly dressage comps (I want to stand a chance eventing next season) the SJ is very good, or do a bit of both or sod the dressage and just jump!!!!!

Thanks

 

[flyingfeet]

Personally - sod the dressage, take up show jumping

Unlike eventing, you can go to events all year round!!!

 

[Holidays_are_coming]

I know but my first season was this year and Im loving the x-c!!!! Im addicted !!!!! ARHHHH

 

[wizzi901]

A year ago I would have agreed with the previous post!! Sod dressage and go jumping BUT having a strong lively ponio, I have found that making sure I do plenty of dressage I now have a chap that is more consistent in his jumping/HT and also we can now do eventing.....the flatwork DOES pay off, and whilst I HATE it!!!! - yes do some dressage, its does em good!

 

[posie_honey]

for the first time in my 20yrs of riding i'm starting to do flatwork!! LOL!! yup - this is serious - i was a hunt groom and a polo groom - for both i just exersised out on hack really - or as i was a bit fool hardy i was thrown on the buckers/nappers etc and made to sort them out - but other peeps did the schooling...
so when i got my horse last year i just got her fit on hacks and played about over xc/jx etc...
then i did a few sj lessons (figuring i needed to learn to ride at some point in my life) and realised how horse and i do work together and get by.... but not at all between hand and leg etc and most of the time she was just loping along on the longest frame you've ever seen lol!
so i started stressage lessons with her in aug... it's taken to now to really see a change - but boy i see it

and i actually ENJOY it now (much to my friends amazement!) and love the feeling of finally 'getting' something...and it's really helping everthing else too

i'm now concentrating on dressage till sprgin but keeping her happy with the odd day's hunting or grid work lessons
so the moral of this long winded story is - go for the dressage
- give it a chance... but if after a few months you don't like it then sod it and go back to what you enjoy

 

[camilla4]

Twinkle P - don't give up the dressage! Remember that dressage is bacially just schooling and will serve as a foundation for any other activity you undertake, including jumping! If you are having problems on the flat, you will almost certainly have problems over fences so keep going!

 

[diggerbez]

i would agree with the others and focus on your dressage for a bit. its fun to go eventing, but after a while you will want to get placed (esp if your jumping is brill) so i would spend some time on your flatwork. you could work some jumping into her routine tho- grids and technical stuff (ie control stuff) rather than whizzing about jumping courses (not suggesting that you just do this

). as your flatwork gets better so should your jumping

 

[rlhnlk]

It depends on you and your horse. My tb mare hates dressage but loves to jump. I found when I really concentrated on dressage with the help of a v good dressage trainer our jumping suffered alot, mainly because the dressage trainer wanted her to slow down and she needs to go fast when jumping (I konw it sounds mad but she scares herself if she slows down enough to think).

Now I gear all my flatwork towards jumping and fun. I did bending (like pony races!) a couple of times as it was good for getting her changing leg, direction and lengthening and shortening, I don't trot much other than initial warm up and cool down and I don't ask for any kind of outline as long as she is going forward and she is jumping better than she has in a long time.

Obviously the flatwork is still important so that her balance, athleticism etc is all there for when I need it but none of it would gain me many marks in a dressage arena, you just need to decide what you want to do and how much your mare really hates dressage.

 

[SpruceRI]

I only seem to be able to keep the dressage good if I totally concentrate on it and don't jump much.

Last winter, Rosie and I had loads of lessons, joined BD and did well in the few classes we entered, but as soon as the Event season started, it all seemed to go out the window.

Then she had an accident, and that was that.

We haven't really got going again yet!!