Riding a straight centre line?

wellsat

wellsat

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Does anyone have any tips for riding a sensible, straight, centre line?

Lil is fine doing almost everything else but finds centre lines the most exciting thing ever and charges down the school meandering about all over the place.:eek:

I can almost see what our test sheet is going to say now....
 
Oh gawd. If only I knew the answer to that one! We always do the first half brilliantly, then it all falls apart and my dressage test sheets almost inevitably end with "Halted, quarters left). I do blame it on myself and not the horse, but I haven't yet figured out what it is I'm doing wrong/where my balance is wrong, in order to start putting things right again.
 
put your leg on and ride it forwards. If she is going nicely forward from your hand into a contact your CL will be straight.
 
galaxy23 said:
put your leg on and ride it forwards. If she is going nicely forward from your hand into a contact your CL will be straight.
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Lol, forwards isn't the problem, I'm just slightly concerned that our final halt is going to be with Lil's chin resting on the judges bonnet!

I'm guessing what you're saying though is that if she's softer into the contact and not flying down the centre line like a loon then we'll have more chance of it being straight.
 
yeah it is. They have to be in a contact (although not necessaril into an "outline") otherwise you'll just get the rushing madness, which you don't want throughout your test anyway. My old boy was a whizzy boy, off a contact he'd fly around. Ask for a contact and put my leg on and he was a different horse. I'd work on getting a contact, not strong or heavy, just work out how to put your leg on without getting speed.

Do you have regular lessons?
 
Yes, I have regular lessons with a very good dressage trainer. Poor woman can only help me improve so many things at once though!
 
Push on, look straight ahead (stare at judges if necessary!) and don't look down. Concentrate on being totally central in the saddle, and prepare, prepare, prepare for the halt :)
 
Do you ride off the track at home?

riding on the inside track, down the 3/4 line etc will make the centre line less of a big deal.
 
I was taught a useful tip, which is to ride in more of a medium trot than a working trot.
The horse does have to know the difference between impulsion and speed though!:D
 
Insted of aiming for trot to halt, aim for one step of walk then halt. so if your halting at g. x prepare for walk then another quick sharp half halt and by g you have walk halt. I personally also find that riding in this way keepps you straight.. and dont look down for where your marker would be, use the markers at the side..

you can certinally get away with this at prelim level... (i wil confess to an epic fail at dressage this week, my centerlines and halts got 7s any thing else down to a 4:rolleyes:)
 
millitiger said:
Do you ride off the track at home?

riding on the inside track, down the 3/4 line etc will make the centre line less of a big deal.
Click to expand...

She doesn't ride a straight 3/4 line either! Its like she's agoraphobic, as soon as you ask her to come away from the fence she panics and bobs from side to side. The only time you can get her to concentrate is to ask for a leg yield.

As I type this that makes me think that she's happier because I'm 'riding' her more when doing lateral work than I am if I'm trying to do something 'straightforward' like a centre line.
 
galaxy23 said:
can you leg yeild away from the fence?

The likelihood is she's using the fence to balance herself.
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Never tried but she will leg yield nicely from a 10m to a 20m circle. Will try leg yielding away from the fence tomorrow to see what happens.
 
How about thinking of your centre line as a series of leg yields? Or try schooling in the field if you can, where there is no fence for her to try and rely on. Plus, expect her to go down the centre line straight - I was always taught to look where you want to go, think forwards and straight and you won't go far wrong.
 
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