Please can I have CC on my dressage?

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Ahrena

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I want to bang my head against a wall.

I'm struggling a little with my dressage out eventing. It's my little princess's first proper season after buying her I backed 3 years ago and she is fabulous. Proving to be an XC machine (you set her on auto pilot and away she goes) and after I stopped riding with the handbrake on, jumped a cracking SJ this week.

But the dressage. It's not bad by any means but I'm struggling to work out where we aren't getting the marks. And she's a nice horse and very obedient so I don't want to let her down! She feels better than Squirrel ever did and he regularly scored in the 20s.

I won't say what the mark is as would be interested in how other people see it (realise you don't have a judge point of view in the vid though).

Last 2 outings our score was better (and better in relation to others) but it has slipped back again this weekend. I do have lessons with a new instructor which has helped a lot but haven't had one for a month due to various reasons.

My issue is I just don't know where it's going wrong.
What I know is;
- she's inclined to swing quarters left down centre line. I managed to correct this for a while but was commented on today (what can I do at home to improve it?)
- couple of naf transitions esp into walk and the second part of my walk was a bit above the bridle, she gets tense collecting after a long rein so struggling a little but techniques from my instructor are helping
- didn't stretch down as much as she can in the free walk although that's coming (she stretched more in the last 1/3)
- I can't ride a decent halt to save my life

Would love some opinions on the rest!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=azmp-hqGYZw
 
To me as a general way of going she looks a bit tense, not working into a contact and not working across the back.

I don't know how you work her at home, but I would be doing lots of long and low work into a contact before picking her up into a test frame.

Most horses are crooked, you need to work out which shoulder she loads and then work to lighten that shoulder, so leg yield, shoulder fore etc. You may need to almost be in shoulder fore or at least think shoulder fore when you are coming down the centre line.

The test itself was fine to me, you just need to improve on the way of going for higher marks, I assume you were marked 6 and 6.5 for most movements?
 
Agree with the above I think for what you have now the test was done well. Lots to like but she just seems a bit heavy at the front, contact isn't fully accepted and little swing through her back which would have kept the marks down for me. I'd be looking to get her back end working more underneath her so the front end softens.
 
I would say the score was in the 30,s 32-35 .

CC she is losing marks because she is very slightly behind the vertical most of the time, not much but enough to get a 6 rather than 7 for a fair bit of her trot work that should be capable of 7 if not 8.
She is also very slightly quarters to the left at other times not just on the centre line, it is affecting some of the transitions because she is not traveling quite straight through them, especially the trot to walk where she became very crooked for a few strides and one of the canter transitions.
I think she carries her tail to the left down the centre line so it may be worth getting a physio to check her and possibly you as well.

I agree with the poster above suggesting working her more on a longer frame to get her working through her back a little more and taking a more secure contact, the straightness will be a key factor ensure you move the shoulders rather than push the quarters as pushing her away will often compound the issue and make them more tense.
 
Thank you - def agree with most of that (and rest is what I wasn't seeing!)

Interesting comment re physio - she gets seen regularly but I realised yesterday I have to ride 2 holes lower on the right to feel level. I put that down to leather having stretched but had brand new leathers on yesterday so I'm obviously very crooked and need to look into that.

I have been pushing quarters right rather than shoulder fore so that's interesting.

We're working a lot on long and low at the moment, although it's still more low than long; encouraging her to take the contact forward is also something we've been working on (forever it feels!) and is slowly improving but evidently not there yet.

Test scored 34 - last 2 tests were 32.4 and 29.5 but the 3 before were all 34-34.5.

Thank you very much - that's been very helpful, confirms that the things we're working on at home is what we need to achieve to get the better marks so I'm on the right track. Also now realise how important it is for her to really start taking the contact!

I think I'm a bit prone to falling into a trap where she feels so light in the mouth it feels lovely as it feels so light and soft but actually it's because she's behind the contact rather than taking it!

Really appreciate the CC - I was a little confused by the test sheet as it kept saying her hollowing in places I didn't think she was, I.e trot across the diagonal but on reflection if she's not taking the contact I suppose she can tuck her nose in but still hollow through the back
 
Agree with what the others have said, my thoughts were that she looks to holding tension through her back so she isn't as soft and swinging as she would need to be for higher marks, and also the crookedness thats been mentioned. However I thought it looked a decent test and was well ridden, plus she's beautiful :).
 
Getting a contact is tricky.

I hope this makes sense, but you have to have a feel on the mouth even if she is behind the vertical (thinking of at home now rather than in a test) try to have a feel and then soften slightly and see if she will follow the contact (don't give away and have loose reins), keep doing this to try and get the neck out.

You could also try some exaggerated leg yields, with slightly too much flexion to try and get suppleness in the back.

Good luck, she will get some amazing scores soon!
 
I agree, looked tense (especially in the trot) and not working over the back into a contact. Definitely crooked, and if you are working with uneven stirrups you yourself might be crooked, so get you checked out too!

The trot looks like it could be lovely, but not enough schwung and lift, which will all come from rear engagement and pushing into the contact.

I'd think mainly 6s too.

Lateral work (shoulder fore, leg yields) will help loosen up and hopefully take the contact.
 
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She's sweet. Just to add to loads and loads of lateral work mentioned above - half halts, half halts, half halts. Really use them to drive her from behind into the bridle. Use the cheats' version of squaring your shoulders whilst really pile driving down through your saddle and pushing your weight into your heels for a beat if firming up the outside and fiddling on the inside doesn't appeal or causes a head nod. Both canters transitions would have been spot on if you had prepared her earlier. Likewise, downwards transitions, especially going away from the judge, they can't see if you do three before the transition down. Work on going up and down the pace at home in all paces and use them to stop her running through you.

May I suggest, too, that you raise your hands slightly, bring your elbows back and stick them to your sides like glue, at the same time softening them so that they 'open' with the rise and 'close' with the sit as opposed to your hands bobbing up and down. It will enable you to hold the contact better; stop your reins getting so long, and, as I found when I finally managed to crack this, there is less inclination for them to duck behind the vertical as they are not avoiding/evading the inconsistency on the mouth.

She's lovely, and she's almost there. Well done.
 
She looks quite tense and locked in her neck, from what I could see she is left hind not stretching as forwards as the right and at some times looked as if her hip was higher that side.

My youngster doesn't like working properly on his right hind. He just doesn't extend it foreword like the left, he is all sound and vet and physio are happy with him but it shows in his flat work.



Kylara said:
Lateral work (shoulder fore, leg yields) will help loosen up and hopefully take the contact.
Click to expand...

This is what we do to help him engage his hind end and then add in a canter transition.
For example make sure your leg yield is balanced, leg yields from the quarter line onto the track as soon as you get onto the track and straighten ask for a canter transition as hind end is already engaged.
Same with leg yielding spirals. Start on a 10 meter circle leg yield out and once she is soft and in balance ask for canter.

Really helps mine with moving his right hind under neath him.

With regards to the hind quarters shifting to the left that to me is strength and balance or lack of.

Try laying two poles out trotting, or a bit wider, and practice your halting in between them. I sometimes have found especially with my big one that having the boundary helps them learn. Then you can slowly take them away.

Hope that makes sense.

I do love this little mare, you have done fab with her.
 
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Looked like a nice test to me! I think you have had some very useful comments above that I don't have much to add to!
I was in your section. My test sheet also mentioned 1/4 left on CL, not enough stretching down in free walk and not square halt haha! I also need to remember to think shoulder fore.
I thought the marking was strange in that my collectives were scored lower than the rest of the test, whereas I thought generally judges should be the same or higher collectives.
Most importantly well done on the double clear!
 
Fantastic suggestions, thank you so much!

Itching to try them out, pity she needs a day off today!

She really does have huge expressive paces; when I do manage to get the contact and she comes through properly from behind it feels like a passage, it's incredible, hopefully one day we'll have that 95% not 5%

Thanks again (and thanks for not tearing my riding to shreds 😳)
 
Didn't see last couple of posts before I replied! Ooh I am excited to try.

Wondering if it's relevant, she moves very close behind - she moves her right hind across almost plaiting and I'm wondering if that could be related to the crookedness/sign of weakness? (All been checked out physically, she's fine but def still weak - she's taking a long time to grow up)
 
I'd be inclined to slow the trot rhythm down just slightly, she looks a little rushed in places. I don't mean reduce the impulsion or activity, just give her a little more breathing room to relax into the contact - this worked well with my stressy horse who would suck back off the contact.

It's hard to tell without looking at her more closely, but I'd imagine that with work her quarters will build muscle and she won't move as close behind. It might be worth getting a physio out to take a look and recommend some exercises.
 
Ahrena said:
Didn't see last couple of posts before I replied! Ooh I am excited to try.

Wondering if it's relevant, she moves very close behind - she moves her right hind across almost plaiting and I'm wondering if that could be related to the crookedness/sign of weakness? (All been checked out physically, she's fine but def still weak - she's taking a long time to grow up)
Click to expand...


That would mean she is loading more on her right hind to take the weight off her left. The elephant does that because of a stifle injury on his left hind.
We have to do lots of backing up in hand (see my post above about the poles and halting, can be used for rein back in hand and ridden too)

The elephant moved very close behind when we got him.
Six months of straight line work and raised poles and it really improved.

You can do her Lateral work out hacking too, just pick patches of grass to leg yield etc round so you have a bigger space to get the balance and rhythm rather than running out of space in a school and having to stop.
I've found its helped so many of mine.
 
I was already attempting that in this video oops!

Previously has been commented it looked rushed. That test felt slow to me, but I think that's the lack of implosion compared to what she can have and therefore perhaps the steps are still a bit quick.

Thank you 😊
 
Play with the paces within the trot, shallow loops and long straight lines help me with the wonky/tense pony plus lots of leg yield/shoulder in. In the trot I try and school and encourage him to stretch down then ask for slightly bigger steps to get his hind legs, he is speedy but we need more hind activity (more than capable just lazy). You rlebows look a bit locked which might be why she won't take the contact so much (only watched a snippet of vid as at work) - I used to get shouted for elastic elbows a lot so habit now :)

Looks lovely all the same :)
 
Beautiful horse with lovely paces!

I agree with the other posters on the tension and the contact. I had a lightbulb moment in a lesson a couple of weeks ago when I was struggling with straightness on the centre line - my trainer told me to ride the backend straight and not to worry about the front-end. I wasn't consciously trying to keep him straight using the contact but as soon as I focused solely on the hindquarters, I used my legs evenly and kept my hands quiet. So simple and obvious in hindsight...
 
agree with others but also felt that you need to be a little more accurate and make sure you really go into the corners which will help to set her up for the next movement and also make sure you go all the way to the track when doing 20m circles, your canter circle was quite a way off . . I also have a tendency to be crooked as I have bad hips so I had a lesson on a mechanical horse and it really helped me to know exactly how I should be sitting and what I should be feeling, so may be worth a go if there is one that you can get to. a beautiful horse with good paces so you should be able to get better results with a bit of tweaking..good luck
 
Lovely horse and the higher marks are there just itching to get out.
Are you fairly local to BCA? I ask because I can suggest a trainer reasonably close that will help you with the straightness very easily
 
About an hour away -near Newbury

I have to say I've recently started with a new dressage instructor who in 2 lessons has managed to get her working long and low (I tried and failed for 3 years) and an excellent counter canter exercise to strengthen and straighten her canter.

But def open to try someone else as well as this clearly needs sorting
 
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