pics + a vid - CS working today:

Excellent!

Planning to spend this winter getting myself back up to strength...can you believe I've had 11 months out of the saddle now!!?? Then going to be lessoning lots (Think there are plans for Lili to come over too) so if it's a travelable distance then might be worth doing it a few times...and then you can help me relearn to ride the bugger as well! Don't mind admitting he smashed my confidence!!
 
He is a stunning horse & im not meaning to be rude ive thought long & hard before posting. But as a fellow dressage rider do you not feel your maybe pushing him a bit to much?

With greatest respect he doesnt seem to be to happy in those pic's, i know he's an ex-racer i have one to & i know how hard they can be to relax. I just think maybe his "episodes" are actually him shouting at you that he isnt happy?

Im just coming from a point of view of having to re-back horses that have been pushed a bit to hard & finally hit breaking point. I would hate this to happen with your boy, plus studies have also shown that it is the bigger movement that we all want at the higher levels that can do the damage to the suspensorys in dressage horses at young ages.

I know you have a horse to compete but what is the rush to get up the levels so fast with a young horse?

Please dont think im being nasty & i know i will be shot down for what ive said, but i hope you maybe take something from what ive said. My greatest achievment is having a happy athelete & it's a balancing act.
Please dont think im having a pop at you & i hope others dont see it that way im not trying to start a debate or an attack. Your doing a lovely job with a wonderful horse im just a bit concerned thats all.
 
He looks fab! All really grown up and even compared to last year there is such a difference!
I couldn't care less about the hat, but what I find funny is that people are commenting that you shouldnt post photos of riding hatless - When you have actually posted pics of you wearing the hat in this thread!

One thing that stood out to me though - in only one of those photos does he look happy, he dosen't look like his normal self imo, but then I am only going by photos! Maybe because of his changing muscles/shape the saddle isn't sitting just how it used to? Just a thought :)

Loving the saddlecloth - think they would do it in a jumping saddle shape? :D
 
can you point out (apart from where he is going upside down) that he doesnt look happy?

to me he looks like a horse thats concentrating (as he flipping well should be im afraid!). Yes he is pulling his lips back in the rein back pic, but he's a very *mouthy* horse, contactly lip flipping and sneering and snapping, rubbing his teeth along things etc when in the stable, field or being groomed etc.........he looks for all the world like he'd have your head off, then just as suddenly pricks his ears and snuggles up for a cuddle..........it seems to be habit/entertainment value more than anything as he is most certainly NOT in pain, having been seen by an excellent back lady, someone i would consider THE BEST equine dentist in the uk, and the same saddler iv had for over ten years(saddle slightly adjusted), all in the last couple of weeks. the horse simply ripples over the ground, he isnt sore.
he actually looks softer in his body/mouth/mind to me, than previously, so just goes to show we all see different things doesnt it.

the episodes are not new, are lesser in frequency and er intensity(!) than previously and are not related to any specific movement or even to harder work, more often than not the first one comes from trotting on a loose rein and suddenly WHAM horse is out from under me and spinning-he apparently used to do the same in race training and has always been inclined to test his rider (race trainer called him un-genuine ). i dont think he'll ever come out without testing me at least once,i just think he'll always need to check that im still the boss.

there are *yes* horses and *maybe* horses, CS is a *maybe* horse-he has to check how much i want it, each and every day, and thats fine with me because it doesnt bother me in the slightest and i couldnt afford a *yes* horse with GP potential.

whilst the tempis are not perfect, i think you'd be hard pushed to say he looks to be struggling?????

he's worked 4 times a week and does mostly transitions and stretching, and *plays* with stuff like tempis/pi/pa/piri's etc for 5 or 10 mins at the end, and not every day either.

cant do right for doing wrong onhere-if you only post *pretty* pics of nice moments, apparently thats presenting an un-true pic, and if you go warts and all, you must be doing something wrong!

thats not a pop at you BTW, just a general (irritating) observation.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
cant do right for doing wrong onhere-if you only post *pretty* pics of nice moments, apparently thats presenting an un-true pic, and if you go warts and all, you must be doing something wrong!

thats not a pop at you BTW, just a general (irritating) observation.
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I was thinking exactly that! :)
 
See i knew i would be jumped on, i never mentioned anything about the changes. But i will say he needs to be more through & straighter, however what do i know!!

Actually PS it seems that others cant have an opinion:confused:. I stand by my post he doesnt look happy in many of the pic's but i dont know your horse in "real" life so im going off what your presenting on here.
I state again im not having a Pop.
 
Dc- I don't think your being jumped on at all. PS presented her case in the same way you did yours, methodical, to the point and with no nasty remarks. You asked an she answered, what is wrong with that?
 
I don't usually say anything on your threads, PS, mainly because they seem to get quite entrenched quite early on (particularly re hats!), but I just wanted to say good on you for posting your photos and being frank and honest about your decision making process with your lovely horse. He is a beauty and he is beautifully trained by you and the more I see of racehorses, the more impressive your achievements with him are. He's clearly not a horse for fools and he is unbelievably lucky to have an understanding and sympathetic home with you, since the life he would have had in a nervous novice home just doesn't bear thinking about. It would be nice if all the sharp racehorses in the world could have a similar outcome!
 
4faults said:
Dc- I don't think your being jumped on at all. PS presented her case in the same way you did yours, methodical, to the point and with no nasty remarks. You asked an she answered, what is wrong with that?
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I didnt say there was anything wrong, however they way PS's last post is written it comes across as defensive & it seems like ive obviously annoyed.

Im not going to get into this anyway, i had a feeling i would start to be seen as the black sheep & it's starting. So enjoy your horses everyone im not willing to be dragged into a debate, i stated my thoughts, PS's should no that im not trying to jump on her or slate her.

I wont be posting again & wish you luck with your very lovely horse PS & that is not meant in a condecending manner before anyone jumps on that.;)
 
kit279 said:
I don't usually say anything on your threads, PS, mainly because they seem to get quite entrenched quite early on (particularly re hats!), but I just wanted to say good on you for posting your photos and being frank and honest about your decision making process with your lovely horse. He is a beauty and he is beautifully trained by you and the more I see of racehorses, the more impressive your achievements with him are. He's clearly not a horse for fools and he is unbelievably lucky to have an understanding and sympathetic home with you, since the life he would have had in a nervous novice home just doesn't bear thinking about. It would be nice if all the sharp racehorses in the world could have a similar outcome!
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Baaaa

Agree with all this!!! Please continue to post warts and all PS (hat or no hat!!) I find it truly inspiring to those of us with less talented but perhaps *ahem* equally athletic TB's.....
 
"See i knew i would be jumped on, i never mentioned anything about the changes. But i will say he needs to be more through & straighter, however what do i know!!

Actually PS it seems that others cant have an opinion. I stand by my post he doesnt look happy in many of the pic's but i dont know your horse in "real" life so im going off what your presenting on here.
I state again im not having a Pop."

see 4faults reply-puts it perfectly, no pop taking, just an answer to your concerns!

agree the middle change needs to be straighter, but rome wasnt built in a day, and i have said (twice at least) that i know they arent perfect.

and this-"He's clearly not a horse for fools and he is unbelievably lucky to have an understanding and sympathetic home with you, since the life he would have had in a nervous novice home just doesn't bear thinking about. It would be nice if all the sharp racehorses in the world could have a similar outcome! "

thank you :)
 
"I didnt say there was anything wrong, however they way PS's last post is written it comes across as defensive & it seems like ive obviously annoyed.

Im not going to get into this anyway, i had a feeling i would start to be seen as the black sheep & it's starting. So enjoy your horses everyone im not willing to be dragged into a debate, i stated my thoughts, PS's should no that im not trying to jump on her or slate her.

I wont be posting again & wish you luck with your very lovely horse PS & that is not meant in a condecending manner before anyone jumps on that."





.............all i did was explain more about the horse's character and care to reassure you that he isnt in pain/being pushed.
sorry if thats in some way starting an argument!
 
I adore CS, and will be coming to steal him one day!!
Yes he has 'Character' ;) but it also makes him have a fab presence about him and PS knows him so well. Personally i always wear a hat but PS is an Adult and can make her own choices x

Keep the Pic's coming PS!
 
I have to agree I don't think the response came across as a pop either (and I also don't think the question was a pop either!)

It is frustrating to always see PS jumped on, and then jumped on again for giving any kind of response. I've seen fiesty responses, and reasoned resposes, sarcastic responses and exasperated responses....and all of them are taken the wrong way!

Maybe it is because PS IS doing so well, and DOES know her stuff that people are more likely to get their backs up?

Well, I for one am glad to see someone doing well and yet still posting about it sometimes going wrong. Gives a far better view of reality.

There's no point in posting only good, but I know from personal experience that when you post the bad, people assume that is how it always is and start trying to analyse. I have endless pics of my boy (the brown one, the grey baby is far too polite for such things!) rearing, napping, bucking....but no one remembers the pics of him going well!
 
Hope you weren't offended by my post, was mearly an observation of his expression in the photos! As I said, he looks fantastic and you know your horse better than I can ever know :p

Do you know if the saddleclothes come in a jumping style? :)
 
I don't think I've ever posted on any of PS's threads but I follow them with great interest! I love looking at her pics and think CS is stunning, he's a real credit to her effort and hard work.

For what it's worth, I think she's absolutely mental for not riding in a hat but I really can't understand everyones need for constantly digging at her for it, she obviously has some sense as she admits to using a neck strap and hat when she feels its neccessary.

Can we not just put the hat thing to bed, people can tell her until they're blue in the face, I doubt it will change things, all it does it detract from a really interesting thread.

As for the riding asking too much debate, I can't say, there are much better qualified people on here for that! I just wish I had a CS myself (minus the acrobatics!) he's a beauty!
 
Tr0uble said:
I have to agree I don't think the response came across as a pop either (and I also don't think the question was a pop either!)

It is frustrating to always see PS jumped on, and then jumped on again for giving any kind of response. I've seen fiesty responses, and reasoned resposes, sarcastic responses and exasperated responses....and all of them are taken the wrong way!

Maybe it is because PS IS doing so well, and DOES know her stuff that people are more likely to get their backs up?

Well, I for one am glad to see someone doing well and yet still posting about it sometimes going wrong. Gives a far better view of reality.

There's no point in posting only good, but I know from personal experience that when you post the bad, people assume that is how it always is and start trying to analyse. I have endless pics of my boy (the brown one, the grey baby is far too polite for such things!) rearing, napping, bucking....but no one remembers the pics of him going well!
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I can assure you Trouble i do not have my back up or any jelousy issues in fact i love to see people doing well, i teach also so if i was like that i wouldnt have many clients left would i ;)
I was just trying to say maybe there is something to her horses "episodes".
:rolleyes:
 
Sorry, to clarify that bit wasn't a response to what's been said on here...more a general observation. By the looks of the pics in your sig you have nothing to be jealous of anyone for, and i would never suggest as such!

The only bit that was a direct response to what you've put on this thread was the first paragraph :)
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
lolo-exactly,thanks. ................and yes, doing the ROR elem, am going to be very interested to see the other horses in it, as there are so many types of TB.
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I am taking mine for the prelim, but he's more the traditional skinny poker thin type. (he only came out of training 2 yrs ago, raced until 5) So its lovely to CS has filled out so well. Gives me hope that I will get the weight on him one day!!! He dumped me xc schooling last time so if you see flying legs, thats me!!!

I think a friend from the RC is going and her racer doesn't look like a racer at all. He's really filled out well and moves like a WB.
 
DC- i didn't think your post was having a 'pop' at all- but equally PS's reply wasn't.... just out of interest- do many horses not have little 'episodes'? mine certainly does, if he's not really wanting to do something, he'll say no, stamp his feet a little bit and then say "oh ok then"... i know some horses never question anything but i honestly think that some of the quirkier/sharper ones question pretty much everything and also like to keep themselves entertained by checking that you are awake :rolleyes: Don't get me wrong- i know that bad behaviour can also be a sign that there is something wrong but sometimes it is just bad/baby pony behaviour?
 
dressagecrazy said:
I didnt say there was anything wrong, however they way PS's last post is written it comes across as defensive & it seems like ive obviously annoyed.
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I am also one who saw it more as explanatory ....If there were concerns that pictures I posted of my horses depicted the horse as unhappy/in pain, you can be damn sure I would explain more about the horse's character and normal behaviour to clarify the chances of the horse being unhappy. I'd like to think any rider who genuinely cares about their horse's welfare and/or progress would. Just as posting reports and photos on a public forum leaves you open to comments, posting an opinion on such posts leaves said opinion open to further explanation and defence from the original poster.

IMHO, if you are happy to write about something that may be of concern to you, you should also be open to your concerns being allayed....we'd all like to hear every HHO horse is happy and well after all, wouldn't we? ;)
 
I tend to look at your posts PS but rarely comment. What I am about to say is not meant to be a 'pop'.

To take an ex-racer and turn him into a dressage horse, at the level you have done, in such a short space of time is outstanding. You can take, and should take all the credit, and be rightly proud.

What I am going to say next I'm not convinced you will take any notice of (and to be honest why should you, I'm a nobody on an internet forum), but it may make me feel a little better! My personal opinion is that you are just rushing things slightly too quickly. Although a lot of his work is very impressive I think there is evidence of tension creeping in on occassions that could come and bite you both on the backside down the line. I only say this as I know you have very high aspirations for him and it would be very sad if what I see as tension issues now were compounded later and hampered his progress.
 
I bet if it was someone else riding CS you would get a totally different response, everyone would comment on how lovely he looks and how well he is working :rolleyes:
Unfortunately alot of people seem to want to insult you in some way and totally forget the fantastic work you are doing with a 6yo who is also an ex racer!

He looks brilliant and I really like the bandages and saddle cloth, they're not in your face matching but look lovely on him. :D
 
Diggerbez mine has 'moments' lol, in fact I've never had a horse that hasn't had moments when it was young! J can catleap, have a little buck sometimes when he gets excited or he is just really switched on.
My late mare reared once or twice and had the odd nappy incident. My old horse before that used to have a nasty buck when he was 5/6. My mums old horse could whip round and even her darling good boy who was PTS in the summer could also chuck in a
massive buck when excited.
Its just having young blood horses isn't it?!
That's why I asked PS how she rides CS through his moments. I've got into the awful habit of pulling Jae up *naughty!!*.
Its not like CS is chucking PS off all the time, that would be different.
What I'm learning about dressage is the horse has to be so reactive to the aids it's hardly surprising that the reactiveness can cross the line sometimes?!
It's hard to ever know the full story from a brief glimpse into the fray though a forum but I think CS is an incredible example of what write off TB's can do... My friend thinks TB's are pretty useless at dressage, HA!
 
"What I am going to say next I'm not convinced you will take any notice of (and to be honest why should you, I'm a nobody on an internet forum), but it may make me feel a little better! My personal opinion is that you are just rushing things slightly too quickly. Although a lot of his work is very impressive I think there is evidence of tension creeping in on occassions that could come and bite you both on the backside down the line. I only say this as I know you have very high aspirations for him and it would be very sad if what I see as tension issues now were compounded later and hampered his progress. "

can you point out where?
as in, where is there tension in these pics that isnt in previous pics etc? clearly this is going to take a bit of digging and searching, but id like to try and see what you are seeing.
 
For what it's worth I think it's difficult to tell from photos either way whether the horse is being pushed too hard or not, but my general feeling is that CS has a lively temperament and has always had little (and huge!!!) 'moments', so I wouldn't take that as evidence of unhappiness. Some horses are just livelier than others and when you ask them to work at this level they need to be quite switched on and this can sometimes translate into a bit of naughtiness. As for the level of work it strikes me as very comparable to what a professional would expect of a dressage horse. He would need to be at this level now so that he can compete PSG around 8 years old and GP around 11 years old.
 
I don't usually comment, as I am too in awe, but wow!... Now off to show my ex-racer the well behaved pictures and tell her that is what she is supposed to be doing rather than doing hand-stands and making me an air to ground missile (ouch!.... i didn't stick!).

when you have a horse with attitude, i think it is always a little tricky to get that attitude to transfer into expression, as sometimes they just don't want to play and the attitude is just that.... attitude.

Regardless of anything else, I am looking forward to the next lot of pictures.
 
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