Rio the Andalusian stallion's first 11 days in the UK :)

Wheels said:
Stunning horse but personally I'd lay off the advanced movements for now and practise the basics. You don't really look 'together' at the moment but you'll get there, just take your time to get to know one another and leave the piafe until you are working in more harmony :)
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Completely agree with this!

He is a stunning boy, but like many Spanish imports, he does not know the basics and has been taught the tricks - badly. You also need to develop a stronger seat and ride more from that than the hand, easier said than done I know, but as you say he actually feels quite light in the hand then try not to brace against him.

Once you have him sorted he will be lovely.
 
My friend has a mare , she moves exactly like him and often dies the same in canter it's so hard to get her to settle and when really tense she starts crazily changing legs and goes all over the place, she is 9 now and is still no where near getting the canter sorted, it's been a loooong process for my friend. Such sensitive beasts yet so clever. She also trots the same as him with the funny dishing must be a character of the breed. Lovely horses though, so much charisma about them.
 
Hello, that's a nice Spanish horse (I have 2). Perhaps you would benefit from some help from a trainer with experience of PRE horses? The "dream horse" can easily become a nightmare if not properly ridden. These ARE NOT like English horses!
 
He is stunning and you sound like a lovely person too!!

Would some ground work help? Maybe if he was to chill more on the ground once you've taught him that you won't hurt him and he understands what you are asking then he will settle under saddle? Might help if he had a little time to settle in before being asked to perform.

Big changes for the poor boy with all the travelling. A lovely lady at my yard has an Andalusian and he is a bit mad too, I wonder what kind of training regimes some places over there are using? He is wonderful on the ground but is having big tantrums when ridden.

You could always try talking to him in his native language, whatever 'Good Boy' is!!
 
A lot of horses over here are riden much more from the seat, so that there is no need for a strong contact. Try to ride the canter you want from your hips right through to your tummy, before using leg and hand aids. It is hard work, and I still can't get it right a lot of the time because I learnt to ride xc style on naughty ponies - couldn't be more different :D

A lot of the horses here are trained differently to the uk, but IME there are just as many trainers using dodgy methods in the uk as there are here.

The Spanish riders seem to use a long, low pitched whistle to calm a stressed or over excited horse, and chico bueno is 'good boy'.
 
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I think you are at the beginning of a lovely partnership - well done!
Have you had a look at the Classical Riding website? Sylvia Loch inspires some and infuriates others, but I have followed her advice for years and find it sensible and compassionate. She rode and still rides Iberian horses and there are some recommendations for appropriate sources of teaching and support on there. There are lots of CR associates who have PRE horses so may be worth a look.
Also put labruyere into Google and sign up to her newsletters. Another very supportive source of riding in harmony via seat and core muscles. Sing,breathe and smile!
 
Lovely horse, and considering you've only had him 9 days fair play to you for coming on here and posting videos... I think you and your horse will be amazing in a few months.
He's very tense under saddle, and I have to agree with the comments about riding with your seat rather than your hands, but there's some great advise on here already.
Regards the bit, I'm not sure, however I would take advise from someone who knows and understands the breed.
We have a friend who is Spanish - he was yard rider for a member of the Spanish Olympic team, and he will work a horse with little contact, because the horse needs to find it's balance and self carriage. He's an absolute purist when it comes to Clasical Dressage.
I'm not an expert on the Spanish method, but he helped my mum with her Dutch horse (who said friend described as trained 'The German way'), and it was a about finding a balance, as my mum also rides through her seat, but also uses her outside rein etc for balance. The horse found it difficult with no contact initially - but the horse ended up with the most amazing bond with him, and would let him do anything ridden, and on the ground (the horse at the time was quite tricky, and got upset with certain things - whips, hose pipes, aids when ridden).
I genuinely wish you all the best in your journey... He's definitely a keeper :D
 
He certainly looks lovely.

As a PRE owner of 4 years now (mine was newly imported from spain too) I advise that you get his teeth checked pretty quickly and make sure that the farrier you use has experience of foot balance for Iberians. Its a fact that overall dentists and farriers in Spain are not as good as in the UK, the current economic climate will also have made it harder for owners out there, which is why the cost of purchasing a PRE has gone down significantly

Like mine, your boy looks short in the back so please ensure you get a saddle that really does fit him and is not too long. Many PRE owners swear by Strada saddles. Ilga is lovely and well worth speaking to if you are interested.

Definitely look at the BAPSH facebook page, they are a lovely and very knowledgable bunch of people on there, and find a good trainer who is used to working with Iberians. They will help you with the basics and should give you an insight into their methods of training. As with any other horse he will test you initially and will look to you to be the leader. The braver you are the braver he will become. Most of them are great hacks (mine is) so get yourself out there and have fun.

Lastly, don't be tempted to overfeed him. They are intolerant to sugars and can live on fresh air. They also like their work, so give him plenty to do to keep his brain occupied as well

I am sure you will have lots of fun with him :)
 
You need to develop a longer classical seat and let your hips and pelvis move more with him. You will find the energy a lot easier to handle once you have this. Try also a pee wee bit on him. Good for horses that get their tounge over the bit and we have strong chaps that ride amazingly in one.
 
thank you for all the advice! my instructor is experienced in working with PRE's so have that sorted, saddler was supposed to come out last week but was ill so is coming out this week to fit a dressage saddle to him :) and the farrier is out next week to take his shoes off and then he will be mainly self trimming hopefully! also when he first got here we got the vet to do a full check over, had a look in his mouth and said that he has just been done so no need to do anything in there and that he was all good to go after some settling time :)

also about my riding... i havent actually ridden in a dressage saddle more than a dozen times in my riding carreer and for the last 5 years i havent ridden in anything but a jumping saddle which is why im finding it difficult to adjust :o plus this is only the second time i have ridden him and hes totally different to anything i have ridden before and i find it really annoying that, that saddle doesnt allow you to rise to the trot so i feel like i cant relax (you'd think i would be able to after riding bareback for over a year) so its something we are working on. from now on we are just going to be working on his walk and trot, transitions and lateral work so he begins to understand what im asking :) thank you again for all the suggestions!
 
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