Nasty video uploaded

[Vindaloo]

Ok so here it is http://youtu.be/ysXJ0AssDtc

I'm no good at editing and all that so you get the full on nasty.

CC away but please don't be too horrible. I'm 40 in a few days and feeling, well as you'd imagine...

 

[Super_Kat]

Don't be hard on yourself! You look fine (and it looks lovely and warm!!)

 

[Vindaloo]

Super_Kat, you are quite right, it really is perfect weather now. I'm making the most of it, all too soon it'll be 40 degrees plus.

I'm hard on myself because Casper is just about the most giving horse i've ever had the pleasure to ride and really, really don't want to abuse his good nature. Trainers are few and far between out here so if anyone is kind enough to give me some advice I will be more than grateful.

 

[Auslander]

Ok so here it is http://youtu.be/ysXJ0AssDtc

I'm no good at editing and all that so you get the full on nasty.

CC away but please don't be too horrible. I'm 40 in a few days and feeling, well as you'd imagine...

What was your aim for the session? I'd say shorten the reins, lengthen your leg and get it on more consistently, and things would improve considerably. Horse doesn't look particularly resistant, but is being given ample opportunity to do his own thing, although he doesn't look like he's enjoying the freedom much. Is he continentally trained? He looks like he would be happier ridden more up together - which I saw a lot in Germany and Switzerland. Horses were very soft and relaxed when ridden uber correctly, and went to pieces when you chucked the reins at them and suggested they sorted themselves out!

I did think that you might be trying to encourage him to stretch down and work long and low, hence long reins, but he looks like he needs to be ridden up and together before he'll agree to go long and low. Would be interesting to know what you were trying to achieve.

Lovely horse - he look like an educated chap who knows his job.

 

[dominobrown]

ditto you do not look to bad at all. I agree with Auslander, I think he would go better if you put him in a still steady, and fairly firm contact, and although he does look quite bouncy you would look better if you sat stiller. You are nagging with your legs a bit much. You need to do less and the horse to do more, but a part from that it doesn't look bad at all

 

[Vindaloo]

What was your aim for the session? I'd say shorten the reins, lengthen your leg and get it on more consistently, and things would improve considerably. Horse doesn't look particularly resistant, but is being given ample opportunity to do his own thing, although he doesn't look like he's enjoying the freedom much. Is he continentally trained? He looks like he would be happier ridden more up together - which I saw a lot in Germany and Switzerland. Horses were very soft and relaxed when ridden uber correctly, and went to pieces when you chucked the reins at them and suggested they sorted themselves out!

I did think that you might be trying to encourage him to stretch down and work long and low, hence long reins, but he looks like he needs to be ridden up and together before he'll agree to go long and low. Would be interesting to know what you were trying to achieve.

Lovely horse - he look like an educated chap who knows his job.

Hi Auslander, the aim was to have him soft in the contact initally and then work towards a more uphill outline. I did give a lot of rein since he was really set in the jaw to start. It felt a little better once i'd removed my stirrups but not by a lot.

So, should I try for more contact initially and then once he gives, allow long and low?

Not at all eduated, just very sweet. He was racing up to a year and a half ago when he was bought by YO. His education started in draw reins.

I've owned him now for the last 5 months.

 

[bananas_22]

First of all, what a lovely horse! He is gorgeous

In terms of improvement and achieving your aims-as others have said really, your contact and leg and seat aids need to be more consistent. You want to try to have your legs hanging long and always *there* on his side so that you can apply the leg aid when required and keep him infront of the leg rather than nagging almost every stride which he will soon ignore. If you pair this with a constant but forgiving contact ie don't pull backwards at all, just remain firm to resistance but soften and yield the instant that he does, you will find that he becomes softer in a better rhythm and more forwards and he will also be easier to sit to the trot.

Try throwing in a lot (every few seconds) of transitions to practise riding him from the leg and seat into the consistent contact so that he pushes through from behind and seeks to take the contact down when offered. Walk to trot transitions in this way really help to give you the feel of the energy coming through from your driving leg and seat aids into the reins. Your "outline" needs to come from his hind legs stepping under and him rounding over his back, rather than from you adjusting the front end.

Don't be too hard on yourself though, you look a good team and without access to a trainer on the ground it is harder to improve your riding so what you have done with him so far is very good! Well done for being brave and posting the video, I look forward to seeing an improvement video in the months to come

 

[Vindaloo]

First of all, what a lovely horse! He is gorgeous

In terms of improvement and achieving your aims-as others have said really, your contact and leg and seat aids need to be more consistent. You want to try to have your legs hanging long and always *there* on his side so that you can apply the leg aid when required and keep him infront of the leg rather than nagging almost every stride which he will soon ignore. If you pair this with a constant but forgiving contact ie don't pull backwards at all, just remain firm to resistance but soften and yield the instant that he does, you will find that he becomes softer in a better rhythm and more forwards and he will also be easier to sit to the trot.

Try throwing in a lot (every few seconds) of transitions to practise riding him from the leg and seat into the consistent contact so that he pushes through from behind and seeks to take the contact down when offered. Walk to trot transitions in this way really help to give you the feel of the energy coming through from your driving leg and seat aids into the reins. Your "outline" needs to come from his hind legs stepping under and him rounding over his back, rather than from you adjusting the front end.

Don't be too hard on yourself though, you look a good team and without access to a trainer on the ground it is harder to improve your riding so what you have done with him so far is very good! Well done for being brave and posting the video, I look forward to seeing an improvement video in the months to come

Thak you very, very much Bananas. I do have occasional eyes on the ground as it were. The chap who was riding at the same time is the YO, he bought him off the track, spent a few months on him and then I bought him. It's been closer to 9 months now that I think of it, god the time has flown by.

The thing is, he is a showjumper at heart and rides in a very different style to mine. I had a lesson with him the day before I shot the video, did a little jumping etc but the result was that he was tense and not stretching down the following day. He often yells 'more' at me as I ride around or 'try shoulder in', 'travers' etc. I don't think he's ready for that just yet since as you rightly say, he's not in front of my leg enough.

I'll definitely take your advice and will work on that this evening and do my own thing keeping my ears closed to well meaning instruction which, I think at this time isn't quite the right advice for the horse.

We had a lucky break for a while in that an American dressage trainer was able to give us a few lessons (sadly had to go back to America) and she really did work on developing the outline from seat to hand. It was going well, I think i've slipped back into a few bad habits again.

Thanks again for replying. Will definitely post another video in the not too distant and hope to goodness there will be an improvement.

 

[Vindaloo]

Thank you Domino. I am going to be so blooming strict with myself this evening and sit still. He is bouncy but when he's working nicely it's actually lovely to sit to.

I'll try the firmer contact too and keep it consistent. My reins just keep getting longer and longer until I realise i've lost him totally and then have to shorten them at which point he says no thanks. I prefer a nice long rein to slop about with.

Righto, lots of work to do.