Riding with no contact

kinnygirl1

kinnygirl1

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So after a couple of stressful lessons and a few disappointing dressage tests I felt like I was getting a bit bogged down in outlines, what my hands should be doing, what his back end is doing etc etc and schooling wasn't feeling like much fun any more, so tonight, I took Stanley up to the field and rode for a good half hour on the buckle with no contact whatsoever. I really enjoyed it. He was so responsive to my seat and legs,really forward going and easy to turn just from my legs and seat, and transitioned up and down with just my seat as an aid. He felt like he was really swinging his back end too. I think we both had fun. Does anyone else ever do this and Is there any harm in doing this now and again? Will I have undone any of my hard schooling work by doing this?
 
Do this from time to time out hacking with all my ponies. It's good for both of us, and makes younger ponies think carefully about the seat and leg aids. I also think it's important to 'let them down' to establish a confident, relaxed way of going, particularly in traffic .
 
pennyturner said:
Do this from time to time out hacking with all my ponies. It's good for both of us, and makes younger ponies think carefully about the seat and leg aids. I also think it's important to 'let them down' to establish a confident, relaxed way of going, particularly in traffic .
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Ah that's good to know. We were in a big field so when we were cantering he really stretched out and down... He is quite young at 6 this year.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
That is what riding should be like - the horse in self-carriage. You certainly won't have undone your schooling. What does your RI say you are working towards?
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Well I was aiming to do a half decent prelim before the end of the summer season but it's not a deal breaker. R I has helped me so much with everything, he is much more balanced now then he ever was. Think R I just wants to see my succeed to boost my own confidence a bit!
 
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